High and Dry The pressure that bands must feel after delivering a successful debut album must be enormous. Add the backing of a major label to the mix, and the expectations that come with all of that, and it can be enough to make even the most confident songwriters take pause. Radiohead stormed onto the Alt Rock scene with 1993’s Pablo Honey, that spawned a now-legendary lead single in “Creep.” The debut set has gone on to sell over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. The expectation from Radiohead’s label (Capitol Records) was that they could easily replicate this success on their sophomore effort, The Bends. But true art can’t be forced or so easily matched at the click of a button. The reality that began to sink in for this ultra-talented band during the songwriting sessions for this record led to the realization that they would have to go even bigger than anyone could’ve ever dreamt of. Through these sessions, The Bends has gone on to receive numerous critical accolades, including Rolling Stone’s “500 Best Albums of All Time” list and several platinum certifications worldwide.
The album was preceded by an EP called My Iron Lung, where its title track was included in the final tracklisting for The Bends. The songs found on this sophomore record are rich, include much more lyrical depth and mystery than Pablo Honey, and solidified Radiohead as a key player in the BritPop movement that was occurring in the mid to late-90’s. The record kicks off with one of the six singles released from the set, in “Planet Telex”, that quickly showcased the growth of the band since their early days. The title track is a raucous slab of guitar-led rock, while the most successful single from the album, “High and Dry” would give future bands like Coldplay and Keane a rich template to try and replicate success of their own.
”Fake Plastic Trees” is an acoustic-guitar driven song that adds in a sweeping orchestral section and still stands the test of time through its great production and overall construction. “Bones” makes a nice contrast to the starry-eyed ballad with a great bass line from Colin Greenwood found throughout the track, while vocalist Thom Yorke has no trouble soaring above the instrumental mix of the rock song. It’s another solid reminder of what made Radiohead so different from the Grunge-era bands of the 90’s and thus, gave an “alternative” to what was mostly dominating the radio airwaves.
”(Nice Dream)” is a soft-spoken ballad that finds Yorke at his most vulnerable in his vocal delivery, while the record continues to find balance in songs like “Just” that add the right amount of grit and oomph to it through the great guitar riffing of Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Ed O’Brien. Other songs like “My Iron Lung” relied on a softer-toned vocal approach in the verses matched with an all-out growl in the choruses to add to the depth that Radiohead was capable of. The influence of songs like “Bullet Proof…I Wish I Was” can be heard in bands that would try to duplicate this exact approach, like atmospheric-led bands such as Cigarettes After Sex and Beach House, to lend further to the lasting impact this band had.
”Black Star” is an outright Brit Pop classic deep cut in its own right, while the cool guitar elements found on “Sulk” would hint at where Radiohead would take their sound on more experimental records like Kid A and Ok Computer. The haunting final track of “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” cemented Radiohead’s status as a premiere alternative rock band that demanded to be taken seriously for the foreseeable future.
The Bends was met with mixed reviews upon its release, 30 years ago, while many of these same music critic outlets would later change their tune on retrospective reviews that took a closer look into what made this record truly special. The Bends is adored by so many longtime Radiohead fans to this day, and many point to this exact album as a turning point in the band’s musical journey. Radiohead embraced the pressure that came on their sophomore effort, bent the impression that many of us had on them, and made a lasting blueprint for other bands to follow in their legendary footsteps.