After around 18 hours of outtakes, demos and scraps from Radiohead‘s 1997 classic OK Computer were leaked online earlier this month by hackers in an alleged blackmailing attempt, the band have officially released the sessions, with proceeds going to charity.
According to guitarist Jonny Greenwood, the hackers demanded a $150,000 ransom under threat of leaking the sessions. The band have responded in about the classiest way possible, making all 18 hours available for purchase via Bandcamp. They’ve priced the tapes at £18 (around $30 AUD), with all profits going to Extinction Rebellion, a non-violent climate activist group who have recently been orchestrating large-scale protests throughout the UK and the rest of the world.
The 18 MiniDiscs feature a huge amount of content for dedicated fans, including a full-band version of live favourite ‘True Love Waits’ and an alternate version of ‘Lift’, one of the stand-outs from the OKNOTOK, the 20th anniversary re-issue of OK Computer.
You can see the full statement from Greenwood below. Head here to listen to and purchase the sessions. They’ll be available for purchase for the next 18 days.
“We got hacked last week – someone stole Thom’s minidisk archive from around the time of OK Computer, and reportedly demanded $150,000 on threat of releasing it. So instead of complaining – much – or ignoring it, we’re releasing all 18 hours on Bandcamp in aid of Extinction Rebellion. Just for the next 18 days. So for £18 you can find out if we should have paid that ransom.
Never intended for public consumption (though some clips did reach the cassette in the OK Computer reissue) it’s only tangentially interesting. And very, very long. Not a phone download. Rainy out, isn’t it though?“
