In Kid A and Amnesiac, the guitar becomes one more texture, difficult to separate from other textures.

We were ostracised at school because everyone else was into Iron Maiden. "
Greenwood was instrumental in creating the song "Dollars and Cents" which arose when he played his bassline over an Alice Coltrane record he particularly liked; brother Jonny set about creating an original string arrangement with the same vibe. Greenwood chose images by Frederick Sommer and Harold Edgerton among several others.

He is the older brother of fellow band member Jonny Greenwood. Colin Charles Greenwood (born 26 June 1969) is an English musician composer and the bassist for the rock band Radiohead.