Yeah, that's true. Coldplay got A LOT more fans after the release of viva la vida.

 

Funnily enough, I (a hardcore Oldplayer) am one of those who were hooked by Viva. I think big hits are not a bad thing as they are the music you are most likely to hear in the radio and which can make you discover bands and artists. My issue with Newplay is not really that there are some very commercial hits, but rather that the other album tracks have adopted this sound now too.

TBH when i started listening to Coldplay around Viva period the only few older songs i knew were the more popular ones;Yellow,The Scientist,Fix You etc,and i didnt really know there was so many great tracks from the past cuz when i search for best coldplay songs for example on youtube,the songs that came out were mostly the more popular ones and the newer songs.Eventually i dug deeper and found out more songs and eventually fell in love with songs like Low,White Shadows,Politik etc.As someone living far from England im glad the band became more famous due to some pop sounding songs which catered to more people,as it allowed me to discover Coldplay and hear all the good songs i missed out on.

Just to make it clear, I do believe AROBTTH has the better flow as an album. But X&Y has overall got the better tunes.

I agree with you on most things and I adore X&Y but AROBTTH is honestly a much better album. Whereas X&Y is a great Coldplay album, AROBTTH is a masterpiece for all time. The fans will love and cherish X&Y forever but AROBTTH and Parachutes will be remembered as two of the best albums ever made.

I have no idea about the absolute numbers (I hope not !!!) but this may well be a generational thing. Many of today's teens have no idea about the previous works of Coldplay, other than perhaps Clocks and Viva La Vida. For them, Coldplay is that larger-than-life colourful pop band that they became with MX and may resume being with AHFOD, as I fear.

 

X&Y is the most misunderstood and underrated of all Coldplay albums. I wish one day people will come to recognize how good it really is.

 

This!

Very good and nice thread!

 

I just want that Coldplay make songs like in this albums: 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' and 'X&Y'.

Because the songs in VLVODAAHF are alternative rock... And I want that alternative Coldplayrock back!!! :)

Hm, I would say AROBTTH is alternative rock and VLVODAAHF is art rock / pop rock.

 

@jer123: Yeah, that's what I also meant. Without Paradise and Viva La Vida I wouldn't have discovered them at all. But that's enough hits Coldplay, lets return back to basics ;)

Yeah, that's true. Coldplay got A LOT more fans after the release of viva la vida.

 

*raises hand* guilty as charged :P

 

Funnily enough, I (a hardcore Oldplayer) am one of those who were hooked by Viva. I think big hits are not a bad thing as they are the music you are most likely to hear in the radio and which can make you discover bands and artists. My issue with Newplay is not really that there are some very commercial hits, but rather that the other album tracks have adopted this sound now too.

 

This. If the guys want to include a huge pop hit or two on each album, then they should go for it, no biggie. Once that sound starts to leak into the deeper cuts that I start to take issue. The deeper cuts are my jam and I don't want to give up my jam :lol:

Here's a little known Oldplay gem for you - enjoy this early version of Gravity (2002):

 

[video=youtube;SYfh5WR7CB8]

 

 

:cry:

So, my love for Coldplay started with Mylo Xyloto this summer (the MX artwork was my avatar 'till a few minutes ago), but my very first Coldplay album was Live 2012, as a Christmas gift by my parents many years ago, followed by Ghost Stories in 2014. Mylo Xyloto was my CP favourite record for a while, thanks to his uplifting sound and electropop vibes. So after MX I started to buy the other records, starting with Viva La Vida and Parachutes, then X&Y and finally AROBTH that has been actually pretty hard to find. After many listens to all the albums, I'd say that my favourite records are Viva La Vida and X&Y. Viva La Vida has a lot of international vibes, spanish and asian influences, I love it. It's experimental, it's unconventional and at the same time has that upbeat vibes that just makes my day. X&Y has this space synths that I love mixed to a pretty heavy sound; Square One has to be one of my favourite Coldplay songs. Parachutes it's good tough it's a little too soft, while A Rush Of Blood To The Head has some amazing highlights (Politik, In My Place, The Scientist, GPASUYF) Mylo Xyloto falls because of a very messy mixing (too many sounds are buried) and a pretty mediocre second part of the record. Still, I'm in love for that sound until ETIAW ends.

 

P.S: Can someone explain to me all the love for Clocks? Sure it's a good song and everything but... I don't know, I've never seen that song as an highlight by them :thinking:

P.S: Can someone explain to me all the love for Clocks? Sure it's a good song and everything but... I don't know, I've never seen that song as an highlight by them

Wow that's weird. I'd say Clocks is the quintessential Coldplay song. It has all the elements that make Coldplay great: A gorgeous melody, Chris's falsetto soars, Rocky edge, the cryptic lyrics Chris's is known for etc.

 

My favourite element to Clocks is Jonny's guitar chords, they seem so different to the piano line yet work perfectly in tandem. It's not overly emotional or a slow ballad either, what Coldplay hits are normally infamous for *Insert The Scientist, Fix You, Yellow, Trouble here* It's up tempo and urgent. Great stuff altogether

Wow that's weird. I'd say Clocks is the quintessential Coldplay song. It has all the elements that make Coldplay great: A gorgeous melody, Chris's falsetto soars, Rocky edge, the cryptic lyrics Chris's is known for etc.

 

My favourite element to Clocks is Jonny's guitar chords, they seem so different to the piano line yet work perfectly in tandem. It's not overly emotional or a slow ballad either, what Coldplay hits are normally infamous for *Insert The Scientist, Fix You, Yellow, Trouble here* It's up tempo and urgent. Great stuff altogether

I don't know. Just, the song doesn't connect with me at all. I mean, I have a playlist on my PC with all my favourite songs from every record, and I never even bothered adding Clocks until I saw how many votes it taked in the AROBTH poll :D Just different music tastes, I guess.

I can understand you, Kidd. Initially I didn't like Clocks either because I couldn't connect with it and didn't like the main piano melody too much. But over time it has grown on me and is now one of my favourites (and I very much appreciate that piano melody now).

Here's something new (old) for you Oldplayers to watch:

 

[video=youtube;oHPRiDkOfrM]

If you had another bustling and busy Saturday, here is something for you to enjoy, fellow Oldplayers:

 

[video=youtube;2ybNcri7wVk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ybNcri7wVk

 

Cracking performance! They really could've been a shoe gaze band back then, couldn't they? Thanks for the link, I've now seen a side to them I never would've... :thumbsup:

Here's something new (old) for you Oldplayers to watch:

 

[video=youtube;oHPRiDkOfrM]

 

Watching that made me wanna :bigcry:

 

I've known CP and been a fan since the start but only through their music... Heard Trouble in 2001 and was hooked! Back then the non-album stuff was much harder to come by - I can't believe I've missed all their early interviews etc... The earliest non-music stuff was Live 2003.

 

I see where you Oldplayers are coming from now - there is a closeness and intimacy to their interactions, particularly Chris' innocence and earnestness that is lost - it is quite emotional to compare how they are now to how they were - it is a huge difference! You might find the 'Allplayers' may well just be the earliest fans who've had the longest to grow and adjust to the changes in Coldplay therefore have found the changes the least traumatic and therefore somewhat easier to accept...

It is great to see Chris back in the day.

I find this thread intriguing. I know you touched on this on the first post but I see this group of albums more as 'Consensusplay' than 'Oldplay.' :thinking: Ignoring that HP 7 books comparison nonsense to shoe-horn in the unplanned GS, I really see it as albums of three. :nod:

 

Viva sounds nothing like the first three albums. The producers were completely different (Brian Eno, Markus Dravs), as was the instrumentation (especially Davide Rossi's role- violin prominence), and the inclusion of strictly instrumental tracks. The lyrics are also much more abstract, the music uplifting rather than melancholy and both are fundamentally concept albums. I'm not including GS as to me, it's more an aside like PM. I think AHFoD will be an evolution from MX, the originally planned last of the second three Coldplay albums. Amazing Day also makes me think this but we're all only speculating at this point.

 

Just my thoughts :D I think Melancholdplay and Chopelay (h as silent) seem more accurate imo.

I see this group of albums more as 'Consensusplay'

Not really. I too don't think that VLV is Oldplay (More like an intermediary but it seems the last album people actually like so that's why it's here) but I wouldn't categorize them in 3's if I'm being honest. The first 3 are definitely a trilogy but the last 3 are wildly different from each other. The only similar trend is the declining quality and pop elements that seem to rear their heads more and more as time goes on.

 

I think you'll find in this thread the overwhelming consensus have fears for LP7 based on what we've seen so far, Amazing Day and a collaboration with Ariana Grande. To me, that tells you all you need to know about Coldplay's current direction and as a consequence the sound of LP7.

I find this thread intriguing. I know you touched on this on the first post but I see this group of albums more as 'Consensusplay' than 'Oldplay.' :thinking: Ignoring that HP 7 books comparison nonsense to shoe-horn in the unplanned GS, I really see it as albums of three. :nod:

 

Viva sounds nothing like the first three albums. The producers were completely different (Brian Eno, Markus Dravs), as was the instrumentation (especially Davide Rossi's role- violin prominence), and the inclusion of strictly instrumental tracks. The lyrics are also much more abstract, the music uplifting rather than melancholy and both are fundamentally concept albums. I'm not including GS as to me, it's more an aside like PM. I think AHFoD will be an evolution from MX, the originally planned last of the second three Coldplay albums. Amazing Day also makes me think this but we're all only speculating at this point.

 

Just my thoughts :D I think Melancholdplay and Chopelay (h as silent) seem more accurate imo.

 

Yes, Viva is officially part of this thread for the reason that the Adversary said. Also, while Viva was a dramatic change in sound, I think we all agree that it was still an artistically valid effort by Coldplay, unlike their latter albums.

 

Watching that made me wanna :bigcry:

 

I've known CP and been a fan since the start but only through their music... Heard Trouble in 2001 and was hooked! Back then the non-album stuff was much harder to come by - I can't believe I've missed all their early interviews etc... The earliest non-music stuff was Live 2003.

 

I see where you Oldplayers are coming from now - there is a closeness and intimacy to their interactions, particularly Chris' innocence and earnestness that is lost - it is quite emotional to compare how they are now to how they were - it is a huge difference! You might find the 'Allplayers' may well just be the earliest fans who've had the longest to grow and adjust to the changes in Coldplay therefore have found the changes the least traumatic and therefore somewhat easier to accept...

 

I totally agree with you, gentleparachute. It is such a pity for us to have missed their better times. Wish I could have attended concerts during the Parachutes, AROBTTH or Twisted Logic Tours... At least Youtube gives us the possibilty to travel back in time, if only on the computer screen :)

Here's another cool thing - the first version of Animals, live in 2001. The main piano and guitar riff of that first version is oddly reminiscent of Gustav Holst's bell chiming in Saturn of the Planets Suite - I wonder if it is there that Chris took his inspiration from :)

 

[video=youtube;ASXvUpNcl-w]

Who Coldplayers think Coldplay are:

 

[video=youtube;dsz-EeNZBkI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsz-EeNZBkI

 

Who everybody else thinks Coldplay are: :cry:

 

[video=youtube;VQ_WMpLyPZM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ_WMpLyPZM

Who Coldplayers think Coldplay are:

 

[video=youtube;dsz-EeNZBkI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsz-EeNZBkI

 

Who everybody else thinks Coldplay are: :cry:

 

[video=youtube;VQ_WMpLyPZM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ_WMpLyPZM

 

Oh how music has changed.

Who Coldplayers think Coldplay are:

 

[video=youtube;dsz-EeNZBkI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsz-EeNZBkI

 

Who everybody else thinks Coldplay are: :cry:

 

[video=youtube;VQ_WMpLyPZM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ_WMpLyPZM

 

 

LOL, so true. By the way, I didn't even watch that latter performance. Luckily I had a delay in watching GCF and so I just skipped it.

I didn't even watch that latter performance

I don't blame you... It's one of those "let's pretend it never happened" moments.

 

The look of mortification on Jonny's face in the background is tragically funny :( :laugh3:

I don't blame you... It's one of those "let's pretend it never happened" moments.

 

I read later on the forum it was even a song written by the frontman of 1D...ugh, but it fits the concept.