U.K.'s Radiohead tunes in atop U.S. pop charts

Radiohead are top of the pile despite shunning publicity

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Where English superstars such as Oasis and Robbie Williams have failed, Grammy-winning rock band Radiohead has become the first British act to conquer the American album charts in more than three years.

The Oxford-based quintet's acclaimed fourth release, "Kid A," opened at No. 1 with sales of 207,000 units in the week ended October 8, the group's Capitol Records label said on Wednesday. The tally is more than four times the first-week sales of its previous album.

The last Stateside No. 1 from the United Kingdom was techno act Prodigy's "The Fat of the Land" in July 1997. That very same week, Radiohead's "OK Computer" opened at No. 21 with 51,000 units. It went on to sell 1.2 million units in the United States and won the 1999 Grammy for best alternative album.

Capitol, a unit of EMI Group Plc, last topped the charts with a pop act in July 1998 with rap-rock trio the Beastie Boys' "Hello Nasty."

Radiohead notwithstanding, the gulf between American and English music tastes is wider than ever. Only three other U.K. acts are in the latest top 50 -- rock veterans Sting and Eric Clapton and rookie female singer Dido. Williams, who also records for Capitol in the United States, topped the U.K. charts with his latest album, "Sing When You're Winning," but it debuted in America this week at No. 110.

Yorke and the band are based in Oxford, England

Capitol Records president Roy Lott told Reuters the trans-Atlantic divide was "an interesting statistic," but nothing more.

"Radiohead has never wanted to be called a British band or this band or that band," Lott said. "They are not uniquely British."

The strong showing came despite the fact that the band did not release a video, limited the distribution of advance copies of the album, and is limiting its North American promotion to three concerts over the next week.

In another accolade for Radiohead, the group's album becomes the first rock release of 2000 to top the charts. The last rock group to open at No. 1 was Korn with "Issues" last November. Since then the U.S. charts have been dominated by the likes of rappers Eminem and Nelly, pop group 'N Sync and rock guitarist Carlos Santana (with a 1999 release).

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