| In Rainbows | ||||
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| Released | 10 October 2007 (2007-10-10) | |||
| Recorded | February 2005 – June 2007 | |||
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| Length | 42:39 | |||
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| Producer | Nigel Godrich | |||
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| Singles from In Rainbows | ||||
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In Rainbows is the seventh studio album by the English rock bandRadiohead. It wasself-released on 10 October 2007 as a download, followed by a retail release internationally throughXL Recordings on 3 December 2007 and in North America throughTBD Records on 1 January 2008. It was Radiohead's first release after their recording contract withEMI ended with their albumHail to the Thief (2003).
Work onIn Rainbows began in early 2005. In 2006, after their sessions with the producerSpike Stent proved fruitless, Radiohead re-enlisted their longtime producer,Nigel Godrich. They recorded in the country housesHalswell House andTottenham House, theHospital Club in London, and their studio in Oxfordshire. The lyrics are less political and more personal than previous Radiohead albums.
Radiohead releasedIn Rainbows on their websitewithout prior publicity andallowed fans to set their own price, saying this liberated them from conventional promotional formats and removed barriers to audiences. It was the first such release by a major act and drew international media attention. Many praised Radiohead for challenging old models and finding new ways to connect with fans, while others felt it set a dangerous precedent at the expense of less successful artists.
In Rainbows was promoted with the singles "Jigsaw Falling into Place" and "Nude", along withwebcasts, music videos, competitions and a worldwide tour. The retail release topped theUK Albums Chart and theUSBillboard 200, and by October 2008 it had sold more than three million copies worldwide. It was the best-selling vinyl record of 2008 and iscertified platinum in the UK and Canada and gold in the US, Belgium and Japan. At the51st Grammy Awards,In Rainbows won forBest Alternative Music Album andBest Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package and was nominated forAlbum of the Year, while "House of Cards" was nominated forBest Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal andBest Rock Song.In Rainbows was named one of the best albums of the year and the decade by various publications, andRolling Stone included it in its list of the500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
In 2004, after finishing the world tour for their sixth studio album,Hail to the Thief (2003), Radiohead went on hiatus. AsHail to the Thief was the final album released under theirrecord contract withEMI, they had no contractual obligation to release new material.[1] The drummer,Philip Selway, said Radiohead still wanted to create music, but took a break to focus on other areas of their lives, and that the end of their contract provided a natural point to pause and reflect.[2] TheNew York Times described Radiohead as "by far the world's most popular unsigned band".[1]
In 2005, the singer and songwriter,Thom Yorke, appeared on the web seriesFrom the Basement, performing the futureIn Rainbows tracks "Videotape", "Down is the New Up" and "Last Flowers".[3] He released his first solo album,The Eraser, in 2006.[2] The lead guitarist,Jonny Greenwood, also composed his first solo works, the soundtracksBodysong (2003) andThere Will Be Blood (2007).[2]
In March 2005, Radiohead began writing and recording in their Oxfordshire studio. They initially chose to work without their longtime producer,Nigel Godrich. According to the guitaristEd O'Brien, "We were a little bit in the comfort zone ... We've been working together for 10 years, and we all love one another too much."[4] The bassist,Colin Greenwood, later denied this, saying Godrich had been busy working withCharlotte Gainsbourg andBeck.[5] At the Ether festival in July 2005, Jonny Greenwood and Yorke performed a version of the futureIn Rainbows track "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" with theLondon Sinfonietta orchestra and theArab Orchestra of Nazareth.[6]
Regular recording sessions began that August, with Radiohead updating fans on their progress intermittently on their new blog, Dead Air Space. The sessions were slow, and the band struggled to regain confidence. According to Yorke, "We spent a long time in the studio just not going anywhere, wasting our time, and that was really, really frustrating."[1] They attributed their slow progress to a lack of momentum after their break,[1] the lack of deadline and producer, and the fact that all the members had become fathers.[2][7]
In December 2005, Radiohead hired the producerSpike Stent, who had worked with artists includingU2 andBjörk, to help them work through their material. Stent listened to their self-produced work and agreed it was subpar.[8] The collaboration with Stent was unsuccessful.[9]
Concerned by the lack of progress, Radiohead's management suggested they break up. Brian Message, a partner at their management company, said later: "You have to be honest if it's not working. You have to have passion about what you do."[10] O'Brien said Radiohead decided to continue because "when you got beyond all the shit and the bollocks, the core of these songs were really good".[2] He feltIn Rainbows could be the final Radiohead record, and was motivated by a desire to secure their legacy as a great band.[8]
In an effort to break the deadlock, Radiohead decided to tour for the first time since 2004. They performed in Europe and North America in May and June 2006, and returned to Europe for several festivals in August, performing many new songs.[1] According to Yorke, the tour forced them to finish writing the songs. He said: "Rather than it being a nightmare, it was really, really good fun, because suddenly everyone is being spontaneous and no one's self-conscious because you're not in the studio ... It felt like being 16 again."[1]
After the tour, Radiohead discarded the recordings made with Stent and re-enlisted Godrich.[9] According to Yorke, Godrich gave them "a walloping kick up the arse".[11] To focus them, Godrich transferred their rhythm tracks to a single track, where they could not be further altered. According to Colin, "The idea was to make us commit to something ... It was as if we were sampling ourselves. And when you mash sounds together like that they cross-pollinate, they marinade, they interact with each other... They have little sonic babies."[12] Yorke said the band attempted to create "a sense of disembodiment" by using elements from different versions of songs. For example, "All I Need" was assembled from takes from four different versions.[13]
For three weeks in October 2006, Radiohead worked atTottenham House inMarlborough, Wiltshire, acountry house scouted by Godrich. The band members lived in caravans, as the building was in a state of disrepair.[2] Yorke described it as "derelict in the stricter sense of the word, where there's holes in the floor, rain coming through the ceilings, half the window panes missing ... There were places you just basically didn't go. It definitely had an effect. It had some pretty strange vibes."[11] The sessions were productive and the band recorded "Jigsaw Falling into Place" and "Bodysnatchers".[8] Yorke wrote on Dead Air Space that Radiohead had "started the record properly now ... starting to get somewhere I think. Finally."[14] Radiohead used several guitars borrowed from the guitaristJohnny Marr, including a 1957Gibson Les Paul Gold Top and a 1964Gibson SG.[15] Colin contracted temporary hearing loss andtinnitus brought upon by faulty headphones.[16]
In December 2006, sessions took place atHalswell House inTaunton, and Godrich's studio at theHospital Club inCovent Garden, London, where Radiohead recorded "Videotape" and completed "Nude".[2][8] In January, Radiohead resumed recording in their Oxfordshire studio and started to post photos, lyrics, videos and samples of new songs on Dead Air Space.[17] In June, having finished recording, Godrich posted clips of songs on Dead Air Space.[18][19]
FeelingHail to the Thief was overlong, Radiohead wanted their next album to be concise.[20] Yorke said: "I believe in the rock album as an artistic form of expression.In Rainbows is a conscious return to this form of 45-minute statement ... Our aim was to describe in 45 minutes, as coherently and conclusively as possible, what moves us."[21] They settled on 10 songs, saving the rest for a bonus disc included in the limited edition.[22] Yorke recorded "Last Flowers", included on the bonus disc, in theEraser sessions.[8]In Rainbows wasmastered byBob Ludwig in July 2007 at Gateway Mastering, New York City.[23] Godrich said process of makingIn Rainbows had been an opportunity to "reconnect" for the band members, who he said had a "particular chemistry".[9]
In Rainbows incorporates elements ofart rock,[24]experimental rock,[24][25]alternative rock,[26]art pop,[27] andelectronica.[28] O'Brien said Radiohead were hesitant to create an "epic" record, which they felt had negative associations ofstadium rock. However, he conceded that "epic is also about beauty, like a majestic view, and what we did on this record was to allow the songs to be epic when they have to be". He cited "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" as an example of a song that was "obviously epic in scope".[8] Yorke said Radiohead consideredIn Rainbows "our classic album, ourTransformer, ourRevolver, ourHunky Dory".[21]
Yorke said that, unlikeHail to the Thief, there was "very little anger" inIn 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."[29] In another interview, Yorke said the album was about mortality and the realisation that he could die at any moment.[30] O'Brien described the lyrics as universal and about "being human", with no political agenda.[20] The titleIn Rainbows was chosen because it was open-ended and not provocative or polarising, and reflected Donwood's artwork.[31]
The opening track, "15 Step", features aquintuple meter and a handclap rhythm inspired by "Fuck the Pain Away" byPeaches.[32][2] Radiohead recorded cheers by a group of children from the Matrix Music School & Arts Centre in Oxford.[33] "Bodysnatchers", which Yorke described as a combination ofWolfmother,Neu! and "dodgyhippy rock",[2] was recorded when he was in a period of "hyperactive mania".[13] The lyrics were inspired byVictorianghost stories, the 1972 novelThe Stepford Wives and Yorke's feeling of "your physical consciousness trapped without being able to connect fully with anything else".[34] "Weird Fishes / Arpeggi" features aphasing technique influenced by the American composerSteve Reich.[35]
On "All I Need", Jonny Greenwood wanted to capture thewhite noise generated by a band playing loudly in a room, which never occurs in the studio. His solution was to have astring section play every note of thescale, blanketing the frequencies.[34] Radiohead recorded a version of "Nude" during theOK Computer sessions, but discarded it. This version featured aHammond organ, a "straighter" feel, and different lyrics.[36] ForIn Rainbows, Colin Greenwood wrote a newbassline, which Godrich said "transformed it from something very straight into something that had much more of a rhythmic flow".[36] The title of "Faust Arp" tributes thekrautrock bandFaust.[37]
"Reckoner" developed while Radiohead were working on another song, "FeelingPulledApartByHorses".[20] It features Yorke'sfalsetto, "frosty, clanging" percussion, a "meandering" guitar line, piano, and strings arranged by Jonny Greenwood.[38] Yorke described it as "a love song... sort of".[39] He said the line "because we separate like ripples on a blank shore" was the centre ofIn Rainbows, and that "everything's leading to that point and then going away from that point".[40] He described "House of Cards" as "mellow and summery", and likened it to the 1968 instrumental "Albatross" byFleetwood Mac.[2] Mike Diver ofDrowned in Sound described "Jigsaw Falling into Place" as a "bass-propelled pop-rock head-bobber".[41] The lyrics were inspired by the chaos witnessed by Yorke when drinking in Oxford, a combination of elation and "a much darker side".[13]
Yorke said composing "Videotape" was "absolute agony", and that it "went through every possible parameter".[42] He initially wanted it to be a "post-ravetrance track", similar to the music ofSurgeon, and said Jonny Greenwood was "obsessed" with shifting the start of thebar.[42] Radiohead performed "Videotape" in a more conventional rock arrangement on tour in 2006, with Selway's drums building to a climax.[43] For the album, Godrich and Greenwood reduced the song to a minimal piano ballad with percussion from aRoland TR-909 drum machine.[43]
TheIn Rainbows artwork was designed by Radiohead's longtime collaboratorStanley Donwood.[44] Donwood worked in the studio while Radiohead worked on the album, allowing the artwork to convey the mood of the music.[29] He displayed 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 Radiohead website, though none were used in the final artwork.[45]
Donwood experimented withphotographic etching, putting prints into acid baths[46] and throwing wax at paper, creating images influenced byNASA space photography.[29] He originally planned to explore suburban life, but realised it did not fit the album, saying: "The music took a different direction and became much more organic, sensual and sexual, so I started working with wax and syringes."[47] He described the final artwork as "very colourful ... It's a rainbow but it is very toxic, it's more like the sort of one you'd see in a puddle."[48] Radiohead did not reveal the cover until the retail release.[48] The limited edition includes a booklet containing additional artwork by Donwood.[46]
On 1 October 2007, Jonny Greenwood announced the album on Radiohead's blog, writing: "Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days; we've called itIn Rainbows."[49] The post contained a link to inrainbows.com, where users could pre-order an MP3 version of the album for any amount they wanted, including £0.[49]
The release was a landmark use of thepay-what-you-want model for music sales.[34] It was suggested by Radiohead's managers, Bryce Edge and Chris Hufford, in April 2007.[30] According to Selway, "Because [the album] was taking quite long, our management were twiddling thumbs at points and they were just coming up with ideas. And this was one that really stuck."[30] Brian Message, a partner at their management company, said they determined it would cost less than $0.03USD per copy to distributeIn Rainbows digitally and would reach 173 countries.[10]
Colin Greenwood explained the release as a way of avoiding the "regulated playlists" and "straitened formats" of radio and TV, ensuring listeners around the world would experience the music at the same time and preventing leaks in advance of a physical release.[50] He said the decision had not been made for financial gain, and that if money had been Radiohead's motivation they would have accepted an offer fromUniversal Records.[30]
For theIn Rainbows download, Radiohead employed the network providerPacketExchange to bypass public internetservers, using a less-trafficked private network.[51] The download was packaged as aZIP file containing the album's ten tracks encoded in a 160kbit/sDRM-freeMP3 format.[52] The staggered online release began at about 5:30amGMT on 10 October 2007. The download was removed on 10 December.[53]
Radiohead also sold a limited "discbox" edition from their website. It contained the album on CD and two 12" heavyweight45 rpm vinyl records with artwork and lyric booklets, plusIn Rainbows Disk 2, a CD with eight additional tracks, digital photos and artwork, packaged in a hardcover book andslipcase. The limited edition was shipped from December 2007.[54] In June 2009, Radiohead made theIn Rainbows bonus disc available for download on their website for £6.[55]
Radiohead ruled out an internet-only distribution, saying that 80% of people still bought physical releases and that it was important to have an "artefact" or "object".[56] For the retail release, Radiohead retained ownership of the recordings and compositions but licensed the music to record labels.[57] Licensing agreements were managed by Radiohead's publisher,Warner Chappell Music Publishing.[57] Radiohead formed alimited liability company, Xurbia Xendless Ltd, to deal with the income, a practice they have repeated for later releases.[58]
In Rainbows was released on CD and vinyl in Japan byBMG on 26 December 2007,[59] in Australia on 29 December 2007 byRemote Control Records,[60] and in the United States by theATO imprintTBD Records and in Canada byMapleMusic andFontana on 1 January 2008.[61][62] Elsewhere, it was released on 31 December 2007 by the independent record labelXL Recordings,[63] which had released Yorke's solo albumThe Eraser.[64] The CD release came in a cardboard package containing the CD, lyric booklet, and several stickers that could be placed on the blankjewel case to create cover art.[65]In Rainbows was the first Radiohead album available for download in several digital music stores, such as theiTunes Store andAmazon MP3.[66] On 10 June 2016, it was added to the streaming serviceSpotify.[67]
The pay-what-you-want release, the first for a major musical act, attracted international media attention and sparked debate about the implications for the music industry.[34] According toMojo, it was "hailed as a revolution in the way major bands sell their music", and the media's reaction was "almost overwhelmingly positive".[8]Time called it "easily the most important release in the recent history of the music business".[68]Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times wrote that "for the beleaguered recording business Radiohead has put in motion the most audacious experiment in years".[34]NME wrote that "the music world seemed to judder several rimes off its axis", and praised the fact that everyone, from fans to critics, had access to the album at the same time, calling it an unusual "moment of togetherness".[69]
TheU2 singerBono praised Radiohead as "courageous and imaginative in trying to figure out some new relationship with their audience".[70] The rapperJay-Z described the release as "genius",[30] and the singerCourtney Love wrote on her blog: "The kamikaze pilot in me wants to do the same damn thing. I'm grateful for Radiohead for making the first move."[30] In the 2010s,Gigwise andDIY creditedIn Rainbows as the first "surprise album" — a major album released without prior publicity — ahead of acts such asBeyoncé and U2.[71][72]
The release also drew criticism.Trent Reznor ofNine Inch Nails thought it did not go far enough, and accused Radiohead of using a compressed digital release as abait-and-switch to promote a traditional record sale. Reznor released his sixth album,Ghosts I–IV, under aCreative Commons licence the following year.[73] The singerLily Allen said the release was "arrogant" and sent a bad message to less successful acts, saying: "You don't choose how to pay for eggs. Why should it be different for music?"[74] TheSonic Youth bassist,Kim Gordon, said the release "seemed really community-oriented, but it wasn't catered towards their musician brothers and sisters, who don't sell as many records [as Radiohead]. It makes everyone else look bad for not offering their music for whatever."[75] TheGuardian journalistWill Hodgkinson argued that Radiohead had made it impossible for less successful musicians to make a living from their music.[76]
Responding to criticisms, Jonny Greenwood said Radiohead were responding to the culture of downloading free music, which he likened to thelegend of King Canute: "You can't pretend the flood isn't happening."[30] Colin said the criticism was "worrying about all these ancillary questions and forgetting about the primal urge of people to share and enjoy music. And there's always going to be a way of finding money or livings to be made out of it."[30] Yorke told theBBC: "We have a moral justification in what we did in the sense that the majors and the big infrastructure of the music business has not addressed the way artists communicate directly with their fans ... Not only do they get in the way, but they take all the cash."[56]
Radiohead's management defended the release as "a solution for Radiohead, not the industry", and doubted "it would work the same way [for Radiohead] ever again".[77] Radiohead have not used the pay-what-you-want system for subsequent releases.[78] In 2009, Message said he believed thatpeer-to-peer file sharing should be legal, and advocated for government intervention to forceinternet service providers to pay artists.[10]
In February 2013, Yorke told theGuardian that though Radiohead had hoped to subvert the corporate music industry withIn Rainbows, he feared they had instead played into the hands of content providers such asApple andGoogle: "They have to keep commodifying things to keep the share price up, but in doing so they have made all content, including music and newspapers, worthless, in order to make their billions. And this is what we want?"[79]
In Rainbows was released when CD sales were falling due tointernet piracy.[80] An unidentified executive at a major European label toldTime: "This feels like yet another death knell. If the best band in the world doesn't want a part of us, I'm not sure what's left for this business."[68] According to the media measurement companyBigChampagne, on the day of release, around 400,000 copies ofIn Rainbows were pirated viatorrent. By 3 November, it had been shared 2.3 million times. Some listeners were driven to piracy after the official website overloaded.[81]
U2's manager,Paul McGuinness, said that 60 to 70 percent of Radiohead fans had piratedIn Rainbows, and saw this as an indication that Radiohead's strategy had failed.[82] However, BigChampagne concluded that the music industry should not think of piracy as lost sales, as Radiohead had shown that even releasing music free had not deterred it.[81] Based on this report,Wired concluded that "by 'losing' the battle for the email addresses of those who downloaded their album via bit torrent, [Radiohead] actually won the overall war for the public's attention – no easy feat, these days".[81] In an article for the album's tenth anniversary,NME argued that Radiohead had demonstrated that the best response to piracy was to explore alternative ways to connect with fans, offering content at different price points: "The pay-what-you-want aspect isn't something to be followed slavishly ... It's the willingness to try it and the connection with fans that made it successful that should be an inspiration."[83]
As Radiohead's recording contract withEMI ended in 2003, Radiohead recordedIn Rainbowswithout a record label. Shortly before work began, Yorke toldTime: "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."[68]
In August 2007, as Radiohead were finishingIn Rainbows, EMI was acquired by theprivate equity firmTerra Firma for US$6.4 billion (£4.7 billion), withGuy Hands as the new chief executive.[84] Executives including Keith Wozencroft, who had signed Radiohead to EMI, travelled regularly to Radiohead's studio in hopes of negotiating a new contract.[64] They were "devastated" when Radiohead told them they would not be signing.[64] O'Brien later said he had not realised Radiohead's importance to EMI: "That probably sounds really naive. But there weren't people going, 'You're so important.' We were just one of the bands on their roster."[85] According to Eamonn Forde, the author ofThe Final Days of EMI, Radiohead had lost faith in EMI and thought the new ownership would be a "bloodbath".[64] O'Brien said Radiohead had believed a deal with EMI was possible, and that "it was really sad to leave all the people [we'd worked with] ... But Terra Firma don't understand the music industry."[30]
Hands believed that Radiohead would only have canceled their self-release plan with a "really big" offer,[64] and an EMI spokesperson said that Radiohead had demanded "an extraordinary amount of money".[86] Yorke and Radiohead's management released statements denying this, and said that they had instead wanted control over their back catalogue,[86][87] which Hands had refused.[64] Radiohead's co-manager, Bryce Edge, said Radiohead had themoral rights to the albums.[86] According to Hands, Radiohead wanted a large payment in addition to ownership of their back catalogue, which EMI "valued even more". He estimated that they had wanted "millions and millions".[64] Responding to Hands's statement, Yorke told an interviewer: "It fucking pissed me off. We could have taken them to court. The idea that we were after so much money was stretching the truth to breaking point. That was his PR company briefing against us and I'll tell you what, it fucking ruined my Christmas."[64]
Days after Radiohead signed to XL, EMI announced abox set of Radiohead albums recorded beforeIn Rainbows, released in the same week as theIn Rainbows special edition. Radiohead were reportedly angered by the release,[64] and commentators including theGuardian saw it as retaliation for them choosing not to sign with EMI.[88] Hands defended the reissues as necessary to boost EMI's revenues and said "we don't have a huge amount of reasons to be nice [to Radiohead]".[64] The box set was promoted onGoogle Ads with an advert falsely claiming thatIn Rainbows was included. EMI removed it, citing a "data source glitch". A spokesperson for Radiohead said they accepted this was a genuine mistake.[89]
Following the release ofIn Rainbows, Radiohead broadcast twowebcasts from their Oxfordshire studio: "Thumbs Down" in November 2007 and "Scotch Mist" on New Year's Eve. In the US, "Scotch Mist" was also broadcast onCurrent TV.[90] The webcasts featured performances ofIn Rainbows songs, covers of songs byNew Order, theSmiths andBjörk, poetry, and videos created with the comedianAdam Buxton and the filmmakerGarth Jennings.[91][90][5][92] Colin Greenwood described the webcasts as spontaneous and liberating, bypassing the usual lengthy process of commissioning music videos.[5]
The first single, "Jigsaw Falling into Place", was released in January 2008,[93] followed by "Nude" on 31 March.[94] Both songs were accompanied by music videos directed by Buxton and Jennings.[5][95] Radiohead heldremix competitions for "Nude" and "Reckoner", releasing the separatedstems for purchase, and streamed the entries on their website.[96] "Nude" debuted at number 37 on theBillboard Hot 100; boosted by sales of the stems, it was the first Radiohead song to enter the chart since "High and Dry" (1995) and Radiohead's first US top-40 song since their debut single, "Creep" (1992).[97][98] "Reckoner" reached number 74 on theUK singles chart[99] and number 21 on theBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, a 25-song extension of the Hot 100.[100]
In March, Radiohead and the animation companyAniboom ran a competition asking entrants to submit concepts for animated music videos forIn Rainbows. Semifinalists were chosen byTBD Records and theCartoon Network programming blockAdult Swim.[101] Unable to choose only one winner, Radiohead awarded the full prize money of $10,000 each to four semifinalists, who created videos for "15 Step", "Weird Fishes", "Reckoner" and "Videotape".[102] A video for "All I Need" premiered onMTV on 1 May, produced withMTV EXIT, an initiative to raise awareness ofhuman trafficking andmodern slavery. It depicts a day in the lives of two children: a boy in the west from an affluent area, and a boy in the east forced to work in asweatshop which produces shoes worn by the western boy.[103][104] In July, Radiohead released a video for "House of Cards", made withlidar technology instead of cameras.[105]
On 16 January 2008, a surprise Radiohead performance at the London record shopRough Trade East was relocated to a nearby club after police raised safety concerns.[106] Radiohead toured North America, Europe, South America and Japan from May 2008 until March 2009.[107] To determine how they could reducecarbon emissions, Radiohead commissioned the environmental group Best Foot Forward.[108] Based on the findings, Radiohead played inamphitheatres rather than smaller venues and focused on playing in city centres to reduce reliance on flights for attendees.[109] They also used acarbon-neutral "forest" ofLEDs on stage.[110]
Radiohead recorded a live video,In Rainbows — From the Basement, broadcast onVH1 in May 2008.[111] In February 2009, Yorke and Jonny Greenwood performed "15 Step" with theUniversity of Southern California Marching Band at the51st Annual Grammy Awards.[112]
In early October 2007, a Radiohead spokesperson reported that most downloaders paid "a normal retail price" for the digital version ofIn Rainbows, and that most fans had pre-ordered the limited edition.[113] Citing a source close to the band,Gigwise reported thatIn Rainbows had sold 1.2 million digital copies before its retail release;[114] this was dismissed by Radiohead's co-manager Bryce Edge as "exaggerated".[107]
According to research released in November 2007 by the market research firmComscore, downloaders paid an average of US$2.26 per download globally, and 62% of downloaders paid nothing.[115] Of those who paid, the average paid was $6 globally, with 12% paying between $8 and $12, around the typical cost of an album oniTunes.[115] Radiohead dismissed the report as "wholly inaccurate",[116] but said the results had been good.[30] Another survey, conducted by the industry organisation Record of the Day, found that 28.5% of those who downloaded the album paid nothing or £0.01 and the average price per download was £3.88.[117] In December 2007, Yorke said that Radiohead had made more money from digital sales ofIn Rainbows than the digital sales of their previous albums combined.[42]
In October 2008, one year after the release, Warner Chappell reported that although most people paid nothing for the download, prerelease sales forIn Rainbows had been more profitable than the total sales ofHail to the Thief and that the limited edition had sold 100,000 copies.[118] In 2009,Wired reported that Radiohead had made an "instantaneous" £3 million from the album.[75]Pitchfork saw this as proof that, thanks to their fans, "Radiohead could release a record on the most secretive terms, basically for free, and still be wildly successful, even as industry profits continued to plummet."[119]
Because inrainbows.com is not a chart-registered retailer,In Rainbows download and limited edition sales were not eligible for inclusion in theUK Albums Chart.[120] In the week of its retail release,In Rainbows reached number one on the UK Albums Chart,[121] with first-week sales of 44,602 copies.[122] In the US, after some record stores brokestreet date agreements, it entered theBillboard 200 at number 156. In the first week of official release, it became the10th independent album to reach number one on theBillboard 200,[123] selling 122,000 copies.[124] In October 2008, Warner Chappell reported thatIn Rainbows had sold three million copies worldwide since its retail release,[125] including 1.75 million physical sales.[126] It was the bestselling vinyl album of 2008.[127]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 88/100[128] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [129] |
| The A.V. Club | A−[130] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[131] |
| The Guardian | [132] |
| Mojo |  [133] |
| Pitchfork | 9.3/10[134] |
| Q | [135] |
| Rolling Stone | [136] |
| Spin | [137] |
| The Times | [138] |
On the review aggregate siteMetacritic,In Rainbows has a rating of 88 out of 100 based on 42 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[128] TheGuardian criticAlexis Petridis praised Radiohead's performance in the studio and said they sounded like they were enjoying themselves.[132]Billboard's Jonathan Cohen commended the album for not being overshadowed by its marketing hype.[139] Andy Kellman ofAllMusic wrote thatIn Rainbows "will hopefully be remembered as Radiohead's most stimulating synthesis of accessible songs and abstract sounds, rather than their first pick-your-price download".[129]
NME describedIn Rainbows 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."[140]Will Hermes, writing inEntertainment Weekly, calledIn Rainbows "the gentlest, prettiest Radiohead set yet" and stated that it "uses the full musical and emotional spectra to conjure breathtaking beauty".[131]Rob Sheffield ofRolling Stone praised its "vividly collaborative sonic touches" and concluded: "No wasted moments, no weak tracks: just primo Radiohead."[136]
Jon Dolan ofBlender calledIn Rainbows "far more pensive and reflective" thanHail to the Thief, writing that it "formulates a lush, sensualised ideal out of vague, layered discomfort".[141]Spin's Mikael Wood felt that it "succeeds because all of that cold, clinical lab work hasn't eliminated the warmth from their music",[137] whilePitchfork's Mark Pytlik wrote it was a more "human" album that "represents the sound of Radiohead coming back to earth".[134]Pitchfork allowed readers to enter their own review score, referencing the pay-what-you-want release.[142]Robert Christgau, writing forMSN Music, gaveIn Rainbows a two-star honourable mention and wrote that it was "more jammy, less songy and less Yorkey, which is good".[143]The Wire was more critical, finding "a sense here of a group magisterially marking time, shying away ... from any grand, rhetorical, countercultural purpose".[144]
In 2011,The Rolling Stone Album Guide describedIn Rainbows as Radiohead's "most expansive and seductive album, possibly their all-time high".[145] In 2023, Selway said it was his favourite Radiohead album. He said it combined "everything that we'd been learning over two decades, and it seemed to land in quite a concise way ... It feels like a band that have learned to play their instruments together but have been able to spend long enough doing that so the playing reaches a new level."[146] In 2024, theRolling Stone critic Andy Greene saidIn Rainbows had completed perhaps "one of the best 12-year runs in rock history, maybe even the very best one".[147] In 2009, theNasa astronautMike Massimino played a copy ofIn Rainbows in orbit.[148]
In Rainbows was ranked among the best albums of 2007 by many music publications.[149] It was ranked first byBillboard,Mojo andPopMatters, third byNME andThe A.V. Club, fourth byPitchfork andQ, and sixth byRolling Stone andSpin.[149] It was named one of the best albums of the decade byNME,[150]Paste,[151]Rolling Stone,[152] theGuardian,[153] andNewsweek.[154]
In Rainbows was nominated for the short list of the 2008Mercury Prize,[155] and won theGrammy awards forBest Alternative Music Album andBest Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package at the51st Annual Grammy Awards.[156] It was also nominated for Grammy awards forAlbum of the Year andProducer of the Year, Non-Classical (for Godrich), and "House of Cards" was nominated forBest Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal,Best Rock Song andBest Music Video.[157]
In Rainbows was included in the updated 2014 edition of1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[158]Rolling Stone included it in its lists of the500 Greatest Albums of All Time at number 336 in 2012 and number 387 in 2020.[159][160] In 2019, theGuardian namedIn Rainbows the 11th-greatest album of the 21st century so far.[161] In 2011,NME ranked "Reckoner" the 93rd-best track of the preceding 15 years,[162] andPitchfork named it the 254th-greatest song of the decade.[163] In 2020,Rolling Stone namedIn Rainbows one of the 40 most groundbreaking albums for its pay-what-you want release, influencing acts such asBeyoncé andU2.[164] In 2021,Pitchfork readers voted it the fourth-greatest album of the previous 25 years,[165] and in 2025Paste named it the 167th-greatest album of the 21st century so far.[166]
All tracks are written byRadiohead.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "15 Step" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Bodysnatchers" | 4:02 |
| 3. | "Nude" | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" | 5:18 |
| 5. | "All I Need" | 3:49 |
| 6. | "Faust Arp" | 2:10 |
| 7. | "Reckoner" | 4:50 |
| 8. | "House of Cards" | 5:28 |
| 9. | "Jigsaw Falling into Place" | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Videotape" | 4:40 |
| Total length: | 42:39 | |
| In Rainbows Disk 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| EP by | |
| Released | 3 December 2007 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 26:49 |
| Label | Self-released |
The special edition ofIn Rainbows included a second disc,In Rainbows Disk 2, which contains eight additional tracks.[167] Yorke saidDisk 2 contained some of Radiohead's best work, such as "Down Is the New Up", but that it did not fit the main album.[13] In 2009, Radiohead madeDisk 2 available to purchase as a download on their website.[55] It was released on digital services in October 2016.[22]
Stereogum characterisedDisk 2 as more downcast and "balladeering" thanDisk 1, with less guitar and more piano.[168] "MK 1", an instrumental, extends the chords of "Videotape".[168] "Down Is the New Up" is an "ominous" piano anthem, with a "funky" falsetto, "shimmering atmospherics" and orchestral swells.[168][169] "Go Slowly" is a tense, "ghostly" song with guitars, glockenspiel and synthesisers.[168][169] "MK 2" is a synthesiser instrumental.[169] "Up on the Ladder" features synthesisers and a "gnarled", "funk-ish" guitar riff.[168][169] "Last Flowers" has "mournful" vocals, piano arpeggios and acoustic guitar.[169] "Bangers and Mash" is an "uptempo freakout" with "choppy" guitar.[168][169] "4 Minute Warning" is a "peaceful" song with a droningambient introduction.[169]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 6.2/10[167] |
| Rolling Stone | [170] |
| Stereogum | Positive[168] |
InPitchfork, Chris Dahlen wrote that "a lesser band might have crammed some bootlegs and demo takes in here, but when Radiohead put something on disc, they want it to count". However, he criticised Yorke's vocals: "The cynical/alienated rut into which he grinds himself has the persistence of a toothache ... Yorke sounds like neither a post-millennial prophet nor an uncanny empathist, so much as a crank."[167] InRolling Stone,David Fricke wrote that "if you bought the deluxe box edition ofIn Rainbows just for the session leftovers, you did not get your eighty dollars' worth", but conceded that the songs "deserve to be on record".[170]Stereogum wrote that the most impressive thing aboutDisk 2 was "how effortless it all seems".[168]
All tracks are written byRadiohead.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "MK 1" | 1:03 |
| 2. | "Down Is the New Up" | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Go Slowly" | 3:48 |
| 4. | "MK 2" | 0:53 |
| 5. | "Last Flowers" | 4:26 |
| 6. | "Up on the Ladder" | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Bangers + Mash" | 3:19 |
| 8. | "4 Minute Warning" | 4:04 |
| Total length: | 26:49 | |
Adapted from theIn Rainbows liner notes.[171]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[218] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[219] | Gold | 15,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[220] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[221] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[222] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[223] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[224] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[226] | Gold | 500,000^ / 1,020,000[225] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe | — | 500,000[227] |
| Worldwide | — | 3,000,000[126] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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