Ed O'Brien

Ed O'Brien, born Edward John O'Brien in Oxford, England, is a songwriter and one of the three guitarists in Radiohead. He also provides harmony vocals in live performance and on many Radiohead recordings, sometimes alongside drummer Phil Selway. He is known for his use of effects pedals, which contribute to the band’s distinctive sound, and he also uses a Korg Kaoss Pad to process Thom Yorke’s vocals. He is a self-taught guitarist and also an accomplished drummer.

Radiohead contribution

Within Radiohead, O'Brien helps build on the musical ideas of Thom Yorke. He contributes notable guitar parts and effects to songs including Karma Police, Lucky and Treefingers. His songwriting and compositional credits include the opening riff on Go to Sleep, the riff in Street Spirit (Fade Out), and the instrumental pieces Meeting in the Aisle and Lull, as well as the music to Big Boots.

His recorded drum work for Radiohead is limited, but he plays auxiliary drums on There There from Hail to the Thief, sharing that role with Jonny Greenwood, and he contributes an additional drum part on the B-side Pearly*. In live shows, he adds backing vocals to a wide range of songs, including Blow Out, The Trickster, Street Spirit (Fade Out), Black Star, Paranoid Android, No Surprises, Lucky, Electioneering, The Tourist, Karma Police, Idioteque, Morning Bell, You And Whose Army?, Dollars and Cents, 2+2=5, Sit Down. Stand Up., I Will, The Gloaming, There There, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi and Reckoner.

Work outside Radiohead

Outside Radiohead, O'Brien contributes to a soundtrack project for the BBC drama series Eureka Street before the recording of Kid A. During the Kid A and Amnesiac sessions, he keeps an open diary on the band’s website, giving a detailed account of how those albums are recorded.

He also works with Neil Finn on the 7 Worlds Collide project, playing guitar and singing backing vocals on the 2001 live album 7 Worlds Collide and returning for the 2009 studio album The Sun Came Out, where he co-writes two tracks. He also plays guitar on an Asian Dub Foundation album, contributing to “1000 Mirrors” with Sinéad O'Connor, “Blowback” and “Enemy of the Enemy”.

Recognition and other roles

O'Brien is ranked number 60 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He and Phil Selway take programming lessons with producer and engineer Phelan Kane at Tech Music Schools in London in 2001. O'Brien is also a founding director of the Featured Artists Coalition.