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Drill
EP by Radiohead
Released	5 May 1992
Recorded	October 1991 ("Thinking About You"), February 1992
Studio	Courtyard Studios, Oxford
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Length	10:33
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Chris Hufford
Radiohead chronology
Drill (1992) Pablo Honey (1993)

Drill is the debut EP by the English rock group Radiohead, released in May 1992. It was Radiohead's first commercial release, and debuted on the UK Album Chart at number 101. The original manufacturing run was limited to 3,000 CDs.

Background and recording

The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, an independent school for boys in Abingdon, England. In 1985, they formed On a Friday, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. They recorded demos including the Manic Hedgehog tape, which featured versions of the future Pablo Honey tracks "You", "I Can't" and "Thinking About You". In late 1991, Radiohead signed a six-album recording contract with EMI and changed their name at EMI's request; "Radiohead" was taken from the song "Radio Head" on the Talking Heads album True Stories (1986).

All of the tracks on the EP are demo versions. They were recorded at the Courtyard Studio in Oxon, England, produced and engineered by Chris Hufford, and mixed by Timm Baldwin. The band was still called On a Friday when the songs were recorded; they changed their name to Radiohead the following month. "Thinking About You" was taken from the band's Manic Hedgehog demo tape, while "You" was a newer version; "Prove Yourself", "Thinking About You", and "You" were rerecorded for Pablo Honey in 1993, the band's first album.

Drill was produced by Radiohead's manager, Chris Hufford. Hufford said this was a mistake, as it created a conflict of interest and generated friction in the studio.

Release

"Prove Yourself" was played on BBC Radio 1 by Gary Davies after he received a copy of the EP. This was the band's first national radio exposure in the UK. The EP was released as the first four tracks on the bonus disc of the Collector's Edition of Pablo Honey, as well as on 12", 45RPM vinyl.

The EP was released on 5 May, 1992. It reached number 101 on the UK Singles Chart; the Guardian described this as an "inauspicious start" that was "largely ignored". Radiohead added Drill to streaming services in January 2020.

Track listing

1. "Prove Yourself" – 2:32
2. "Stupid Car" – 2:25
3. "You" – 3:22
4. "Thinking About You" – 2:17

Personnel

• Thom Yorke – vocals, guitar
• Jonny Greenwood – guitar
• Ed O'Brien – guitar, backing vocals
• Colin Greenwood – bass guitar
• Philip Selway – drums

References

1. McLean, Craig (14 July 2003). "Don't worry, be happy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2007.
2. Mac Randall (1 April 1998). "The Golden Age of Radiohead". Guitar World. Archived from the original on 3 September 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
3. Runtagh, Jordan (2018-02-22). "Radiohead's Pablo Honey: 10 things you didn't know". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-10-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
4. ^ Ross, Alex (20 August 2001). "The Searchers". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
5. Irvin, Jim; Hoskyns, Barney (July 1997). "We have lift-off!". Mojo (45).
6. Nestruck, Kelly (2007-10-09). "15 years of Radiohead". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
7. "Radiohead launch online 'public library' to let fans stream rare EPs for the first time". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2020-01-20. Retrieved 2020-02-19.

• 1992 debut EPs
• Radiohead EPs
• Parlophone EPs