10/10/2017
Bring back format
Radiohead self-released In Rainbows today in 2007âŚ
It is strange to consider that just ten years ago musicâs value was suffering both an existential and economic crisis. Almost exactly a year before the launch of Spotify â and the beginning of the process that first legitimised, then turned streaming into the musicâs industry dominant revenue stream â there were real question marks around what music was worth.
To fans it retained its intrinsic emotional value, of course, but with accusations that CDs were over priced, and even ardent supporters of acts happy to utilise illegitimate, digital sources to gain access to music for free, what did that connection mean when it came to peopleâs wallets?
Suggested by their management, Radiohead decided to test the water for real. Announcing the self-release of In Rainbows on 1 October 2007, on the bandâs website fans were given the option of naming their own price for the download which would arrive in inboxes on 10 October â or they could pre-order a pricey deluxe box set version, while regular physical releases set to follow later in the year.
Whether or not Radioheadâs experiment contributed to solving issues around musicâs value is a moot point. The âpay want you wantâ policy drew strong criticism from other artists who suggested the volume of free copies obtained under the system proved it was no solution for musicians, and could even undermined the market for music â particularly for new acts who couldnât rely on a large fanbase to generate revenue. On the otherhand, Radioheadâs unusual release plans certainly brought the debates around piracy and the worth of an album into sharp focus. And one should also note that on its âproperâ release in December 2007, In Rainbows went to the top of the album charts in both the UK and US, suggesting that digital and physical distribution models are not in compatible. Indeed, while Radiohead have never repeated the âname your priceâ model since, as paid for streaming has increased in the decade following In Rainbowsâ release, it could be argued that the model the band created (possibility inadvertently) of offering cheap digital access alongside more premium priced physical products is one that many acts now utilise today as they balance streams and direct fan sales.
One thing that Radiohead did create which cannot be copied is the record itself. For the debate about its release, Radioheadâs seventh album has achieved modern classic status. After the opinion dividing (at the time) releases of Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief, on In Rainbows Radiohead beautifully balance their need for experimentation with the creation of luscious, soul stirring melodies â just as they did with OK Computer a decade before.
The marriage of the rambunctious squelches, Thom Yorkeâs fragile vocals and warm, skilfully picked guitars on opener 15 Step set the tone for the whole record. Engaging and illuminating, yet truly moving on an indefinable physical level. With N**e enveloping the listener like an emotional mist, the restless Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi conjuring up a sense-dazzling dreamscape and the brooding desperation of All I Need, In Rainbows proves to be an intensely intimate album.
Yet itâs not a claustrophobic or stifling experience. The light, and the floating guitars and strings of House Of Cards and the urgent, diving melodies of Jigsaw Falling Into Place managing to retain that personal impact, while stretching to encompass an horizon-spanning, cinematic scope, before the hymn-like Videotape brings the record to a simple but emotionally resonant close.
The manner and impact of Radioheadâs seventh album release is likely to be studied and debated for another ten years, but a decade on In Rainbowsâ quality and artistic legacy is beyond question.
Paul Stokes
