"We all feel it's the strongest song on the album. When we do release singles, we don't mess about- put your best song out first to let people know an album's on the way"

This says guitarist Ed, is why there's a new Radiohead single out next week. Pyramid Song is their first since No Surprises in April 1998.

So it's time for Ed to tell PS about the making of Amnesiac and what it's like to be deprived of sunlight.

According to Ed, the difference between Kid A and Amnesiac is that the former "essentially needs to be listened to in one go as a 42-minute piece of music. It was much easier to work with songs that belonged to Kid A."

That's why partially there are no singles from it Ed explains "I grew up as a real singles junkie" he adds "I'm thrilled we've got a new single out, as singles were the way I first got into music as a child."

For Ed O'Brien, Radiohead's new album Amnesiac is " a more straightforward set of songs than Kid A- each song makes sense in it's own right" he pauses "but I have heard other people say Kid A is our version of Spinal Tap's Jazz Odyssey, so I won't be surprised if the critics disagree. But for the first time, we haven't made a huge leap forward in sound from our last album. Fans who own Kid A should be able to get their heads around it."

Although Ed jokes about Spinal Tap, can he accept the views of fans who don't like their experimental new sound?

"I expected the initial hostility to Kid A, as it was so different. But I am pleased that most people are saying, 6 months on that they now love it."

"We thought seriously for all of 2 hours about making Kid A and Amnesic a double album. But double albums are so tough to get right, and it would have been too much for people to take in."

The lengthy recording process of Kid A and Amnesiac was often fraught, not least for guitarist Ed O'Brien. "I'm not a multi-instrumentalist" says Ed "so the lack of guitar worried me. Not just at the beginning but in the middle too. Even when guitars were needed, I was bereft with ideas about what to play. We all were at different times. I really hope that no album we make in future takes this long."

For Ed, the low point of recording the last 2 albums was in the winter of 99. "We were working so long that we didn't see daylight from one day to the next" Ed says "and the songs weren't coming"

Finally, however, the demos took shape.

"That's when it was worth it, when the early versions started coming together. As for the lack of guitar, and me not being proficient at other instruments; it didn't stop me getting good sounds plinking away at keyboards."

One of the songs on Amnesiac is a fresh version of Morning Bell, which first appeared on Kid A, why the repetition?

"Because we literally forgot about it" Ed admits. "We often record different versions of songs and the new one is the first time it has been strong enough to bear hearing again. Most of the other versions often get scrapped halfway through. We're saving them for our box set in 20 years when no-ones interested in us anymore."

With the band only playing 1 UK gig this year, Ed reveals future tours are undecided after 2000's Big Top tour.

"Having the same tent every night meant we didn't have to compromise- the sound and lights were amazing, they're the best gigs we have ever done" Ed enthuses. But I do accept tickets were dear. We may go back to Brixton-style venues and only charge half-price. Some people always assume that we know ‘the right thing to do' the truth is we don't."