At the mid-point of the 1990s, Radiohead were in crisis. Having exploded into the public consciousness with indie grunge anthem Creep, the Oxford quintet were struggling with their identity
The Thom Yorke-led five were eager to dive into the more alluring waters of experimentation, and dispense with the more commercially-angled likes of Creep.
Try arguing that to the powers that be, however. Not convinced by their band’s rejection of the more lucrative route, it was starting to be suspected by UK label Parlophone and US label Capitol that Creep might have been an aberration.
It was feared that not only were the band not capable of reproducing it, but that they really didn't want to.
There was a drought, therefore, in the radio-friendly hooks department as the group set to work on album number two…
But, just as the ideas got more interesting, the distinct feeling that their hard-won success was eroding was starting to become a reality. Capitol distanced itself, withholding the second album option until they heard something that was worth their clout.
Preferably, that something should smell a little Creep-ier.
