In Rainbows
Radiohead
2007
Album Summary
In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was self-released on 10 October 2007 as a pay-what-you-want download, followed by a physical release internationally through XL Recordings and in North America through TBD Records. It was Radiohead's first release after their recording contract with EMI ended with their album Hail to the Thief (2003). Radiohead began work on In Rainbows in early 2005. In 2006, after initial recording sessions with new producer Spike Stent proved fruitless, the band toured Europe and North America, performing the new material. After re-enlisting longtime producer Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded in the country houses Halswell House and Tottenham House, the Hospital Club in London, and their studio in Oxfordshire. They incorporated a variety of styles, using conventional rock instrumentation plus electronic instruments, strings, piano and the ondes Martenot. The lyrics are less political and more personal than previous Radiohead albums. EMI, which had been recently acquired by Terra Firma, hoped to sign Radiohead to a new record contract; however, Radiohead did not trust the new management and negotiations collapsed over ownership of their back catalogue. Instead, they self-released In Rainbows online and allowed fans to set their own price, saying this liberated them from conventional promotional formats and removed barriers to audiences. The pay-what-you-want release, the first for a major act, drew international media attention and created debate about the implications for the music industry; many praised Radiohead for challenging old models and finding new ways to connect with fans, while others felt it set a dangerous precedent at the expense of less successful artists. Radiohead promoted In Rainbows with webcasts, music videos, remix and music video competitions, and a worldwide tour. "Jigsaw Falling into Place" and "Nude" were released as singles; "Nude" became Radiohead's first US top-40 song since their debut single "Creep" (1992). The retail release of In Rainbows topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, and by October 2008 it had sold over three million copies worldwide; it is certified platinum in the UK and Canada and gold in the US, Belgium and Japan. In Rainbows received critical acclaim, winning Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, and was ranked one of the best albums of the year and the decade by various publications. Rolling Stone included In Rainbows on its updated lists of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time at number 336 in 2012 and number 387 in 2020.
WikipediaRadiohead is one of the bands I've always wanted to love but still haven't quite embraced to their fullest. Their originality, musicality, expressiveness, talent, the undeniable influence on so many others; it's all there. I don't really understand why I haven't connected more strongly with this band. Kind of a "perfect match on paper but for some reason, no chemistry" story for me. Giving 5 stars to show the respect they deserve.
Excellent. It doesn't get more Radiohead than a song about a video recording you'll leave behind after you die
Listening conditions - home theatre, without distraction. Albums First Rodeo? - No way Stand out tracks 15 Step - wonderful guitar, sick drum and bass style beat - that time signature!!!!! Bodysnatchers - classic Radiohead track. Like something from the early era. Turn it up! All I Need - moody electro and unsettling lyrics carry this track to it’s perfect crescendo. Jigsaw Falling Into Place - I was close to awarding a stand out to the track before, House of Cards for its attempt at a striped back track. Then JFIP hits with the perfect balance of simplicity and production. One of the best tracks outside of the powerhouse duo up front. Videotape - Play is out boys, play us out No misses to note what a phenomenal album.
My first experience with Radiohead. I want to hear more, but I think I did them. This album wasn't distinctive enough to really capture my attention the whole time, but the music was good. I'll be back for more
A generous 2 here, difficult to score as it’s hard to hear the tunes over the sound of Thom Yorke sniffing his own rose scented flatulence while peddling the latest incarnation of the musical equivalent of the emperors new clothes.
“If Thom Yorke fucking shit into a light bulb … it’d get 9/10” -Noel Gallagher Jeg skulle ønske jeg klarte å like Radiohead.
I really tried to give this a listen with an open mind, honestly I did. Unfortunately it's the same unfinished-sounding noodly background music with whining on top that I've come to expect from these Emperor's New Clothes incarnate. Horrible
Amazing. A fucking masterpiece of worldclass. The motifs they use in their songs can be described as intriguing, intense and insidious. They perfectly combine dark tones with dark lyrics in their more oppressive songs. They know when to rattle you with some upbeat melodies with harsh vocals and accompanying instruments. I have had a deep respect for Radiohead for experimenting, but damn I don't think I've ever heard this album before.
Another classic. It's super complex and experimental but extremely well mixed. Would have to listen for a while for it to really like, click, but has one of my favorite songs on there - Videotape
Con Radiohead tengo una relación bastante cordial, jaja, porque me gustan los discos que he escuchado, aunque no me clavo con ellos. Son pocas ocasiones en las que me dan muchas ganas de escucharlos y bueno, ahora tras reescuchar el In Rainbows con intención de evaluarlo, quiero decir que es un disco sin skips para mí. Hay muchas cosa acá, mezclas, con cuerdas, percusiones, que su rock, que sus sonidos electrónicos, etc. Me gusta todo, desde lo más "rockero", como "Bodysnatchers" o "Jigsaw Falling Into Pieces", hasta lo que son casi baladas, como "Nude" o "Videotape" con su pianito. "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" me gusta mucho también. Un sonido que pues yo digo que sí ha dejado huella para muchas bandas. También muy padre eso de haberlo lanzado en línea y que pagaras lo que gustaras por él. 9.5/10
Maybe not as popular as the their earlier works, but a true masterpiece of song crafting and sound dynamics.
This album did not let me cold. Firstly when I listened to it I would certainly rate it a 4. Fortunately I kept thinking about it the whole day and suddenly I listened to it two more times. First 5 of this list
Nunca entendí el mame por Radiohead, solo escuchaba algunas canciones (incluida Creep porque basic). De este álbum conocía solo “House of cards” que sí me gustaba bien. La verdad debo admitir que este disco me pareció bastante ok, a mi lista de canciones de Radiohead que aguanto ahora agrego “Bodysnatchers” y “Reckoner”. Aunque no sé bien cómo evaluarlos, voy a ser benévola porque cuando vi que tocaba un disco de ellos sentí mucha hueva pero escucharlos fue una bonita sorpresa.
Not listened to this for years but still sounds great to me. Kind of the mid point of old Radiohead and new, it's got the classic song structures but no guitar solos (unfortunately)
I remember what a big deal this one was. I think they sold it online and anyone could pay whatever amount they wanted to pay for it. Everyone lost their shit over it too, but I never really thought it was that great. I still don't. OK Computer is the quintessential Radiohead album as far as I'm concerned. This is fine, and Reckoner and Jigsaw Falling into Place are great. And I know they have a huge following and they're geniuses at melding instruments with tech music, but it's still a "meh" for me.
Radiohead again? Convinced this is the only way they will be heard is on a required listen list. Not me cup of tea💂🏻
An hour of the sound you make when for an hour you have been making an amazing curry but at the last moment realise you have no rice!
Wow. You either have to be a huge nerd or high on god knows what drug to like this
Gross. This is my "being contrarian" musical opinion: I just can't fucking stand Radiohead. They're in the same class as Coldplay for me, pretentious music for pseudo intellectuals who think they have taste. Can we get a Muse album up in here instead please?
Beautiful songs and instrumentation. Everything flows - feels very cohesive. Not even my favourite Radiohead album, but still a masterpiece.
Un des meilleurs albums de tous les temps. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi et Reckoner sont des chefs d'oeuvre, mais honnêtement c'est le cas de la moitié des chansons de l'album.
Amazing. Top 2 or 3 Radiohead album. 9-10/10 1. 15 Step 2. Reckoner 3. All I Need
Beautiful, concise, coherent. Classic Radiohead. I don't know this as well as albums 2-6, but it still sounded like coming home to an old friend, like the musical concepts from all the previous albums came together in this one.
Really beautiful album. i wish it had a little more drive/energy at parts, but it's otherwise fantastic and the production is nice. I’ll definitely come back to this. 9/10
Niet helemaal eerlijk want dit is al een album wat hoog in mijn all-time favorites staat. :-)
There's just something about this album. I absolutely loved it. Probably my favourite so far.
Love almost all the tracks on this album. It's beautiful, melodic, cohesive and a bit dancey.
Rock perfection. Not a single moment on this album that doesn't hit just right.
I don't know why I've never listened to much radio head. Maybe ok computer was a bit slow and electronic for me. Damn this was a good album, excellent from start to finish. A rare 5 stars
Great album - i have really enjoyed listening to the evolution of this band since 1994.
I think this must be my favorite Radiohead album. The whole thing works and flows beautifully, and it has my two favorite songs ("Bodysnatchers" and "Reckoner") - plus "Videotape" is such an amazing and haunting song to end on.
Fantastic album and might be the best one from Radiohead. One of my first vinyl purchases. Some excellent songs on here including Reckoner, Weird Fishes, Nude. I remember hearing it for the first time in my best friends basement when we downloaded it from their website for free (which has served as a game changer).
My favourite album for several years growing up, I've listened to it a lot. It was a real return to form for them, their best since Kid A imo. The tracks are pretty much all great but my favourites are 15 step/bodysnatchers/jigsaw
This album would be notable alone for the manner in which it was released. However, it also happens to be one of Radiohead's best and by extension, one of the best albums period. Radiohead are masters of crafting songs that ebb and flow in the most arresting ways. In Rainbows never feels rushed. It takes its time to simmer to properly develop its songs and itself as a whole. Radiohead is one of those bands where every single member is absolutely indispensable and contributes greatly to everything they do as a whole.
Weird Fishes uses a very similar chord progression to Kelly Lee Owens (arpeggi)
My first Radiohead on here, I have to rate it a 5 just on principle alone. I still have fond memories of waking up to the surprise album and instantly buying, trying to figure out LBs to CAD conversion to pay the right amount for it, worth every penny!
7th Radiohead album. It was self-released on 10 October 2007 as a pay-what-you-want download, later also physically released. The pay-what-you-want release, the first for a major act, made headlines internationally and sparked debate about implications for the music industry; some praised Radiohead for challenging old models and finding new ways to connect with fans, while others felt it set a dangerous precedent at the expense of less successful artists. I like the sound of this album! Will definitely buy a vinyl!
Pretty sure this is my favorite Radiohead album? Which is pretty impressive given how good literally every Radiohead album is.
Un disco más de la la lista de los que debí haber escuchado completo hace mucho tiempo. Recuerdo haber bajado este disco completo alguna vez, pero quizá no lo escuché, o no estaba listo para escucharlo. Mi canción favorita es Nude, desde la primera vez que la escuché. Me parece una canción de las más distintivas de Radiohead, el tono melancólico, la letra con un ligero tono político, y la forma en la que se combinan el Theremin y la voz de Thom Yorke. Quizá quitaría un par de canciones, pero en general me parece un gran disco.
4.5 | Creo que lo escuche 4 veces... fue gracioso, lo recordaba bastante amablemente como un muy buen disco, lo escuché y me dejó un poco sin emoción y algo decepcionado a lo que lo recordaba pero al irlo volviendo a escuchar lo fui reexplorando y recordando por qué se me hace un excelente disco. Creo que es un disco que a final de cuentas puede ser entre los discos más viscerales, consistentes y explosivos de Radiohead, diez años después de lo que pudiera ser su mejor disco de verdad que sí termina probando que todavía tenían suficientes cosas que decir (al menos en ese entonces, hoy en día no estoy tan seguro). Extraño que de hecho muchas de las canciones pueden sonar algo similares al disco Hail to the Thief, que no me gusta; pero creo que en este disco es como si hubieran tomado los sonidos y estilos que en ese momento eran una experimentación o una idea vaga y aquí se perfeccionan. La banda usa los sonidos y la energía y llega a estos picos en las canciones, unos puntos de ebullición que ayudan a que todo el disco se sienta de hecho bastante fluido. Diez canciones, ninguna que se sienta relleno y sigue siendo un album emocional como todos los de Radiohead pero ahora con un poco de más matiz. Canciones como Nude pueden ser sutiles pero expresan a la perfección lo que buscan y si me apuran se pueden llevar de corbata a ratos a Pablo Honey (que la verdad sea dicha, no es malo, pero si muy sobrevalorado en mi opinión) . Muy agradable volver a escuchar y casi inmediatamente redescubrir este disco. Hay una buena cantidad de música de Radiohead y discos que no me llenan. Pero también hay algunos que son muy muy brillantes. Este está entre ese grupito de brillantes. No le daría las 5 estrellas nada más porque creo que a pesar de todo es un poco como para estar de humor para escucharlo.
Probably their best one. Easy to forget the pay what you want release was a big deal at the time. Not just good songs, but a collection that stands as a whole, all working towards a mood. Some just amazing highs - the whole thing is incredible. The most connection I could have to songs.
A modern classic… and they gave it away free before that was a thing!! It’s the Midas touch!
Good, slightly manic but enjoyable music. Quite light really, but a bit much to mark exams to.