Claim: In 1991, Radiohead signed to EMI.

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon , Oxfordshire , formed in 1985 . The band consists of Thom Yorke -LRB- lead vocals , guitar , piano , keyboards -RRB- , Jonny Greenwood -LRB- lead guitar , keyboards , other instruments -RRB- , Ed O'Brien -LRB- guitar , backing vocals -RRB- , Colin Greenwood -LRB- bass -RRB- , and Phil Selway -LRB- drums , percussion , backing vocals -RRB- . They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994 .   After signing to EMI in 1991 , Radiohead released their debut single `` Creep '' in 1992 . It became a worldwide hit after the release of their debut album , Pablo Honey -LRB- 1993 -RRB- . Their popularity and critical standing rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their second album , The Bends -LRB- 1995 -RRB- . Radiohead 's third album , OK Computer -LRB- 1997 -RRB- , propelled them to international fame ; noted for its complex production and themes of modern alienation , it is often acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s and one of the best albums in popular music . The group 's next albums Kid A -LRB- 2000 -RRB- and Amnesiac -LRB- 2001 -RRB- , recorded simultaneously , marked a dramatic change in style , incorporating influences from experimental electronic music , 20th-century classical music , krautrock , and jazz . Despite initially dividing listeners , Kid A was later named the best album of the decade by Rolling Stone , Pitchfork and the Times .   Radiohead 's sixth album , Hail to the Thief -LRB- 2003 -RRB- , mixed rock and electronic music with lyrics inspired by the War on Terror , and was the band 's final album for EMI . Their subsequent releases have pioneered alternative release platforms such as pay-what-you-want and BitTorrent . Radiohead self-released their seventh album , In Rainbows -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , as a download for which customers could set their own price , to critical and chart success . Their eighth album , The King of Limbs -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , an exploration of rhythm , was developed using extensive looping and sampling . Their ninth album , A Moon Shaped Pool -LRB- 2016 -RRB- , prominently featured Jonny Greenwood 's orchestral arrangements .   Radiohead have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide . Their work places highly in both listener polls and critics ' lists of the best music of the 1990s and 2000s . In 2005 , they were ranked 73rd in Rolling Stone 's list of `` The Greatest Artists of All Time '' ; Jonny Greenwood -LRB- 48th -RRB- and O'Brien -LRB- 59th -RRB- were both included in Rolling Stones list of greatest guitarists , and Yorke -LRB- 66th -RRB- in their list of greatest singers . In 2009 , Rolling Stone readers voted the group the second-best artist of the 2000s .