"RA D IOHE_AD IN/RAINBOWS" continuing discussion thread part iv

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I'm pretty new to Radiohead, but like them a lot. My daughter was born in '94 and I fell behind on a lot of things for the next 5-10 years, but I'm starting to catch up again before I'm too old to care :lol:

I remember Copenhagen as an open-minded easy going place. I remember the big square (open area) in front of the train station where alll the young people use to congregate. Places like that are most memorable for me. :) I was a teenager w/ backpack.
 
I think it's slightly foolish to start ranking albums and songs less than a couple hours after owning this thing.

After one listen all I can say is that there are a few songs that suffer from a bit too much clutter. Obviously on headphones that's going to be magnified, but it reminded me of all the digital clutter in the Star Wars prequels, little bits of screwy business going on in the edges of the frame that are completely unnecessary. Sometimes these little things work, sometimes they don't. I think All I Need is phenomenal, but has some noises I could do without. From what I remember, House of Cards was a little cluttered as well. And Videotape...christ I'm glad I haven't heard all the versions you guys have or I'd probably be pissed off. What the fuck is that clomping drum sound?! And then that intermittent crap near the end that sounds like someone rapping on top of your stereo? Just wrong.

Lance mentioned Nigel, and I could have sworn I just read somewhere that he didn't work on this album. You guys would know more than I would, but if it's true his absence is telling.

Also, I agree with Lance in that I'm not sure if I like this better than Hail to the Thief. It's definitely more consistent, but that's not so hard when you're dealing with 15 songs instead of 10. I'm pretty sure, without looking, that the 10 best songs on HTTT would stack up pretty damn well against Rainbows, and for starters I'll take 2+2=5 and Sit Down Stand Up over 15 Step and Bodysnatchers.

This could very well be the album of the year, no doubt. But I feel that it could have been even better.

Oh yeah, for the record, you can add All I Need and Nude to that list of Radiohead songs that are more beautiful than How to Disappear.
 
Kinda went out of my way to not hear any of the new tracks live (or the new versions of the old live songs), and I have to say that while this is definitely not what I was expecting, I'm still extremely pleased in it. Very mellow vibe to it, which I personally think is pretty dang awesome. I shouldn't have stayed up this late to listen to it, but I have to admit I'm quite tempted to stay up even later and listen to it all again.

Some impressions:
Reckoner - As has been mentioned, this is nothing like the old live version
Nude - This blows away the old acoustic version in my opinion
Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Probably my fav. the first time through


As Radiohead always seems to be a band that I can never trust my first impressions with, I look forward to listening to it all more.
 
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I heard snippets of Jigsaw, Reckoner and Faust on JJJ, sounds promising, but there's plenty of strings.....i really need to hear the album in full. The only song I've heard properly is Arpeggi live, and that's a big fat juicy piece of gorgeous.

Wish those fuckers could send me the activation e-mail, it's already the evening of Oct 10 in Melbourne town.
 
It must be some bad karma, after I let rip at Radiohead over this digital download business (which I am still rather pissed off at). Because I bagged them, they're delaying my first listen to In Rainbows.

I opted to get the album for free, rather than pay anything, (because i dont own a credit card), so maybe thats why there is the delay?

I signed up on Oct 4!
 
Good stuff and hopefully this kind of release leads to the demise of the record company dinosaurs.
 
First impressions...

Disappointed. This largely comes from the fact that they have destroyed, suffocated and anally raped Videotape. The live versions of this song could easily get to my Radiohead Top 5. What were they thinking? Thom's piano doesn't have any punch whatsoever, his vocals are muffled, no guitar, no beautiful Ed sounds at the beginning, no build-up, not to mention that irritating percussion at the end.

OK, now that I'm rid of that, the rest of the album isn't bad, but it suffers from severe overproduction, especially on All I Need and 15 Step. How many electronica sounds does one need? You can see that they have worked on this record for 2 years (I'm getting The Bomb flashbacks here).

Now for the good sides - the new version of Reckoner is gorgeous. Nude is amazing. All I Need ending is great. House of Cards is an improvement over the live versions. Jigsaw is cool. I prefer the Bodysnatchers live versions, although Thom's vocals are great here.

I really hope it will grow on me. It does have that feeling. We'll see.
 
1) Kid A
2) Hail to the Thief
3a) OK Computer
3b) The Bends
5) In Rainbows
6) Amnesiac

.....

1,362) Pablo Honey

That is all. Five or six spins in, I'll throw it a possibly generous 7/10. Good, not great (with great moments to go around, no doubt). I'm pleased, but that Discbox better be pretty fucking money, for all the, uh, money I shelled out.

"Videotape" is fine, but it definitely pales in comparison to its recent live incarnations; it suffers only in said comparison.
 
My first impression is also disappointed.

This is mainly because they ruined videotape

It's still a beautiful song, but it doesn't have that incredible explosion at the end, I don't know how they screwed that up.


The rest of the album is still very good. Bodysnatchers, All I need, Faust Arp, Reckoner and Jigsaw falling into place are clear highlights
 
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but my first impressions have been dominated by a feeling that there a surprising amount of Beatles influence on this record. Bodysnatchers sounds like a Beatles melody, Faust Arp has clear White Album parallels, and the string arrangements on several songs remind me of the Beatles too.

House of Cards has been a clear standout for me on the first few listens. It's a thing of understated beauty. No need for it to go soaring off anywhere, just keep the brilliance going. Also, like the Bono-like vocal from about 1 minute from the end.

Re Videotape - I loved Thom's solo version from In the Basement and was a little disappointed with the first listen to the In Rainbows version, but I have a feeling that it will fall into place the more I listen to it.

All in all, good first impressions and a very strong album. I think that my final judgement will probably rest on how well it all sits together as a whole. Actually, I think that it feels kind of like Neon Bible, with which I was slightly disappointed at first, but which has grown and grown in strength with repeated listening, as the best - and longest lasting - albums always do.
 
Listening now...I'm liking it so far

The ending of All I Need:drool:

Strings :drool:

I'll comment on the rest after I listen to it a couple of times :wink:

P.S. The file took like 5 seconds to download :drool:
 
Downloaded it this morning. I guess you would say I am pleased but not overwhelmed.

I must say that my favorite new track going into this album was "Down Is The New Up." I certainly hope there is a way to get this track without shelling out for the deluxe box set.
 
15 Step is decent.

Bodysnatchers has always been my favourite new song...and they did exactly what I thought they would with it. Kickass! :rockon:

Who produced this bad boy anyways?
 
DaveC said:
15 Step is decent.

Bodysnatchers has always been my favourite new song...and they did exactly what I thought they would with it. Kickass! :rockon:

Who produced this bad boy anyways?
Click to expand...

Nigel Godrich :wink:
 
Ah, of course.

Nude is pretty good but feels more like an ambient track than anything.

I dig Arpeggi so far though. Great guitar work. My favourite Radiohead tunes are the ones where they actually play their instruments.
 
Arpeggi is now competing with Bodysnatchers for "top song on In Rainbows" status.

All I Need is great too.

So far (halfway through), I'm getting to think In Rainbows is superior to Hail to the Thief.
 
So, I've listened to the album two full times now which is WAY to soon to have a complete opinion of the album, but I will say this: I am disappointed so far.

This is the first time I have bought a Radiohead album (with the exception of Pablo Honey which I bought after I bought The Bends) that I did not have a visceral reaction the first time I listened to the album.

I LOVED the bends the first time I listened to it. OK Computer made me feel like I was in another dimension completely. KID A scared the hell out me. I HATED Amnesiac the first time I heard it and I was angry with HTTT.

Right now I am simply apathetic to In Rainbows. The songs aren't bad, but they just don't interest me. Even with Amnesiac and HTTT I was at least intrigued and interested in listening more to figure out what the hell they were doing with the music, but with In Rainbows I'm just not that intrigued. Does that make sense?

Of course, I will give it some time - perhaps it will grow on me, but at this point if it wasn't a radiohead album I probably wouldn't keep listening. :(
 
Faust Arp is way too short.

I just realized I won't have time to listen to the whole thing all the way through. :( I have to leave for school in 15 minutes.
 
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