Radiohead and ATO Finally Shake Hands, "Rainbows" CDs On U.S. Shelves January 2nd

In what had to be the worst-kept secret in recent record-contract history, Radiohead and ATO Records have come to terms and revealed that the band will physically release In Rainbows in the U.S. on January 2nd. The news comes on the heels of Radiohead's deal for international distribution with XL Recordings, which was signed last week and will have Rainbows drop worldwide December 31st. The album will be released by Radiohead's own imprint TBD Records, which means, as the band explains, they "ran into trouble in trying to clear all previously discussed potential label names," thus TBD stands for "To Be Decided." Hmm, something finally makes sense. The deal also makes sense considering ATO Records has been pushing "Bodysnatchers" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place," the first Rainbows single, on radio stations for several weeks. The band still plans to promote the album next spring with world tour dates, so until then, you'll just have to bide your time with live versions of Bjork's "Unravel" and New Order's "Ceremony."

Related Stories:
• Radiohead Say Goodbye to EMI, Hello to ATO?
• Radiohead Break Out Covers of Smiths, New Order During Webcast
• Radiohead Denies "Wholly Inaccurate" Sales Figures, Ready 'In Rainbows' CDs, First Single

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Song Stories

“Piano Man”

Billy Joel | 1973

Billy Joel’s first hit, “Piano Man,” was – ironically – an autobiographical lament about how his first album wasn’t a hit. When Cold Spring Harbor didn’t take off, Joel briefly became a lounge pianist in Los Angeles, and this song, about that experience, expressed his frustrations and fears at the time: “And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar/And say, ‘Man, what are you doing here?’” “It was all right,” Joel said later, about the gig. “I got free drinks and union scale, which was the first steady money I’d made in a long time.”

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