Radiohead, In Rainbows Redux (Review)

Hey (Staci!), it looks as though I'm going to have two In Rainbows reviews before Idealjetsam puts up his first (if he ever does). Neat.

If you look back at my original review of the album in early October, you might think that I despised it. That is truly not the case, however I found it to be quite disappointing, as far as Radiohead albums are concerned. Still, any Radiohead album is better that no Radiohead album, right? I suppose so, but the axiom doesn't make me appreciate In Rainbows as anything more than a pleasant diversion while I await a genuinely great album to come along. If I had given In Rainbows a rating out of five *_*s, it would have been three and a half -- and that's still my opinion today. The album lacks even a single outstanding track (though "Bodysnatchers," "All I Need," and "Videotape" come very close), and that just ain't right on a release containing a paltry ten songs. Worst of all, after a few weeks I stopped listening to the album altogether.

So there you go; my opinion hasn't changed since my original review, although I still feel bad for appearing to dislike the album much more than I how I honestly feel about it. It is a very good album (hell, I probably stated that in my original review). It's just not great; and, as far as Radiohead goes, seeing as how their last effort shares a like sentiment, that should be a fucking crime.

Today, I am acquitting Radiohead of any and all wrongdoings.

This past week I got a chance to listen to In Rainbows as it is meant to be listened to -- whether the band's members agree with me or not. (And I'd like to think some of them would.) You see, the discbox release of the album contains a second CD comprised of eight tracks. Why these tracks weren't included on the original release befuddles me, because on their own they are terrific songs, and when integrated into the original ten-song release they help make a very good album a superlative one, right up there with The Bends, OK Computer, and Kid A. That declaration may be a tad hyperbolic, but fuck it, I'm riding a high right now. After suffering through the "good-great, not great-great" punishment of Hail to the Thief and The Eraser, it is so refreshing to be reacquainted with the warmth of what a Radiohead album should be.

I need to reiterate something. I am not saying that the second CD contained in the discbox makes In Rainbows as it was originally released any better; and, on its own, the second CD is merely a random collection of eight great songs, as a whole nothing more than a B-album, if I may coin the term (though I suspect at least one music critic came up with it years before in reference to Amnesiac's release). No, the second disc's songs must be properly integrated into the original ten.

How, you ask? Don't thank me; thank iTunes.

Upon opening the songs -- in any random order -- in iTunes, the 18-track listing looks thusly:

1) Mk1
2) 15 Step
3) Bodysnatchers
4) Down is the New Up
5) Go Slowly
6) Nude
7) Mk2
8) Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
9) All I Need
10) Last Flowers to the Hospital
11) Faust Arp
12) Up on the Ladder
13) Bangers and Mash
14) Reckoner
15) House of Cards
16) 4 Minute Warning*
17) Jigsaw Falling Into Place
18) Videotape

Try it yourself. I'm not one-hundred percent sure it'll work for you, but that's the order in which they appeared for me, and, aesthetically, it fits perfectly, particularly "Mk1," which serves as a nice intro and foreshadows the piano from the album's closer, "Videotape".

Look, when I'm not writing blog posts or making love to a woman I'm a firm believer that less is more; but not only does the inclusion of those eight songs make In Rainbows a superb record, it actually makes some of the album's lesser tracks much more enjoyable. Ask the band members themselves and they'll tell you that their albums are meant to be listened to as a whole. I agree completely, which is why I'm perplexed that they didn't realize that songs such as "Faust Arp," and especially "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi," don't work on the original release because they need to be heard in their proper context. I suppose majority rule deemed the second disc's songs unfit for the album's cohesion, but I also suspect a vocal minority objected, thus leading to the eventual release of CD 2. Were In Rainbows a conventional release, most of those songs likely would have been relegated as b-sides, which would have been a great oversight, because they really do make the band's seventh studio album a remarkable experience. And I have to believe someone was on dust when the decision to omit the -- wait for it -- sublime "Up on the Ladder" from the Internet release was made.

As mentioned, I didn't assign a rating in my original review. Giving a Radiohead album a three and a half out of five sickens and scares me a little. Fuck that, a lot. Thankfully, with the amalgamation of In Rainbows discs one and two -- the real In Rainbows, as far as I'm concerned -- I'm allowing the boys a mulligan for the Internet release. I am furthermore pleased to type the following:

5 *_*

(Still not the best album of the year, but fuck it, I'm riding a high right now.)


* Radiohead hate proper punctuation, apparently (and grammar; word to Weird Fishes). There should be a hyphen in there. I don't know why that bugs me so much.