10 Perfect Rock Albums Of The '90s

Any diehard fans of Radiohead are probably screaming at their screens right now as to why OK Computer isn't on this list. From 1997 onward, these were the guys who were going to be leading the rock genre forward, warping it into new and more interesting things every time you picked up a new record. If we're talking about their real rock chops though, The Bends is what proved that the Creep guys were ready for the arena sized venues.

From one track to the next, the difference between their post grunge debut is like night and day, with songs that are as much indebted to alternative and indie rock as it is to stuff like Britpop from around the same time. This is also where you start to see the signature depressive streak of Thom Yorke rear its head, from the overwhelming sadness of Fake Plastic Trees to the massive bombast behind something like Black Star.

That's only the beginning of the greatness though, with Jonny Greenwood coming into his own as just as much a guitar wizard as Tom Morello, putting outlandish sounds together and somehow making them work on songs like Just or (Nice Dream). Even though OK Computer made them the music legends, The Bends is what gave Radiohead their real freedom.