Recorded with producer Nigel Godrich alongside Radiohead's previous album Kid A (2000), Amnesiac incorporates similar influences of electronic music, 20th-century classical music, jazz and krautrock. Only one track was recorded after Kid A: "Life in a Glasshouse", a collaboration with the Humphrey Lyttelton Band.
After having released no commercial singles from Kid A, Radiohead released two from Amnesiac, accompanied by music videos: "Pyramid Song", "Knives Out". Amnesiac debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the US Billboard 200. By October 2008, it had sold over 900,000 copies worldwide.
Though it disappointed some hoping for a return to Radiohead's earlier rock sound, Amnesiac was named one of the best albums of 2001 by numerous publications. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize and several Grammy Awards, winning for Best Recording Package for the special edition. "Pyramid Song" was ranked one of the best tracks of the decade by Rolling Stone, the NME and Pitchfork. In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked Amnesiac number 320 in their updated version of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
