Why does Radiohead get so much credit for In Rainbows?

MCG

Consider this:

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead did something extraordinarily similar with the release of "So Divided" almost a year before Radiohead's digital release of "In Rainbows". Below are a few of the differences:


Trail of Dead did a full album digital download before the CD release of So Divided, only they gave it away for free. Didn't make a dime, just shared it with as many people as possible.

Trail of Dead was currently an Interscope artist at the time, who have since dropped their label.


What I don't understand is how Radiohead gets credit for being an innovator, even though they were the second artist to do it by 11 months.

DaytimeDilemma

Because Trail of the Dead haven't made any music that could be considered great since Source Tags and Codes.

Pearl Jam and toast

Cool. Too bad their music isn't as good

Music is all about ripping people off. Everything you've ever heard came from some other, older artist or song. There's no more true originality these days.

Besides, I don't think Radiohead ever claimed to have done it first. They just had a good idea, and hopefully, more artists will be inspired by Radiohead's example.

Oh and the answer to your question is because In Rainbows is one of the biggest releases in the world this year.

dunkman

MCG wrote:

Consider this:

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead did something extraordinarily similar with the release of "So Divided" almost a year before Radiohead's digital release of "In Rainbows". Below are a few of the differences:


Trail of Dead did a full album digital download before the CD release of So Divided, only they gave it away for free. Didn't make a dime, just shared it with as many people as possible.

Trail of Dead was currently an Interscope artist at the time, who have since dropped their label.


What I don't understand is how Radiohead gets credit for being an innovator, even though they were the second artist to do it by 11 months.

its the difference between a superstar megaband doing it and a small critics favourite band...

it'd be like Manchester United letting in people for nothing to see a footie game and Winchester City saying "oh but we did it first :mad: " .. maybe they did but it didnt reach the same level of people.

MCG

dunkman wrote:

its the difference between a superstar megaband doing it and a small critics favourite band...

it'd be like Manchester United letting in people for nothing to see a footie game and Winchester City saying "oh but we did it first :mad: " .. maybe they did but it didnt reach the same level of people.

That is exactly what I think makes it so much more impressive that Trail of Dead did it. They could really use the money and did it in a way that would actually make them less, Radiohead could wipe their asses with 20's.

Pearl Jam and toast

MCG wrote:

That is exactly what I think makes it so much more impressive that Trail of Dead did it. They could really use the money and did it in a way that would actually make them less, Radiohead could wipe their asses with 20's.

They're an internationally known band that is praised by hip critics everywhere you look. They aren't worried about money I'm sure.

They aren't Radiohead big, but they're big.

soulsinging

DaytimeDilemma wrote:

Because Trail of the Dead haven't made any music that could be considered great since Source Tags and Codes.

and radiohead hasn't done anything great since ok computer, what's your point? so divided is better than kid a-hail to the thief by a long shot.

DaytimeDilemma

soulsinging wrote:

and radiohead hasn't done anything great since ok computer, what's your point? so divided is better than kid a-hail to the thief by a long shot.

Yeah, right.

frusciante89

soulsinging wrote:

and radiohead hasn't done anything great since ok computer, what's your point? so divided is better than kid a-hail to the thief by a long shot.

I consider Kid A and Hail to the Theif to be great albums + In Rainbows. There should be very little debate that these are great albums, just because Radiohead did make these guitar driven albums does not take anything away from them.

intodeep

Smashing Pumpkins did this too with the release of Machina II

Source Tags & Codes is a great album. The only other one of theirs i have is Worlds Apart and it is pretty cool too.

Bangers_n_mash

intodeep wrote:

Smashing Pumpkins did this too with the release of Machina II

Source Tags & Codes is a great album. The only other one of theirs i have is Worlds Apart and it is pretty cool too.

It's amazing the amount of SP fans who are completely unaware of this album. But then it didn't get anywhere near the global coverage In Rainbows has had.

If anybody is interested.... check it out here.

prytocorduroy

intodeep wrote:

Smashing Pumpkins did this too with the release of Machina II

Was about to say this. They did this in late 2000. So unless someone did it before that shouldn't Billy and Co. get the "credit" for this technique?

Pearl Jam and toast

It's a little different with the Pumpkins though. Corgan wanted Machina to be a double album but Adore (great though it was) clunked in sales. The record company wouldn't let them put out a double album.

So Corgan released it for free.

Same principles, different motivation.

aspoonfulweighsaton

soulsinging wrote:

and radiohead hasn't done anything great since ok computer, what's your point? so divided is better than kid a-hail to the thief by a long shot.

I couldn't agree more.

I'm sick of all the kool-aid drinking idiots that think Radiohead can do no wrong.

Pearl Jam and toast

Why don't the people who hate post Ok Computer Radiohead just shut up already :rolleyes: ?

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's illegitimate.

And the reason you feel they are overpraised is because a shit-ton of people love that music, which in itself seems to lend it legitimacy.

Cropduster84

Because In Rainbows is a stunning album.

quasi

The biggest difference is that Radiohead just didn't give it away for free...they made people decide what they thought was worth paying. So, of course most people put 0.00 pounds. But, I'm sure everybody thought about what music was worth to them for a few seconds and that was what the question they were trying to pose. What is music worth to you? Free? Put 0.00. Ten dollars?

MCG

Bangers'n'mash wrote:

It's amazing the amount of SP fans who are completely unaware of this album. But then it didn't get anywhere near the global coverage In Rainbows has had.

If anybody is interested.... check it out here.

Holy shit! Thanks, I can't believe I've never heard about this before!

Pearl Jam and toast

quasi wrote:

The biggest difference is that Radiohead just didn't give it away for free...they made people decide what they thought was worth paying. So, of course most people put 0.00 pounds. But, I'm sure everybody thought about what music was worth to them for a few seconds and that was what the question they were trying to pose. What is music worth to you? Free? Put 0.00. Ten dollars?

*nods*

I love it.

Soupy

Because it's Radiohead. They invented a whole new genre of music Eletronic/Ambience with Kid A.

/Please note anyone who 'claims' to be making Eletronic/Ambience music pre Kid A is lying - It's also true 'Creep' is the very first Rock song ever, Thom Yorke is God (in every religion) and 'Fitter/Happier' isn't a complete waste of time at all it's instead a brilliant piece of ironic social commentory and that better with every listen.

Radiohead > You and everything you've ever done and will do.

nepal

and Saul Williams is doing the same thing right now, and nobody´s talking about that... http://niggytardust.com/saulwilliams/menu

PaulJam

Soupy wrote:

Because it's Radiohead. They invented a whole new genre of music Eletronic/Ambience with Kid A.

/Please note anyone who 'claims' to be making Eletronic/Ambience music pre Kid A is lying - It's also true 'Creep' is the very first Rock song ever, Thom Yorke is God (in every religion) and 'Fitter/Happier' isn't a complete waste of time at all it's instead a brilliant piece of ironic social commentory and that better with every listen.

Radiohead > You and everything you've ever done and will do.

excellent post.

glasshouse

Soupy wrote:

Because it's Radiohead. They invented a whole new genre of music Eletronic/Ambience with Kid A.

/Please note anyone who 'claims' to be making Eletronic/Ambience music pre Kid A is lying - It's also true 'Creep' is the very first Rock song ever, Thom Yorke is God (in every religion) and 'Fitter/Happier' isn't a complete waste of time at all it's instead a brilliant piece of ironic social commentory and that better with every listen.

Radiohead > You and everything you've ever done and will do.

there's more than a bit of truth in this sarcasm.

Igottago

soulsinging wrote:

and radiohead hasn't done anything great since ok computer, what's your point? so divided is better than kid a-hail to the thief by a long shot.

Not quite true. If it was such a great album people would've recognized it. Trail of Dead has been a name everyone has been throwing about the past several years and everyone has been waiting for them to do something half decent so they could finally get on magazine covers etc...well it hasn't happened. Meanwhile Radiohead have made classic album after classic album. In fact, Radiohead could record fart noises and it would actually be musically better than anything Trail of Dead have attempted to do in recent memory.

In the end the answer to the original post is because Radiohead are probably the best band in the world, that's why they got recognition for their move. When the best band in the world does something, you take notice. When someone like Trail of Dead does something you read it on pitchfork, think "who cares", and move on.

Pearl Jam and toast

PaulJam wrote:

excellent post.

No it was kind of a terrible post. Sorry.

Led Zeppelin wasn't original either. Doesn't seem like a very valid point at all. No music is just 'original'. Everything is of what came before it. Fucking christ, you anti-radiohead people are worse than you make the fans out to be.

soulsinging

Igottago wrote:

Not quite true. If it was such a great album people would've recognized it. Trail of Dead has been a name everyone has been throwing about the past several years and everyone has been waiting for them to do something half decent so they could finally get on magazine covers etc...well it hasn't happened. Meanwhile Radiohead have made classic album after classic album. In fact, Radiohead could record fart noises and it would actually be musically better than anything Trail of Dead have attempted to do in recent memory.

In the end the answer to the original post is because Radiohead are probably the best band in the world, that's why they got recognition for their move. When the best band in the world does something, you take notice. When someone like Trail of Dead does something you read it on pitchfork, think "who cares", and move on.

i've never read anything about trail of dead on pitchfork or anywhere else. i was recommended them by somebody on here and i enjoyed it. they're very good. their songs are... SONGS. not noise. songs. not beats with mumbling. songs.

thus is my resentment... radiohead could record fart noises and all of you koolaid drinkin muthafuckas plus every music magazine in the world would tell me it's ingenious and i don't get music at all if i don't agree with them about that.

soulsinging

Pearl Jam and toast wrote:

No it was kind of a terrible post. Sorry.

Led Zeppelin wasn't original either. Doesn't seem like a very valid point at all. No music is just 'original'. Everything is of what came before it. Fucking christ, you anti-radiohead people are worse than you make the fans out to be.

originality has nothing to do with it. the point is that people acted like radiohead was groundbreakingly original, when, in fact, they weren't and others had been doing what they did better than they did it years before they did it. they had a run of good to mediocre albums that everyone tripped over themselves to worship and it was annoying. there is always a blowback when something becomes over-hyped.

soulsinging

Soupy wrote:

Because it's Radiohead. They invented a whole new genre of music Eletronic/Ambience with Kid A.

/Please note anyone who 'claims' to be making Eletronic/Ambience music pre Kid A is lying - It's also true 'Creep' is the very first Rock song ever, Thom Yorke is God (in every religion) and 'Fitter/Happier' isn't a complete waste of time at all it's instead a brilliant piece of ironic social commentory and that better with every listen.

Radiohead > You and everything you've ever done and will do.

i couldn't agree with you more. i need to write thom an apology for my blasphemy right now.

vital5

MCG wrote:

That is exactly what I think makes it so much more impressive that Trail of Dead did it. They could really use the money and did it in a way that would actually make them less, Radiohead could wipe their asses with 20's.

Trail of the Dead doing it is like me recording a song and giving it away... who the fuck are Trail of the Dead? they have a crap name

Might be because i've actually heard of Radiohead....

are Trail of the Dead an International band like the World Series of Baseball is International?

Evacuation Rules

Anti-Radiohead people are funny because they've deluded themselves into believing that people "pretend" to like Radiohead because it's the trendy thing to do. It's just as stupid as people who are vehemently anti-Beatles. They refuse to believe that maybe the quality of the music has something to do with their popularity.

vital5

MCG wrote:

Holy shit! Thanks, I can't believe I've never heard about this before!

Oh i heard of it back in the day it came out... but I had dial up internet... so didn't download