Producers: Paul Q. Kolderie, Chris Hufford, Sean Slade.

Engineers: Paul Q. Kolderie, Chris Hufford, Sean Slade.

Recorded at Chipping Norton Studio and Courtyard Studio, Oxon, England.

Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey, is a promising collection that blends U2's anthemic rock with long, atmospheric instrumental passages and an enthralling triple-guitar attack that is alternately gentle and bracingly noisy. The group has difficulty writing a set of songs that are as compelling as their sound, but when they do hit the mark -- such as on "Anyone Can Play Guitar," "Blow Out," and the self-loathing breakthrough single "Creep" -- the band achieves a rare power that is both visceral and intelligent. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Before the breakthrough that was THE BENDS and the colossal OK COMPUTER, there was the quietly magnificent PABLO HONEY. "Creep" was the surprise hit single in the UK, but even that gave scant indication of how special this band would become. Benefiting from a raw production, the debut was undoubtedly less slick and accomplished than subsequent work, although Thom Yorke's vulnerable but impressive vocal styling was already in place on songs such as "Stop Whispering." Many of the compositions were somewhat simplistic, but in terms of musical maturity Radiohead were clearly years ahead of their time. An indispensable album, it should not be parted from its two big brothers.