[Album] Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)

Quote:

First off, it will only be available on www.inrainbows.com initially. Secondly, it appears that they are releasing this album without a signed deal with a record company. Of course, many of us have been saying for years that they don't need EMI or any label.

If you go to the site now, you'll notice that there are two options for pre-ordering: Discbox and Download.

What is the difference?

DISCBOX
THIS CONSISTS OF THE NEW ALBUM, IN RAINBOWS, ON CD AND ON 2 X 12 INCH HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL RECORDS. A SECOND, ENHANCED CD CONTAINS MORE NEW SONGS, ALONG WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK. THE DISCBOX ALSO INCLUDES ARTWORK AND LYRIC BOOKLETS. ALL ARE ENCASED IN A HARDBACK BOOK AND SLIPCASE.

THE ALBUM DOWNLOAD AUTOMATICALLY COMES WITH THIS PACK. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE FILE DIGITALLY FROM THE 10TH OCTOBER 2007.

DISCBOXES ARE BEING MADE TO ORDER AND ARE PRICED AT £40.00 INCLUDING POSTAGE. SHIPPING WILL BEGIN ON OR BEFORE 3RD DECEMBER 2007.

Tracklisting:
CD 1 AND VINYL
15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE

CD 2 AND VINYL
MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING

DOWNLOAD
If you don't want to pay for all the extra stuff, you can simply download the songs on October 10th. How much does it cost? YOU DECIDE. Radiohead is letting you choose how much to pay. No really, it's up to you.

Tracklisting:
15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE

source

Granted, the price you put in is all in british sterling, but how fucking cool is this? Radiohead is a fantastic band, and I'll gladly give them some of my hard-earned money for some of their amazing music.

It's funny too, how pissed the record labels are over all of this. Well, I wouldn't say pissed so much as I'd say "whiny", but yeah. Quoted from this Time magazine article:

Quote:

While many industry observers speculated that Radiohead might go off-label for its seventh album, it was presumed the band would at least rely on Apple's iTunes or United Kingdom-based online music store 7digital for distribution. Few suspected the band members had the ambition (or the server capacity) to put an album out on their own. The final decision was apparently made just a few weeks ago, and, when informed of the news on Sunday, several record executives admitted that, despite the rumors, they were stunned. "This feels like yet another death knell," emailed an A&R executive at a major European label. "If the best band in the world doesn't want a part of us, I'm not sure what's left for this business."

Labels can still be influential and profitable by focusing on younger acts that need their muscle to get radio play and placement in record stores — but only if the music itself remains a saleable commodity. "That's the interesting part of all this," says a producer who works primarily with American rap artists. "Radiohead is the best band in the world; if you can pay whatever you want for music by the best band in the world, why would you pay $13 dollars or $.99 cents for music by somebody less talented? Once you open that door and start giving music away legally, I'm not sure there's any going back."

Awesome, just awesome.

Oh, and the album comes out next week (October 10th) worldwide. Just so you know.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Thank you so much for the tip; I will be saving for the discbox from this very second. I had no idea they were releasing this album themselves. I'm not suprised the record labels are so irked, Radiohead will undoubtedly earn a shitload from this. Nice to see it's just the money that bothered them about the release though =/

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Being the cheapskate that I am I will download this for free, if I like it I might pay £2/£3. Its nice idea by Radiohead to let you decide how much you pay; definately its a catchy idea for some of the more established bands to wrestle back that control from the labels.

On the other hand it will encourage pirates to actually give something e.g 50p or £1 rather than stealing it for free from a torrent site.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Cool, this actually makes me want to pay rather than downloading it from torrents for free.
Four Minute Warning is actually an interesting track name, it reminds me of Liquid Tension Experiment's three minute warning, which is a completely improvised track.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Boy, I sure hope they put some real music on this thing, for once.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Radiohead am smart. I want to hear the tracks, though. If I like them, I will exchange some of my money for them. BUT, if this were another artist/band I didn't appreciate as much, I probably wouldn't pay at all. So, like, I don't think [insert hip-hop/r&b/pop artist of the month here] should try this marketing method.

And have you guys heard the reggae cover of OK Computer by Easy Star All-Stars? It's kind of neat.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Jochie, yeah, I heard the Karma Police cover. One of the westest things I've ever heard but it was pretty cool. I didn't realise there was a whole album's worth.

FELIPE NO

Yeah, the Easy-Star All Stars album is pretty good. I only know of one person who seems to think that it's a bad thing.

My only problem with this is that I want it in platter form, not just digital download, and I don't have 80 bucks to spend for what'll essentially be two useful things and two things that'll lie around the house.

I mean, there are more important things to buy (Twin Peaks Gold)

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

They're going to eventually release the regular version of the album in stores sometime next year. I'm not entirely sure when, though.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I went through a long arduous decision making process to arrive at my final chosen sum - the one I would pay for this album.

The chances of guessing the exact amount - to the penny - that the music on this album is to be worth are slim at best. How much love and care and sweat has gone into the crafting of this music? Regardless of the work put into it, how much enjoyment will I get out of this music? These are questions to which I don't have the answers. So I chose to pay too little rather than too much. If the album is better, then I can just pay for another one.

I had a general area to aim for, but I still needed an exact figure. After much soul searching, looking deep into the meaning and relevance of various figures that appeared in my conciousness; some vague, others clear; I chose to pay £2.90, because my bank balance was £77.90 and £75 would look satisfyingly tidy when I next logged into my online bank account.

So I entered information into lots of fields, I jumped through many hoops, I clicked loads of next buttons. I was nearly done. I was at the last step. And there I was dismayed to find out there would be an additional 45 pence transaction charge on top of that £2.90. It was too late to go back. The entire decision making practice had been for nothing, and I felt quite the boob.

My only hope is that the album is worth £3.35 or more. If it's worth more than £2.90 but less than £3.35 I'll feel particularly annoyed.

Overall the experience has been quite a needlessly ponderous and stressful one. Next time I will go to HMV.

How ya doing, buddy?

I've been thinking about what kind of music this album will provide; they've gone through quite a few metamorphoses since the beginning, so this one should be intriguing. It'll certainly be refresing to hear something other than the absolute wank being played at the moment.

Also, just heard a ska version of Just. Most bizzare.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Speaking of which, I want to get something out of my mind. I admit it, I don't really understand OK Computer, the first and only Radiohead's album I've heard. What is so significant about it? Is it the technique, form, style, the way they blend things together uniquely, or anything else? Or is it one of those abstract arts which really means something when being looked from a philosophical point of view by imagination? Can you explain to me your interpretation and understanding about this album? I really want to learn.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I gave them four dollars because of how kind I am.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by lightgem

Speaking of which, I want to get something out of my mind. I admit it, I don't really understand OK Computer, the first and only Radiohead's album I've heard. What is so significant about it? Is it the technique, form, style, the way they blend things together uniquely, or anything else? Or is it one of those abstract arts which really means something when being looked from a philosophical point of view by imagination? Can you explain to me your interpretation and understanding about this album? I really want to learn.

Seriously? It's not a concept album, so there's nothing to GET. It's a pretty damn good rock album with more than a few nods to the weirder stuff that the Beatles did.

If you were asking this about Kid A, I might-could understand it more.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I just downloaded and listened to this.

I paid £0.00 and got about my money's worth.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by knkwzrd

I just downloaded and listened to this.

I paid £0.00 and got about my money's worth.

So, not good?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

The site seems to be down at the moment, however, a friend sent me a copy. I'm just starting to listen to it, and if I really like it, I'll probably end up paying for it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by wvlfpvp

Seriously? It's not a concept album, so there's nothing to GET.

I thought it was loosely a concept album about technology ruining humanity, or something like that.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Its a very mellow album. Experimental like HTTF, but not as out there. If and when it becomes availible in America as a CD, i'll definitely buy it. I kept my expectations low [not that im saying thats a bad thing, I adore Radiohead], and kept an open mind. I must say I am very pleased so far. The music is very harmonic, mellow and different. It really is a nice album. Good job Radiohead.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Lol at this distribution. it's like they got in a circle "Geez how can we be even more pretentious guys?"

No one here is forking out for the vinyl release I hope.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

YouTube Video

Highlight of the album for me. Although the first track '15 Step' was a ridiculously awesome opening.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I wasn't able to download the album from the website until late Thursday night, but I've been listening to it all weekend and I'm totally in love.
I have to mirror Karasu's comments about the album being mellow and harmonic. Although it does have its upbeat moments, notably '15 Step' and 'All I Need'.
I strangely love 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi' and I don't know why. It's just so damn, I don't know, awesome.



On a side note:

I just looked at Isohunt to see how many people were torrenting it, and noticed one of them listed as "320kbps", but with a filesize the same as the 160kbps official release from the website. What a bunch of idiots.

Quote:

No one here is forking out for the vinyl release I hope.

I don't know about here, but I've heard that a lot of people ordered the box set.

Either way I plan on downloading the 2nd disc when that hits the internet. I might send them a few more pounds if I like it, unless it's coming with the in-store album anyway.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

After a couple listens today, I already like more than half of the new songs. So according to the Calculatron5000-2 I owe Radiohead about five dollars. The odds that I'll actually pay those five dollars are not looking generous so far.

The best song is the one with the low, slow scratchy sound and the bleeps and blips, with the singing about stuff I can't quite understand.

Edit: The song I'm talking about is All I Need, but it doesn't have the bleeps or blips and the lyrics are actually very comprehensible. Apparently my poor memory skews my perception of everything in hindsight.

Again: Okay, it's growing on me -- by which I mean my guilt -- so I paid them the five bucks. I will now go to heaven.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Uniburner

Boy, I sure hope they put some real music on this thing, for once.

They didn't. =( Except for one Björk-ripoff track that is kind of nice. Otherwise a complete letdown.

It's good that this was released only over the internet.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Wow, I'm a bit surprised by the low key reaction to this album in this thread. I loved each and every song; the only weak one being House of Cards. I feel it's what a lot of their fans have been clamoring for; namely a return of sorts to the OK Computer age. They've done this by easing up on the "Sounds like he's singing through an egg carton" vocal distortion, and more acoustic nature of it all, but making it a separate album instead of OK Computer part deux.

But, I'm a total fanboy, and love almost anything they record.

Reckoner. A truly gorgeous song.

Jam it back in, in the dark.