MTV makes “Paranoid Android” a Buzz Clip as OK Computer comes out

OK Computer is out in Britain today on Parlophone, and in America MTV has made the animated video for “Paranoid Android” a Buzz Clip from today, with more than 15 plays expected in its first week. MTV has the video to itself in America until 1 July, when Capitol releases the album there.

Capitol's mailing to 1,000 key American media people was a Walkman with the album's cassette sealed permanently inside, playable only through the headphones in the box. Clark Staub, Capitol's vice-president of marketing, told Paul Sexton of Billboard in May that the idea was for people to get to know the album whole. Executives at both labels told the paper they thought it could change the way records are marketed.

“Paranoid Android”, the lead track, runs about six and a half minutes, changes tempo several times and has no chorus. In Britain it had its first play on Radio 1's Evening Session and was in the shops on 26 May). In America Capitol sent it to MTV and college radio on 19 May, and promo CDs go to commercial alternative stations only once they ask for them after seeing the video. The first American commercial single is to be “Let Down”.

In a world of four-minute pop songs, we don't want to bank on airplay for 'Paranoid Android.'

Clark Staub¹

EMI's British campaign ran from that first Radio 1 play on 30 April to a whole Radiohead Day on the station, with a one-hour special still to come.

The band played two shows at the Zeleste in Barcelona) in late May for EMI's staff from around the world and the press. In America they previewed the album at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York on 7 June, then sold out Irving Plaza in 20 minutes and the Troubadour in West Hollywood in eight. Capitol says Dave Grohl and Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols were in the Troubadour crowd.

Tony Wadsworth, Parlophone's managing director, told Billboard that everything that had worked for Radiohead had broken the rules, and that every record company now had its own Radiohead. Carol Baxter, EMI's international marketing manager, expects the same long haul as The Bends, which reached number four in Britain only in its 42nd week on the chart.

Thom Yorke says Parlophone left the band to produce the record themselves and take as long as they liked.

We had complete license to do what we wished, and when we realized that, it was really scary.

Thom Yorke¹

Asked how far the band have come, he keeps it small.

It doesn't feel like we've come a long way. I have a very small house in Oxford that I can pay the mortgage on.

Thom Yorke¹

The launch, as planned and as it happened