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| In Rainbows | 
 enlarge | Artist: Radiohead
Label: Ato Records / Red
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $8.63
You Save: $5.35 (38%)
New (35) Used (13) Collectible (2) from $5.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  271 reviews
Sales Rank: 157
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:
 Dead Pressing March 8, 2008
8 out of 15 found this review helpful
This rating and review refers only to the vinyl version of "In Rainbows" and is not a reflection of the actual music or the CD and MP3 versions that I also own and are superior to this offering. I was glad to see Amazon set up a vinyl record shop since there has not been a music store in my town that sold new vinyl releases in years. I thought "In Rainbows" by the "worlds greatest band" would be a good first purchase. What a disappointment. I own over a thousand lps and this is the worst pressing I have ever heard. It is completely dead. Maybe I just got a bad copy. It happens. I would hope Radiohead is as concerned with the quality of the format as they are the music that is on it especially now that they are not chained to a giant corporate record company. When I opened the record I was impressed with its heavy weight. Upon closer inspection I noticed what appeared to be a grainy texture in certain sections. I thought this may have just been residue left over from the pressing and that a good cleaning would help but to no avail. Upon further inspection I noticed what were distinct depressions running across the record's grooves on side 2. Still, I decided to play it and see how it sounded. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly low the volume output was, far more than most records. I then cranked the volume to a normal reference level with horrible results. In the 20 plus years of owning the Denon DP-47f turntable, I have never heard the rumble or feedback that I was experiencing while playing this record. I thought my Denon DL-110 cartridge was damaged the sound was so bad. No problem as I have a Sonographe SG-3 turntable with a Grado Blue cartridge set up on a separate system. No rumble this time but the SPL meter registered 20-22 dBls below the CD version. Additionally there was a noticeable lack in high and low frequencies, detail, and imaging when compared to the CD at the same listening level. Many audiophiles love to claim vinyl's sound is superior to CD, with good justification. Unfortunately with this record, that is clearly not the case. I thought of returning it. But, looking at previous Radiohead vinyl releases, in a few years I'll more than make up for it on the used market. In the meantime, I can always share with friends what a terribly pressed record sounds like. Get this record if you are a Radiohead collector; avoid it at all costs if you are a serious vinyl lover.
 Radiohead does it again January 5, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I don't think anyone would debate that Radiohead has been on the cutting edge since 1995, but I don't think anyone was expecting this album's unconventional method of release. I'm talking about is the famous "name-your-price" download sales method they chose. That is cutting-edge. This way, the record companies can't screw us over. I was disappointed that they stopped the online download in mid-December, but hey. You can't have it all. Anyway, the music itself also received a lot of critical acclaim, and I see why - as a first, it's their most accessible, energetic effort since The Bends, and it's a fantastic set of songs too. My favorite song is "Reckoner". Thom Yorke's vocals are quirky, haunting, "sixth-instrument" type, the harmonies are gorgeous; the beats are complex and danceable; and I love the orchestrated section. Another highlight is the atmospheric "Nude", a piano-based ballad which serves as a sequel-in-spirit to "Pyramid Song"; Phil Selway stands out on the energetic "15 Step"; "Weird Fish/Arpeggi" delivers beautiful guitar parts; the love song "House of Cards" has mellow Stax-Volt riffs and vocals that channel Al Green - it's almost soul music, if you exclude that warm, comforting wall of orchestral effects; the quiet folk-rocker "Jigsaw Falling into Place" books along pleasantly, adding just a dash of country; "Videotape" actually has a hopeful, minimalist melody. I'm not so sure about a couple songs - "Bodysnatchers" is too fast-paced to attain the eeriness the synthesizers try to convey, and I don't like how those synthesizers clash so badly with the heavy guitars; "Faust ARP", while too brief and quiet to really get on my nerves, does have cloyingly repetitive lyrics. And while "All I Need" starts off nice enough, I'm not a very big fan of the last two minutes, when all these layers of noise are coming at you. But it's got Radiohead successfully branching into previously unexplored territory, and the melodies, lyrics, and arrangements are brilliant as they always are, so my small complaints really are meaningless. Besides, I even like parts of "Bodysnatchers", before they those synthesizer parts enter. In Rainbows is excellent even for Radiohead, a group with high standards. Best album of 2007.
This is... January 6, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Best Album I Have Ever Heard In My Life. Better than The White Album, better than OK Computer, Better Than Sgt. Pepper's, better than Blood On The Tracks. Wow. I can't believe I said that last one. But it is true. For me, Radiohead has transcended to a place we have never heard or seen. To see this band live is a thrill of a lifetime. But back to the album. What can I say? Since the download, I've listened to this album front to back hundreds of times, maybe even over a thousand times. It resonates so deep with me, that it is tough to put it into words. Sometimes I get scared to listen to Videotape because I don't know what kind of emotional feelings will arise in me, so if I'm on the train or something, I'll just skip it and go back to the beginning of the album. That's how hard core this record is. So greatful for the band for making it virtually free. And I got the second disc a few weeks ago, which is just as good as everything else. Wait till you hear Go Slowly. So sick. Well I guess that's it. I'm rambling on. But like Thom says, "For a minute there, I lost myself."
Big deception, boring endless loops February 20, 2008
7 out of 34 found this review helpful
I'm a Radiohead fan since 1993, remember "Creep" from "Pablo Honey"? Remember "Anyone Can Play Guitar", "Thinking About You", "You"? I think they're great songs; an certainly you would expect Radiohead to evolve during these years, but I can't digest the musical direction the band took with these album. I was very excited when I read about this new Radiohead album and it's popularity, so I listened to it as soon as I could: big deception. Lack of climax in the whole record, the songs seemed to me like those bonus tracks where the band is jamming repeating patterns over a over again and improvising melodies. I began to skip tracks looking for a "good" song, but my search was in vain. I don't understand why this album became so popular; maybe just because it was a free download for a while?
WTF? July 4, 2008
7 out of 23 found this review helpful
I can't fully express my loathing of this album. Its like random beating mixed with terrible vocals that sound more like humming than actual words. I got this free but really they should have paid me to buy it.
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