The United Kingdom has been called "the place where great bands are created." Maybe it's due to the dreary weather or heavy drinking, but this place has been the foundation for rock and roll legends such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, The Who and Pink Floyd. However, during the 1990s, possibly two of the greatest bands of all time sprouted from England, with a different sound and rhythm like no one has ever heard before. These two great British bands are Coldplay and Radiohead. They are often spoken of as if they are the same band, but that statement could not be more wrong.

 

Coldplay and Radiohead both branched off from the teachings of English rock legends such as Pink Floyd, Oasis and R.E.M. Coldplay is considered to be a post-Britpop band, well-known for their rock melodies and introspective lyrics, while Radiohead has solidified their role as an alternative rock legend.

 

Many people consider the songs of these two bands to be similar. Wrong again kiddo. The first major Radiohead album to make a significant splash in the US was OK Computer -- largely considered by many publications as the best album of the 1990s. Their rhythms and drumbeats create a psychedelic sounding melody that takes the audience on a wild ride through the lyrics of the songs. I remember listening to the songs "No Surprises" and "Running From Demons," and becoming enamored with the flow and rhythms of the songs. When you listen to a Radiohead song for the first time, it's like flying in the sky: it is beautiful and elegant, but has some turbulence that adds to the ride.

 

Coldplay is considered the heir to the British pop mantle. This is a large feat considering Britpop hasn't had a mainstay at the top of the billboard charts since Oasis, and for all we know the Gallagher brothers may be off somewhere drinking to ease their shame right now.

 

Coldplay would not be where they are today without their lead singer, Chris Martin, who I consider the John Lennon of his era. His songwriting and musical talents have him prepared for huge stardom. Martin leads the band during most songs and they feed off his energy.

 

Their first CD to hit the US was Parachutes in March 2000, and it immediately gained American interest. The album is much more relaxed and mellow than any Radiohead album. Parachutes is the album you can play while going for a long drive with the family or sitting in front of the fire on a cold winter night. When I listen to the song "Yellow," I feel energized and happy, and I reminisce about old times -- the times I had with my friends during the summer months. It's an experience that you sometimes just can't describe -- a melody that catches your ear and takes you by storm.

 

Let's take the two lead singers and set the differences apart: Chris Martin and Thom Yorke. Martin is the cornerstone of Coldplay, keeping up the rhythm of the songs and getting the audience involved. Take the song "Fix You" from their latest album, X & Y. This is Martin at his finest. Just by listening to the first line, you can tell that he is running the show:

 

"When you try your best but you don't succeed / When you get what you want but not what you need / When you feel so tired but you can't sleep / Stuck in reverse."

 

Martin is very much like a present day Mick Jagger. I say Mick Jagger because like Martin, Jagger leads the Stones. The band feeds off of Martin and when he gives an A+ performance, you know it's going to be good.

 

Thom Yorke of Radiohead is just as talented a musician as Chris Martin, but he also benefits from more experience and has spent a longer time with his bandmates. Like Martin, Yorke often leads the band in each song, but he relies on his bandmates to make the music work well together. Without the other members of the band synchronizing their talents together while making the percussion, glockenspiel and synthesizers work, Radiohead's melody and rhythm would vanish.

 

Taking the song "Kid A" from their third album, Everything In Its Right Place, Yorke opens the song by singing: "Everythinggg...in it's right place." By hearing the opening five seconds of this song, you can tell what Radiohead is all about. They have the synthesizers, percussion, organ and glockenspiel working together, creating trippy sounds that will take you for a ride.

 

Yorke's synchronization with his other bandmates also shows his similarities to John Lennon. Lennon might have been the leader of The Beatles, but he wasn't anything without Paul, George or Ringo to help him with the music.

 

These two bands are the best the UK has been able to offer in a long time. It doesn't happen that often that two incredible bands, with completely different styles, come from the same country and gain icon status. If you still are not convinced that these two bands are different, just listen for yourself. Then the next time someone says to you that they are the same, kindly slap them and explain.

 

 

Discuss.

Yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon.

chris martin :wacky:

I will kindly slap them :D

Yesterday I woke up sucking on a lemon.

 

:stunned:

 

 

 

:laugh3:

 

 

 

 

This passage is nice. :) I think it's a bit absurd to call Martin the Lennon of the century.... I mean I love him but that's.... intense. :lol:

I liked reading this a lot. It's nice to hear somebody explain how and why Coldplay and Radiohead are two completly different bands!

An interesting read

 

Interesting article - but you forgot to tell us the origins of this article. I would like to know who has written / published this article. :)

Yeah,what's source?

:stunned:

 

 

 

:laugh3:

 

 

 

 

This passage is nice. :) I think it's a bit absurd to call Martin the Lennon of the century.... I mean I love him but that's.... intense. :lol:

 

Mm, that was exactly what I thought. All the praise for Chris is, of course, justified; but as soon as I read up to them describing him as the next Lennon I was a little taken aback. Of course I love Chris, but that seems like quite a hefty title to give. I'm sure if Chris had read this article he would feel the same way. :laugh3:

 

I liked reading this a lot. It's nice to hear somebody explain how and why Coldplay and Radiohead are two completly different bands!

 

EXACTLY! I'm thoroughly sick of them always being compared to eachother... yes, they are indeed very different!

Just google the first line of any article and you'll find its source..:rolleyes:

Here it is:

http://media.www.loyolagreyhound.com/media/storage/paper665/news/2005/10/25/ArtsSociety/Coldplay.Radiohead.Like.Apples.And.Oranges-1032035.shtml

^ Yup, sorry.

Anyway, this is the first article comparing these two bands that I've read which is not biased towards a band.

It's really tiring to listen to people saying that Coldplay is better than Radiohead or Radiohead is way up there compared to Coldplay. They are just two different bands producing different kind of music.

I :heart: them both regardless.

Interesting review. Hard to agree with all comparisons made though. Lennon/Beatles were something special because nothing like that had ever been done before. Coldplay are also special because they are pushing barriers like what has never been done before. And doing it with intenseness and depth (I can't think of better adjectives cos it's early morning here and my brain is going downhill lol).

You can compare Coldplay to Radiohead, U2, Beatles...Rolling Stones til the cows come home, but the reality is is that every band can be compared and bands are going to have similarities and give and take from each other a bit.

But, at the end of the day, Coldplay rule the world and there is nothing you can do about it so blaaahhh!

An interesting read

 

Just google the first line of any article and you'll find its source..:rolleyes:

Here it is:

http://media.www.loyolagreyhound.com/media/storage/paper665/news/2005/10/25/ArtsSociety/Coldplay.Radiohead.Like.Apples.And.Oranges-1032035.shtml

 

Thanks Zeya for the tip and the source of this article incl. the link to it. :)

 

When reading the article once again (the first time I only skimmed it), I realized that this article was written a couple of years ago. It happened when reading this: "Take the song "Fix You" from their latest album, X&Y", and that album is from 2005. But that does not make the article less interesting or less relevant.

 

Thanks for posting this article (again). :)

Thanks so much for posting! It was interesting to read. Coldplay and Radiohead are very, very different. Good to read an article taking this matter up.

 

Saying Chris is the John Lennon of the era sounds wrong to me aswell... I say Chris is Chris. :p

Anyway, this is the first article comparing these two bands that I've read which is not biased towards a band.

It's really tiring to listen to people saying that Coldplay is better than Radiohead or Radiohead is way up there compared to Coldplay. They are just two different bands producing different kind of music.

I :heart: them both regardless.

 

THIS!

Coldplay and Radiohead are different. If you listen to both of them enough, you can easily tell. But it's not like Radiohead is on one end, and Coldplay is on the other. Neither bands are mainstream pop. I do agree that some of the best bands came from the UK. I personally believe all the best music came from the UK, or at least the European area.

Radiohead naming fail. Besides that, an okay article.

 

I hate the Coldplay/Radiohead comparisons, they are really such different bands.