The Chart Time Tunnel: Radiohead’s Spectacular Chart Career

Jun 24, 2011

by CHARTattack Robot

The Chart Time Tunnel looks back at the campus radio charts from ten years ago and with hindsight being 20/20, its easier to see the stories that are wrapped up in the movements of various on the top 50 chart. During this time, those highly anticipated albums hyped by the big record labels tend to hit fast and furious with radio programmers quickly buying into the hype of a release and sometimes quickly understanding that they have been duped when they hear the finished product in the context of the band’s overall discography.

Ten years ago, Radiohead were at their creative peak. They had released three highly successful albums, The Bends, OK Computer and Kid A. The last representing a major shift musically as the band embraced a more electronically-geared sound.

In this highly appreciative/hyped atmosphere, Kid A‘s follow-up, Amnesiac was unleashed. The album was initially seen as the natural progression to the 2001 album, though now its pegoratively called Kid B. It debuted at #5 and in its second week, the chart for the week ending June 26, 2001 Amnesiac had the necessary airplay to become the #1 album on the chart. It would hold the #1 spot for a total of five weeks and remain on the chart for 13 weeks disappearing in early October 2001. That’s no too shabby for an album that was for the most part the leftovers from the Kid A sessions.

By comparison, Kid A held the #1 album position for seven weeks and eventually racking up 17 weeks on the campus chart.

1997′s OK Computer was the first Radiohead album to top the weekly chart (hitting #1 August 12, 1997) during its 14 week run that year.

The follow-up to Amnesiac was Hail To The Thief which arrived in 2003 held the #1 spot for four weeks in July and August before departing for the chart after 15 weeks in late September.

When In Rainbows was finally released in late 2008, Radiohead had split with its long-time label, Parlophone and the for campus radio DJs, they seem to have moved on to newer and younger bands. In Rainbows became the first full-length release by the band not to hit #1. In fact, it peaked at #8 three times once in November 23, again in December 14 and finally January 8, 2008 before disappearing off the chart after 14 weeks in mid-February 2008.

Radiohead’s most recent release, The King Of Limbs, did a bit better in chart positioning peaked at #5 on April 26, 2011. in its 9th week on the chart. It then disappeared off the weekly chart only reappearing a week later at #42 for a week. The King Of Limbs had the shortest run on the weekly campus charts among the band’s full-length releases.

The top ten for the week stacked up like this: Mogwai’s Rock Action rose two places to #2, the peak position for that release. Rufus Wainwright’s Poses fell two spots to #3 that pushed Air’s 10,000Hz Legend down a spot to #4.

Ron Sexsmith’s Blue Boy jumped 13 places to it’s highest chart spot at #5, while The Flashing Lights’ Sweet Release fell four positions to #6.

SIANspheric’s The Sound Of The Colour Of The Sun rose three places to #7 jumping over North Of America’s This Is Dance Floor Numerology sliding up a single spot to #8.

Manitoba (now Caribou) broke the top ten for the first time ever as Start Breaking My Heart rose six spots to #9 and former #1, Tricky Woo’s Les Sables Magiques experiences a resurgence rising a two-spot to #10.

Michael Franti & Spearhead’s Stay Human debuted at #11 that week and its chart journey was quite strange after that promising debut. The album never again appeared on the chart, a first among Chart Sizzler award winners.

The same fate befell the runner-up debut disc. Copyright’s The Hidden World. The Vsncouver-based band’s final release entered the campus chart at #16 disappeared the following week never to be seen again. The Blind Boys Of Alabama’s Spirit Of The Century which entered the chart at #17 bucked the trend of high debuts that week by lasting seven weeks over the summer of 2001, peaking at #14 in mid July.

Other new entires included the subpar release — Tricky’s Blowback at #32, the samey samey disc — Pennywise’s Land Of The Free at #36, Mayor McCa’s Me Is He at #38 My Morning Jacket’s At Dawn at #49, marking the first appearance of the Jim James-led group.

The Chart Time Tunnel: Radiohead’s Spectacular Chart Career

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