#28 OK Computer by Radiohead

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

28

2011 Album Rank

43

Total Points

1699

Year Released

1997

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

21

Weeks at #1

N/A

RIAA Sales Certification

2,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)

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OK Computer Album Details

Released in May 1997, OK Computer marked a dramatic artistic leap for Radiohead, cementing their reputation as one of the most innovative and ambitious bands of the era. Moving away from the guitar-driven Britpop of their earlier work, the album embraced expansive soundscapes, intricate arrangements, and a growing sense of alienation. With themes of technological anxiety, modern isolation, and societal breakdown, OK Computer became both a commercial success and a prophetic cultural statement.

Featuring standout tracks like Paranoid Android, Karma Police, and No Surprises, the album combined melodic beauty with unsettling sonic experimentation. Thom Yorke's haunting vocals paired with the band's increasingly adventurous instrumentation to create a work that resonated far beyond the 1990s, influencing a generation of musicians and setting the stage for the even more radical experimentation that would follow on Kid A.

Other Radiohead albums on the chart: Kid A and The Bends

Interesting Facts About OK Computer

• Much of OK Computer was recorded at St. Catherine's Court, a 15th-century mansion in Bath owned by actress Jane Seymour. The isolated, gothic setting contributed to the album's eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
• Originally, the band wanted the album to have no singles, but EMI insisted on releasing Paranoid Android as a lead single. Its six-minute length and unusual structure defied radio norms but became a cult hit.
• No Surprises was recorded in a single take. The glockenspiel melody was inspired by The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and contrasts sharply with the song's bleak lyrics.
• Let Down was initially intended to be a major single but was ultimately sidelined in favor of Karma Police.
• Some of the disjointed, robotic voices heard on Fitter Happier were generated using Apple's Macintosh text-to-speech software, embodying the album's technological paranoia.
• Exit Music (For a Film) was written specifically for Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Romeo + Juliet. The band deliberately left it off the official soundtrack, reserving it for the album instead.
• Critics at the time compared OK Computer to landmark progressive rock albums like Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and Genesis's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, though Radiohead rejected the "prog" label.
• Despite its dense, abstract themes, the album was a commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and winning the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.
• Many lyrics were inspired by Thom Yorke's growing disillusionment with touring and media culture, particularly during their grueling tour for The Bends.
• A 20th-anniversary reissue, OKNOTOK 1997 2017, included previously unreleased tracks like I Promise and Man of War, offering fans a glimpse into the band's prolific creativity during that period.

OK Computer Tracklist

1. Airbag
2. Paranoid Android
3. Subterranean Homesick Alien
4. Exit Music (For a Film)
5. Let Down
6. Karma Police
7. Fitter Happier
8. Electioneering
9. Climbing Up the Walls
10. No Surprises
11. Lucky
12. The Tourist

• Next Album: #27. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy
• Previous Album: #29. Innervisions by Stevie Wonder