Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ first anniversary

I remember staying up until it was released really early in the morning Pacific time and listening to it into the wee hours. One of the best times I’ve ever had. I was exhausted the next day, but it was easy to get up knowing that I could listen to it again.

Luckily I didn’t have to decide how much to pay, as I pre-ordered the discbox, which came with the download.

I still listen to it almost every day and I haven’t gotten bored with it. I can’t believe it’s been a year already. In Rainbows has grown with me. It’s one of the best albums, if not THE best, I have ever heard.

it was my birthday on the release day of “In Rainbows”, I paid full price, money well spent!!

I remember downloading it around 5 am then i put it on cd and went for a drive tilli heard the whole album it was amazing just dirving when the sun comes up listening to it, i had a midterm that day and i missed it , lol.

I waited up for most of the night - went to bed and got up at seven to find it waiting for me - I made myself hold off listening to it until I got back from college that afternoon - it deserved better than my crappy ipod headphones

I was in Potsdam, NY, and my friend came into my room at 3 am, while I was sleeping, and told me the album was out. I tried to wake myself up but I gave up. The night before I set my alarm for 6 am, so I decided to wait until then. Once 6 am came, I put myself together, made some breakfast, and listened to the album.

The moment I remembered most clearly is when Reckoner started. I thought, wow, this is the song that Radiohead was meant to make but never did until then. I had class at 9 that morning, so I burned a copy and then put it on my ipod. I had nothing but In Rainbows for awhile, as, I assume, everyone else.

Now I am no longer in Potsdam, but Buffalo. That album and all that surrounds it will forever remind me of my time in Potsdam.

I paid for the discbox and never has money been better spent.Couldn’t download straight away, so great patience was needed till it would work - all that waiting then more waiting - then bliss…

Sorry–meant to say I still carry the CD rip of that d/l we got with the purchase of the discbox!

Great post.
I bought the Special Edition box set. Livining in the UK–at the time–I didn’t normally check my emails at 6 in the morning but on this day I decided to have a quick look and noticed the link to the download there.
I was even more impressed that I was able to download the whole album before I got out of the shower and had the album on my phone before I left for work somewhere in London.

Often when I listen to the album I get flash backs of cold morning journies in the snow scooting about London.

Oh, and I payed 5 pounds (about 10$).
Normal price.

i bought the c.d in stores after downloading it for free i will never pay for mp3’s but i will always love c.ds and records. physical touch is something i fine important and i wish that c.ds will never go away (i know i live in a fictional world) as for cd2…. download ( im 17 and cant afford that)

I remember I was so afraid about if I would like the album or not, so I decided to download it 2 or 3 days after the release (and paid nothing), and I just loved it, I remember that I was screaming for the exitement. Then I bought the discbox, the best birthday present i’ve ever get =). Since I heard In Rainbows I’ve been in love with Radiohead.

I bought the Discbox, so, an e-mail was sent with a link to the download of the tracks. I was very excited, I woke up earlier to download it and to put the tracks in my iPod. Everything worked just fine. I heard it seated in front of my computer just after the download, while I had breakfast, during my drive to work, at work and almost every day until today. I clearly remember the feeling that throughout the world many people would be hearing the very same thing that I was hearing, It felt good, because it was comfortable and it made no difference among me and people from all the world’s different places. The song that surprised and pleased me the most was Reckoner, I didn’t expect that it would be a whole new song, my favorite song actually. In my opinion the deliver of “In Rainbows” was not remarkable for the pay what you want thing, the fact that it was available as a download for everyone in every city made it even more democratic.

anytime the lads release a new album is one of the greatest days of our living lives. that said, i paid 4 lbs for in rainbows. some of the best money i ever spent

I waited until i got home from class to download it. i got it off a torrent site. once downloaded, i put it on my ipod, went for a walk down to the ocean and listened to it three times in a row. i may have downloaded it for free, but since then i have bought a vinyl copy and paid to see them twice, so i think i’m off the hook.

i stayed up as late as I could (in North Carolina) and ended up falling asleep on the couch at 4 or 5AM only to have the link emailed to me 10 minutes later… I woke up at 6AM, in total disarray (I never sleep on the couch) and listened for the first of many, many times on nice headphones, laying on couch, completely conscious, eyes closed. Paid 10 pounds (20 USD).

Got the Box Set… OBVIOUSLY!

My boyfriend and his mates play in a rock band, all fanatics of radiohead, and they were completely excited about the In rainbows issue, talking about how much they would pay, etc. They downloaded it and quickly the songs were played home. I didn’t like radiohead at all before i finally heard In Rainbows - for i did not know their work. But then, i turned to be the most fan of their music, my boyfriend has all the albums, so i started to listen to all of them from the last to the very first. Bought the discbox. Went to the concert. Had a nice chat with Colin.

The In rainbows effect has been a very strong one - i didn’t know how to deal with the fact that this music was so good, i had to do something too. So i started to make my own music, and one year after, now, i’m starting a label and booking/managment thing, i’m in a band, i’m recording songs, they changed my life, they really did. they really did.

I ordered the box set, with some hesitation owing to the price, but then waited patiently for the 10th October to arrive to I could hear the album. I remember waking up an extra 20 minutes early, hoping the download link would arrive in my inbox. It had. I downloaded it, added it to my iPod and headed off to work. I put the album on and must have listened to it five times in a row. Reckoner blew me away, and still does to this day - it’s the pinnacle of an outstanding record.

I was working that day but when the link arrived and downloading finished I sabotaged for the rest of the day listening and exchanging reviews with my friends. I paid one pound for the link and also ordered the discbox which appeared very hard to be delivered. I waited for the parcel for three months, then wrote to waste, got a reply notifying that another copy had been sent. I waited for two more months, lost hope and faith in waste. In despair I looked for the options to get what everybody on Earth seemed to have got already. And to come to Amsterdam from where the discboxes were being sent appeared to be the most reliable method. So I did. The 1st of July 2008, the day of Radiohead concert in Amsterdam, was also the day I finally got “my precious”.
But I must admit the album is worth such haunting.

I remember starying up untill abround 1am waiting for them to send me the download link despite having to get up at 6. So in the end i fell asleep head resting on laptop, woke up at 6 there it was, missed my train because I was busy downloading it onto my mp3 so I spent the next 2 hours on london underground listening to it on repeat.

teaching, so i was up early, as usual. had download and burned a copy of the album by about 4:45 and then took my car out for a drive. i remember hitting the highway as bodysnatchers began and i kept driving through nude and weird fishees (being completely awe struck). i really wanted to pull over somewhere and listen but didn’t want to seem creepy so i pulled into a cemetery. i remember there was a really light rain faill, complete and utter darkness and then all i need came on; reckoner blew my mind, i remember feeling on the verge of tears but also completely overjoyed, goosebumps, and childlike excitement.

the album came to a close, i remember the slight hint of disappointment that videotape brought, but, still, i listen to the album almost everday, try hopelessly to play the entire thing on the piano, and even more hopelessly to remix reckoner.

thanks, radiohead.

I actually hadn’t visited Dead Air, At Ease, or any Radiohead official or fan sites for a while, and I found out they were releasing the album via a regular news outlet. I was very excited, since they’re still my favorite band.

I paid about $4 US, but I also got the Discbox a couple of months later. For some reason, I was excited but not AS excited as I thought I’d be. I was very busy with work, but I started listening and it grew on me.

Only thing is, I couldn’t give it a proper listen until the night of the release. I fell in love. I hadn’t heard any of the songs beforehand, because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

I’d say it’s the best album since OK Computer, and better than even The Bends. I love the band so much that I always thought Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief were as good as OK Computer. But they don’t hold a candle to that album, or In Rainbows and The Bends.

Overall, it’s a masterpiece and all the songs are excellent, but I still get chills listening to Reckoner, House of Cards, Videotape and All I Need.

heath

I took it to the harbour and to museums. to the city, walking around an old church with yellow falling autumn leaves to the sound of Nude. the harbour with the giant bricks and piles of sawdust to match those on images of Chris Jordan (who I knew had inspired the record) and knowing that we were all together that day- sharing the excitement. everything was a little more alive than usual. the weather meant something, the concrete meant something- everything was spoken through the record. the world was a comment and a question and the only answer.

i put a loud alarm notification on my email inbox and slept with my laptop on my bed so I’d wake up when it arrived. and arrive it did, at about 6:30 on 10th October. I woke up pretty quickly, downloaded it and laid in bed with my headphones on, in awe. I remember Reckoner coming on, and praying that Thom wasn’t all of a sudden going to break into… “RECKONER BAH BAH BAHHHH! RECKONERRRR!!!” - all i can say is - thank god he didnt…

doug.

I ended up getting the discbox so I got a “free” download. But I remember being in my room, somewhere around 3 AM when I got my download link. So I downloaded it, woke up my brother who is also a big Radiohead fan, and we both sat in my room and listened to it in the wee hours of the morning. Quite a cool experience.

Let’s see; I was doing the graveyard shift at work and I had my laptop on me. After a lot of waiting around, 6am approached and I received an email stating I could now download In Rainbows after I ordered the spectacular boxset. I freak out though, as I didn’t have my iPod cable on me and had to rob one from a friend. It was the best day ever; leaving work at 7am and listening to the delightful In Rainbows.

That day was a long day at work, wanted to get home so I could d/l the cd, and fell in love with Reckoner, absolutely beautiful song, I purchased the discbox but if I had purchased just the digital d/l I guess I would have paid 10.00 usd.
And at first I did not like the videotape version, they should of used the one they did at the 06 gigs, but anyways, I like it now.

I came home and was really drunk, and randomly checked my email….got the link, i danced, i cried, and by some grace of god didn’t hurl

I paid 15 and went out that day and went on a drive through the country side. it was pretty wild

I paid for the download 3 times…my copy for $10, then I got my dad and a friend their own downloads for $5 each.

I never got my download link so I ended up just downloading the album for free from a peer-to-peer program…which kinda sucked…but not really since I still got the album I paid for.

I also got the diskbox for $80. =)

I was in my couch when I first heard the full album and I loved it all until videotape came. I was expecting it to be the highlight of the album for me. As it started I was drooling with anticipation waiting for the drums from the live version to kick in…second verse came and went…and nothing…I waited some more thinking they just extended the song…nothing…no kick-ass drums, no intense beautiful guitar progression…no amazing guitar outro…I was so so disappointed and angry and sad…

then, the girl I was with offered to give me a blow-job as we heard the song a second time.

it sounded a lot better. =P

I still sometimes dream about them releasing the live version as a b-side or something.

=(

I was one of the Discbox orderers. Live in California, so it took ages for the thing to arrive, but it was well worth the wait.

Woke up a couple hours early on October 10th to check for the e-mail link, then proceeded to download between showering, brushing teeth, and fixing breakfast. Download finished fast. Dropped it in my iTunes, did an update, and then there it was, sitting on my iPod, ready to be listened to. I remember thinking it was so bizarre to have waited so long, sat through all the cyphers, listened to all the live recordings, and then in the space of about twenty minutes, have the album just BE there with a couple of keyboard clicks. I still haven’t gotten used to the idea.

I was walking to work at the time, and the walk happened to take about forty minutes, so the first listen happened then. I was most immediately impressed by “Bodysnatchers” - still my favorite studio recording of any of the “In Rainbows” material - and “Nude”, which was a long time coming, but turned out beautifully. I’ve sinced warmed up to “Videotape”, but at the time I was disappointed by the translucent minimalist version they ended up choosing. (It’s still much better as a live performance.) “Reckoner” kind of shocked me - I was expecting something loud and jangly - but of course, it quickly became apparent that this version was far superior to the 2001 edition. It’s now a personal favorite.

I listen to a ton of music, but even a year later, “In Rainbows” still gets a listen probably at least once a week. It will definitely go down as one of their finest records.

I had to wait until gettiing back from work. A friend and I listened to it at his kitchen table - about 20 seconds from the end of nude (after ‘you’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking’) I burst into tears and thumped the table-top, syaing, in a wobbly voice: “They’re just so fucking talented!” And that’s the story of how I got my atease name.

Then Arpeggi came on, and the both of us were slightly shell-shocked by its genius.

waking up at dawn

walking through the woods to my friend’s house

listening before school in a holy silence

then, that night, driving around my deserted down with the album blasting

ecstasy

i has dial-up internet at the time. i live in ohio. i was a senior in high school and woke up around 5 in the morning to start downloading, thinking by the time i got back from school it would be done. went to school, read reviews during my first class and then some kid asked me if i needed a copy. listened to it as soon as possible at school and then driving home. and then over and over a few thousand more times.

I think my discbox is the single most special music item I own. Those cds haven’t seen the light after the day I ripped them (and maybe never will)

I bought the boxset. No way I was going to miss out on a completely different disc with even MORE songs. I had seen them in Toronto in June and they played 4 minute warning which became a fave. Knowing it was on the 2nd disc of the boxset made it a no brainer. Plus, as a designer, I have an appreciation for everything RH does. I recall getting the album first thing before work, and the initial beat of 15 step. That next week it was in constant rotation and even now, I can’t listen to just one song.. I have to play the entire album.

I received my link a little before midnight on 10/09/07. I downloaded the album, burned it to a cd and played it in my living room with my fiance.

Initially I thought most of it was garbage. I hated the production and I thought the arrangements were sloppy. I couldn’t listen to the intro to Nude in particular.

The first track I liked was Arpeggi/Weird Fishes and the album slowly grew on me. Honestly, I don’t think I truly liked the album until I heard Bodysnatchers during Thumbs Down and the rest of the album on New Year’s Eve. That live format really changed my perception of the album — now i can’t stop listening to it.

Woke up at 3 a.m. on Oct. 10th and 10 seconds later i was downloading the album

’twas a cold night (-:

i paid 13.00 USD, and loved the album (still do) i was actaully sitting in the same seat i am now when i dl’d and listened to the album for the first time

I got up at five AM to check if my email had come, thinking it probably wouldn’t until later that day and that I’d have to download the album at school. Alas, my email had come at 2:50. I downloaded it immediately, almost missing the bus as I waited for the cd to burn. I listened all the way to school and barely fit the entire record in before class started. I got a lot of odd looks as I walked around the school, shaking and on the verge of tears with my excitement. It felt so good to brag that I was the first person I know to hear In Rainbows!

I payed $6 American dollars for In Rainbows and it was beyond worth it. I kept refreshing my inbox, and the minute it came, my boyfriend and I sat on my bed and listened to every second of it, and marveled at how beautiful it was. So memorable, so perfect!!

I remember that day… and that period as well. I was in Liverpool, at LIPA (I remember we discussed the pay-what-you-like thing and the without-label-release choice in Music Production class that week), and there had been a problem with my order (I had ordered the discbox)… I had to re-submit my order… but I was too impatient so I had a friend of mine sendind me through msn messenger his digital copy of the album… I had a good first impression of it. I immediately sensed a unity of style which was the major lack in httt (hey, still a brilliant album of course)… but it took a couple of listenings to start really enjoying it. i’m really happy i got the discbox, i love vinyls and the artbook is great. Manchester’s gig this summer was great.
I still listen to the album, it didn’t lose its charm. look forward to the next tour!