Album
The Bends
The Bends is Radiohead's second studio album, released in 1995 on Parlophone. It followed Pablo Honey and the success of "Creep", and the band were under pressure to repeat it. Sessions began at RAK Studios in London in February 1994, and progress was slow. Work resumed after a tour at Abbey Road and the Manor in Oxfordshire, with John Leckie producing. It was also the first Radiohead record made with Nigel Godrich and the artist Stanley Donwood, who have worked on every album since.
The songs mix guitar-driven numbers with ballads, and the arrangements are more restrained and the lyrics more cryptic than on the debut. "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", the band's first UK top-five single, all came from it. The album reached number four in the UK and grew steadily in the US, and it turned Radiohead from one-hit wonders into one of Britain's most recognised bands.
The Bends on Riffology
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The Bends: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 48:38Tracklist
- 1Planet TelexGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:19
- 2The BendsGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:06
- 3High and DryGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:18
- 4Fake Plastic TreesGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:51
- 5BonesGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:09
- 6(Nice Dream)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:53
- 7JustGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:54
- 8My Iron LungGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:36
- 9Bullet Proof..I Wish I WasGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:29
- 10Black StarGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:07
- 11SulkGreenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke3:43
- 12Street Spirit (Fade Out)Greenwood, Greenwood, O’Brien, Selway, Yorke4:12
- Produced by
- John Leckie, Radiohead, Jim Warren, Nigel Godrich
- Recorded at
- Abbey Road Studios (London), RAK Studios (London), The Manor (Oxfordshire)
- Recorded
- 1993 ("High and Dry"), February–November 1994
- Mixed by
- Paul Q. Kolderie, John Leckie, Radiohead, Sean Slade
- Mixed at
- Abbey Road Studios, Fort Apache
- Engineered by
- Chris Brown, Nigel Godrich, John Leckie, Jim Warren, Jonny Greenwood, Guy Massey, Shelley Saunders
- Labels
- Parlophone, Capitol
- Length
- 48:38
Line-up
- Colin Greenwood · bass guitar
- Jonny Greenwood · synthesizer, organ, piano, guitar
- Caroline Lavelle · cello
- John Matthias · viola, violin
- Ed O’Brien · guitar, background vocals
- Philip Selway · drums (drum set), percussion
- Thom Yorke · piano, guitar, vocals
Singles
- “My Iron Lung” · 26 September 1994
- “High and Dry / Planet Telex” · 27 February 1995
- “Fake Plastic Trees” · 15 May 1995
- “Just” · 21 August 1995
- “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” · 22 January 1996
- “The Bends” · 26 July 1996
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1995–96 | 4 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1995–96 | 88 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2015-2026 | 4 |
| UK Vinyl Albums (OCC) · 2015-2026 | 4 |
| Scottish Albums · 1995–96 | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1995–96 | 8 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1995–96 | 8 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2015-2026 | 9 |
| Canadian Albums (The Record) · 1995–96 | 14 |
| European Albums (European Top 100 Albums) · 1995–96 | 17 |
All 20 charts
| Dutch Albums · 1995–96 | 20 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1995–96 | 23 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1995–96 | 26 |
| Swedish Albums · 1995–96 | 26 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2015-2026 | 29 |
| UKDigital · 2015-2026 | 30 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2008-2010 | 32 |
| Austrian Albums · 1995–96 | 37 |
| German Albums · 1995–96 | 73 |
| Italian Albums · 2008-2010 | 88 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 1995 | Gold |
| Belgium · 1996 | Gold |
| Canada · 2001 | 3× Platinum |
| Italy · 2026 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1997 | Gold |
| New Zealand · 1997 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2013 | 4× Platinum |
| United States · 1999 | Platinum |
| Europe · 2001 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
94.5
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
19k
ListenBrainz listeners
306k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
115k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 13 March
Every year →
More from Radiohead
Full discography →
Drill
1992
Creep
1992
Pablo Honey
1993
Itch
1994
Anyone Can Play Guitar
1994
My Iron Lung
1994
OK Computer
1997
No Surprises / Running From Demons
1998
Airbag / How Am I Driving?
1998
Kid A
2000
Amnesiac
2001
I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings
2001
Hail to the Thief
2003
Com Lag: 2plus2isfive
2004
In Rainbows
2007
Album Box Set
2007
The Best Of
2008
In Rainbows: From the Basement
2008
In Rainbows Disk 2
2009
The King of Limbs
2011
TKOL RMX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2011
A Moon Shaped Pool
2016
KID A MNESIA
2021
Hail to the Thief: Live Recordings 2003–2009
2025
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date sources disagree on the year (1994, 1995)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 29 November 1994 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 13 March 1995 | |
| Wikidata | 13 March 1995 | |
| US release | 4 April 1995 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 13 March 1995 | earliest UK or European date |
33 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | GB | Parlophone | 724382962625 | other |
| 1995 | GB | Parlophone | 724382962618 | other |
| 1995 | JP | Beat Records | 4580211852293 | other |
| 1995 | CA | EMI Music Canada | 77749921148302 | other |
| 1995 | GB | — | other | |
| 1995 | ZA | Parlophone | 6002140685622 | other |
| 1995 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1995 | XE | Parlophone | 724382962625 | other |
| 1995 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 1995 | US | Parlophone | 724382962649 | other |
| 8 March 1995 | JP | EMI | 4988006704794 | other |
| 13 March 1995 | GB | Parlophone | 724382962618 | other |
| 13 March 1995 | GB | Parlophone | 724382962625 | other |
| 13 March 1995 | GB | Parlophone | 724385213625 | other |
| 13 March 1995 | GB | Parlophone | 724382962625 | other |
| 4 April 1995 | XE | Parlophone | 724382962625 | other |
| 4 April 1995 | US | Capitol Records | 724382962625 | other |
| 4 April 1995 | CA | EMI Music Canada | 7247382962625 | other |
| 24 April 1995 | AU | Parlophone | 724382962625 | other |
| 1996 | BE | Parlophone | 724385218521 | other |
| 2008 | US | Capitol Records | other | |
| 11 June 2008 | JP | EMI | 4988006846326 | other |
| 23 March 2009 | GB | EMI | 5099969361425 | deluxe |
| 23 March 2009 | XE | EMI | 5099969361722 | other |
| 24 March 2009 | US | Capitol Records | 5099969361425 | deluxe |
| 1 April 2009 | JP | EMI Music Japan Inc. | 4988006871496 | other |
| 1 April 2009 | JP | EMI | 4988006871496 | other |
| 1 April 2009 | JP | EMI Music Japan Inc. | 4988006871465 | other |
| 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078027 | other |
| 2016 | US | XL Recordings | 634904078027 | other |
| 1 April 2016 | XW | XL Recordings | 634904078065 | other |
| 3 June 2016 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078010 | other |
| 2020 | XE | XL Recordings | 634904078010 | other |
Cover art sources
itunes · native: native 3000x3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| itunes ✓ | 3000×3000 | native: native 3000x3000 |
| coverartarchive | 2851×2832 | cropped |
| deezer | 1800×1800 | native |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |