Radiohead, "In Rainbows," 2007 1st EU Pressing, Single Disc, SEALED

$

115

Dr. John's Spin Factory invites you to consider a rare find and an even rarer (if not a rather odd) analysis.  Buckle up!  Up for sale is a SEALED copy of Radiohead's 2007 masterpiece, In Rainbows.  This copy, which I bought in late 2007, is a verified 1st pressing on the XL Recordings label, which is made in the EU by Optimal (probably Germany), and is the single, 33rpm disc version (Vs. the two-disc 45rpm version).  This copy is both sealed and verified as a 2007 EU version, which is no easy hurdle to clear given that the outward appearance of the very same album reissued by XL in 2016 (which I also own) is nearly identical.  Nearly is the key term in that last sentence, to be sure.  When the two versions of this album are sealed, the 2016 reissue differs from the 2007 original in two easily measurable and observable ways.  First, the jackets are of different thicknesses.  The spine of the 2007 original measures between 5mm and 6mm compared to the 2016 reissue that measures about 4mm.  And second, on the 2016 reissue the inner fold of the jacket is cut at an angle relative to the edge of the jacket whereas the inner fold of the 2007 jacket is cut straight, or parallel with the edge of the jacket.  (BTW, all of the above info came from Discogs.)
I know what you must be thinking...I'm betting it's what I was thinking as I came to understand the differences between the two versions' jackets..."Oh Brother!  They couldn't have just changed the date on the back of the jacket, could they?  Noooooooo!!!  They had to make this more than a little challenging..."
In any event, to establish the bonafides to your satisfaction, I direct your attention to the attached photographs, which, as the saying goes, are worth bunches and bunches of words.  Please look at photo #6.  I copied this directly from Discogs.  This is their side-by-side comparison of the width of the 2007 EU original jacket against the 2016 EU reissue jacket.  As Discogs measured and shows, the spine of the 2007 original jacket measures between 5mm and 6mm Vs. the spine of the 2016 reissue that measures about 4mm.  Now look at photo #7.  Here you see the sealed 2007 original (the item up for sale) standing next to the 2016 reissue (which I also have).  Note the difference in jacket width down the length of the jacket.  The 2016 version is clearly thinner.  Now check out photo #8.  In this shot you will see the number '30.'  That stands for 30cm.  That's the 30cm point on my meter stick, where each of the smaller marks represents one millimeter. (Note: I used the 30cm mark as a starting point because the 0cm end of my meter stick is rather beat up.)  Note that the thickness of the jacket in the photo is just about, if not a bit more than, 5mm.  
There's the evidence for the difference in spine thickness.
Now, for the difference in the cut between the inner fold of the jackets.  Start with photos #9 and #10.  These come directly from Discogs (I'd give you the link but Ebay wouldn't let me list this item if I did).  In photo #9 is the straight cut of the 2007 original.  In photo #10 is the angled cut of the 2016 reissue.  Now, please look at photo #11.  Here you see my two copies of In Rainbows.  The jacket on the left is the reissue opened slightly so that you can see clearly the angled cut of the inner part of the jacket.  And on the right is the (still) sealed 2007 original, on which, it very much appears that the inner fold is cut straight. 
Okay--enough of what XL Recordings could have easily rendered mute had they just put the dates of release on the back of the jackets!
What about the music itself?  (I thought you'd never ask...) Here is AllMusic's Andy Kellman to share his thoughts:

In Rainbows, as a title, implies a sense of comfort and delightfulness. Symbolically, rainbows are more likely to be associated with kittens and warm blankets than the grim and glum circumstances Radiohead is known for soundtracking. There's a slight, if expected, twist at play. The band is more than familiar with the unpleasant moods associated with colors like red, green, and blue -- all of which, of course, are colors within a rainbow -- all of which are present, and even mentioned, during the album. On a couple levels, then, In Rainbows is not any less fitting as a Radiohead album title than "Myxomatosis" is as a Radiohead song title. Despite references to "going off the rails," hitting "the bottom," getting "picked over by the worms," being "dead from the neck up," and feeling "trapped" (twice), along with Radiohead Wordplay Deluxe Home Edition pieces like "comatose" and "nightmare" -- in the same song! double score! -- the one aspect of the album that becomes increasingly perceptible with each listen is how romantic it feels, albeit in the way that one might find the bioport scenes in David Cronenberg's eXistenZ to be extremely hot and somewhat unsettling. Surprisingly, some of the album's lyrics are even more personal/universal and straightforward than anything on The Eraser, the album made by Thom Yorke and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. "I'm an animal trapped in your hot car," from "All I Need," has to be one of the saddest, most open-hearted metaphors used to express unrequited love. "House of Cards" begins with "I don't want to be your friend/I just want to be your lover/No matter how it ends/No matter how it starts," and the one with the worms includes "I'd be crazy not to follow/Follow where you lead/Your eyes/They turn me." This effective weaving of disparate elements -- lyrical expressions commonly associated with the band, mixed in with ones suited for everyday love ballads -- goes for the music as well. The album is very song-oriented, with each track constantly moving forward and developing, yet there are abstract electronic layers and studio-as-instrument elements to prevent it from sounding like a regression.  In Rainbows will hopefully be remembered as Radiohead's most stimulating synthesis of accessible songs and abstract sounds, rather than their first pick-your-price download. 

Safe to say, I loved and still love the album. (As you know, I still have a decent copy!) As for the condition of the sealed copy up for sale, it appears entirely brand new.  The shrink wrapping is absolutely perfect, the disc inside awaits its first meeting with a phonograph needle.  

Good luck!  May music enhance your life significantly every single day...Dr. John