Radiohead Brings Several Massive Albums Back To The Charts Together

Three classic Radiohead albums — OK Computer, In Rainbows and The Bends — return to the charts in the U.K. together, with plenty of overlap between them. Radiohead, Phil Selway, Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Luna theater, Brussels, Belgium, 05/12/1995. (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

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Dozens of albums and songs mount comebacks on the music charts in the United Kingdom this week. This is not due to any special sales or events that turn various tunes and projects into top performers all of a sudden, but rather the disappearance of a number of recent wins after Record Store Day.

A large group of beloved singers and groups debuted singles and albums across a variety of charts in the U.K., as is the case every year when the music industry event rolls around and then passes. Many of those projects, some of which were only released in limited quantities, disappear within a few days, and most never return. That loss of what can be dozens of releases creates a vacuum, and all of a sudden there is space for regular strong sellers and powerful streamers to return.

Several hugely successful musical acts find their way back to various rankings across the Atlantic, and few perform as well as Radiohead this time around.

Radiohead’s OK Computer Returns to Multiple Charts

Three of Radiohead’s full-lengths find their way back to two charts apiece. Between the three, OK Computer is the biggest winner and the only one that reappears within the top 40. The group’s 1997 full-length reenters the Official Physical Albums list at No. 40. The set comes in just three spaces lower, at No. 43 on the Official Albums Sales tally. The first of those two rosters looks only at purchases on CD, cassette, and vinyl, while the Official Albums Sales roster includes digital downloads as well.

Radiohead’s In Rainbows Reappears in the U.K.

In Rainbows is the second-highest-ranking Radiohead collection to return. That full-length, which the alternative outfit shared in 2007 – a decade after OK Computer – bounces back onto the Official Physical Albums chart at No. 71 and to the Official Albums Sales list at No. 77.

Radiohead’s The Bends Returns in the Lower Rungs

The Bends, the earliest of Radiohead’s three comebacks, surges onto the same two rosters only about a dozen spaces behind where In Rainbows appears. The Bends settles at No. 86 on the Official Physical Albums chart and No. 88 on the Official Albums Sales rundown after not landing on either register just days ago.

Radiohead’s OK Computer Also Lands on the Vinyl Albums Chart

Of those three titles, only one, OK Computer, also makes it to a third roster. OK Computer reappears at No. 25 on the Official Vinyl Albums tally. That marks the loftiest placement for any collection by the English band at the moment.

The Bends Celebrates 100 Weeks as a Bestseller

All three of Radiohead’s currently-charting albums have spent at least 100 weeks on every list on which they appear. The Bends earns its one hundredth stay on the Official Albums Sales ranking. Interestingly, that project also stands out as Radiohead’s longest-charting of the titles that are present at the moment. The Bends is up to 309 stays on the Official Physical Albums roster.

Radiohead’s OK Computer Reached No. 1 Everywhere

Looking only at the Radiohead full-lengths that can be found on the U.K. charts this week, OK Computer stands out as the only one that has hit No. 1 on all three charts. In Rainbows did top the Official Physical Albums chart, but it peaked in ninth place on the Official Albums Sales ranking. The Bends soared as high as No. 4 on the physical tally, though has thus far failed to crack the uppermost region on the Official Albums Sales list. Instead, the Radiohead classic, which helped turn the musicians into superstars all around the world more than 30 years ago, peaked at No. 12.

ForbesRadiohead’s Critically-Acclaimed Album Hits The Top 10 For The First TimeBy Hugh McIntyre