Riffiter listeners rate The Bends 4.3/5 from 320 ratings.

What is the highest-rated track on The Bends?

Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was, rated 5.0/5 by 2 listeners on Riffiter.

When was The Bends released?

The Bends was released in 1994 on XL Recordings.

How many tracks are on The Bends?

The Bends has 12 tracks, with a runtime of 49 minutes.

What genre is The Bends?

The Bends is catalogued under Alternative Rock, Rock, Britpop.

What BPM is The Bends?

The Bends runs at a median tempo of 143 BPM across its tracks, most often in D major, measured from audio analysis.

What albums are similar to The Bends?

Listeners of The Bends also rate Nevermind by Nirvana, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis, Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Who produced The Bends?

The Bends was produced by John Leckie, Radiohead, Jim Warren and Nigel Godrich. John Leckie produced 10 of them.

Album · 1994

The Bends

by Radiohead

The Bends is a 1994 alternative rock album by Radiohead. It runs 12 tracks across 49 minutes on XL Recordings. Riffiter listeners rate it 4.3/5 from 320 ratings.

prod.

John Leckie

Radiohead +2 more

Alternative Rock · Rock · Britpop

Best albums of 1994→

#3 in Best albums of 1994 · #11 in Best alternative rock albums

Your rating

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4.3 /5
320 ratings: 94 /100
9 critics: 12
Tracks: 49 min
Runtime: 143 bpm
Tempo: D major
Key

Ratings

320 ratings · avg 4.3

0.5★5★

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Farid Dilmaghani4.0★Oct 30
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Reviews

3 reviews

4.5
Eddie Oct 8, 2026131 plays
There's something about the songs on this album that I can't ever let go of. Songs like Just, Planet Telex and My Iron Lung. You know when you sometimes queue the same like 10 songs and listen to that a thousand times over? Right this album has the songs that went into my list.
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4.5
Riffiter Jun 7, 2026
The album that saved them from one-hit-wonder purgatory: The Bends trades "Creep"'s self-loathing for soaring, grief-streaked guitar rock — "Fake Plastic Trees" and "Street Spirit" map the territory OK Computer would conquer. Every British guitar band of the next decade borrowed from this; almost none repaid the loan.
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3.5
bestfriends Oct 17, 2026
Mid-90s Cameron Crowe picture. Street Spirit over the end credits and nobody reaches for their coat.
Reply

73 people have played it start to finish

5 people are spinning it this week

People who scrobbled it: 4.2★ (8) · Everyone else: 4.5★ (51)

Critics

9 publications

Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.

The Bends album cover

2 ratings

The The Bends cover was illustrated by Stanley Donwood. Riffiter listeners rate it 3.3 out of 5 from 2 ratings.

Illustration: Stanley Donwood

Your rating for the cover

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3.3 · 2 ratings

Tracklist

12 tracks · 49 min

Ranked head-to-head

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Videos

4 videos

Ranked by listeners

top 5 · 12 rated tracks

According to Riffiter listeners, the best track on The Bends is Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was — rated 5.0/5 by 2 listeners.

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About

The Bends is the second studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 13 March 1995 by Parlophone. The Bends was produced by John Leckie at EMI's studios in London, and engineered by Nigel Godrich, who would go on to produce all future albums by the band. Featuring five charting singles, the album also marked the beginning of a shift in aesthetics and themes for the band, with greater use of keyboards, and more abrasive guitar tracks balancing subtler ones. The introspective grunge-influenced style of Pablo Honey evolved toward more multi-layered rock with cryptic lyrics and larger ideas, as the band and singer Thom Yorke reacted against the rigors of near-constant world tours. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", the final single and last song on the album, became their first top five UK hit.

The album was subject to greater critical acclaim than their debut Pablo Honey (1993), receiving an enthusiastic critical reaction, and it reached number four in the UK Albums Chart. However, it failed to build on the commercial success of their single "Creep" outside the United Kingdom, and it peaked on the American charts at number 88. Although it lacked the instant success of later Radiohead albums, The Bends achieved triple platinum sales certifications in the UK and Canada and platinum sales in the United States and the European Union. In the years since its release, the album has frequently appeared in listener polls and critics' lists of best contemporary rock albums. The Bends was ranked at #110 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

In brief

Is The Bends good?: Riffiter listeners rate The Bends 4.3/5 from 320 ratings.
What is the highest-rated track on The Bends?: Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was, rated 5.0/5 by 2 listeners on Riffiter.
When was The Bends released?: The Bends was released in 1994 on XL Recordings.
How many tracks are on The Bends?: The Bends has 12 tracks, with a runtime of 49 minutes.
What genre is The Bends?: The Bends is catalogued under Alternative Rock, Rock, Britpop.
What BPM is The Bends?: The Bends runs at a median tempo of 143 BPM across its tracks, most often in D major, measured from audio analysis.
What albums are similar to The Bends?: Listeners of The Bends also rate Nevermind by Nirvana, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis, Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Who produced The Bends?: The Bends was produced by John Leckie, Radiohead, Jim Warren and Nigel Godrich. John Leckie produced 10 of them.