Radiohead has a Greatest Hits record coming out soon, but don’t expect the band to be doing any promotions for the album.  According to NME, the band’s former label, EMI, is releasing the record without Radiohead’s consent.  Thom Yorke, frontman and accepted mouthpiece for the band, has spoken out against the best of collection, saying Radiohead don’t even have enough hit songs to constitute release of such a record.

He’s completely right and the whole thing is a cash grab by EMI.  I’m not sure if it will work.  Radiohead isn’t exactly the kind of band to generate casual interest among listeners.  Their later records (In Rainbows notwithstanding) can be abrasively standoffish in their inaccessibility.  As such, Radiohead has many fanatics, but fewer casual fans than many other bands.

Beyond that, what good is a greatest hits record for a band who made the full album their canvas?  These men are far more in the vein of The Beatles, The Who and Pink Floyd when it comes to their approach to making albums, so it just seems like a quick “Greatest Hits” record is EMI’s attempt to squeeze every last penny out of their relationship with the best band on the planet.  Only time will tell if it works to their advantage.