As a fan I'd say the first fab four. As a neutral music listener, A Rush and Viva are the closest things to masterpiece in their discography

a rush of blood to the head is a masterpiece including georgous b-sides

Wow...tough question. Now if only they had written 7 albums in the same genre, kinda like..I dont know...Bryan Adams?

LOL! :D

 

Viva and AROBTTH for me too, if I had to chose. These are the albums that will remain an important, lasting part of music history.

 

But I refuse to believe that they've already made their masterpiece. :P I can't wait for whatever is about to come.

Well everyone already knows what album I'm going to pick, haha, but I'll try to make a coherent post explaining my reasoning rather than just fangirling like I normally do:

 

The Songs - The ultimate reason! There are so many songs that manage to strike a perfect balance between rock, pop, and experimental. The lyrics on this album are some of Chris's best (yes, even rivaling ARoBttH in some cases!), and they give us some truly unique twists on the standard "love and loss" themes. Love, loss, life, death, lust, bliss, you name it! When you also consider that we have more songs from this era than any other, you really start to appreciate the sustained quality.

 

The Flow - This is hands-down Coldplay's best-flowing album. The entire thing just feels like one 45-minute song. What's truly spectacular is that if you intersperse the Prospekt's March songs, the flow isn't broken. Bonus points for incorporating one of the album's major themes (the cycle of life and death) into the music itself with the seamless intro/outro of Life in Technicolor and The Escapist.

 

The Performances - Coldplay songs have always been designed to sound phenomenal live. This album has a few truly special songs: Viva la Vida's iconic, earth-shattering chant; the raw anger of Violet Hill's guitars; the way Strawberry Swing floated like a dream over the orchestra of the 2012 Paraolympics; that "oh my god he's still going" note that Chris holds at the end of the LRLRL version of 42. And how could you forget the iconic imagery of the military-esque jackets and Romantic paintings (I'm an art nerd okay)

 

 

 

And of course the final, most important component: Chris's curls :P

 

 

Viva la Vida. I really, really like A Rush of Blood the the Head but I just don't get why people circle-jerk over it so much. Viva is much more thematically deep and complete as an artistic piece.

Viva la Vida. I really, really like A Rush of Blood the the Head but I just don't get why people circle-jerk over it so much. Viva is much more thematically deep and complete as an artistic piece.

This!!!!!

Viva la Vida. I really, really like A Rush of Blood the the Head but I just don't get why people circle-jerk over it so much. Viva is much more thematically deep and complete as an artistic piece.

 

To be fair, ARoBttH has some of the best songs of Coldplay's career, period. Songs like Politik, GPASUYP, Clocks, The Scientist, and ARoBttH are lyrically brilliant. Although it may not have a theme as cohesive as Viva's, it's hard to ignore a discography like that.

Everytime I'm asking myself which album I think is their best and I can't really decide between Parachutes, AROBTTH and Viva, images of the Live 2003 DVD kick in and I'm like "Damn, this really is grandiose..."

 

 

So yeah, A Rush of Blood the Head it is for me.

AROBTTH, for sure, but VLV is a very close second.

AROBTTH

I'm gonna go at this pretty much at a different angle as everyone else. X&Y was, to me their masterpiece. Before you start a riot, let me explain. It is the album with the most songs that have been, at some point in my life, my favorite song. To me, the album is a collection of masterpieces. A museum, not a piece of art.

 

However, if we are to look at the whole album as a cohesive whole and judging it as the sum of its parts, I would say Viva. AROBTTH is a beautiful album but I don't think it incorporates such intricate concepts so cohesively in every way that Viva does.

Parachutes then VLV.

:arobtth:

I'm gonna go at this pretty much at a different angle as everyone else. X&Y was, to me their masterpiece. Before you start a riot, let me explain. It is the album with the most songs that have been, at some point in my life, my favorite song. To me, the album is a collection of masterpieces. A museum, not a piece of art.

 

I absolutely agree with you. That's how I view X&Y, too. Imho the flow on AROBTTH is better, making it the best masterpiece but X&Y is a grandiose collection of individual masterpieces.

I think it's crucial if you were introduced to them before or after VLV the song. They appealed to different people.

 

It does nothing for me. Back then and now. I like to hear it after I've almost forgotten about it. I really liked Violet Hill after X&Y but in general they seemed less epic. The album does flow very well and features many great songs but it's borderline bland and not edgy at all.

 

I was far more excited for MX when it came out (after being initially disappointed by ETIAW) and still think it's pretty brilliant as a glow-in-the-dark-urban-graffiti-fantasy-thing, the whole thing is so youthful and celebratory and the bare melodic core of Paradise is vastly superior to VLV (considering them being the centerpieces).

 

VLV gets kudos from me tho for them experimenting with actual instruments and for the way it's kinda airy and nuanced and for being the last album that doesn't trigger the lyrical gag reflex too often.

 

 

tl;dr VLV is overrated but I'm very very VERY happy it exists

I think it's crucial if you were introduced to them before or after VLV the song. They appealed to different people.

 

It does nothing for me. Back then and now. I like to hear it after I've almost forgotten about it. I really liked Violet Hill after X&Y but in general they seemed less epic. The album does flow very well and features many great songs but it's borderline bland and not edgy at all.

 

I was far more excited for MX when it came out (after being initially disappointed by ETIAW) and still think it's pretty brilliant as a glow-in-the-dark-urban-graffiti-fantasy-thing, the whole thing is so youthful and celebratory and the bare melodic core of Paradise is vastly superior to VLV (considering them being the centerpieces).

 

VLV gets kudos from me tho for them experimenting with actual instruments and for the way it's kinda airy and nuanced and for being the last album that doesn't trigger the lyrical gag reflex too often.

 

 

tl;dr VLV is overrated but I'm very very VERY happy it exists

The only flaw of Viva La Vida (the album) is Viva La Vida (the song)

The only flaw of Viva La Vida (the album) is Viva La Vida (the song)

Don't agree there, I love VLV (the song). Imho they should have left Yes off, I always skip it.

X&Y was, to me their masterpiece. Before you start a riot, let me explain.

I don't know why anybody would start a riot, as this is a perfectly reasonable and respectable opinion to have.

To me AROBTTH will always be the masterpiece while X&Y is a sequel or an extension to that masterpiece.

Don't agree there, I love VLV (the song). Imho they should have left Yes off, I always skip it.

I love the exotic vibes of Yes (and its lyrics), and I like how it flows into Chinese Sleep Chant which is one of their best song evere imho. About VLV you know how I feel. ;)

Different opinions :D

I don't mind Viva (The song) as much as the fact I hate it's the song they are known for. Most X&Y b-sides are better than it.

 

Although this opinion is slowly becoming antiquated as I much prefer they be remembered for Viva rather than POC or HFTW!

I love the exotic vibes of Yes (and its lyrics), and I like how it flows into Chinese Sleep Chant which is one of their best song evere imho. About VLV you know how I feel. ;)

 

I love Chinese Sleep Chant too. The first time I heard it I thought wtf is this? It cant be Coldplay! haha same way I felt about Midnight. I love how they pull a 180 degrees on me like that :) I love surprises.

 

Although this opinion is slowly becoming antiquated as I much prefer they be remembered for Viva rather than POC or HFTW!

 

They are hardly known for Viva only. Clocks, Yellow, Paradise are arguably in the same league. The truth is that the boys know how to make a memorable song and now they have a whole setlist full of them! hehe :)

I love Chinese Sleep Chant too. The first time I heard it I thought wtf is this? It cant be Coldplay! haha same way I felt about Midnight. I love how they pull a 180 degrees on me like that :) I love surprises.

 

 

 

They are hardly known for Viva only. Clocks, Yellow, Paradise are arguably in the same league. The truth is that the boys know how to make a memorable song and now they have a whole setlist full of them! hehe :)

Don't forget the ballads! (Fix You, The Scientist etc) and maybe even ASFOS with time

Don't forget the ballads! (Fix You, The Scientist etc) and maybe even ASFOS with time

 

Yeah one could go on and on...:) Their newest setlist is just a greatest hits! So good :)

to add my humble opinion here i 'd say A rush of blood to the head (they were on the cover on the NME at the time, bought it after high school day, met my first boyfriend who gave me the live dvd...) so many good memories involved with this album....

but its just about my own experience through my eyes that i see it as their masterpiece

the songs are part of me now and for a very long time, perfect or not, conceptual or not

Art is about emotions not equations