Radiohead's style, notable for its variety and versatility, can be largely explained by the eclectic musical tastes and accomplishments of its members. Lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is currently the BBC’s Composer in Residence, a multi-instrumentalist, and the only classically trained member of the band, playing (aside from the guitar) such instruments as the Ondes Martenot, banjo, viola and harmonica. Lead singer Thom Yorke, as well as writing all the lyrics, plays several different instruments, and has also focused in recent years on the digital manipulation of sound. He and Jonny are both credited with playing "laptop" on the band's most recent album
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Though Yorke and Greenwood are often seen as the main creative influences within the band, songwriting is chiefly a collaborative effort, and all members are cited equally by the band in their album credits. For example, Ed O'Brien, though usually employed as a guitarist and backing vocalist, is responsible for creating many of the noises and effects heard in songs (such as the end of "Karma Police"), and is also a skilled drummer; and bassist Colin Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway are known to have played an influential role in shaping several of Radiohead's recent pieces. Since the Kid A and Amnesiac recording sessions, band members have felt less constrained to always play "their" instrument, often switching off depending on what the song requires, although in live shows the roles are usually more consistent.
This spirit of creative collaboration is also shown in the band's close relationship with their producers, in particular Nigel Godrich, who worked with the band as coproducer on OK Computer and the following three albums after serving as an engineer on the recording of The Bends. Godrich has often been dubbed the "sixth member" of Radiohead in an allusion to George Martin’s work with the Beatles, but this association has been at least temporarily broken following the band's decision to work with Mark “Spike” Stent during current recording sessions.
Graphic artist Stanley Donwood is another long-term associate of the group, having produced together with Yorke (who is often listed under the pseudonym "Tchock", "Tchocky", or "Dr. Tchock") all of Radiohead's visual artwork (excepting music videos) since their My Iron Lung EP. For Radiohead, Donwood has produced art ranging from oil paintings to computer generated imagery to collages and antique style posters, and prefers to work in the same place the band is recording so as to find a visual equivalent for their sound. Donwood thus projects significant influence over the public image of the band, and the issues addressed in his artwork have been seen to act as a catalyst to themes within Yorke's lyrics. Together with Yorke, he won a Grammy in 2002 for a special edition of Amnesiac packaged as a library book.
Radiohead were formed in the mid-Eighties at Abingdon School, a public (in American English: private) boys-only school located just outside the city of Oxford, which drummer Phil Selway, guitarist Ed O’Brien, guitarist/vocalist Thom Yorke, bassist Colin Greenwood and Colin's multi-instrumentalist brother Jonny all attended. They began practicing in the school's music room, which led to the formation of their first band On a Friday, so named because of their customary rehearsal date. Among On a Friday's earliest influences were The Smiths, Joy Division, Magazine, Queen, R.E.M, and Elvis Costello. The band played their first gig in September 1986, at Oxford's Jericho Tavern. Jonny was the youngest member, and played only harmonica until he could persuade the others to allow him on guitar, but he soon developed into the band's lead player. At one point early in the band's history, On a Friday also had several girls in the lineup playing saxophone.
When the five band members left school to attend university they temporarily put aside On a Friday, but continued to practice on holiday breaks, always planning to return to the band. After four years of dormancy, On a Friday began releasing demos (such as the Manic Hedgehog Demo) and performing live again in Oxford in 1991, becoming popular in the region and also appearing on the cover of local magazine Curfew. Though Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active independent music scene in the late 80s and early 90s centred around shoegazing bands like Ride and Slowdive, Radiohead was not seen to fit into this trend, and commented that they had "missed" it by the time they returned from university.
Radiohead began work again in January 2005, with Thom playing a selection of new songs to the other members, who in turn began adding their own parts. The recording process has been described by the band as "unorganised", and very different to the way Radiohead has recorded before. By early autumn, the band returned to more regular recording sessions, posting intermittently in their Dead Air Space blog on their progress.
Perhaps the biggest change is the choice of producer for the record: for the first time in more than a decade, Nigel Godrich won't oversee the making of the album, although he collaborated on Thom's 2006 solo album and may record some material with the band. According to Ed O'Brien, Radiohead wanted to challenge themselves again and felt too "comfortable" with Godrich as sole coproducer. Instead, the band is working with Mark “Spike” Stent who has previously engineered, mixed or produced albums by Bjork, Massive Attack, U2 and Madonna).
It appears unlikely that the band will re-sign with EMI. Its management has also dismissed rumours that Warner Music was lining up to sign the band, stating: "The band (is) not looking for a record company in any way, shape or form. They are out of a contract, but they're not actively looking for another one. They're getting on with doing what they do". In an interview in April for NME, Thom revealed that they do plan to sign a record deal eventually, but on their own terms, and not until the album is finished. This was confirmed in a June interview with The Observer: "'Will we re-sign to EMI?' he mused. 'I don't know. I don't think we'd sign sign to anybody. Give someone a record when it's done if we feel that they can do it justice. That's it.'"
In March 2005, Thom and Jonny performed at the Ether Festival in London, with the London Sinfonietta, the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth, and others. The song "Arpeggi", which will likely be included on Radiohead's next release, was debuted in this performance. Greenwood also debuted two of his own classical pieces, one written for the Ondes Martenot. Later that summer, Yorke performed an acoustic set for the Trade Justice Rally, performing "Nude" (aka "Big Ideas"), debuting the new song "House of Cards," reviving the unreleased "Reckoner," and introducing "Last Flowers [to the Hospital]," apparently a remnant of the OK Computer period. All are considered possible candidates for Radiohead's next recordings, though only "Nude" and "House of Cards" have been performed since by the full band.
In early September 2005 the band recorded a new piano and vocal-based song, "I Want None of This", for the War Child charity album Help: A Day in the Life, a sequel to the 1995 compilation for which the band had written "Lucky." In contrast with that song, "I Want None of This" was not released as a single.
The new album's release date and title are still unconfirmed. In 2005 Yorke has said the band might not even release an album at all, but EPs or tracks distributed through the Internet, although the band have often claimed this as a possibility in the past and then released an album. Radiohead has begun debuting some of its new material during its present tour of smaller venues in Europe and North America. The band is also headlining several concert festivals for the first time, including Bonnaroo in Tennessee and the UK's V Festival. After the tour is over the band is expected to return to recording, releasing their seventh album sometime in 2007 (which would make it the longest gap between any Radiohead albums).
Thom and Jonny began Radiohead's 2006 summer tour with an acoustic benefit show for environmental organization Friends of the Earth at London's Koko club, for an audience including representatives of major British political parties (among the fans, controversially, was Tory leader David Cameron). During the full band's current tour, in addition to playing re-arranged versions of "Arpeggi," "Nude" and "House of Cards," Radiohead has so far premiered eleven new tracks: "Bangers 'N' Mash", "Open Pick", " 15 Step", "4 Minute Warning", "Arpeggi", "Spooks", "Bodysnatchers", "Go Slowly", "Videotape", "Down Is The New Up" and "All I Need". Apparently these tracks represent only a part of the new material, and the band has said more songs may still be premiered at upcoming concerts. Tracks that have been "announced" by the band on their weblog and have yet to be debuted in full band arrangements include "Last Flowers", "Burn the Witch," and "5ths," although the latter may have evolved into "All I Need."
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