In Rainbows
Encyclopedia
In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock
band Radiohead
. It was first released on 10 October 2007 as a digital download
self-released, that customers could order for whatever price they saw fit, followed by a standard CD release in most countries during the last week of 2007. The album was released in North America on 1 January 2008 on TBD Records
. In Rainbows was Radiohead's first release after the end of their contract with EMI
and the end of the longest gap between studio albums in their career.
Recording with producer Nigel Godrich
, Radiohead worked on In Rainbows for more than two years, beginning in early 2005. In between recording, the band toured Europe and North America for three months in mid-2006. The songwriting on In Rainbows was more personal than that on Radiohead's other albums, with singer Thom Yorke
describing most tracks as his versions of "seduction songs". Radiohead incorporated a wide variety of musical styles and instruments on the album, using not only electronic music
and string arrangements
, but also piano
s, celestes
, and the ondes Martenot
.
Upon its retail release, In Rainbows entered the UK Albums Chart
and the US Billboard 200
at number one; by October 2008, it had sold more than three million copies worldwide in both digital and physical formats. The album earned widespread critical acclaim, and was ranked as one of the best albums of 2007 by several publications. In 2009, the record won two Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album
and Best Special Limited Edition Package.
instead of their longtime co-producer Nigel Godrich. Bassist Colin Greenwood
, commenting on their decision, said "Nigel and the band know each other so well now, it's all got a little too safe." Although the band had written several new songs by this point, little came of the recording sessions with Stent, which ended in April 2006.
The band decided to tour again, giving themselves a goal to work toward. Commenting on their preparation for the tour, Yorke said "suddenly everyone is being spontaneous and no one's self-conscious because you're not in the studio ... it felt like being 16 again." In May and June 2006, Radiohead toured major cities in Europe and North America, returning to Europe for several festivals in August. Radiohead played in smaller venues such as clubs and theatres during the tour, which was their first in several years. The band also played larger music festivals such as Bonnaroo
and V
; they headlined V and played their longest live concert in years at Bonnaroo, a 28-song set. During their live sets, the band included songs they were working on in the studio.
After the tour, the band restarted recording sessions with Godrich in October 2006, at Tottenham Court House in Marlborough, Wiltshire, a condemned mansion described by guitarist Ed O'Brien
as an "old country pile ... crumbling at the seams." Recording, in contrast to their deadlocked 2005 sessions, was productive; final versions of "Jigsaw Falling into Place
" and "Bodysnatchers
" were recorded at the house. Yorke said on Dead Air Space that the band have "started the record properly now ... starting to get somewhere I think. Finally." Further sessions at Halswell House, Taunton
, and Godrich's Hospital Studios in Covent Garden
, where the band recorded "Videotape" and put together a final version of "Nude
", took place in late December 2006. In mid-January 2007 Radiohead resumed their recording sessions in their Oxfordshire studio, and started to post photos, lyrics, videos and samples of new songs on Dead Air Space. In late April, Yorke stated that Radiohead had a CD of material ready for consideration. In June, Godrich posted clippings of the mixed songs on Dead Air Space, including "Jigsaw Falling into Place" (known as "Open Pick" throughout 2006 performances), "Down Is the New Up", "Bangers + Mash", "All I Need", "Faust Arp" and "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
". Recording having wrapped up in June, Bob Ludwig
mastered
the album in July 2007 at Gateway Mastering, New York City.
worked on extra material for the song and subsequently abandoned the original material.
On the opening track "15 Step", the band enlisted the help of a group of children from the Matrix Music School & Arts Centre in Oxford
. Colin Greenwood and Godrich originally set out to record handclaps for the song, but when the clapping proved "not quite good enough", they decided to record the children cheering instead. "Bodysnatchers", a song Yorke described as sounding like Wolfmother
and "Neu!
meets dodgy hippy rock
", was recorded when he was in a period of "hyperactive mania
". On "All I Need", Jonny Greenwood wanted to recapture the white noise
generated by a band playing loudly in a room, a sound which never occurs in the studio. His solution was to have a string section
play every note
of the scale
, blanketing the frequencies
. Yorke described the process of composing "Videotape" as "absolute agony", stating that the song "went through every possible parameter". One day, Yorke left the studio, returning to find that Godrich and Jonny Greenwood had stripped the song down to the version found on the album, a minimal piano ballad.
Yorke has said that the album's lyrics are based on "that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, 'I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something else' ... it's similar to OK Computer
in a way. It's much more terrifying." At the same time, Yorke felt "there's very little anger in In Rainbows. It's in no way political, or, at least, doesn't feel that way to me. It very much explores the ideas of transience. It starts in one place and ends somewhere completely different." In another interview, Yorke said the album was "about the fucking panic of realising you're going to die! And that any time soon [I could] possibly [have] a heart attack when I next go for a run."
Ed O'Brien
described the lyrics, saying "They were universal. There wasn't a political agenda. It's being human." The song "Bodysnatchers" is inspired by Victorian
ghost stories
, the 1972 novel The Stepford Wives
and Yorke's feeling of "your physical consciousness trapped without being able to connect fully with anything else." "Jigsaw Falling into Place" is about a set of observations and different experiences, partly of the chaos witnessed by Yorke when he used to go out on the weekend in Oxford. Yorke said "The lyrics are quite caustic—the idea of 'before you're comatose' or whatever, drinking yourself into oblivion and getting fucked-up to forget ... [there] is partly this elation. But there's a much darker side."
, who has worked with Yorke in designing Radiohead's album art since 1994. Donwood worked in the studio as Radiohead were working on the album, which allowed the mood of the music to be conveyed in the album artwork, and regularly put up images in the studio and on the studio computer for the band to interact with and comment on. He also posted images daily on the band's website, though none of the images were used in the final album artwork. Donwood experimented with a photographic etching
technique, putting prints into acid baths with various results, and throwing wax at paper, creating images influenced by NASA
's space photographs. Donwood originally planned to explore suburb
an life, but realised it did not fit the album's sound, saying "it's a sensual record and I wanted to do something more organic." Describing the album cover, Donwood said: "It's very colourful — I've finally embraced colour! It's a rainbow
but it is very toxic, it's more like the sort of one you'd see in a puddle." The band decided not to release the cover for the digital release of the album, preferring to hold it back for the physical release. The "discbox" release of the album includes a booklet containing additional artwork by Donwood.
with the release of 2003's Hail to the Thief
, Radiohead stated after completion of In Rainbows that they had not made a decision on how to release their new material. At one point, Yorke hinted at the possibility of releasing singles
or EPs
rather than an album. However, he ruled out Internet
-only distribution because he felt some fans would not have the technological means to obtain the new material. Commenting on the band's relationship with EMI, he said, "We have no record contract as such ... What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music [as] a nice side project who weren't too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that." Shortly before the band began writing new songs for the album, Yorke told Time
, "I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say 'Fuck you' to this decaying business model." Radiohead retained ownership of the album recordings
and song compositions
for In Rainbows. The download and "discbox" versions of the album are self-released by the band, while for the physical release, the band licensed the music to record labels. The album's licensing agreements for all releases continue to be managed by the band's publisher, Warner Chappell Music Publishing
.
interview, Yorke explained that "every record for the last four—including my solo record—has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then." Radiohead's managers have said that they would not have released the album as they did unless they were sure the physical CD would sell well. Writing about the unusual release method, Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
commented, "For the beleaguered recording business Radiohead has put in motion the most audacious experiment in years."
In order to distribute the album through inrainbows.com with minimal technical glitches, Radiohead utilised the services of UK-based PacketExchange
to bypass public Internet servers
, instead utilising a less-trafficked private network to deliver the digital download to users. The download, packaged as a ZIP
file, included the ten album tracks encoded in 160 kbit/s DRM-free
MP3
format. Upon purchase, the buyer was prompted to type in their desired price, plus a credit card
transaction fee of 45 pence if purchased for more than 0 pence (a widely-noted landmark use of Pay what you want
for music sales). The staggered online release of the album began at about 5:30 GMT
on 10 October, but on 10 December 2007, the official digital download was no longer made available. A limited made-to-order "discbox", available for pre-order through inrainbows.com, was released on 3 December 2007. It contained the album on CD and two 12" heavyweight 45 rpm
vinyl records with artwork and lyric booklets. The box included a second enhanced CD
with eight additional tracks, as well as digital photos and artwork. The overall set, packaged in a hardcover
book and slipcase
, was priced at £
40 (approx. US$
80), and also included the MP3 download.
The album was released on CD and vinyl in Japan by BMG on 26 December 2007, in Australia on 29 December 2007, by Remote Control Records
and in the United States
and Canada on 1 January 2008, by ATO
imprint TBD Records
and by MapleMusic
/Fontana
, respectively. Elsewhere around the world, the album was released on 31 December 2007, by independent record label XL Recordings
. The CD release came in a cardboard package containing the CD, lyric booklet and several artwork stickers; this method of packaging encouraged a "do-it-yourself
" style, whereupon the stickers were placed on an unused jewel case to create a package. In Rainbows was also the first album in Radiohead's catalogue to be available for download in several digital music stores upon its release, such as the iTunes Store
and Amazon MP3
. On New Year's Eve 2007, Current TV
streamed a webcast of "Scotch Mist", a private concert filmed at Radiohead's Oxford studios; it not only featured the band performing In Rainbows' s songs, but also included poetry and footage created or selected by the band. A music video contest for In Rainbows was announced in March 2008, when Radiohead partnered with animation site AniBOOM
to create a contest where entrants put together storyboards for an animated music video. The winner, who would receive $10,000 to create a full length music video, was chosen by AniBOOM, Radiohead, TBD Records
and Adult Swim
, which aired the winning video. Since the band was impressed with the overall quality of the contestants, it was later decided to award $10,000 each to four different winners, plus $1,000 to each of ten semifinalists to create a one-minute length clip. To promote the record, Radiohead embarked on a tour of North America, Europe, South America and Japan, which lasted from May 2008 until March 2009.
how many discboxes were ordered, the band members responded with various answers ranging between 60,000 and 80,000. In October 2008, a report from Warner Chappell revealed that although most people paid nothing for the download, pre-release sales were more profitable than the total money from sales of Hail to the Thief. The report also stated that the discbox sold 100,000 copies.
The album's download and "discbox" sales were not eligible for inclusion in the UK Albums Chart
because the website is not a chart-registered retailer. The week of its retail release, In Rainbows peaked at number one on the UK Album Chart, with first week sales of 44,602 copies. The album entered the Billboard 200
at number 156 due to street date violations, but reached number one on the chart the following week. The record sold 122,000 copies in the United States in its first week of official release, according to SoundScan, also making it the 10th independently distributed album to reach number 1 on the Billboard 200. In October 2008, the band's publisher Warner Chappell Music Publishing revealed that the album had sold three million copies (including digital and physical format sales) since the album's physical release in January. The vinyl edition of In Rainbows was the top selling vinyl album of 2008.
The band released "Jigsaw Falling into Place
", "Nude
" and "Reckoner
" as singles from the album in the UK in early 2008; they reached number 30, number 21 and number 74 on the UK Singles Chart
, respectively. In the U.S., "Nude" reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100
, and was also Radiohead's first single to appear on the Billboard Pop 100 chart, peaking at number 35. The album track "Bodysnatchers
" reached number eight on the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Jigsaw Falling into Place" charted more poorly, peaking at number 69 in airplay on alternative rock-oriented stations.
. Rolling Stone
gave the album four and a half stars out of five. Reviewer Rob Sheffield summarised the album as containing "No wasted moments, no weak tracks: just primo Radiohead." A review by NME
described the album as "Radiohead reconnecting with their human sides, realising you [can] embrace pop melodies and proper instruments while still sounding like paranoid androids ... this [is] otherworldly music, alright." Allmusic, in a positive review, noted that the album "will hopefully be remembered as Radiohead's most stimulating synthesis of accessible songs and abstract sounds, rather than their first pick-your-price download." Entertainment Weekly
was also appreciative, calling the album "the gentlest, prettiest Radiohead set yet ... [it uses] the full musical and emotional spectra to conjure breathtaking beauty". Various reviewers, such as The Guardian
' s Alexis Petridis
, attributed the album's quality to the band's performance in the studio, claiming that the band sounded like they were enjoying themselves. Others, such as Billboard's
Jonathan Cohen, commended the album on not being overshadowed by its marketing hype.
Blender
s review, although mostly positive, commented on the album's lack of warmth, saying that it seemed "to be primarily composed of love songs ... that are starving for human connection but generate all the interpersonal warmth of a GPS system". The Wire
was also critical of the album, noting that "there is ... a sense here of a group magisterially marking time, shying away ... from any grand, rhetorical, countercultural purpose." Yet cumulatively, the album was ranked as one of the best albums of 2007 by many music publications. It came in at the top spot in Billboard, Mojo
and PopMatters
' list. NME and The A.V. Club
ranked the album third in their lists, Pitchfork Media
and Q
placed it fourth, while Rolling Stone and Spin
ranked it sixth. In Rainbows was nominated for the short list of the 2008 Mercury Music Prize and received nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards
: Album of the Year
, Best Alternative Music Album
, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
. Three Grammy nominations also went to the song and music video for "House of Cards". In Rainbows won awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Special Limited Edition Package.
Limited Edition bonus tracks
Additional personnel
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
. It was first released on 10 October 2007 as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
self-released, that customers could order for whatever price they saw fit, followed by a standard CD release in most countries during the last week of 2007. The album was released in North America on 1 January 2008 on TBD Records
TBD Records
TBD Records is an American record label co-founded by Coran Capshaw and Phil Costello, and is a sublabel of ATO Records, distributed by RED Distribution. The label was founded in August 2007 and quickly announced its first release, the band Underworld's first studio album in five years, Oblivion...
. In Rainbows was Radiohead's first release after the end of their contract with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and the end of the longest gap between studio albums in their career.
Recording with producer Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich
Nigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
, Radiohead worked on In Rainbows for more than two years, beginning in early 2005. In between recording, the band toured Europe and North America for three months in mid-2006. The songwriting on In Rainbows was more personal than that on Radiohead's other albums, with singer Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
describing most tracks as his versions of "seduction songs". Radiohead incorporated a wide variety of musical styles and instruments on the album, using not only electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and string arrangements
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, but also piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
s, celestes
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, and the ondes Martenot
Ondes Martenot
The ondes Martenot , also known as the ondium Martenot, Martenot and ondes musicales, is an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. The original design was similar in sound to the theremin...
.
Upon its retail release, In Rainbows entered the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number one; by October 2008, it had sold more than three million copies worldwide in both digital and physical formats. The album earned widespread critical acclaim, and was ranked as one of the best albums of 2007 by several publications. In 2009, the record won two Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
and Best Special Limited Edition Package.
Recording
After a break from writing and recording in 2004, Radiohead began work on their seventh studio album in mid-February 2005. Regular recording sessions began in August 2005, with the band updating fans on their progress intermittently in their new blog, Dead Air Space. Recording continued into early 2006, but the sessions were slow. According to Yorke, "we spent a long time in the studio just not going anywhere, wasting our time, and that was really, really frustrating." The delay was attributed to difficulty regaining momentum after their break, and the lack of both a deadline and producer to push things forward. In the February 2006 sessions, they chose to work with producer Mark StentMark Stent
Mark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
instead of their longtime co-producer Nigel Godrich. Bassist Colin Greenwood
Colin Greenwood
Colin Charles Greenwood , is an English musician and composer, best known as the bassist of the rock band Radiohead. Apart from bass, Colin plays keyboards, synthesizers and works on sampling on the electronic side of Radiohead...
, commenting on their decision, said "Nigel and the band know each other so well now, it's all got a little too safe." Although the band had written several new songs by this point, little came of the recording sessions with Stent, which ended in April 2006.
The band decided to tour again, giving themselves a goal to work toward. Commenting on their preparation for the tour, Yorke said "suddenly everyone is being spontaneous and no one's self-conscious because you're not in the studio ... it felt like being 16 again." In May and June 2006, Radiohead toured major cities in Europe and North America, returning to Europe for several festivals in August. Radiohead played in smaller venues such as clubs and theatres during the tour, which was their first in several years. The band also played larger music festivals such as Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
and V
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
; they headlined V and played their longest live concert in years at Bonnaroo, a 28-song set. During their live sets, the band included songs they were working on in the studio.
After the tour, the band restarted recording sessions with Godrich in October 2006, at Tottenham Court House in Marlborough, Wiltshire, a condemned mansion described by guitarist Ed O'Brien
Ed O'Brien
Edward John O'Brien is an English musician, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Radiohead. He is also responsible for harmony vocals during live concerts and on many tracks from the band's albums...
as an "old country pile ... crumbling at the seams." Recording, in contrast to their deadlocked 2005 sessions, was productive; final versions of "Jigsaw Falling into Place
Jigsaw Falling into Place
"Jigsaw Falling into Place" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead and is the penultimate track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the first single from In Rainbows on 14 January 2008, following the album's "standard" physical release on December 31, 2007.-Overview:The...
" and "Bodysnatchers
Bodysnatchers (song)
"Bodysnatchers" is a song by English rock band Radiohead and is the second track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released alongside "House of Cards" as a promotional single from In Rainbows in late June 2008...
" were recorded at the house. Yorke said on Dead Air Space that the band have "started the record properly now ... starting to get somewhere I think. Finally." Further sessions at Halswell House, Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, and Godrich's Hospital Studios in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, where the band recorded "Videotape" and put together a final version of "Nude
Nude (song)
"Nude" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, appearing as the third track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the second single from In Rainbows on 31 March 2008. "Nude" was written in 1997, and the band began to perform it live soon after. However, a recording was not...
", took place in late December 2006. In mid-January 2007 Radiohead resumed their recording sessions in their Oxfordshire studio, and started to post photos, lyrics, videos and samples of new songs on Dead Air Space. In late April, Yorke stated that Radiohead had a CD of material ready for consideration. In June, Godrich posted clippings of the mixed songs on Dead Air Space, including "Jigsaw Falling into Place" (known as "Open Pick" throughout 2006 performances), "Down Is the New Up", "Bangers + Mash", "All I Need", "Faust Arp" and "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi", originally known as "Arpeggi", is a song written by the English rock group Radiohead, appearing on their album In Rainbows as the fourth track. The name comes from the chorus "I get eaten by the worms/And weird fishes" and the plural of the Italian word 'Arpeggio'...
". Recording having wrapped up in June, Bob Ludwig
Bob Ludwig
Bob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
mastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
the album in July 2007 at Gateway Mastering, New York City.
Music and lyrical content
The album features many of the tracks debuted on Radiohead's 2006 tour, including "15 Step", "Bodysnatchers", "All I Need", "Videotape", "Arpeggi" and "Open Pick" (the last two being retitled "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" and "Jigsaw Falling into Place", respectively). The song "Nude", which premiered live during the OK Computer world tour, was finally released in 2007 on In Rainbows, albeit with a different arrangement. "Reckoner" which originally premiered live in 2001, was also released on this album, but in a completely different form; Yorke and guitarist Jonny GreenwoodJonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
worked on extra material for the song and subsequently abandoned the original material.
On the opening track "15 Step", the band enlisted the help of a group of children from the Matrix Music School & Arts Centre in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Colin Greenwood and Godrich originally set out to record handclaps for the song, but when the clapping proved "not quite good enough", they decided to record the children cheering instead. "Bodysnatchers", a song Yorke described as sounding like Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
and "Neu!
Neu!
Neu! was a German band formed by Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother after their split from Kraftwerk in the early 1970s...
meets dodgy hippy rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
", was recorded when he was in a period of "hyperactive mania
Mania
Mania, the presence of which is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses, is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression...
". On "All I Need", Jonny Greenwood wanted to recapture the white noise
White noise
White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
generated by a band playing loudly in a room, a sound which never occurs in the studio. His solution was to have a string section
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
play every note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
of the scale
Musical scale
In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
, blanketing the frequencies
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
. Yorke described the process of composing "Videotape" as "absolute agony", stating that the song "went through every possible parameter". One day, Yorke left the studio, returning to find that Godrich and Jonny Greenwood had stripped the song down to the version found on the album, a minimal piano ballad.
Yorke has said that the album's lyrics are based on "that anonymous fear thing, sitting in traffic, thinking, 'I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something else' ... it's similar to OK Computer
OK Computer
OK Computer is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997 on Parlophone in the UK and 1 July 1997 by Capitol Records in the US. It marks a deliberate attempt by the band to move away from the introspective guitar-oriented sound of their previous...
in a way. It's much more terrifying." At the same time, Yorke felt "there's very little anger in In Rainbows. It's in no way political, or, at least, doesn't feel that way to me. It very much explores the ideas of transience. It starts in one place and ends somewhere completely different." In another interview, Yorke said the album was "about the fucking panic of realising you're going to die! And that any time soon [I could] possibly [have] a heart attack when I next go for a run."
Ed O'Brien
Ed O'Brien
Edward John O'Brien is an English musician, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Radiohead. He is also responsible for harmony vocals during live concerts and on many tracks from the band's albums...
described the lyrics, saying "They were universal. There wasn't a political agenda. It's being human." The song "Bodysnatchers" is inspired by Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
ghost stories
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
, the 1972 novel The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives
The Stepford Wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by Ira Levin. The story concerns Joanna Eberhart, a photographer and young mother who begins to suspect that the frighteningly submissive housewives in her new idyllic Connecticut neighborhood may be robots created by their husbands.Two films of...
and Yorke's feeling of "your physical consciousness trapped without being able to connect fully with anything else." "Jigsaw Falling into Place" is about a set of observations and different experiences, partly of the chaos witnessed by Yorke when he used to go out on the weekend in Oxford. Yorke said "The lyrics are quite caustic—the idea of 'before you're comatose' or whatever, drinking yourself into oblivion and getting fucked-up to forget ... [there] is partly this elation. But there's a much darker side."
Artwork
The In Rainbows artwork was designed by Stanley DonwoodStanley Donwood
Stanley Donwood is the pen name of English artist Dan Rickwood. Donwood is known for his close association with the British rock group Radiohead, having created all their album and poster art...
, who has worked with Yorke in designing Radiohead's album art since 1994. Donwood worked in the studio as Radiohead were working on the album, which allowed the mood of the music to be conveyed in the album artwork, and regularly put up images in the studio and on the studio computer for the band to interact with and comment on. He also posted images daily on the band's website, though none of the images were used in the final album artwork. Donwood experimented with a photographic etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
technique, putting prints into acid baths with various results, and throwing wax at paper, creating images influenced by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's space photographs. Donwood originally planned to explore suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an life, but realised it did not fit the album's sound, saying "it's a sensual record and I wanted to do something more organic." Describing the album cover, Donwood said: "It's very colourful — I've finally embraced colour! It's a rainbow
Rainbow
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
but it is very toxic, it's more like the sort of one you'd see in a puddle." The band decided not to release the cover for the digital release of the album, preferring to hold it back for the physical release. The "discbox" release of the album includes a booklet containing additional artwork by Donwood.
Distribution
Having fulfilled their six-album contract with EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
with the release of 2003's Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in June 2003 through Parlophone Records. After two Radiohead albums that featured heavily processed vocals, less guitar, and strong influence from experimental electronica and jazz, Hail to the Thief was seen...
, Radiohead stated after completion of In Rainbows that they had not made a decision on how to release their new material. At one point, Yorke hinted at the possibility of releasing singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
or EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
rather than an album. However, he ruled out Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
-only distribution because he felt some fans would not have the technological means to obtain the new material. Commenting on the band's relationship with EMI, he said, "We have no record contract as such ... What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music [as] a nice side project who weren't too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that." Shortly before the band began writing new songs for the album, Yorke told Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, "I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say 'Fuck you' to this decaying business model." Radiohead retained ownership of the album recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
and song compositions
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
for In Rainbows. The download and "discbox" versions of the album are self-released by the band, while for the physical release, the band licensed the music to record labels. The album's licensing agreements for all releases continue to be managed by the band's publisher, Warner Chappell Music Publishing
Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company, and a division of the Warner Music Group. The company traces its origins back to 1811 and the founding of Chappell & Company, a music publishing company and instrument shop on London’s Bond Street that, in 1929, began a rapid...
.
Formats and promotion
On 1 October 2007, Jonny Greenwood announced in a brief post on Dead Air Space, "Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days . . . We've called it In Rainbows". Radiohead released the album as a download available for order from inrainbows.com on 10 October 2007. In a WiredWired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
interview, Yorke explained that "every record for the last four—including my solo record—has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then." Radiohead's managers have said that they would not have released the album as they did unless they were sure the physical CD would sell well. Writing about the unusual release method, Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
commented, "For the beleaguered recording business Radiohead has put in motion the most audacious experiment in years."
In order to distribute the album through inrainbows.com with minimal technical glitches, Radiohead utilised the services of UK-based PacketExchange
PacketExchange
PacketExchange is a global network services provider based in London, UK. Founded in 2002 its network connects 45 points of presence across Europe, Asia and the United States over a private backbone consisting primarily of multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet links over dedicated wavelengths on a diverse...
to bypass public Internet servers
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
, instead utilising a less-trafficked private network to deliver the digital download to users. The download, packaged as a ZIP
ZIP (file format)
Zip is a file format used for data compression and archiving. A zip file contains one or more files that have been compressed, to reduce file size, or stored as is...
file, included the ten album tracks encoded in 160 kbit/s DRM-free
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format. Upon purchase, the buyer was prompted to type in their desired price, plus a credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
transaction fee of 45 pence if purchased for more than 0 pence (a widely-noted landmark use of Pay what you want
Pay what you want
Pay what you want is a pricing system where buyers pay any desired amount for a given commodity, sometimes including zero. In some cases, a minimum price may be set, and/or a suggested price may be indicated as guidance for the buyer. The buyer can also select an amount higher than the standard...
for music sales). The staggered online release of the album began at about 5:30 GMT
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
on 10 October, but on 10 December 2007, the official digital download was no longer made available. A limited made-to-order "discbox", available for pre-order through inrainbows.com, was released on 3 December 2007. It contained the album on CD and two 12" heavyweight 45 rpm
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
vinyl records with artwork and lyric booklets. The box included a second enhanced CD
Enhanced CD
Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
with eight additional tracks, as well as digital photos and artwork. The overall set, packaged in a hardcover
Hardcover
A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
book and slipcase
Slipcase
A slipcase is a four or five-sided box, usually made of high-quality cardboard, into which binders, books or book sets are slipped for protection. Special editions of books are often slipcased...
, was priced at £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
40 (approx. US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
80), and also included the MP3 download.
The album was released on CD and vinyl in Japan by BMG on 26 December 2007, in Australia on 29 December 2007, by Remote Control Records
Remote Control Records
Remote Control Records was established by Harvey Saward and Steve Cross in early 2001, with the intention of supporting under-represented music...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada on 1 January 2008, by ATO
ATO Records
According to Our Records was founded in early 2000 by Dave Matthews , Coran Capshaw, Chris Tetzeli, and Michael McDonald as a division of RCA Records...
imprint TBD Records
TBD Records
TBD Records is an American record label co-founded by Coran Capshaw and Phil Costello, and is a sublabel of ATO Records, distributed by RED Distribution. The label was founded in August 2007 and quickly announced its first release, the band Underworld's first studio album in five years, Oblivion...
and by MapleMusic
MapleMusic Recordings
MapleMusic Recordings is a Toronto based record label.The MapleMusic Recordings label is a project of Canadian roots rock band Skydiggers and entrepreneur Grant Dexter...
/Fontana
Fontana Distribution
Fontana Distribution is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group that was launched in 2004, which deals in distribution, as well as in a range of sales, marketing, and back office support services, for a diverse roster of independent record labels and their artists. The company takes its name and logo...
, respectively. Elsewhere around the world, the album was released on 31 December 2007, by independent record label XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
. The CD release came in a cardboard package containing the CD, lyric booklet and several artwork stickers; this method of packaging encouraged a "do-it-yourself
Do it yourself
Do it yourself is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals...
" style, whereupon the stickers were placed on an unused jewel case to create a package. In Rainbows was also the first album in Radiohead's catalogue to be available for download in several digital music stores upon its release, such as the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3 is an online music store owned and operated by Amazon.com. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management from the four major music labels , as well as many independents...
. On New Year's Eve 2007, Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
streamed a webcast of "Scotch Mist", a private concert filmed at Radiohead's Oxford studios; it not only featured the band performing In Rainbows
AniBOOM
Aniboom is an online production studio that makes animation by reaching out to its database of over 9,500 creators who are located around the globe...
to create a contest where entrants put together storyboards for an animated music video. The winner, who would receive $10,000 to create a full length music video, was chosen by AniBOOM, Radiohead, TBD Records
TBD Records
TBD Records is an American record label co-founded by Coran Capshaw and Phil Costello, and is a sublabel of ATO Records, distributed by RED Distribution. The label was founded in August 2007 and quickly announced its first release, the band Underworld's first studio album in five years, Oblivion...
and Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
, which aired the winning video. Since the band was impressed with the overall quality of the contestants, it was later decided to award $10,000 each to four different winners, plus $1,000 to each of ten semifinalists to create a one-minute length clip. To promote the record, Radiohead embarked on a tour of North America, Europe, South America and Japan, which lasted from May 2008 until March 2009.
Sales and chart placings
In early October 2007, a spokesman for the band reported that "most people [paid] a normal retail price with very few trying to buy [the download version] for a penny" and that most fans had preordered the discbox. Citing a source close to the band, Gigwise.com reported that by the day of its online release, the album had sold 1.2 million copies. The claim, however, has been dismissed by band manager Bryce Edge as "exaggerated". According to an Internet survey conducted by Record of the Day of 3,000 people, about one-third of people who downloaded the album paid nothing, with the average price paid being £4. When asked in a December 2007 interview by The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
how many discboxes were ordered, the band members responded with various answers ranging between 60,000 and 80,000. In October 2008, a report from Warner Chappell revealed that although most people paid nothing for the download, pre-release sales were more profitable than the total money from sales of Hail to the Thief. The report also stated that the discbox sold 100,000 copies.
The album's download and "discbox" sales were not eligible for inclusion in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
because the website is not a chart-registered retailer. The week of its retail release, In Rainbows peaked at number one on the UK Album Chart, with first week sales of 44,602 copies. The album entered the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number 156 due to street date violations, but reached number one on the chart the following week. The record sold 122,000 copies in the United States in its first week of official release, according to SoundScan, also making it the 10th independently distributed album to reach number 1 on the Billboard 200. In October 2008, the band's publisher Warner Chappell Music Publishing revealed that the album had sold three million copies (including digital and physical format sales) since the album's physical release in January. The vinyl edition of In Rainbows was the top selling vinyl album of 2008.
The band released "Jigsaw Falling into Place
Jigsaw Falling into Place
"Jigsaw Falling into Place" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead and is the penultimate track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the first single from In Rainbows on 14 January 2008, following the album's "standard" physical release on December 31, 2007.-Overview:The...
", "Nude
Nude (song)
"Nude" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, appearing as the third track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the second single from In Rainbows on 31 March 2008. "Nude" was written in 1997, and the band began to perform it live soon after. However, a recording was not...
" and "Reckoner
Reckoner
"Reckoner" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, and is the seventh track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the third and final single from In Rainbows on 23 September 2008. It was released through the Radiohead Remix website in the form of "stems",...
" as singles from the album in the UK in early 2008; they reached number 30, number 21 and number 74 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, respectively. In the U.S., "Nude" reached number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and was also Radiohead's first single to appear on the Billboard Pop 100 chart, peaking at number 35. The album track "Bodysnatchers
Bodysnatchers (song)
"Bodysnatchers" is a song by English rock band Radiohead and is the second track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released alongside "House of Cards" as a promotional single from In Rainbows in late June 2008...
" reached number eight on the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Jigsaw Falling into Place" charted more poorly, peaking at number 69 in airplay on alternative rock-oriented stations.
Critical reception
In Rainbows received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, earning a rating of 88 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the album four and a half stars out of five. Reviewer Rob Sheffield summarised the album as containing "No wasted moments, no weak tracks: just primo Radiohead." A review by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
described the album as "Radiohead reconnecting with their human sides, realising you [can] embrace pop melodies and proper instruments while still sounding like paranoid androids ... this [is] otherworldly music, alright." Allmusic, in a positive review, noted that the album "will hopefully be remembered as Radiohead's most stimulating synthesis of accessible songs and abstract sounds, rather than their first pick-your-price download." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
was also appreciative, calling the album "the gentlest, prettiest Radiohead set yet ... [it uses] the full musical and emotional spectra to conjure breathtaking beauty". Various reviewers, such as The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for UK newspaper The Guardian, as well as a regular and contributor to the magazine GQ.Petridis began his career writing for Varsity whilst a student at the University of Cambridge...
, attributed the album's quality to the band's performance in the studio, claiming that the band sounded like they were enjoying themselves. Others, such as Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Jonathan Cohen, commended the album on not being overshadowed by its marketing hype.
Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
s review, although mostly positive, commented on the album's lack of warmth, saying that it seemed "to be primarily composed of love songs ... that are starving for human connection but generate all the interpersonal warmth of a GPS system". The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
was also critical of the album, noting that "there is ... a sense here of a group magisterially marking time, shying away ... from any grand, rhetorical, countercultural purpose." Yet cumulatively, the album was ranked as one of the best albums of 2007 by many music publications. It came in at the top spot in Billboard, Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
and PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
' list. NME and The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
ranked the album third in their lists, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
placed it fourth, while Rolling Stone and Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
ranked it sixth. In Rainbows was nominated for the short list of the 2008 Mercury Music Prize and received nominations for the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
: Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
, Best Alternative Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative rock genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1975. The award had several minor name changes:*from 1975 to 1977, the award was known as Best Producer of the Year...
and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
The Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package has been presented since 1995. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1995 to 1997 the award was known as Best Recording Package - Boxed...
. Three Grammy nominations also went to the song and music video for "House of Cards". In Rainbows won awards for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Special Limited Edition Package.
Track listing
All tracks written by Radiohead.- "15 Step15 Step15 Step is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead.It was featured during the closing credits to the movie Twilight and is the first track on Radiohead's 2007 album In Rainbows. In 2009, the song was performed live for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles,...
" – 3:58 - "BodysnatchersBodysnatchers (song)"Bodysnatchers" is a song by English rock band Radiohead and is the second track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released alongside "House of Cards" as a promotional single from In Rainbows in late June 2008...
" – 4:02 - "NudeNude (song)"Nude" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, appearing as the third track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the second single from In Rainbows on 31 March 2008. "Nude" was written in 1997, and the band began to perform it live soon after. However, a recording was not...
" – 4:15 - "Weird Fishes/ArpeggiWeird Fishes/Arpeggi"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi", originally known as "Arpeggi", is a song written by the English rock group Radiohead, appearing on their album In Rainbows as the fourth track. The name comes from the chorus "I get eaten by the worms/And weird fishes" and the plural of the Italian word 'Arpeggio'...
" – 5:18 - "All I Need" – 3:48
- "Faust Arp" – 2:09
- "ReckonerReckoner"Reckoner" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, and is the seventh track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the third and final single from In Rainbows on 23 September 2008. It was released through the Radiohead Remix website in the form of "stems",...
" – 4:50 - "House of Cards" – 5:28
- "Jigsaw Falling into PlaceJigsaw Falling into Place"Jigsaw Falling into Place" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead and is the penultimate track on their 2007 album In Rainbows. The song was released as the first single from In Rainbows on 14 January 2008, following the album's "standard" physical release on December 31, 2007.-Overview:The...
" – 4:09 - "Videotape" – 4:42
Limited Edition bonus tracks
- "Jigsaw Falling into Place" – 4:09
- "Down Is the New Up" (Live) – 5:07
- "Last Flowers" (Live) – 4:11
Bonus disc
The discbox release of the album includes a second disc, which contains eight additional tracks. It is 26:55 in duration. On 9 June 2009, Radiohead made the tracks from this disc available for digital download at their "w.a.s.t.e." online store.- "MK 1" – 1:03
- "Down Is the New Up" – 4:59
- "Go Slowly" – 3:48
- "MK 2" – 0:53
- "Last Flowers" – 4:26
- "Up on the Ladder" – 4:17
- "Bangers + Mash" – 3:19
- "4 Minute Warning" – 4:04
Personnel
Radiohead- Colin GreenwoodColin GreenwoodColin Charles Greenwood , is an English musician and composer, best known as the bassist of the rock band Radiohead. Apart from bass, Colin plays keyboards, synthesizers and works on sampling on the electronic side of Radiohead...
- Jonny GreenwoodJonny GreenwoodJonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
- Ed O'BrienEd O'BrienEdward John O'Brien is an English musician, songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Radiohead. He is also responsible for harmony vocals during live concerts and on many tracks from the band's albums...
- Phil SelwayPhil SelwayPhilip James "Phil" "The Graf" Selway is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of English rock group Radiohead. He also drums and provides backing vocals, along with occasional guitar and lead vocals, for 7 Worlds Collide...
- Thom YorkeThom YorkeThomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
(also credited for artwork as 'Dr. Tchock')
Additional personnel
- Stanley DonwoodStanley DonwoodStanley Donwood is the pen name of English artist Dan Rickwood. Donwood is known for his close association with the British rock group Radiohead, having created all their album and poster art...
– cover artCover artCover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e... - Nigel GodrichNigel GodrichNigel Godrich, , is a recording engineer, record producer and musician. He is best known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead and is sometimes referred to as the "sixth member" of the band...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Dan Grech-Marguerat – engineering
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Matrix Music School children's choir – choir on "15 Step"
- The Millennia Ensemble – stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
- Hugo Nicolson – engineering
- Graeme Stewart – preproduction
- Richard Woodcraft – engineering
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Albums Chart |
2 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
1 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Albums Chart |
2 |
| Germany Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
8 |
| Japan Oricon Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... Albums Chart |
11 |
External links
- In Rainbows master release at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- In Rainbows at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- In Rainbows at the TBD RecordsTBD RecordsTBD Records is an American record label co-founded by Coran Capshaw and Phil Costello, and is a sublabel of ATO Records, distributed by RED Distribution. The label was founded in August 2007 and quickly announced its first release, the band Underworld's first studio album in five years, Oblivion...
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