Do you care about the track order?

[Mark]

See here's the thing.

 

Back in the day, track order mattered, as records were one long, unskippable art form. These days, you can pick and choose which songs to listen to, so my question is, does the order of these tracks matter all that much to you?

 

Personally, I was disappointed Viva got off to a relatively slow start, so it's exciting to see Hurts Like Heaven (probably the most energetic track) as the one really kicking off MX.

 

And to me, track 10 on any record is an important milestone, so here's hoping Princess of China is as epic as A Rush of Blood to the Head/Death and All His Friends :D

[QuestionsOfScience]

Definitely, call me old fashioned, but I like listening to an album as a whole, downloading individual songs is not satisfying for me at all.

The order, continuity and flow of an album is vital for a proper experience.

[Mark]

Definitely, call me old fashioned, but I like listening to an album as a whole, downloading individual songs is not satisfying for me at all.

The order, continuity and flow of an album is vital for a proper experience.

 

Same as me. I find it utterly nonsensical to listen to anything after Amsterdam has finished on my iPod.

[Saket]

Yes.

[Blue Nails]

Yes I'm an album person too.

[Alien Radio]

Of course. ;) Albums aren't albums if they have scattered songs. :)

[Jedi Leo]

Yes the track list sets the overall mood and dictates the journey of the listener...imperative! :)

[The Philosopher]

Not so much. Ok, maybe sometimes it's amazing to hear the whole album (especially the first time), but other times you just want to hear a few songs or even only one song.

[Cyan Kat]

Yes, I like to listen to the whole album (though it depends whether I like the songs).

[Samuel_94]

lots of variables, but tracklist is imperitive to me

[admnistramation]

It's important, sure. I just don't think that both sides of the album tell two stories, they might be contrasting moments of a whole. Major Minus would be the turning point.

[Brent]

Uhhh yeah. I'm an album person!

[Abracadabra]

I'm in two minds about it. If it's something like Viva,then yes, it will mater, if it's anything like first three albums, I won't mind the order.

[Tryptophan]

Same as me. I find it utterly nonsensical to listen to anything after Amsterdam has finished on my iPod.

 

Agreed agreed agreed. Imagine AROBTTH starting off with Amsterdam and finishing with Daylight, for example. Wouldn't be as good at all.

 

I'm an album person too, definitely. And Coldplay are an album band.

 

I'd like to say that I think Hurts Like Heaven (regardless of MX, which may be a full-length track) will be a great album opener. Although I'd prefer something like Politik, which literally blows you away from second 1. :p

[MajorM]

Well for something like MX...it wouldn't work if it wasn't ordered. It's supposed to be telling a story, so how is it going to work if it's not ordered? In an album like this, it MUST be organized.

[Mark]

I'm so surprised that you all agree with me! My sister was saying she couldn't give a toss on the tracklisting and she's (almost!) a bigger Coldplay fan than me.

 

I agree that Politik is the best opener. Parachutes was brilliantly written and is the perfect blueprint for how to write an accessible, enjoyable, fun album. It's a diary of a young band, and it's immature for me. Part of it's charm. For Politik to obliterate that though. It's got the twist that breaks your heart but before that, it's cold and it's not happy-go-lucky Parachuting Chris, it's like hearing your loved one on the phone but they don't sound like themselves anymore.

 

For me, half of the reason I love that track is because it's the start of an era. It's so exciting, it's so different, and our band are evolving and we're watching their new first steps. That's how I feel about Hurts Like Heaven. And Up With The Birds will feel like the end of the era.

[Brent]

To me, LiT was the best opener (though Politik is the best song they've done, IMO). LiT just fit the description of what an album opener should be so perfectly!

[Mark]

To me, LiT was the best opener (though Politik is the best song they've done, IMO). LiT just fit the description of what an album opener should be so perfectly!

 

I think Life In Technicolor would've been better if it'd flowed into Cemeteries of London better, but you had this optimistic autoharp riff preceding a dark, Victorian rock song. Sure LiT was good, but part of it being a good opener is that it has to set the right tone. It's not the right tone if track 2 veers off into the opposite direction from tone set.

 

That's the way I see it anyhow.

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

The track order is perhaps the most important thing for me--the songs need to flow well, otherwise I'll always wind up skipping songs, which isn't what an album is about.

 

And I think Politik and Life In Technicolor are at an equal level of awesomeness for album openeres--LiT especially since it starts a cycle that ends at The Escapist :wacky:

[Kiame]

Uhhh yeah. I'm an album person!

 

Really? I always pictured you as a kind of broccoli person.

[Megalomania]

The album must flow well, otherwise it isn't enjoyable.

[R's Symphony]

Definitely Album, and I think LiT was the best opener from the albums, but Politik is a close 2nd

[aschall]

order is key

[Brent]

Really? I always pictured you as a kind of broccoli person.

 

What? I hate broccoli! :freak:

[Kiame]

What? I hate broccoli! :freak:

 

That's why it's so surprising to me.