Radiohead resumed their recording sessions in September 1996 at St Catherine’s Court, a historic mansion near Bath owned by actress Jane Seymour. Yorke later said that the song helped shape the direction of the rest of the album, and that it “was the first performance we’d ever recorded where every note of it made my head spin-something I was proud of, something I could turn up really, really loud and not wince at any moment.” Luhrmann gave the band footage of the final 30 minutes of the film, and Yorke said “When we saw the scene in which Claire Danes holds the Colt 45 against her head, we started working on the song immediately.” Soon afterwards, the band wrote and recorded “Exit Music (For a Film)” the track plays over the film’s end credits but was not included on the soundtrack at the band’s request. During the mid-1996 tour one of the new songs, “Paranoid Android”, evolved from a fourteen-minute song featuring long organ solos to one closer to the six-minute album version.During the short tour, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann commissioned Radiohead to write a song for his upcoming film Romeo + Juliet. At their label’s request, the band took a break from recording to embark on a 13-date American tour, opening for Alanis Morissette, where they performed early versions of several of their new songs. Radiohead eventually decided that Canned Applause was an unsatisfactory recording location, which Yorke attributed to its proximity to the band members’ homes, and which Jonny Greenwood attributed to its lack of dining and bathroom facilities.By this time, the group had nearly completed recording four songs-”Electioneering”, “No Surprises”, “Subterranean Homesick Alien” and “The Tourist”. From the OK Computer sessions onward, Godrich has been characterised as the band’s unofficial “sixth member”. Meanwhile, Godrich’s role in production was somewhere between an equal collaborator and a managerial outsider. The members worked with nearly equal roles in the production and formation of the music, though Yorke was still firmly “the loudest voice” according to O’Brien. Even without the deadline that contributed to the stress of The Bends, the band still ran into difficulties, which Selway blamed on their choice to self-produce the album. In July 1996, Radiohead started rehearsing and recording OK Computer in the Canned Applause studio, a converted shed near Didcot, Oxfordshire. Critics and fans often comment on the underlying themes found in the lyrics and artwork, emphasising Radiohead’s views on rampant consumerism, social alienation, emotional isolation, and political malaise in this capacity, OK Computer is often interpreted as having prescient insight into the mood of 21st century life.

OK Computer initiated a shift away from the popular Britpop genre of the time to the more melancholic and atmospheric style of alternative rock that would be prevalent in the next decade. In subsequent years, the album has been frequently cited by listeners, critics and musicians as one of the greatest of its time. Prominent British and American rock critics predicted the album would have far-reaching cultural impact. OK Computer received considerable acclaim upon release. The album expanded Radiohead’s worldwide popularity and has sold over three million copies to date.

Three songs from the album-”Paranoid Android”, “Karma Police” and “No Surprises”-were released as promotional singles.

Nevertheless, OK Computer reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and became the band’s highest album entry on the American charts at the time, debuting at number 21 on the Billboard 200. Upon the album’s delivery to Capitol, label representatives lowered their sales estimates, deeming the record uncommercial. OK Computer’s abstract lyrics, densely layered sound and wide range of influences laid the groundwork for Radiohead’s later, more experimental work. The band made a deliberate attempt to distance themselves from the guitar-oriented, lyrically introspective style of their previous album, The Bends. Radiohead recorded the album in Oxfordshire and Bath between 1996 and early 1997, with most of the recording completed in the historic mansion St. OK Computer was the first self-produced Radiohead album, with assistance from Nigel Godrich. OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released in 1997 on Parlophone and Capitol Records.

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