Back to Save the Universe,
the Stories Behind Every Song

James Doheny

No band of the 1990's has garnered as much critical and commercial success as Radiohead. Back to Save the Universe is the first book to look at the creation of that music song by song, tracking Radiohead from their Brit-pop beginnings with Pablo Honey and the unexpected success of the hit single Creep up through the electro-improv experimentations of Kid A and Amnesiac. Back to Save the Universe discovers the sources of singer Thom Yorke’s soaring laments for the postmodern condition, and deconstructs the studio process from which Radiohead's adventurous soundscapes have emerged. Although still early in their career, Radiohead has had a startling impact on contemporary popular music, creating some of the most adventurous sounds to find a home on Top 40 radio. With a complete discography that includes remixes and single-only tracks as well as 100 color and black-and-white photographs, Back to Save the Universe is essential reading to understand where these intrepid artists are headed in the new millennium. They have intensity, intelligence, a personality in sound... this band is taken as seriously as any since the Beatles. The New Yorker