| alt = A baby's face inside a flower

| studio = * [[Chipping Norton Recording Studios|Chipping Norton]], Oxfordshire

| genre = *[[Grunge]]

* [[Alternativealternative rock]]

| label = * [[Parlophone]]

| producer = * [[Sean Slade]]

| single3date = 5 October 1993}}

Radiohead formed in 1985 at [[Abingdon School]] in [[Abingdon, Oxfordshire]], and signed a recording contract with [[EMI]] in 1991. Their debut EP, ''[[Drill (EP)|Drill]]'' (1992), achieved little success. For their debut album, Radiohead's management targeted the American market and chose American producers for their debut album. ''Pablo Honey'' was recorded in three weeks at [[Chipping Norton Recording Studios]] in [[Oxfordshire]] in 1992. The recording was hampered by Radiohead's lack of studio experience.

The singles "[[Creep (Radiohead song)|Creep]]", "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and "[[Stop Whispering]]" initially made little impact. However, "Creep" gradually gained international radio play, reaching number seven on the [[UK Singlessingles Chartchart]] after it was reissued in 1993. Radiohead embarked on an aggressive promotional tour in the US supporting [[Belly (band)|Belly]] and [[PJ Harvey]], followed by a European tour supporting [[James (band)|James]]. In May 1995, a live video, ''[[Live at the Astoria]]'' (1995), was released on [[VHS]].

''Pablo Honey'' reached number 22 on the [[UK Albums Chart]]. It was [[Music recording certification|certified gold]] in the UK in 1994 and tripledouble platinum in 2013. In the US, it was certified platinum in 1995. ''Pablo Honey'' received generally favourable reviews, but some found it underdeveloped or derivative. Though it is less acclaimed than Radiohead's later work, some retrospective reviews have been positive and it has appeared in lists of the greatest albums. The members of Radiohead have criticised it, citing weaker songwriting and their studio inexperience. "Creep" remains Radiohead's most successful single.

The members of [[Radiohead]] met while attending [[Abingdon School]] in [[Abingdon-on-Thames|Abingdon, Oxfordshire]].<ref name="MCLEAN">{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/13/1055220766407.html|title=Don't worry, be happy|last=McLean|first=Craig|date=14 July 2003|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=25 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612185044/https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/13/1055220766407.html|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1985, they formed {{nat|On a Friday}}, the name referring to their usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.<ref name="RANDALL3">{{cite journal |author=Mac Randall |date=1 April 1998 |title=The golden age of Radiohead |url=http://www.guitarworld.com/radiohead-interview-golden-age-radiohead |url-status=dead |journal=[[Guitar World]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903205835/http://www.guitarworld.com/radiohead-interview-golden-age-radiohead |archive-date=3 September 2017 |access-date=17 October 2019}}</ref> They recorded demo tapes, including a cassette unofficially titled ''Manic Hedgehog'', which featured versions of the future ''Pablo Honey'' tracks "You", "I Can't" and "Thinking About You".<ref name="Runtagh-2018" />

Radiohead released their debut EP, ''[[Drill (EP)|Drill]],'' in 1992. It was produced by Hufford in his studio, Courtyard Studios, in Oxfordshire.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> It reached number 101 on the [[UK Singles Chart]]; the ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' later described it as an "inauspicious start" that drew little attention.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nestruck |first=Kelly |date=2007-10-09 |title=15 years of Radiohead |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2007/oct/09/radiohead |access-date=2021-10-21 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Hufford said producing the EP himself was a mistake, as it created a conflict of interest and generated friction in the studio. He and Edge resolved to find different producers for Radiohead's next recording.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> As [[Independent record label|independentIndependent labels]] dominated the [[indie charts]] in the UK, andbut EMI was a [[major labels|major label]],. Hufford and Edge therefore planned to have Radiohead use American producers and tour aggressively in America, then return to build a following in the UK.{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=59}} They considered hiring [[Steve Albini]], but EMI felt he was too risky; he had not yet worked with major acts suchand asEMI [[Nirvanafelt (band)|Nirvana]]it was too risky.{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=59}}

Around this time, the American producers [[Paul Q. Kolderie|Paul Kolderie]] and [[Sean Slade]], who had worked with bands including the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]] and [[Dinosaur Jr]],<ref name="RANDALL3" /> were in the UK looking for work.{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=58}} The EMI [[A&R]] director, [[Nick Gatfield]], gave them a selection of acts to consider.{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=59}} They agreed to produce Radiohead after he played them "[[Stop Whispering]]".{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=59}} Kolderie was particularly impressed by [[Thom Yorke]]'s vocals.<ref name=":0MTV-20">{{Cite web |last=Montgomery |first=James |date=February 21, February 2013 |title=Radiohead's ''Pablo Honey'' Turns 20: From 'Creep' To Conquering The World |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/3r6mfa/radiohead-pablo-honey-20th-anniversary |accessarchive-dateurl=2024https://web.archive.org/web/20221003234712/https://www.mtv.com/news/3r6mfa/radiohead-06pablo-honey-20th-anniversary |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 October 2022 |access-date=12 June 2024 |websitepublisher=[[MTV]] |language=en}}</ref> Upon meeting the band, Kolderie was struck by their youth, but also their unity and closeness.<ref name=":0MTV-20" /> He described "a seriousness of purpose and a seriousness of trying to create music that was a little different".<ref name=":0MTV-20" /> He was initially more impressed by Hufford and Edge than by Radiohead, calling them "crafty mothers ... I don't think I've ever met two guys who had more of a plan."<ref name{{sfn|Randall|2011|loc=":0"Chapter />4}}

Radiohead recorded ''Pablo Honey'' at [[Chipping Norton Studios]] in [[Chipping Norton]], Oxfordshire.<ref name="Runtagh-2018">{{Cite magazine|last=Runtagh|first=Jordan|date=2018-02-22 February 2018|title=Radiohead's ''Pablo Honey'': 10 things you didn't know|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/radioheads-pablo-honey-10-things-you-didnt-know-201729/|access-date=21 October 2021-10-21|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|language=en-US}}</ref> They first attempted to record two songs that EMI was considering for Radiohead's debut single, "Inside My Head" and "Lurgee".<ref name="Irvin-1997">{{cite journal |last1=Irvin |first1=Jim |author-link=Jim Irvin |last2=Hoskyns |first2=Barney |date=July 1997 |title=We have lift-off! |journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |issue=45}}</ref> They made little progress; Kolderie described Radiohead as "desperately inexperienced", and neither they nor the producers liked the choice of songs. Kolderie said "Inside My Head" was "not very melodic" and lacked the power of Radiohead's other songs.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> Hufford described the results as "overblown bombastic rock".<ref name="Irvin-1997" />

During rehearsals, Radiohead unexpectedly played another song, "[[Creep (Radiohead song)|Creep]]". They considered it a "throwaway" track, but it impressed the producers.{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=60}} At Kolderie's suggestion, they recorded a take, after which everyone in the studio burst into applause.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> EMI were persuaded to make "Creep" Radiohead's debut single. According to Kolderie, "everyone [at EMI] who heard Creep just started going insane" and he and Slade were hired to produce the album.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> Radiohead took elements of "Creep" from the 1972 song "[[The Air That I Breathe]]". After [[Universal Music Publishing Group|Rondor Music]] took legal action, the songwriters, [[Albert Hammond]] and [[Mike Hazelwood (singer)|Mike Hazelwood]], were given shared royalties and songwriting credits.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 January 2018 |title=Lana Del Rey sued by Radiohead for allegedly copying 'Creep' |language=en-GB |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/lana-del-rey-sued-radiohead-allegedly-copying-creep/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=17 July 2019 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/lana-del-rey-sued-radiohead-allegedly-copying-creep/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hyun Kim |first=Michelle |date=7 January 2018-01-07 |title=Lana Del Rey says Radiohead suing her for copying 'Creep' |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/radiohead-sue-lana-del-rey-for-allegedly-copying-creep/ |access-date=6 November 2022-11-06 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Pablo Honey'' was recorded in three weeks. Kolderie described it as a struggle, and said: "It was their first record and they wanted to be [[the Beatles]], and the mix had to have no [[Reverb effect|reverb]], and they had all the ideas they'd ever come up with in 20 years of listening to records."<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> Kolderie noted the band's studio inexperience and difficulty in finishing tracks, but said he enjoyed the work due to the small group and joking atmosphere.{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=62}}

The album title comes from a [[prank call]] sketch by the American comedy act the [[The Jerky Boys|Jerky Boys]] in which the caller poses as the victim's mother and says: "Pablo, honey? Please come to Florida." Yorke said it was appropriate as the band were "mothers' boys".<ref name="Runtagh-2018" /> A [[Sampling (music)|sample]] of the sketch appears during the guitar solo on "How Do You?".<ref name="Runtagh-2018" />

In ''Pablo Honey'', critics found elements of [[grunge]],<ref name="jahasuriya" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kemp |first=Mark |date=26 March 2009 |title=Radiohead: Pablo Honey, the Bends, OK Computer (Reissues) |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/radiohead/radiohead-pablo-honey-the-bends-ok-computer-reissu/ |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}</ref><ref name="Spicer-2008" /> [[alternative rock]],<ref name=jahasuriya /> [[Arena rock|stadium rock]],<ref name="Allmusic" /> [[progressive rock]],<ref name="Spicer-2008" /> [[college rock]],<ref name="jahasuriya" /> [[post-grunge]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Coffman |first=Tim |date=21 September 2021 |title=15 artists who completely reinvented their sound from album to album |url=https://www.altpress.com/artists-who-completely-reinvented-their-sound-from-album-to-album/ | title=15 artists who completely reinvented their sound from album to album | website=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] }}</ref> and [[jangle- pop]].<ref name="jahasuriya" /> The album drew comparisons to [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[Dinosaur Jr.]], [[Sugar (American band)|Sugar]],<ref name="q" /> [[U2]],<ref name="Billboard-1993" /><ref name="EW" /> [[the Smiths]],<ref name="EW" /><ref name="lat" /> [[the Cure]],<ref name="EW" /><ref name="lat" /> [[the Who]]<ref name="RSReview" /> and [[the Jam]].<ref name="RSReview" /> The Radiohead guitarist [[Ed O'Brien]] described it as a "hedonistic" album that "you might put on in an open-top car on a Saturday night going to a party".<ref name="RANDALL3" />

The Radiohead guitarist [[Ed O'Brien]] later described ''Pablo Honey'' as a "hedonistic" album that "you might put on in an open-top car on a Saturday night going to a party".<ref name="RANDALL3" /> [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[AllMusic]] described ''Pablo Honey''it as a blend of the anthemic rock of U2 with "atmospheric" instrumental passages.<ref name="Allmusic" /> The ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'' journalist [[Annie Zaleski]] said it featured "distortion-blurred guitar lines that twisted like a kite in the wind".<ref name="salon.com">{{cite web |last1=Zaleski |first1=Annie |title=''Pablo Honey'': Beyond "Creep": Radiohead's debut foreshadowed their greatness |url=https://www.salon.com/2018/02/23/pablo-honey-beyond-creep-radioheads-debut-foreshadowed-their-greatness/ |access-date=16 May 2023 |website=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|date=23 February 2018 }}</ref> Gary Walker, writing for ''[[Guitar.com]]'', described it as "nakedly naive and unguarded" compared to Radiohead's more complex later work.<ref name="guitar.com">{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Gary |date=15 February 2023 |title=The Genius Of…Of... Pablo Honey by Radiohead |url=https://guitar.com/review/album/the-genius-of-pablo-honey-by-radiohead/ |access-date=16 May 2023 |website=[[Guitar.com]]}}</ref> He wrote that it captured the "embryonic dynamic" between the three guitarists and described Greenwood's guitar work as an "exhilarating melange of tremolo-picked soundscapes, chunky octaves, screaming high-register runs and killswitch antics".<ref name="guitar.com" /> The opening track, "You", moves between major and minor chords and alternating [[Timetime signature|time signatures]]s.<ref name=":1VICE-25">{{Cite web |last=Witmer |first=Phil |date=2018-02-22 February 2018 |title=The first song on Radiohead's debut album predicted their future greatness |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mb555q/radiohead-you-pablo-honey-25th-anniversary-music-theory-essay |access-date=2024-06-12 June 2024 |website=[[Vice (website)|Vice]] |language=en}}</ref> "Blow Out" combines elements of [[bossa nova]] and [[krautrock]]; it starts with "tense, jazzy" drumming and raked chords and concludes with a [[shoegaze]] section.<ref name="salon.com" /><ref name="guitar.com" /><ref name=":1VICE-25" />

Zaleski said the ''Pablo Honey'' lyrics express anger at the status quo, the feeling of being an outsider, and worry for the future.<ref name="salon.com" /> "Creep" features a quiet verse and a loud chorus, with "blasts" of guitar noise from Jonny Greenwood.<ref name="Kempf2">{{cite web |author=Christi Kempf |date=7 June 1993 |title=The Radiohead Vision Creeps Onto Airwaves |url=http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/chicagosun.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329235211/http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/chicagosun.html |archive-date=29 March 2017 |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref> Yorke described it as a "self-destruct song".<ref name="Fortnam-1992">{{Cite journal |last=Fortnam |first=Ian |dateyear=1992 |title=Paranoid Android? |journal=[[Prog (magazine)|Prog]] |publisher=[[Future plc]]}}</ref> The lyrics were inspired by a woman that Yorke followed around who unexpectedly attended a Radiohead performance.<ref name="Kempf2" /> The lyrics of "Stop Whispering" are about [[oppression]], and the frustration from failing to explain it.<ref name="salon.com" /> Yorke wrote the line "Grow my hair, I wanna be [[Jim Morrison]]", from "Anyone Can Play Guitar", in response to people in the music business who "think they have to act like fucking prats in order to live up to the legend".<ref name="Fortnam-1992" /> According to Zaleski, "Ripcord" is about the "experience of hurtling into the unknown".<ref name="salon.com" /> "Lurgee" ends with a "meandering" solo.<ref name="salon.com" />

== Release and promotion ==

"[[Creep (Radiohead song)|Creep]]" was released as the lead ''Pablo Honey'' single on 21 September 1992.<ref name="Irvin-1997" />{{sfn|Randall|2012|pp=84–85}} It initially received little airplay and sold around 6,000 copies, reaching number 78 inon the [[UK Singlessingles Chartchart]].<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> The 1993 singles "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and "[[Stop Whispering]]", plus the non-album single "[[Pop Is Dead]]", were unsuccessful.{{sfn|Randall|2011|pp=67, 79, 87}} While "Anyone Can Play Guitar" and "Pop Is Dead" charted on the UK Singlessingles Chartchart, "Stop Whispering" gained no traction.{{sfn|Randall|2011|pp=67, 79, 87}} Radiohead rerecorded "Stop Whispering" for the US single as they were not happy with the album version;. O'Brien said the new version was "more atmospheric", likening it to [[Joy Division]].<ref name="Runtagh-2018" />

''PabloIn Honey'' was released in FebruaryJune 1993 and received little press.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> It reached number 25 in 1993's [[UK Albums Chart]].{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=78}} However, "Creep" became a hit in Israel, where it was played frequently by the radio DJ [[Yoav Kutner]]. In March, Radiohead were invited to Tel Aviv forbegan their first overseasNorth American showtour.<ref>{{citeCite magazine news|last=RubinsteinGreene |first=HarryAndy |date=2010 May January2016 2009|title=TheFlashback: Radiohead&nbsp;— IsraelPlay an Early Version of 'The Bends' connection|newspaper=israelity.com|url=httphttps://israelitywww.rollingstone.com/2009music/01music-news/20/theflashback-radiohead-israelplay-connection/|urlan-status=dead|archiveearly-version-of-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515111700/http://israelity.com/2009/01/20/the-radioheadbends-israelin-connection/|archive1993-date=15 May 2009}}<185125/ref> Around the same time, "Creep" began receiving airplay on US radio stations and rose to number two on the US [[Modern Rock Tracks|Modern Rock]] chart,<ref name="ROSS2" /> and ''Pablo Honey'' was selling well on import.<ref name="Gilbertaccess-1996" /> By the time Radiohead began their first North American tour in June 1993, the music video for "Creep" was in heavy rotation on [[MTV]].<ref name="ROSS2">{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Alex|date=2023 AugustJune 2001|title=The2024 Searchers|newspapermagazine=[[TheRolling NewStone Yorker]]|urllanguage=https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2001/08/20/010820fa_FACT1|accessen-date=16 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214053947/http://www.therestisnoise.com/2004/04/mahler_1.html|archive-date=14 February 2008US}}</ref> The single reached number 34 on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot 100]] chart.<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> In July, Radioheadthey gave an infamousa performance of "Anyone Can Play Guitar" live on ''[[MTV Beach House]]'' in which Yorke screamed the improvised lyrics "fat, ugly, dead!", before breaking down on camera and jumping into a pool. Yorke was holding a live microphone and narrowly avoided electrocuting himself.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 July 2018-07-04 |title=Enjoy This Great Moment In Radiohead History From 25 Years Ago Today |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2004277/radiohead-mtv-beach-house-pool/news/ |access-date=2022-11-16 November 2022 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bray |first=Ryan |date=5 July 2018-07-05 |title=Video Rewind: Radiohead's electrifying performance at the MTV Beach House |url=https://consequence.net/2018/07/video-rewind-radioheads-electrifying-performance-at-the-mtv-beach-house/ |access-date=2022-11-16 November 2022 |website=[[Consequence (website)|Consequence]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 February 2020-02-05 |title=Radiohead go mainstream with 'Creep' at MTV's Beach House |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/radiohead-creep-mtv-beach-house-1993-video/ |access-date=2022-11-16 November 2022 |website=[[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

| rev1score =

''Pablo Honey'' failed to make a critical impact upon its initial release.<ref name="FREQUENCY">{{cite news|date=22 February 2001|title=Radiohead: The right frequency|newspaper=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1182725.stm|url-status=live|access-date=24 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728142710/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1182725.stm|archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref> ''NME''{{'}}s [[John Harris (critic)|John Harris]] referred to Radiohead as "one of rock's brightest hopes".<ref name="NME" /> Harris said the track "How Do You?" "breaks the [album's] momentum... horribly", but described ''Pablo Honey'' as "satisfying" despite its flaws.<ref name="NME" /> ''NME'' later named it the 35th-best album of the year.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=25 December 1993 |title=The Top 50 LPs of 1993 |magazine=[[NME]] |location=London |page=67}}</ref> ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' wrote that "British teenagerhood has never been grumpier" and described ''Pablo Honey'' as a good album with moments that rivalled Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. and Sugar.<ref name="q" />

In the United States, "Creep" drew parallels with Nirvana, with some describing Radiohead as the "British Nirvana".<ref name="IGN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/24/radiohead-worst-to-best?page=2 |title=Radiohead: Worst to Best |website=[[IGN]] |date=24 March 2009 |access-date=5 July 2010 |last=Linder |first=Brian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023021322/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/24/radiohead-worst-to-best?page=2 |archive-date=23 October 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' said the lyrics had "enough bite to make it on their own" despite the U2 comparisons.<ref name="Billboard-1993">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/billboard042493.html |title=Radiohead: Pablo Honey |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location=New York |date=24 April 1993 |access-date=9 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226090738/http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/billboard042493.html |archive-date=26 December 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> In a mixed review, Mario Mundoz of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that it "doesn't really deliver anything you haven't heard before" but "does offer clever lyrics and good hooks".<ref name="lat" /> [[Robert Christgau]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' did not recommend the album, but named "Creep" a "choice cut".{{sfn|Christgau|2000|loc=[https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=10620 Radiohead: Pablo Honey]}} ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' wrote that the album's charm originates from its guitar work, song structures, melodies, and choruses that invoke a "pop appeal".<ref name="RSReview">{{cite magazine |last=Evans |first=Paul |date=23 December 1993 – 6 January 1994 |title=1993: The Year in Recordings – Radiohead: Pablo Honey |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/pablo-honey-19931223 |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |location=New York |issue=672–673 |page=151 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217173532/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/radiohead/albums/album/221251/review/5943127/pablo_honey |archive-date=17 February 2007 |access-date=20 July 2007}}</ref>

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/pablo-honey-mw0000095971 |title=Pablo Honey – Radiohead |publisherwork=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603222540/http://www.allmusic.com/album/pablo-honey-mw0000095971 |archive-date=3 June 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Although ''Pablo Honey'' did not receive the acclaim of Radiohead's later albums,{{sfn|Randall|2011|p=69|ps=}} it has received praise in retrospective coverage. The musician and journalist Phil Witmer wrote that "''Pablo Honey'' is endearing because we now know the band that made it would become something extraordinary not even five years later".<ref name=":1VICE-25" /> He chose "You" and "Blow Out" as the most sophisticated tracks, pointing towards Radiohead's later work.<ref name=":1VICE-25" />

According to [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[AllMusic]], the songwriting does not always match Radiohead's sound, but when it does, it achieves "a rare power that is both visceral and intelligent".<ref name="Allmusic" /> Kenny EG Perry of ''NME'' described the album as "the sound of one of the best bands of this or any other generation playing the music that taught them all their good early lessons".<ref>{{cite web |author1-last=Perry |author1-first=Kenny EG |publisherdate=[[NME]]11 July 2012 |title=Radiohead, ''Pablo Honey'' - Album A&E|date=11 July 2012|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/radiohead-pablo-honey-album-ae-28029 |work=[[NME]]}}</ref> ''[[Clash Magazine|Clash]]'' said that it "points towards everything that [Radiohead] would go on to be".<ref>{{cite web|publisherwork=[[Clash Magazine]]|title= Classic Albums: Radiohead - Pablo Honey|date=22 FebFebruary 2013|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/classic-albums-radiohead-pablo-honey}}</ref>

In a 2008 review, Al Spicer of [[BBC Music]] described ''Pablo Honey'' as Radiohead's "exploration of suburban, adolescent self-awareness" and "one of rock's most impressive debuts".<ref name="Spicer-2008">{{cite web |last=Spicer |first=Al |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/j5xm |title=Radiohead Pablo Honey Review |publisherwork=[[BBC Music]] |dateyear=2008 |access-date=5 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421180834/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/j5xm |archive-date=21 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, ''[[PopMatters]]''{{'}} Mehan Jahasuriya criticised ''Pablo Honey'' as "a hodgepodge of half-baked grunge, jangle-pop and stadium-ready alternative rock ... nearly indistinguishable from other early '90s college rock throwaways, save for a few hints of greatness".<ref name="jahasuriya">{{cite web|last=Jahasuriya|first=Mehan|date=15 March 2009|title=Jigsaw Falling into Place: Revisiting Radiohead's '90s Output|url=https://www.popmatters.com/71398-jigsaw-falling-into-place-revisiting-radioheads-90s-output-2496047786.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107022818/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/71398-jigsaw-falling-into-place-revisiting-radioheads-90s-output/P0/|archive-date=7 January 2016|access-date=28 December 2015|work=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref> Reviewing the 2009 reissue for ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', Scott Plagenhoef praised "Creep", "You", "Stop Whispering" and "Prove Yourself", but described "How Do You?", "I Can't", "Ripcord" and "Vegetable" as "run of the mill at best".<ref>{{cite web |author=Plagenhoef |first=Scott |date=16 April 2009 |title=Radiohead — ''Pablo Honey: Collector's Edition'' |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12938-pablo-honey-collectors-edition-the-bends-collectors-edition-ok-computer-collectors-edition/ |access-date=21 September 2015 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |publisher=}}</ref>

After the success of "Creep", Radiohead grew to resent it.<ref name="Runtagh-2018-2">{{Cite magazine |last1=Runtagh |first1=Jordan |date=22 February 2018 |title=Radiohead's ''Pablo Honey'': 10 things you didn't know |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/radioheads-pablo-honey-10-things-you-didnt-know-201729/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |access-date=23 May 2019}}</ref> In 1993, Yorke said: "It's like it's not our song any more ... It feels like we're doing a cover."<ref name="Runtagh-2018-2" /> The success almost led to Radiohead's breakupbreak-up.<ref name="Runtagh-2018-2" /> Their frustration with "Creep" and ''Pablo Honey'' influenced their second album, ''[[The Bends (album)|The Bends]]'' (1995).<ref name="Irvin-1997" /> The album title, a term for [[decompression sickness]], references Radiohead's rapid rise to fame; Yorke said "we just came up too fast".<ref name="Billboard-1995">{{Cite magazine |date=February 25, February 1995 |title=Radiohead creeps past early success |url=http://www.greenplastic.com/coldstorage/articles/billboard22595.html |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> While touring for their 1997 album ''[[OK Computer]]'', Yorke became hostile when "Creep" was mentioned in interviews and refused requests to play it.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 March 2016 |title=Radiohead: "We were spitting and fighting and crying…crying..." |work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/radiohead-we-were-spitting-and-fighting-and-crying-73254/8 |access-date=3 June 2017}}</ref> In the following years, the band stopped performing it entirely, but later started performing it infrequently.<ref name="salon.com" /> Though Radiohead achieved greater commercial and critical success with later albums, "Creep" remains their most successful single.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Monroe |first=Jazz |date=2020-01-23 January 2020 |title=Radiohead's 40 greatest songs – ranked! |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jan/23/radioheads-40-greatest-songs-ranked |access-date=2020-01-25 January 2020 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Based on their work on ''Pablo Honey'', the American band [[Hole (band)|Hole]] hired Slade and Kolderie to produce their 1994 album ''[[Live Through This]]''.<ref name="oral">{{cite web |author=Hopper |first=Jessica |date=14 April 14, 2014 |title=You Will Ache Like I Ache: The Oral History of Hole's ''Live Through This'' |url=https://www.spin.com/2014/04/you-will-ache-like-i-ache-the-oral-history-of-holes-live-through-this/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801174508/https://www.spin.com/2014/04/you-will-ache-like-i-ache-the-oral-history-of-holes-live-through-this/ |archive-date=1 August 1, 2014 |access-date=7 August 7, 2014 |work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref>

In 2007, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' wrote that, with ''Pablo Honey'', "Radiohead didn't so much ride the coattails of grunge to mass success as stumble over them, and they've been apologising for it ever since."<ref name="Pitchfork">{{Cite web |last=Klein |first=Joshua |date=26 February 2007 |title=Various artists: ''Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller'' Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9911-jonny-greenwood-is-the-controller/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310040933/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9911-jonny-greenwood-is-the-controller/ |archive-date=10 March 2021 |access-date=2016-06-23 June 2016 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> In 1996, the bassist, [[Colin Greenwood]], said, "I'd give [''Pablo Honey''] a seven out of 10 – not bad for an album recorded in just two and a half weeks."<ref>Kening, Dan. "All Grown Up". ''[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]''. 29 March 1996. Retrieved 25 August 2010. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED02761EA281D1D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023153049/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED02761EA281D1D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=23 October 2012 }} at nl.newsbank.com (fee required for complete article).</ref> In 1997, O'Brien said it was derivative of Dinosaur Jr. and the [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Moran |first=Caitlin |author-link=Caitlin Moran |title=I'm so glad they're getting more radio play than us. |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=85 |location=London |date=July 1997 |page=87}}</ref> He described it as "a collection of our greatest hits as an unsigned band".{{sfn|Randall|2012|p=121|ps=: "Ed O'Brien has described the album, truthfully but rather condescendingly, as 'a collection of our greatest hits as an unsigned band'"}} Jonny Greenwood said in 1998 that it "lacked freedom", and was hindered by the band's fear and inexperience.<ref name="RANDALL3" /> O'Brien said in 2020 that ''Pablo Honey'' was "pretty shit [...] but we worked hard and became good. That's one of the things I've held onto: you don't have to have all the answers straight away."<ref>{{cite web |last=McLean |first=Craig |date=6 February 2020 |title=Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien steps up |url=https://theface.com/music/radiohead-guitarist-ed-obrien-album-shangri-la-interview-thom-yorke |access-date=8 February 2020-02-08 |website=[[The Face (magazine)|The Face]] |language=en-gb}}</ref>

Radiohead left EMI after their contract ended in 2003.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |last=Nestruck |first=Kelly |date=8 November 2007 |title=EMI stab Radiohead in the back catalogue |work=[[The Guardian]] |publisher= |location=London |url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2207489,00.html |access-date=22 November 2007}}</ref> In 2007, EMI released ''[[Radiohead Box Set]]'', a compilation of albums recorded while Radiohead were signed to EMI, including ''Pablo Honey''.<ref name="Guardian" /> In 2009, EMI reissued ''Pablo Honey'' in a "Collector's Edition" with the ''Drill'' EP tracks, B-sides and alternative takes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plagenhoef |first=Scott |date=16 April 2009 |title=Radiohead: ''Pablo Honey: Collector's Edition'' / ''The Bends: Collector's Edition'' / ''OK Computer: Collector's Edition'' |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12938-pablo-honey-collectors-edition-the-bends-collectors-edition-ok-computer-collectors-edition/ |access-date=2021-11-30 November 2021 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |language=en}}</ref> Radiohead had no input into the reissues and the music was not remastered.<ref name="MCCARTHY">{{cite magazine |last=McCarthy |first=Sean |date=18 December 2009 |title=The Best Re-Issues of 2009: 18: Radiohead: ''Pablo Honey'' / ''The Bends'' / ''OK Computer'' / ''Kid A'' / ''Amnesiac'' / ''Hail to the Thief'' |url=https://www.popmatters.com/best-album-re-issues-2009-2496140735.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[PopMatters]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220175703/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/117848-the-best-re-issues-of-2009/ |archive-date=20 December 2009 |access-date=29 August 2011}}</ref>

'''=== Production''' ===

'''=== Design''' ===

!scope="row"|Canada Top Albums/CDs (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=1483&|title=Top RPM Albums: Issue 1483|date=17 July 2013 |publisherwork=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|access-date=June 5, June 2024}}</ref>

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|award=Platinum|salesamount=1,520,000|salesref=<ref name=Forbes>{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickdesantis/2016/05/10/radioheads-digital-album-sales-visualized/#40b286fd3a87 |title=Radiohead's Digital Album Sales, Visualized|website=[[Forbes]] |access-date=29 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520213624/http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickdesantis/2016/05/10/radioheads-digital-album-sales-visualized/#6ad9183522ea |archive-date=20 May 2016|url-status=live }}</ref>|title=Pablo Honey|artist=Radiohead|relyear=1993|certyear=1995|access-date=3 May 2017}}

* {{cite book |chapter=Radiohead: Pablo Honey |chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=10620 |access-date=6 July 2020 |title=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s |title-link=Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |publisher=[[St. Martin's Griffin]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-312-24560-2}}

* {{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}

* {{Cite book |last=Randall |first=Mac |title=Exit Music: The Radiohead Story |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-1849384575 |url=https://archive.org/details/radioheadstoryex0000rand/}}

* {{cite book |last=Randall |first=Mac |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0q9bTJp2Bi4C&pg=PT121 |title=Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition |date=2012 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=9781617130472}}

* {{Discogs master|type=album|13344|name=Pablo Honey}}