Drill is the debut EP by the English rock band Radiohead, released in May 1992. It was Radiohead's first commercial release, and attracted little attention, reaching 101 on the UK singles chart. Radiohead rerecorded three Drill songs for their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993).
Background
thumb|right|Advertisement for Drill in the Oxford music magazine [[Nightshift (magazine)|Curfew, which also announced the band's name change.]]
The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, an independent school for boys in Abingdon, England. In 1985, they formed , the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room. They recorded demos including the Manic Hedgehog tape, named after a record shop in Oxford.
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). It was produced by Radiohead's co-manager, Chris Hufford. Hufford said this was a mistake, as it created a conflict of interest and generated friction in the studio. Drill featured two new recordings, "Prove Yourself" and "Stupid Car"; the other songs were taken from Radiohead's Manic Hedgehog demo. Radiohead toured with Catherine Wheel and the Sultans of Ping in support of Drill. "Prove Yourself" was played on BBC Radio 1 by Gary Davies, Radiohead's first national radio exposure in the UK. It was added to streaming services in January 2020.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits taken from the Drill credits.
- Thom Yorke – vocals, guitar
- Jonny Greenwood – guitar
- Ed O'Brien – guitar, backing vocals
- Colin Greenwood – bass guitar
- Philip Selway – drums
- Chris Hufford — production and engineering
- Timm Baldwin — mixing