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you know, since Radiohead is giving people the option of downloading the album for free, I don't really see any problem with sharing the files with someone even if they don't intend to pay for it.
Or are you just saying you'd rather eros waited till the site was back up to download it officially from Radiohead?
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quote:Originally posted by Strider: you know, since Radiohead is giving people the option of downloading the album for free, I don't really see any problem with sharing the files with someone even if they don't intend to pay for it.
Or are you just saying you'd rather eros waited till the site was back up to download it officially from Radiohead?
I think maybe you're misreading: BB offered to send it to me for free, and I told him no thanks, I'd rather wait until I can pay for it and get it directly from them.
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oh, it seemed to me that BB was saying that "if" you intended to send Radiohead money eventually, then he'd send you the link now. To me implying that if you weren't planning on sending Radiohead any money, he wouldn't. And I was just pointing out that Radiohead isn't requiring payment. Though obviously I may have misread him!
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quote:Originally posted by Fusiachi: Yet another terrific album. It's been looping here all day. Not going to stop anytime soon.
Excited for disc two & the vinyls to arrive.
Only complaint? The kids in 15 step. And maybe the lack of guitar in videotape. But they turned out well, all the same.
Haha, I love the little kids. Their little "hey!" fits so well with the general smart-assed danciness of the song. It wouldn't have worked on any other Radiohead song for sure, but it's perfect in "15 Step."
I can't possibly choose a favorite song on this record. Every single one is solid gold. The songs I loved from the tour ("Nude," "Arpeggi," "All I Need," "House of Cards") have been perfected, and the songs I was less enthused about ("Bodysnatchers," "Jigsaw") have been immeasurably improved in their studio treatments. The two songs we haven't heard previously (and I'm counting "Reckoner" here because the new arrangement is essentially an entirely new song) are just lovely.
Even "Videotape," which I was initially disappointed by due to my love of the epic full-band version from the bootlegs, has grown on me dramatically. I love the intricate soft percussion sounds that build up over the course of the song. They contrast the repetition of the piano chords and melody, perfectly evoking the melancholy feeling of rewinding an old family video and watching your favorite part over and over again.
Overall, after a number of spins through "In Rainbows" in its entirety, I already rank it above "Hail to the Thief," "Amnesiac," and "Pablo Honey." It'll take a few more days/weeks/months before I'll be ready to judge how it stands up against the Holy Trinity of Radiohead albums, but I suspect it'll hold its own just fine.
As a last note- this is Nigel's greatest work at the soundboard since "Kid A." Absolutely glorious production. Even at 160 kbps, this is the best-sounding album I've heard all year.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Strider: Blackblade, what was in there? I just went through everything I got from you and none of the tracks from the new album where there.
Look for the song, "Big Ideas (live/accoustic)" it's just one of the random songs in there. It was not a b-side.
TBH I like "Nude" alot but I do miss some of the guitar elements in the live version.
And yes I know its easy peasy to make a joke that involves the word nude so don't even bother!
edit: Oh and incidentally I was just having fun writing out "intarnet bux." If eros had no intention of paying for the album that would be fine with me anyway. It would be weird to play record company exec, if Radiohead is willing to give the album out for free.
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There are reasons to love every song on this release, but man. Videotape is amazing. All I Need's got some of the best bass sections I've heard in a long time. Bodysnatchers is the most danceable thing they've put out in years. I need to listen to this on a system with better output than my iPod buds.
The discbox can't come soon enough. I'm asking for a turntable for Christmas especially because of this album and I've already started looking for other Radiohead vinyl.
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Reckoner is the biggest surprise for me and its one of the best things they've done. All in all, In Rainbows is easily their best album (IMHO).
IR > OKC >= HTTT > Amnesiac > Kid A > The Bends > that other album
And iPod headphones don't do the album justice at all, it has by far the best low end of any Radiohead album. It's lush, I can't wait for the CDs.
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Yeah, the bass range sounds incredible on this album. HTTT was badly marred by a really muddy mix, but it seems that Nigel got that out of his system, thank god. "In Rainbows" is crisp, clear, and spacious. None of that artificially lo-fi bullcrap.
If asked to rank Radiohead albums right now, I'd probably put 'em as follows:
OKC = Kid A > IR = The Bends > Amnesiac >> HTTT >>>>> Pablo Honey
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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Pablo Honey gets serious negative points just for the inclusion of "How Do You," one of the only Radiohead songs I consider to be outright terrible. Really, the only memorable songs on that album are "You," "Creep," "Lurgee," and "Blow Out," and none of those are particularly indicative of exceptional songwriting talent. "Creep" has a lovely bridge melody (albeit one stolen directly from another song) and Jonny's first foray into choppy guitar noise, but that's about it.
There's a reason why Pablo Honey-era Radiohead was universally panned as a one hit wonder, a criticism instantly silenced after The Bends was released. Heck, the b-sides from the Kid A/ Amnesiac era are universally better than anything from Pablo Honey. It's a slightly-better-than-average alternative rock album, and nothing more. The albums that followed were all instant classics, and almost surely destined to be some of the most influential pop albums ever recorded.
IMHO, YMMV, et cetera, et cetera... *funky descending fuzz bass* you used to be aaaall right/ what haaapppennnnedddd
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Strider: Blackblade, what was in there? I just went through everything I got from you and none of the tracks from the new album where there.
Look for the song, "Big Ideas (live/accoustic)" it's just one of the random songs in there. It was not a b-side.
ahhh, got it. I thought you meant the whole album was there and I was shocked that I wouldn't recognize that many songs.
Some thoughts:
The songs are very haunting. In a wonderful way. They feel very raw...emotional.
The album is fantastic. This is really going to mess with my ratings. I agree mostly with Tarrsk's ratings except I'd put Bends equal to the other two. They all rotate turns as being my favorite at different times in my life.
This album seems to draw some of the best elements of those albums as well as The Eraser and others, and mesh them all together beautifully.
I don't want to go overboard, because I remember being really into HTTT when it came out and that faded quickly. But this feels different.
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Placing The Bends so far towards the back is just crazy. But then again I suppose that does not mean its a bad album. Radiohead's crappiest album is easily better then many a bands best compilations.
1 hour until work, and then it's 5 straight hours of Radiohead.
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quote:Originally posted by Tarrsk: Yeah, the bass range sounds incredible on this album. HTTT was badly marred by a really muddy mix, but it seems that Nigel got that out of his system, thank god. "In Rainbows" is crisp, clear, and spacious. None of that artificially lo-fi bullcrap.
Nigel actually did a different mix of HTTT, but the band wanted it to have the rough sound that it does have. Personally I think it adds to the frantic feel of the album.
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quote:Placing The Bends so far towards the back is just crazy. But then again I suppose that does not mean its a bad album. Radiohead's crappiest album is easily better then many a bands best compilations.
Was that to me?
This is roughly my order:
OKC = Kid A = The Bends > Amnesiac >> HTTT >>>>> Pablo Honey
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I eventually grew to like OK Computer quite a lot, but when it came out I was actually a little disappointed by it... and I was severely disappointed by Amnesiac. That one hasn't grown on me much, though I listen to a couple of specific tracks.
Overall, though, as my taste has grown progressively heavier, Radiohead have grown progressively lighter. I like a pretty wide variety of music (and deliberately explore new genres and artists), but the songs and albums I cite as my favourites have definitely gotten heavier over the years.
Nowadays Radiohead fall somewhere between Boards of Canada and Sigur Ros in my musical listening landscape, with Muse occupying the spot Radiohead have vacated.
Added: If I had to put the albums in order of preference, the way other people have done, I'd do it like this:
The Bends > Kid A > OK Computer > Hail to the Thief >>>>> Amnesiac = Pablo Honey
Added 2: Both Amnesiac and Pablo Honey have a couple of tracks that I like, but I never listen to them as full albums. I don't listen to HttT as a full album much, and OK Computer rarely. Kid A is definitely an album experience, and The Bends I simply adore.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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The Bends is definitely my favorite Radiohead album. I don't think I've listened to most of the others enough to rank them but if I had to, I think it would be similar to twinky with a couple of changes:
The Bends > OK Computer > Kid A = Hail to the Thief = Amnesiac >>>> Pablo Honey
I think that Bodysnatchers is my current favorite track on In Rainbows with Weird Fishes/Arpeggi as a close second. I'd probably slide this album in as = with OK Computer.
I think I need to listen to Kid A a few more times as a full album experience since I see I only kept one track from it in my iTunes at work (which indicates to me that not much stood out when I was going through and rating songs).
Posts: 1336 | Registered: Mar 2002
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OK Computer was what sold me on Radiohead. Then I went back and listened to The Bends and they became my new favorite band. I was totally on the Radiohead bandwagon in the lead-up to Kid A. Then I hated Kid A's guts when it came out. I've since reconciled my feelings. I still like Amnesiac better than Kid A, but they're all good. I like a few songs from HTTT quite a bit, but it's been a dry 4 years all in all. Thank goodness for a really good album in IR and the promise of more to come. I like to be excited about Radiohead again.
Twinky, I think I started listening to Muse at your recommendation, many years ago. They are a good band. I do wish they'd give up the arpeggio sound, though.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Since I came to Radiohead late in the party (just after the release of HTTT), I have problems choosing between them. Rank them? The best I can do is to place them in sets. Each set has an equally warm place in my heart, and the individual albums frequently swap places according to the mood that strikes me.
A = {OK Computer >= In Rainbows > The Bends > HTTT}
B= {Kid A >= In Rainbows > Amnesiac > HTTT}
{A, B} >>>>>>>> Pablo Honey
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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For a long long time I loved best whichever Radiohead cd I happened to be listening to at the time. They were all so good. I can't rank them like you guys have. They're all different but all really good, I think.
I do skip certain tracks on the various cds now, and I listen to the old ones far less frequently, as I've finally begun to use them up after years and years of listening.
I discovered Radiohead after OK Computer, then went back in time from there. For a long time OK Computer was my undisputed favorite. It was one of those necessary-like-oxygen cds, and I lost my first copy at one point and had to buy another one. (Why didn't I rip it? Who knows?) Then I found my first one and had two for a while until I gave one away. I played OK Computer for ages and never grew tired of it. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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"Creep" of Pablo Honey was my first exposure to Radiohead. I loved the song as I was a lovestruck teenager in love with a girl who though I was great but not boyfriend material.
A few months later on a trip to the Philippines I saw the Iron Lung EP on sale at a random store and purchased it. My Iron Lung, the acoustic version of Creep, and especially Lewis (Mistreated) were amazing. Kid A came out and I just could not dig it at all. I respected Radiohead tremendously for trying to push the bounds of music, but I just did not like the songs. I left for my mission and when I got back HTTT came out and it seemed like a happy middle ground between Kid A, Amnesiac, and OK Computer/The Bends. Based on the strength of HTTT I checked out TB and OKC and fell in love all over again. Today after so much exposure I am more at peace with Kid A and Amnesiac.
In Rainbows is a good album. Whereas Kid A and Amnesiac are almost the primal soup of music, In Rainbows is like seeing the first vertebrates in the evolutionary chain. I am going to keep revisiting it and I imagine it that will endear the album alittle more, but overall its a good listen but its not Radiohead's best. Technically I am sure it is masterfully executed, and the musicianship is unmistakable. But I think I'd like the album as a whole better if there were one or two more songs like, "Nude." In the last 20 seconds there is a single minor chord embedded in a series of major chords that sends chills down my spine every time, I am so glad they saved that expression for the end of the song.
But again I applaud Radiohead for going in this direction. I'm glad when The Bends came out they thought, "We don't want to release 2-3 more albums just like this, let's start breaking down walls."
Thom York's voice and to a lesser extent (if any at all) Greenwoods guitar riffs are the only thing that makes Radiohead music of today identifiable with what they have written all this time.
I hope Radiohead goes back in the direction of HTTT, I'd like the melodies a bit tighter, and the songs a titch more constructed. I'm glad I'm paying money for the album though. Radiohead needs to keep writing.
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HTTT might be the most grim mainstream rock album ever recorded. Nightmare lyrics, epic (but muddy) guitars, huge bombastic drums, song after song of slow-build-and-explode theatrics; it hits you with a staggering array of hopelessness and death.
devil's way now, scream and shout, no way out, we can wipe you out any time, we tried, we tried but there was nothing we could do, I will eat you alive, are you sweet, are you fresh, are you strung up by the wrists, etc,
It's emotionally exhausting for me. For a long time I regarded it as their best cd. But it was a cold regard, an intellectual assessment rather than something deeply felt. I'm over that now as of the first time I heard In Rainbows -- which, I don't know where it ranks in terms of intellectual assessments -- but I do know that this thing resonates with me deeply, and feels sustaining and beautiful, rather than menacing and grotesque.
They seem to have gone back in a direction which is recognizably human. Which, in and of itself, is a bit of a shock. I've never been more thrilled by an album than I am right now. It feels like OK Computer again -- but for completely different reasons.
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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HTTT has some great songs, no doubt. And the tone is as grim as TL says, perfectly timely. It summed up the zietgeist of 2003 the way that Radiohead albums always seem to do ("In Rainbows" is no exception).
That said, there's a lot of filler on HTTT, at least by Radiohead standards, and a couple of the songs get extremely short shrift due to decisions made in production. "The Gloaming," for example, is a skittering live drumset-driven monster live, with an absolutely classic Colin Greenwood fuzz bass line. But the album track omits the bass line entirely, and whereas the live version incorporates live instrumentation a la "15 Step," the album version is almost entirely electronic- not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but in this particular case the song loses a lot of its complexity and mood. Poor mixing decisions like this, in addition to the general muddiness and irritating "lo-fi as created in a multimillion dollar studio" sound of the album, contribute heavily to my lower ranking of HTTT.
That said, the studio versions of "There There" and "Myxomatosis" rank among the best tracks Radiohead have ever recorded. And "Wolf at the Door" is just sublime.
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I don't think the live version of The Gloaming would sound good on the album. It's not cold enough, and The Gloaming is like the cold heart of the record, it ties the whole thing together thematically. It is a grim album, full of fear and paranoia but there's a lot of beauty in it too, with songs like Sail to the Moon, There There and Scatterbrain. I agree it's a bit too long, but even so there are no obvious choices to me for which song to cut out. I think it's their most emotional album... or at least it was until In Rainbows came out.
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BTW, I am increasingly feeling like In Rainbows was written for my specific sensibilities. It's an album I would have loved 10 years ago, and when I envision myself in 10 (20, 30) years, I can't help but still see this album as being a welcome friend. It's got a timeless feel.
They had me from the initial guitar parts in 15 Step.
Also anyone listening to it with iPod or equivalent earbuds/headphones: get better headphones!!! I listened to the album like that the first day or two, since I downloaded it at work, but last night I brought home the computer the MP3s were on. I have a nice (not top-of-the-line) pair Sennheiser headphones, and the low end properly introduced itself to me. Today I brought in the more cumbersome headphones because I cringe at going back to those earbuds.
posted
Can you tell that it's lossy 160kpbs encoding with the Sennheisers? One reason I've held off on buying nicer headphones than my somewhat bass-heavy Sony pair is that I can already hear compression artifacts in some of my music. It isn't enough to be annoying, but I bet it would be if I had nicer headphones.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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I'm not an audiophile. I haven't noticed anything that I can conclusively say is due to the bit rate, and not purposeful production. I encode all my CDs to MP3s at 192kbps, and am perfectly content.
I have noticed differences at very low bit rates, but then, everyone does.
posted
The encoding on the mp3s is pretty amazing, given that it's only 160 kbps. The level of detail is great, I can listen on my home theater and it sounds just fine. I'm sure the CD will sound better, but I'm happy for now. Can't listen to the album on my iPod headphones though, the low end is too good not to be able to hear it.
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Seems like there's some fuzz on the bass in a few of the songs. I don't know if this is deliberate or a product of the encoding. My enjoyment isn't diminished in either case.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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If you're thinking of the bass in songs like "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers," that's definitely intentional distortion (Colin Greenwood uses fuzz pedals all the time). The tone is very organic and smooth, the product of analog distortion rather than digital clipping.
Posts: 1321 | Registered: Sep 1999
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I've finally listened to it enough to have an opinion, and I like it more and more. It has a very spare sound. Favorite tracks are Reckoner, All I Need, Weird Fishes, Videotape, Nude (roughly in that order) but I like all the songs without exception. It's stuck in my head now and I'm finding myself singing it wherever I go.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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So how's the album holding up for people? I listened to it pretty much non stop for the first week or two. And since then it's gone from maybe every other day to every few days. I just listened to it yesterday for the first time in a week and I still love it.
Favorite tracks now being Bodysnatchers(especially at the 2:07 mark), Nude, Weird Fishes, Jigsaw Falling into Place, and Videotape. So yeah, only half the album. And I still really dig the rest too.
So it's holding up really well, even after the newness has faded. Now to figure out where to place it in the Radiohead hierarchy!
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I still listen to it daily. "15 Step" gets me dancing down the street on the way to work every morning. The five track sequence from "Nude" to "Reckoner" is absolutely flawless, probably my favorite five tracks in a row of all time. I've cooled a bit towards "Bodysnatchers" and "House of Cards," but they're both still great, just not quite as wonderful as the rest of the album.
To my own surprise, my Radiohead hierarchy is still identical to the one I posted a month back. I still slightly prefer OK Computer and Kid A (although again, those have the benefit of years of listening), immediately followed by In Rainbows and the Bends. Amnesiac trails after that, with Hail to the Thief as a distant sixth, and Pablo Honey so far behind that it barely even registers.
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I haven't listened to it in weeks, but I've gotten around a dozen new albums in that time. Right now I'm back on a heavy kick with Dream Theater and Opeth.
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I still listen to it regularly, every few days or so. It hasn't gotten old yet.
It's starting to feel like a solid album to me instead of a collection of songs. That's taken a while because I didn't have to go to the store and buy the CD.
I like how Radiohead takes some straight pop ideas, like with House of Cards, and makes them ultra-cool.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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The official recording of the Daft Punk's Paris show displaced all other music in my life, and likely will for the next few months.
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I'm still crazy about it. It keeps growing on me more and more. I think my favorite of all is now Reckoner, which Thom said was the center of the album, but I like every single track. All good songs on this album.
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I've taken a break from all things Radiohead, but only because I don't want to oversaturate. Seeing this pop up again has me wanting to find my iPod.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Currently rockin' the first listen of the 'In Rainbows' Bonus disc. Comments forthcoming.
Edit: Previously mentioned commentary:
Highlights of the 2nd disc, for me, are "Down Is the New Up" and "Last Flowers". DITNU is something different. I like how it came along through touring and production. It works well.
Last Flowers makes me want to listen to True Love Waits...which makes me fire up Last Flowers. It's a good, simple song. Nothing too complicated. But so, so good. Do not miss this one. Pirate if you must.
Also interesting is "Bangers & Mash". I'm on the fence on this one.
Some good stuff, overall.
Also, "4 Minute Warning" is a good closer. Had it been used, though, instead of "Videotape", IR would have left me with quite a different vibe. "Not Wolf At The Door"-type fearmongering, but certainly not as light as "Videotape".
posted
Has anyone in America received the box set yet? If so can you tell me what carrier service delivered it?
Posts: 8741 | Registered: Apr 2001
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According to the "Post Here if You've Got Your Discbox (USA)" thread on Mortigi Tempo, the discbox is coming via USPS. There have been one or two oddballs reporting that theirs came via UPS. In either case, the package comes with instructions not to require a signature.
Most of those reporting safe arrivals are from the East coast, but there has been one received in St. Louis and in Michigan.
I'm in Rockford, IL and haven't received my as yet. I am hopeful for today, however.
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