HOLY FUCKING SHIT: RADIOHEAD: IN RAINBOWS: OCTOBER 10

[Beagle 2]

Haha, that little noise Thom makes at the start of Wierd Fishes sounds like he's just opened his packed lunch and found bloody cheese and pickle again.

[Beagle 2]

Just a couple of listens, but I'm really rather taken with it, it's sort of really "nice". Not "edgy" or "challenging" or anything like that, but melodic and accessible and foot-tappy, and very very lovely. Like they're having fun making music rather than trying to live up to anything or redefine themselves. Yup, I'm convinced.

[Regular Chicken]

Just a couple of listens, but I'm really rather taken with it, it's sort of really "nice". Not "edgy" or "challenging" or anything like that, but melodic and accessible and foot-tappy, and very very lovely. Like they're having fun making music rather than trying to live up to anything or redefine themselves.

Yes I'd agree with this. It is very "nice". Maybe a little too nice for my tastes but of course its still very early days. I suppose I've become used to being completely thrown by new Radiohead albums. This may be the first one which I've liked straight away, and I'm not sure whether this is a good thing or not. This is very much a Radiohead sounding album. Beautiful to listen to, melancholy melodies galore, interesting flourishes, a little bit of electronics, the occasional crescendo. Its so nice I feel bad for criticising it but...its not very surprising is it? Or challenging, or shocking.. I think its much more cohesive and consistent than everything they've done post Kid A, but from my first few listens, I don't think it reaches the gut wrenching levels of emotion that most songs from OC and KA do.

[Beagle 2]

Well I'm a bit of an anomaly in that I'd put Kid A and The Bends far above OK Computer. And to say they were from the same sessions I was pretty bummed out by Amnesiac and blown away by Kid A, while HTTT veered from tedium to genius in equal measure.

This may be the first one which I've liked straight away, and I'm not sure whether this is a good thing or not.

I can't see it as anything but a good thing, the worst that could happen is I overplay it and get sick of it quick, but I hardly ever revisit any of the tracks that didn't work for me first time around anyway. We've still got the bonus tracks for what I imagine will be the wierder shit.

[ziggy starbucks]

Listened to it twice. It isn't a great first listen, there are no obvious strong melodies, no amazingly powerful playing. However albums take some time to settle into the brain, I'll listen to plenty more.

On first listen, videotape is a very lovely song

[Ghost of Troubled Joe]

Just listened to this, a very good album; pretty in parts, and surprisingly funky in others. It's contented and soulful. I don't think it's got as many "wow!" moments as HTTT (an album I loved) but it's definitely got some classics- "Bodysnatchers", "Nude", "All I Need", "House of Cards" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" are my faves. The only tracks I didn't like were "Faust Arp" (trying too hard to be the Beatles and failing) and "Reckoner" (hasn't this changed a lot since they first played it live? I remember it was a barnstorming punk-rock number a few years ago!). "Videotape" is an interesting one, I quite liked it but I thought that ending the album on such a downbeat number was maybe a mistake. I can't wait to hear the second half of the album in December. Oh and Yorke's voice has never sounded better- still Radiohead's best instrument.

[amputeeporn]

I'm really taken with this, though I am a huge 'Head fan. I wouldn't say Videotape is downbeat...well, maybe sounds a little but the lyrics are absoloutley lovely and positive.

[lipsink]

I think In Rainbows is bloody great. Hail To The Theif was great too but its problem was it was a few tracks too long. There seemed to be less focus on it. Amnesiac could've lost a few tracks here and there too (didn't care for packed like Sardines or that version of Morning Bell). The only track on In Rainbows I'm not too sure about is 'Bodysnatchers'. It sounds like a great live track or B-Side but it doesn't feel right putting it at the start of the album either. I always loved the way Radiohead were so perfectionist about their albums before and from Amnesiac onwards they seemed to have loosened that up a bit. Although this album seems a return to the pitching it just right. But Bodysnatchers seems a bit out of sequence. Maybe I'll change my mind. The first half seems the most immediate and the later tracks on the album seemed to have passed me by on first listen. But now I'm really getting into them and they sound like they'll be the most rewarding. Ordered the disc box too for Christmas. Last Flowers is beautiful!

[All Surrogate]

On first listen, videotape is a very lovely song

Indeed, and it once again made me cry.  Bah!

[Cack Hen]

Listened to it twice. It isn't a great first listen, there are no obvious strong melodies, no amazingly powerful playing. However albums take some time to settle into the brain, I'll listen to plenty more.

On first listen, videotape is a very lovely song

There's no Monster Mash cover for a start. I'd pay top dollar to hear Thom Yorke whine: "mm mash GOOD"

[actwithoutwords]

Cover art for people's ipods:

[lipsink]

There's no Monster Mash cover for a start. I'd pay top dollar to hear Thom Yorke whine: "mm mash GOOD"

I remember just after KidA came out SELECT magazine did a Top Ten list of ways Radiohead could confound expectations. One of them was to have Thom come out on stage and shoot a rocket from his codpiece. Anyone happen to remember the rest?

[actwithoutwords]

I'll have that copy of Select back home. Can't remember them though.
Having him sing "I don't wanna be your friend/ I just wanna be your lover" over a laid back groove surely must be in there somewhere though.

Also, a survey: www.whatpricedidyouchoose.com

[chumfatty]

Buggeration, thought I'd leave it until later on in the day to download to beat the rush. But its taking forever to load each page, then just when I get to the basket to pay, it fails to go any further. Shame as I'm willing to pay some money towards it but i'm very tempted to just use the sendspace links.

Edit: this is pissing me off now, It wont even let me pay! I'm putting in the amount, the subtotal doesn't update when I press 'update basket' and the page times out when I press pay now.

[Clint Hollow]

15 Step is majestic as is Jigsaw Falling Into Place and All I Need. Definitely in their top 3 best albums. It's such an instantly accessible record; with which I have fallen head over heels in dumb love. It has all the qualities of their recent albums that have wowed me. Only slight niggle is that I've enjoyed working to appreciate some of their more recent songs and these do not require repeated listens to discover their hidden beauties - The most pop album of theirs since OK Computer. = Fucking Love You, I - Radiohead.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

I think it's their most playful album, certainly since The Bends.  There's still the beautiful, melancholic edge throughout, but there's a more upbeat vibe and little flourishes - like the kids cheer in 15 Step for example.  The use of strings is gorgeous and Thom Yorke's voice is back in amazing form, particularly after the slightly croaky HTTT*.

It was a weird first listen, simply because it's so accessible; there's not really a challenging track on the album.

Love 15 Step, though I think Thom lacks the energy of the live performance to begin with, it quickly picks up.  I agree with Lipsink that Bodysnatchers is an unusual choice for track two, though I enjoy it.  Nude through to Faust Arp is definitely my favourite run of songs at the moment, just fantastic.  Reckoner is basically an entirely different song, and my focus on the previous tracks means I've not given it a proper chance yet, same with House of Cards.  Jigsaw nee Open Pick is fantastic, then - the divisive - Videotape which I love.

And I know it's pathetic, but I'm desperate for the artwork.  I can't relax with the blank space amongst my otherwise complete files.

*HTTT has always had a hard time, more so than it deserves.  The mild disappointment with it simply being good - as opposed to astounding - seems to have spiralled out of control, leaving some fans overly hostile to it.  It's a great album, though overlong - I've always thought it sags a bit in the middle.

[Clint Hollow]

Always adored HTTT, never understood it's reputation as being a boring album - I do think, however, that this is a far finer collection of songs.

[chumfatty]

Bollocks to this, gonna have to try tomorrow to download it, as it's having none of it at the moment. Downloading it via other means just seems go against the grain of what the band are trying to achieve though!

[Clint Hollow]

I still can't find the kid's cheer in 15 Step; can someone point out the point in the song where it happens? Cheers, fuckers. xx

[Pseudopath]

I still can't find the kid's cheer in 15 Step; can someone point out the point in the song where it happens? Cheers, fuckers. xx

It's not that hard to hear and happens three times! The timings are as follows:

2:13 - aaaaayyyyy!
2:38 - yehhh!
2.54 - yaaaay!

I think there's a long reversed kid shout at 2.24-2.26 as well, but that might just be my ears.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

15 Step is majestic as is Jigsaw Falling Into Place and All I Need. Definitely in their top 3 best albums. It's such an instantly accessible record; with which I have fallen head over heels in dumb love. It has all the qualities of their recent albums that have wowed me. Only slight niggle is that I've enjoyed working to appreciate some of their more recent songs and these do not require repeated listens to discover their hidden beauties - The most pop album of theirs since OK Computer. = Fucking Love You, I - Radiohead.

I know what you mean regarding working to appreciate the stuff.  Part of the charm lay in discovering the songs and taking time to fully understand them, which is why the accessibility of this new stuff was slightly odd to begin with.

The kids cheer once at about 2:13 mark of 15 Step, then the gorgeous "15 Steps then a sheer drop", then there's another at about 2:55, maybe some more subtle ones too.

Edit: Beaten to it...

[El Unicornio, mang]

Bollocks to this, gonna have to try tomorrow to download it, as it's having none of it at the moment. Downloading it via other means just seems go against the grain of what the band are trying to achieve though!

I'm having the same problems. Probably going to just get it off a torrent place, I can't wait for them to fix it

[chocky909]

I'm all over the place with this record. Overall, I'm very happy I'm listening to it and it's fucking Radiohead so, you know. My first listen on the way to work was strange, I was just disappointed by the first 4 tracks probably because I knew them quite well and had my own ideas of what they would/should sound like. Especially when Nude started up, my heart sank. Also with Arpeggi. I know a lot of people reported the same disappointment with Videotape but I never really listened to that much. It's interesting how people are focussing on the whole leak/illegal downloading side of modern album releases, but it's just as interesting to me that live bootlegs are so prevalent nowadays that fans can dissect the new songs before an album is released when before, it was just the bootlegging elite and traders who could analyse the live versions. Those who went to the pre album gigs, all you had was your memory of the one show you attended to base your preconceptions on. Anyway, my feelings have changed a lot since the first listen so I don't want to say much except I don't dislike any of the tracks and some of them I just know I'm going to grow to love. Plus I'm rubbish at remembering what song is which and what bits I like belong to what song.

Strange thing, just an hour ago a password login style popup came up on screen from www.inrainbows.com asking for my username and password. I probably should've put something random in but I got excited and entered the email and password I registered on inrainbows with, hoping there was some bonus surprise. All it did was hang for a minute and then disappear. I hope I haven't been the victim of something. Happen to anyone else?

EDIT

Here it is, it's popping up when I enter this thread. Is someone linking direct to the site or something?

[amputeeporn]

Yes that happened to me when I opened this page, a slightly different log-in box though. I just closed it - very odd.

[chocky909]

It's actwithoutword's avatar, it's linked directly from the site. I'd suggest you copy the image and up it at imageshack or wherever instead.

[actwithoutwords]

Erm, shit, sorry people. Fixed now. I haven't had such problems yet. Though that password box comes up when you try to get into www.inrainbows.com in the last hour or so. I wonder what's happening there. System overload, or deadline?

[Steve Thompson Dance Mix]

It happened to me as well about two mins ago.

[actwithoutwords]

Incidentally, the moment that put me at ease and I realised everything would be ok: 1.13 in 15 Step.

[Steve Thompson Dance Mix]

Oh yeah, I'm liking the album as well, 15 Step (which is more BOC than All I Need), Nude, etc. Haven't heard the live version of Videotape but I had no problems with it. I agree that Nude would have been a more fitting end to the album. I've only heard the album once so far but I can tell it's a grower. First four tracks were the strogest, dipped a little and picked up at the end.

I remember hearing live mp3s of some of the tracks that ending up on Kid A/Amnesiac for the first time...they weren't a patch on the studio versions, but you know, some people prefer live gigs than albums.

[Clint Hollow]

Listened to 15 Step again last night on proper speakers and can hear the kids now, thanks for the replies anyway.

Steve, what does BOC stand for? (already prepared for inevitable moment of head slapping realisation)