Pablo Honey

Radiohead: Thom E. Yorke (vocals, guitar); Ed O’Brien (guitar, background vocals); Jon Greenwood (guitar, piano, organ); Colin Greenwood (bass); Phil Selway (drums).

Producers: Paul Q. Kolderie, Chris Hufford, Sean Slade. Engineers: Paul Q. Kolderie, Chris Hufford, Sean Slade. Recorded at Chipping Norton Studio and Courtyard Studio, Oxon, England. Before the breakthrough that was THE BENDS and the colossal OK COMPUTER, there was the quietly magnificent PABLO HONEY. “Creep” was the surprise hit single in the UK, but even that gave scant indication of how special this band would become. Benefiting from a raw production, the debut was undoubtedly less slick and accomplished than subsequent work, although Thom Yorke’s vulnerable but impressive vocal styling was already in place on songs such as “Stop Whispering.” Many of the compositions were somewhat simplistic, but in terms of musical maturity Radiohead were clearly years ahead of their time. An indispensable album, it should not be parted from its two big brothers. What the critics say… Entertainment Weekly (5/28/93, p.56) – “…mates Smiths-type self-consciousness with dramatic U2-like vocals and guitar, with Cure-style heavy but crunchy pop…” – Rating: B Q (4/93, p.86) – 3 Stars – Good – “…British teenagerhood has never been grumpier….the best bits rival Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. and even the mighty Sugar…“ NME (Magazine) (12/25/93, p.67) – Ranked #35 in New Musical Express’ list of `The Top 50 LPs Of 1993’ – “…is a throwback to a homegrown tradition of great guitar-band albums….”