Hail to the Thief Album

About Hail to the Thief

Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was released on 9 June 2003 by Parlophone in the UK and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. It was the last album released under Radiohead's record contract with EMI. After transitioning to a more electronic style on their albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001), recorded through protracted studio experimentation, Radiohead sought to combine electronic and rock music. They recorded most of Hail to the Thief in two weeks in Los Angeles with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, focusing on live takes rather than overdubs. Songwriter Thom Yorke wrote many of the lyrics in response to the War on Terror and the resurgence of right-wing politics in the west. The cover artwork, created by longtime Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood, is a roadmap of Hollywood with words taken from roadside advertising in Los Angeles and from Yorke's lyrics. Following a high-profile internet leak of unfinished material ten weeks before release, Hail to the Thief debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, and was certified platinum in the UK, US and Canada. It produced three charting singles: "There There", "Go to Sleep" and "2 + 2 = 5". The album received mostly positive reviews and was the fifth consecutive Radiohead album nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album more »