Radiohead "OK Computer"
The English rock band Radiohead's third studio album, "OK Computer", was released on June 16, 1997, by EMI. The album was mostly recorded by the band and their producer, Nigel Godrich, in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and St Catherine's Court, an ancient mansion in Bath, during 1996 and 1997. Unlike their previous album, "The Bends", which had a guitar-focused and introspective style, "OK Computer" incorporated abstract lyrics, a heavily layered sound, and diverse influences, foreshadowing the band's future experimental work.
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The English rock band Radiohead's third studio album, "OK Computer", was released on June 16, 1997, by EMI. The album was mostly recorded by the band and their producer, Nigel Godrich, in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and St Catherine's Court, an ancient mansion in Bath, during 1996 and 1997. Unlike their previous album, "The Bends", which had a guitar-focused and introspective style, "OK Computer" incorporated abstract lyrics, a heavily layered sound, and diverse influences, foreshadowing the band's future experimental work.
The lyrics on the album depict a world filled with issues such as rampant consumerism, social isolation, political malaise, and emotional detachment. "OK Computer" is considered prescient for its insights into the mood of the 21st century. The band used unconventional production techniques, including recording on a staircase to create natural reverberation, with no audio separation. Strings were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, and most of the album was recorded live.
Despite initial reservations by EMI, who deemed the album uncommercial and difficult to market, "OK Computer" reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200. It was soon certified five times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US, selling at least 7.8 million units worldwide. The album's singles, "Paranoid Android", "Karma Police", "Lucky", and "No Surprises", also helped to boost Radiohead's global popularity.
"OK Computer" received critical acclaim and is often cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1998 Grammy Awards, winning Best Alternative Music Album. It was also nominated for Best British Album at the 1998 Brit Awards. "OK Computer" initiated a stylistic shift in British rock music towards melancholic, atmospheric alternative rock that became increasingly prevalent in the next decade. In 2014, the United States Library of Congress added OK Computer to the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A remastered version of the album, "OKNOTOK 1997 2017", was released in 2017 to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, and Radiohead also released MiniDiscs [Hacked], which features hours of additional material, in response to an internet leak in 2019.
