Radiohead made an EP in 1994. This was called "My Iron Lung", and contained the title single, and seven songs known as B-sides (because they were not on a full-length album). The main song, "My Iron Lung", was about the way fans had reacted to their song "Creep". The band was happy the song had been a hit, because otherwise they might not have been able to continue the band. But the band, especially Thom Yorke, were reluctant to be celebrities. They were already disturbed by the workings of the music industry. They felt they had no control over things. "Creep" was popular, so they felt under pressure to make more similar songs. They hated the way "Creep" was the only Radiohead song anyone listened to at their concerts, yet it was all that was keeping them popular and afloat in the record industry. The "iron lung" was a metaphor for such a "life support".
Their second normal album, "The Bends", came out in 1995. The album was going to released in late 1994 but was also delayed. The song "My Iron Lung" was on it, along with 11 new ones. The band released four more songs as singles: "Fake Plastic Trees", "High and Dry", "Just" and "Street Spirit [Fade Out]". None of these songs were as popular as "Creep" around the world. Radiohead was now a one-hit wonder to many people in America. Songs from "The Bends" did not get played on the radio very much there. But the album became very popular in Radiohead's home of the UK. It also got excellent reviews from music critics, unlike the band's first album. Many said it was one of the best rock records in memory. The album was produced by John Leckie, a veteran at EMI's Abbey Road studios. As a young man Leckie had assisted on Pink Floyd albums in the 1970s.
The band's lineup was the same for "The Bends". Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien played rhythm and auxiliary guitar; Thom sang and Ed sang backup. Phil Selway played drums and percussion. Colin Greenwood played bass guitar. Radiohead's lead guitarist was Jonny Greenwood, Colin's younger brother. Jonny was also younger than any of the other members. Jonny was the only member of the band who did not graduate from university. He was also the only member who had attended music school. Jonny had had to leave university after a few months to join Radiohead on a tour when they became popular. But he played in an orchestra when he was young, and he had a knowledge of classical and experimental music and jazz. Thus, Jonny became the band's musical expert. At this stage he already played many instruments, such as keyboard.
It was Jonny's complex and cathartic guitar solos in songs like "Just" and "The Bends" that soon began to attract notice. So did his simpler playing in other songs. The circle of Radiohead fans began to grow. Thom Yorke's lyrics also began talking about larger more political themes during this time. Mostly, they were still about personal disappointments, loves, losses, depression, unease, and anger. But Thom wrote songs like "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit" which found the source of the unease in the larger structure of society, not the individual.
Radiohead's style of music had gotten more mature, according to most people, without changing too much. Some others felt their songwriting had improved so much it was no longer unrecognizable. The band used more keyboards and acoustic guitar this time, and made a more subtle atmosphere. But electric guitars were the main instrument used on the record. Some of Radiohead's influences this time were: the post-punk band Magazine, the singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, Morrissey's (former Smiths singer) "Vauxhall & I", and the music of R.E.M. That band had inspired Radiohead from the beginning. Radiohead would get a chance to tour with them in summer 1995, after releasing the album. Lead singer Michael Stipe became a friend and mentor to Thom, and also a public fan of Radiohead. In 1995 he said "they're so good, they're scary".
The band's influences had expanded once more by the time of their next album "OK Computer".
With "OK Computer" (released in 1997), the band started the next section of their career. They started using more sounds from electronic music. They released the album "Kid A" (released in 2000, was initially going to release sometime in late 1999) which had a lot less use of guitar than on previous albums, but was still called one of their best albums (with some people calling it their best). An album of songs recorded during this time, but that did not appear on "Kid A" was released, called "Amnesiac" (released in 2001). In 2003 they released the album "Hail To The Thief" which was a return to a sound with more guitars and less use of electronic sounds. In 2007 they released "In Rainbows". It was first released for free on the band's website, then released properly on January 1, 2008. The album was delayed two times, it was going to be released in late 2005, then it was going to be released sometime in 2006, before finally getting released in 2007.
Radiohead has been nominated five times at the BRIT Awards.
Radiohead has received three awards from fourteen nominations at the Grammy Awards.
Radiohead has received one Ivor Novello Award.
Radiohead has received four Mercury Prize nominations.
Radiohead has received one award from ten nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Radiohead has received one nomination at the PLUG Awards.
Radiohead has received two awards from the Q Awards.
Ladino language
Ladino (also called Judeo-Spanish) is a Jewish Romance language that is very close to the Spanish language. It has many old Spanish words and Hebrew words.
During the Middle Ages, many Jews lived in Spain. They were called Sephardic Jews or "Sephardim" (in Hebrew). Forced to leave Spain after the country was taken over by Christians, they brought the old Spanish with them to their new countries. Some Sephardic Jews still speak Ladino in Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, the United States, and other countries.
Like many other Jewish languages, Ladino is an endangered language, is in danger of language death, and could become an extinct language. Most native speakers are old because many of them who emigrated to Israel and did not pass on the language to their children or grandchildren. In some Sephardic Jewish communities in Latin America and elsewhere, there is a threat of dialect levelling by the extinction by assimilation into modern Spanish.
Ladino is usuly written by using the Latin alphabet but in Israel, it uses the Hebrew alphabet.
Ladino should not be confused with the Ladin language, which is related to the Swiss Romansh and Friulian languages and is mostly spoken in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Northern Italy.
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is a popular American hard rock band. The band was formed in Los Angeles, California, USA. The five original members of the band were Axl Rose (lead vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals), and Steven Adler (drums). The band's most known songs are "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", "Sweet Child O'Mine", "Patience", "Live and Let Die", "November Rain", "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", "Don't Cry", and "Civil War".
The music they made was different from the rock music that was popular in the 1980s. They played harder rock music. It was also closer to traditional rock. Because of this, many music fans became interested in Guns N'Roses. Guns N'Roses was created in Los Angeles in June, 1985. By singer W. Axl Rose, guitarists Tracii Guns and Izzy Stradlin, bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. Axl's old band was named Hollywood Rose, and Tracii's old band was named L.A. Guns. They joined the two names and got the name Guns N' Roses.