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 enlarge | Artist: Radiohead
Label: Ato Records / Red
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $8.73
You Save: $5.25 (38%)
New (31) Used (10) Collectible (2) from $4.36
Rating:  271 reviews
Sales Rank: 184
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 4.9 x 0.3
MPN: 21622
UPC: 880882162221
EAN: 0880882162221
ASIN: B000YXMMAE
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Best rock CD of the year July 22, 2008
"In Rainbows" got a lot of attention for the novel way Radiohead started to sell it. The music shouldn't be overlooked. Each song is in the Radiohead style, catchy, and organic. There are some synth or looped parts, but it sounds like five guys in a room. Highly recommended.
much better than I expected. July 21, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was apprehensive about buying this cd after reading some of the negative reviews on Amazon.com. However, I bought it and have listened to it quite a few times now and must say that I prefer it to "the bends", but find "ok computer" a better album. This is much more of an album than "the bends", which to me is a collection of singles.
A consistently satisfying album July 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
People should stop expecting Radiohead to be what they think they should be, and just listen - if they did, they might get more out of it. In Rainbows, which very importantly was independently made without a studio hanging over them, is the band's most refined album to date. The songs, both in their construction and arrangements, are concise, punchy, consistently imaginative and often very moving. Some are more successful than others, of course, while some take longer to speak and are therefore worth listening to again and again. But after listening to the album maybe 100 times over the last 6 months, I still find many new things each time. This is not an album that everyone will like on the first hearing - and thank goodness for that. Like most truly valuable things in life, the more you put in to it, the more you get back out, and that is certainly true of In Rainbows. That said, the melodies are very memorable, and the overall sound not nearly as complex as in previous albums, and yet the effect of the songs is more focused. Quite simply, this is a consistently satisfying album.
 The parts are greater than the whole. July 14, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
'In Rainbows' was the most anticipated Radiohead album since 'Kid A'. But UNLIKE that album, this one was expected to be a new beginning for the band. Thom York said himself that 'Hail To the Thief' was going to be the last of Radiohead "as we know it". However, it appears York & company didn't feel as adventurous going into this project as they made it seem.
The Negatives:
'In Rainbows' does not feel like a fully formed album. Instead, like 'Amnesiac', it seems more like a loose collection of outtakes (outtakes being for this band of course, better than the BEST songs by many other artists!). The music is really more of the same. There are three songs here I find terribly boring, and one I can't make my mind up on. The really frustrating thing is that the bad songs here aren't actually "bad", they just lack a certain punch. It's like they belong with all those other numerous Radiohead b-sides. With the rather lackluster state the music world has been in for a long time, we really need a groundbreaking and unique package of music to stir things up once and awhile. So, to quote an old member of the music business, 'In Rainbows' seems more like "a bunt instead of a home run".
The Positives:
In spite of the fact that this collection feels so non-cohesive and lackluster, there are still six songs here that are INSTANT Radiohead CLASSICS! The band still sounds confident and inspired. Thom's voice is as strong as ever. Most importantly, the melodies here are still original and interesting. The only reason I'm still giving 'In Rainbows' a lower score is that these songs seem better taken individually. They really do not sound like they belong together. In fact, any of them could fit into any of Radiohead's previous seven albums. That is great praise for the songs, much less for 'In Rainbows' taken as an album.
The Songs:
'15 Step' (Man, this is their weakest opener ever. Another electronic loop, with accompanying drumming, and a bass melody. Like I said, it's hardly bad, but it's just...there. Rather boring, and certainly not a good way to begin an album.
'Bodysnatchers' (A great song that is unmistakably Radiohead to the core. Sounds like it belongs on `Hail To the Thief'. In fact, it sounds like a hybrid of `2+2=5' and `Where I End And You Begin'. In any case, it REALLY rocks.)
'Nude' (Another instant classic. Very slow, ethereal, and haunting, with an impressive orchestral buildup to a nice crescendo.)
'Arpeggi/Weird Fishes' (A lot like '15 Step', only without the electronica. And again, it just seems to hang in space without much of a memorable melody or an impression.)
'All I Need' (A fantastically dark and foreboding song. Think of a darker 'Morning Bell'.)
'Faust Arp' (A great, fast-paced acoustic song, a lot like 'Thinking About You'. Just too short!)
'Reckoner' (Another great one, with crashing cymbals driving along a sorrowful melody. Also features outstanding vocals from Thom.)
'House of Cards' (I'm really still trying to decide if I like this one. It's very slow and kind of boring, but that also may work in its favor, because it has a very meditative and peaceful atmosphere, more so that any other Radiohead song.
'Jigsaw Falling Into Place' (Just incredibly good. An acoustic song that starts off slow and builds and builds up to one heck of a crescendo. Plus, Thom just BELTS it out during the second half. I really wish he'd sing like that more often. Thom's BEST vocal performance yet!)
'Videotape' (Their worst closer ever. It's a peaceful and sad sounding piano song, but it's also terribly boring and under-developed.)
So, 'In Rainbows' has at least six OUTSTANDING songs on it. However, taken as a whole, this album doesn't really stand on its own. Perhaps it just needed more songs, along with an infusion of different styles of music and instrumentation. With this latest offering, Radiohead proves they still have what it takes to make a great song, but the next album needs to be much more cohesive.
 I'm A Reasonable Man, Get Off My Case July 13, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Let's see. This album is now a product that can be bought. The point is to review the product. I really cannot stress enough how uninspired this album sounds to me. The best songs Radiohead have written are clearly contained on The Bends and OK Computer. And Kid A/Amnesiac to a lesser extent; though there's some fine material there.
The band's output since 2000/2001 has been uneven and at times faultering.
In Rainbows finds them creating the same mistakes again. Thom Yorke is most likely heading the ship. It's been sinking for a long time, and I don't think he gets it anymore.
The song "Videotape" (especially Yorke's solo live version) hinted at the possibility of this band/man still being able to pierce the heart with lyrics and melody.
I've heard people defend that there's "some good songs" on this album. But that could (way too) easily be narrowed to 2 or 3. Radiohead were a band I thought would never release an album with so few good songs. Apparently they've done it. Though it certainly isn't the worst album, compared to many modern bands, it meanders so much that it becomes sonic beige carpet, and overall the album is an emotional flatline. Yawn, maybe we'll see what they do next.
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