2. OK Computer
Now recognised as one of the greatest albums of all time, 1997s OK Computer was a sonic leap compared to the album it followed. Where The Bends was full of guitar anthems, its follow-up was endlessly experimental, imbued with brooding pre-millennium tension. OK Computers jumping off point was what Yorke called the "incredibly dense and terrifying sound" of Miles Davis Bitches Brew, but the myriad touchstones and subtle influences throughout come together to make something utterly unique. Opener Airbag for example was heavily influenced by DJ Shadow, and its drums in particular were cut up and pasted back together in an attempt to emulate his distinctive sound. Climbing Up the Walls took its cue from modern classical composer Krzysztof Penderecki, Let Down tried to emulate Phil Spectors wall of sound, while Lucky was an attempt to put the horror of the Bosnian conflict to music. Its only through repeated listens that all these small details of OK Computer really come to the fore. For example, the screaming underneath the solo at the end of Paranoid Android can only really be heard with headphones, and even then its not obvious. The album even features a plate reverberator previously owned by Jona Lewie, famous for being the one-hit wonder behind the Christmas song Stop The Cavalry.