Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: Radiohead, Hail to the Thief

12 years ago today, Radiohead released their sixth studio album, an effort which became the band's fourth consecutive album to debut at #1 on the UK Albums chart.

Deemed somewhat of a return to rock after 2000's Kid A and 2001's Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief was an album whose commercial success was not entirely guaranteed, due to the fact that it had been leaked onto the internet two and a half months prior to its scheduled release. Although this understandably angered the band, what particularly made the band - or at least Jonny Greenwood, since he's the one who wrote it on Radiohead's official online forum - “kind of pissed off” was the fact that it was an unmastered version of the album, one which still contained unfinished tracks. Similarly, Colin Greenwood said in an interview with Q that the situation was “like being photographed with one sock on when you get out of bed in the morning.”

Thankfully, Radiohead fans are a dedicated breed, and rather than simply cheer, “Woo-hoo, free music, now we can save our money,” they preferred to hear Hail to the Thief as the band intended it, hence its rise to the top of the UK Albums chart in its first week of release. The critics enjoyed it well enough, too, although a few - including New Musical Express - viewed it as being good rather than great. In the long run, though, Hail to the Thief has been recognized as a classic, with Rolling Stone naming it one of their 100 best albums of the 2000s.