Radiohead: The Bends [XL RECORDINGS]

*The Bends* is the second studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on March 13, 1995, by Parlophone. Produced by John Leckie with additional production by Radiohead, Nigel Godrich, and Jim Warren, the album features a blend of guitar-driven tracks and ballads, characterized by more restrained arrangements and enigmatic lyrics compared to Radiohead's debut album, *Pablo Honey* (1993).

Recording began at RAK Studios in London in February 1994 amidst high tension and pressure from Parlophone to replicate the success of Radiohead's debut single, "Creep," leading to slow progress. After an international tour in May and June, the band continued work at Abbey Road in London and the Manor in Oxfordshire. *The Bends* marked the first collaboration with producer Nigel Godrich and artist Stanley Donwood, both of whom have contributed to every Radiohead album since.

The album saw the release of several singles, supported by music videos: "My Iron Lung," the double A-side "High and Dry / Planet Telex," "Fake Plastic Trees," "Just," and Radiohead's first top-five hit on the UK Singles Chart, "Street Spirit (Fade Out)." The title track "The Bends" was also released as a single in Ireland, and a live video, *Live at the Astoria*, was issued on VHS. Radiohead supported the album with extensive touring, including US dates opening for R.E.M. and Alanis Morissette.

*The Bends* reached number four on the UK Albums Chart but did not replicate the success of "Creep" in the US, where it peaked at number 88 on the Billboard 200. It received more acclaim than *Pablo Honey*, earning a nomination for Best British Album at the Brit Awards 1996 and solidifying Radiohead's status as a prominent British band. Frequently cited as one of the greatest albums of all time, it appears in Colin Larkin's *All Time Top 1000 Albums* and all three editions of Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album is credited with influencing a generation of post-Britpop acts such as Coldplay, Muse, and Travis, and it holds platinum certification in the US and quadruple platinum status in the UK.