Maps of Music

Pablo Honey (1993)

Where the lyrics of Pablo Honey take you, and where it was really made.

The band's best-known song was played almost by accident during rehearsals, and the band later came to resent it.

Key places

Recorded at Chipping Norton Recording Studios (1993)

Recording site Chipping Norton Recording Studios — The album was recorded in three weeks at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire in 1992. The band's lack of studio experience slowed the work, and the early sessions made little progress. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

An earlier Lurgee recorded at Courtyard (1993)

Recording site Courtyard Studios — Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire was the studio of producer Chris Hufford, who produced the debut EP Drill there. The band used an earlier version of Lurgee recorded with Hufford at Courtyard for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Pablo Honey: debut studio album by English rock band Radiohead
• Released 22 February 1993 in the UK on Parlophone, and 20 April 1993 in the US on Capitol Records
• Produced by Sean Slade, Paul Q. Kolderie and co-manager Chris Hufford

Background

• Band formed in 1985 at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire; signed a recording contract with EMI in 1991
• Debut EP Drill (1992) achieved little success
• Management targeted the American market and chose American producers
• Kolderie and Slade had worked with bands including the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr, and were in the UK looking for work when they were offered Radiohead
• Steve Albini was considered, but EMI felt it was too risky

Recording

• Recorded in three weeks at Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire, in 1992
• The band's lack of studio experience hampered the recording
• Early attempts at "Inside My Head" and "Lurgee" made little progress
• "Creep" was played unexpectedly during rehearsals and recorded, persuading EMI to make it the debut single
• Guitar parts were overdubbed many times to create a distorted wall of sound
• Album title comes from a prank call sketch by the Jerky Boys

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985.
• The members met while attending Abingdon School, a private boys' school in Abingdon.
• The band was first called On a Friday, and signed to EMI in December 1991 under the name Radiohead.

Members

• Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards), Colin Greenwood (bass), Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals), Philip Selway (drums).
• Nigel Godrich (producer) and Stanley Donwood (cover artist) have worked with the band since 1994.

Career

• Debut album Pablo Honey (1993); The Bends (1995); OK Computer (1997) is considered a landmark record.
• Kid A (2000) marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating electronic music, jazz and krautrock.
• In Rainbows (2007) was self-released as a pay-what-you-want download.
• Over 30 million albums sold by 2011; six Grammy Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Pablo Honey failed to make a critical impact upon its initial release
• NME's John Harris called Radiohead one of rock's brightest hopes and found the album satisfying despite its flaws
• NME later named it the 35th-best album of the year
• Q wrote that it was a good album with moments that rivalled Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. and Sugar
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice did not recommend the album but named "Creep" a choice cut
• Mario Mundoz of the Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the songwriting does not always match Radiohead's sound, but when it does, it achieves a rare power
• Kenny EG Perry of NME called it the sound of one of the best bands of its generation
• Al Spicer of BBC Music called it one of rock's most impressive debuts (2008)
• PopMatters' Mehan Jahasuriya criticised it as a hodgepodge of half-baked grunge, jangle-pop and stadium-ready alternative rock (2009)
• In 2025, GQ named it the worst Radiohead album

Records

• UK Albums Chart: number 22 (peak)
• United States: certified gold in September 1993, platinum in September 1995
• United Kingdom: certified silver in February 1994, gold in April 1994, platinum in June 1997, double platinum in July 2013
• In 1998, voted the 100th-best album of all time in a Virgin poll, and 61st in a Q poll

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album title comes from a prank call sketch by the American comedy act the Jerky Boys, and a sample of the sketch appears during the guitar solo on "How Do You?"
• Yorke said the title was appropriate because the band were "mothers' boys"
• The recording of "Lurgee" used an earlier version made with Hufford at Courtyard, because the band disliked the version made with Kolderie and Slade
• Radiohead rerecorded "Stop Whispering" for the US single because they were not happy with the album version
• Yorke later enlisted his friend Stanley Donwood to create artwork for future Radiohead releases, after being unhappy with the Pablo Honey cover art

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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