Radiohead

History of Radiohead

  • Started in 1985 when the five members met each other at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire.
  • Members: Thom Yorke, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Philip Selway, Jonny Greenwood (younger brother).
  • They are originally called On a Friday.
  • After uni they recorded a series of demo tapes e.g. Manic Hedgehog which caught the attention of EMI in 1991 during the grunge fever wave.
  • EMI signed the group to a six-album deal but wanted them to change their name.
  • 1992- they became Radiohead which was named after a Talking Heads song that appeared on that band's album Trues Stories.
  • 1992- debut EP Drill was released - features 4 songs, 3 which appears on the debut album Pablo Honey in 1993.
  • Pablo Honey featured the smash hit "Creep", which remains their most lasting and successful single.
  • Worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist, Stanley Donwood since 1994.
  • 1995- released second album The Bends.
  • 1997/2003- headlined Glastonbury
  • 2003- released album 'Hail to the Thief'- final album with EMI. 
  • 2007- released In Rainbows- first album released after leaving EMI.
  • 2008- won John Peel Innovation Award- in recognition of the unique self- release of their album In Rainbows - pay what you want download, where customers could set their own price.
  • By 2011 they had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. 
  • 2017- headlined Glastonbury

Music Video Examples

Radiohead- Just
  • Lyrics- 'you do it to yourself, just you'- possibly commenting on mental health.
  • Narrative and performance- man laying on the floor and the band singing.
  • Dull colours- grey, brown, black
  • Comments on how people think that it is easy for him to get up (telling him to get up as he says nothing is wrong)- Radiohead sympathetic point of view on mental health.
  • Different interpretation- harsh point of view- you cause yourself problems. 

Radiohead- No Surprises
  • Back to front lyrics moving up the screen- could be reflection a computer screen on his face due to the sections of light and the font of the writing- after research found out that he was in a helmet filled with water.
  • Interpretation- going under water and coming back up- just getting by and whitely getting on with it.
  • Lyrics- at the beginning he doesn't seem to think life is worth itch is longing for a quiet life.
  • Possible reference to suicide- 'I'll take a quiet life'.


Radiohead- Karma Police
  • Being hunted- you'll get what you deserve good or bad- karma
  • Lyrics- 'This is what you'll get/When you mess with us'- no one is immune to karma- you shouldn't put negative emotions into the world as it might come back to get you.
  • Other interpretation- a man is being chased by his demons- he removes and destroys them at the end- car is metaphor for this when it gets set alight.

Opinions of Radiohead

  • 'Posterboys for a certain kind of alienation... like Talking Heads and R.E.M.
  • 'Simple lyrics but complex meanings.'
  • 'Band for Xennials, born between 1977 and 1983, regeneration sandwiched between Generation X and Millennials. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kuleshov Effect

Image
The Kuleshov was an editing montage technique which was made popular in early Soviet cinema by Lev Kuleshov. It looked at the relationship between two shots that followed each other and how it was not just important to look at the separate parts, it was more than that. Kuleshov concluded that the effect of the cinema on the audience was down to the montage of alternating shots and sequences within the film.  Kuleshov began doing experiments with his new idea, testing audience reactions to certain images where he discovered that they had a psychological, emotional reaction which differed from person to person depending on their life experiences e.g. a grown man would react differently to an image of a naked woman in comparison to a child. He also said that the audience relate something they don't recognise to something that they know and therefore get a certain emotion from it.  ...
Read more

Styles and types of editing

Image
Some styles and types of editing include: Dissolve- a transition effect where one image gradually fades out while another image simultaneously replaces the original one.  Wipe- one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to the other or with a specific shape. There are specific styles of wipes e.g. barn door wipe, metric wipe, clock wipe etc.  Fade to black- it's exactly what it says on the tin, when an image fades to a totally black image. Fade to white- the same as above but instead of fading out to a black screen it fades to a totally white image.  Juxtaposition- when one shot is followed by another shot which is contrasting. Graphic Match- it creates a cut between two shots that juxtapose their graphically similar shapes. It can be useful in relating two disconnected scenes, help establish a relationship betwe en two scenes, create a ...
Read more

Conventions of alternative rock music videos

These conventions include: Camera close-ups of band members and instruments (focus) long shots of the entire band establishing shots of the scene Mise-en-scene Costume, hair and makeup: baggy t-shirts and jeans (casual style) hair mid-length to long colours- red, blue and black (dark) outfits which have a laid-back, carefree style makeup: needed in a narrative or draws more attention to the performance  Lighting: natural and low key e.g. in clubs, alleyways, dark rooms at night time Actors: carefree and placid attitude most of the people seen in the video are the band due to it being a performance Props: electrical equipment/instruments e.g. guitars, drum kits, microphones, speakers etc. Setting: grungy (dirty, grimy) areas of cities run down buildings underground areas outdoor spaces music stores with small stages Editing cuts between performance and narrativ...
Read more