Radiohead released their fourth studio album, Kid A, on October 2, 2000. With Ok Computer in 1997, the band began to distance their sound away from their guitar-driven pop-rock era of the band. What we thought we knew about Radiohead from albums such as Pablo Honey and The Bends drastically changed in the late 90s.Kid A is the epitome of this shift in sound, as the band incorporated elements of art rock, ambient rock, and electronica. The latter would become the band’s new direction, abandoning their guitar-driven sound in favor of synth-driven tracks. Producer Nigel Godrich served as the sound engineer for the band’s 1996 album, The Bends. The band chose Godrich to produce their next album, Ok Computer, in 1997. Godrich has produced every Radiohead album since, including Kid A.On October 8, 2000, Kid A peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200, their first album to do so in the United States. In the UK, the band’s homeland, they achieved this feat with Ok Computer in 1997 and again with Kid A. Simultaneously, Kid A held the top position in the US and the UK on this day in 2000.Radiohead Earned a No. 1 Album Without Releasing Commercial SinglesIn a surprise move, Radiohead refused to release any commercial singles or music videos to promote the album. This may be why the album shot to No. 1, as it was released as one single unit. A few promotional singles like “Idioteque” and “Optimistic” were issued as promotional singles for radio use, but not sold as commercial singles. The full album was streamed on the band’s website weeks before the official release on October 2. With this, Radiohead became one of the first bands to use the internet for early promotions. This always gave the release the fuel it needed to top the charts. Though the band didn’t release music videos, they did release short, surreal animated video clips. These clips were called “blips” and were directed by artists such as Chris Bran and Shynola. Radiohead’s blips were aired on MTV and shared online as well.Photo by K. Y. Cheng/South China Morning Post via Getty ImagesThe post 26 Years Ago Today, Radiohead Earned Their First No. 1 in the States With an Album That Defied Industry Standards appeared first on VICE.