Pablo Honey

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, 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.