OK Computer
OK Computer is Radiohead’s third studio album, released in May 1997. Most of it was recorded in 1996–1997 at two locations: Canned Applause, a converted apple shed near Didcot, Oxfordshire, and St Catherine’s Court, a 15th-century mansion near Bath owned by Jane Seymour. The band abandoned Canned Applause due to its proximity to home and lack of basic facilities. At St Catherine’s Court, they recorded 80% of the album live, exploiting room acoustics—vocals for 'Exit Music (for a Film)' were captured on a stone staircase; 'Let Down' was tracked in a ballroom at 3 am. Strings were recorded separately at Abbey Road Studios in London. Production avoided artificial reverb and minimised overdubbing. Nigel Godrich co-produced. The album marks a departure from the guitar-centred introspection of The Bends, favouring atmospheric density, thematic abstraction, and collective, room-responsive experimentation. Lyrics shift from personal confession to fragmented, character-based narratives reflecting 'end-of-the-millennium blues'.