The idea came from some threads where some coldplayers share what they like or dislike from the band. In this case the title says everything. Just share what you like about each album Coldplay has released.

Great idea, alisbe!!

For now, I'll share a short list of my favorite things.

 

Parachutes: It just has a warm, fuzzy feeling. It also has Yellow, which without it, Coldplay might not be as big as they are. And I love Everything's Not Lost. It's weird, I cant explain why I love these things, it's just that I do. And the live version of ENL from Live 2003 is in my opinion one of the best live songs Coldplay has done.

 

AROBTTH:This album is Coldplay at their best. The instrumentation on this album is amazing. Great production. I remember being mesmerized by Clocks the first time I heard it, so maybe without that song I wouldn't be here on this forum.

 

X&Y: Also Coldplay at their best. I love the emotion Chris pours out into each of the songs on this album. X&Y transports me to another place; I feel like I'm floating when listening to it.

 

VLVODAAHF: This is true musical experimentation....and they pulled it off well! Lovers in Japan is the song, along with Talk, that pulled me in to Coldplay, so I have a special connection to that song. The songs really stick to a theme. A little OT, but I think the music videos from this era were some of the best (think Strawberry Swing)

 

MX: I love the whole 'concept album' thing! The lyrics truly told a beautiful story that can be related to many aspects in life. I think everyone was on point in this album as each member of the band had multiple chances to shine. My favorite song is HLH, so I think that was a high point of the album.

 

GS: Chris really pored a lot of emotion into this album. I have to applaud him for doing so because I know that must have taken a lot of courage.

 

AHFOD: This is another album where everyone in the band shines! I like the overall feeling I get after I'm done listening to it.

 

Things I Like About Every Album: Coldplay really knows how to close an album. Just take a look at the last lines on each album...they are so beautiful, and in most cases do a really nice job of wrapping and summing it all up. Each album has it's own distinctive style that makes listening to one a unique experience and something you want to do again.

 

Okay, I admit, that wasn't "short" but thanks again alisbe for making this awesome thread :)

^... that's actually pretty short!

Parachutes:

Very intricate, very nice, it's an album where there's not one single bad song, and overall it's just a perfect masterpiece. The atmosphere to it is so warm... it's perfect for listening at dusk. Lyrics are great.

A Rush of Blood to the Head:

Honestly, this album is so perfect I just don't know where to start. Nailed the production (messier and more "organic" which fits the music so as to speak), like there's not a song just ruined and smothered in production. Flow is absolutely perfect. I love how from the third track it builds up all the way to Clocks. Opening track is a masterpiece, nuff said. You've got: Amsterdam, The Scientist, Politik, Warning Sign, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Clocks, and In My Place, and every single one of those songs is just... an unexplainable work of art. I mean, they all have such an incredible feel to them, it's so hard to explain. Overall, this album is just... they just did everything right. It has this unique feel to it that I just can't put into words, you know. But it makes this album flow so well together. Melodies are strong, lyrics are magnificent. Instrumentation is very strong. This album is great for listening on cloudy days...

X&Y:

I like how they were trying sort of a new theme in this one. They were going with this future space sound while keeping some of their older sound. They were also reaching out to a bit more of an experimental side of them, not just towards the music, but towards the artwork. I loved how the album cover is a representation of Baudot code and the whole album seems to be about something missing and that everything's broken. It's a neat theme that I actually think comes from their recording sessions. I honestly think the theme refers back to the recording sessions because 52 songs were thrown away from the album, and they probably felt like something was missing. And, they could have kept going on and on, since to this day they still feel like there's something missing from the album as a whole. In my opinion, there isn't anything really missing from the album itself, it sounds quite whole and complete, but the theme is a neat one nonetheless, using the Baudot code to represent it (I love how you can generate code, as you probably have guessed by now I used the album art generator to make my avatar) :D

I also like how they took the time to put 13 FULL LENGTH songs on the album. Which means no hidden tracks. For example. Mylo has 14 tracks technically, but 3 of them aren't even a minute long. When you see this album and its 13 tracks, they're not kidding you; they're full length tracks. And, surprisingly enough, the shortest song on the album falls just under 4 minutes, and that's pretty good. Our new album has surprisingly short tracks, there's 3 tracks that are 3 minutes long, and two tracks are 2 minutes and 1 minute long. There's 3 tracks 4 minutes long that are less than 4:30, and there's only 3 longer tracks than that. Meanwhily, X&Y has the majority of it's 13 tracks being longer than 4:30. That's what I call commitment; with a 13 track album, you'd expect mostly 3 minute songs, but they knew better this time around and made sure that they were full length tracks, and that they weren't making the album seem longer than it actually is. *cough*Mylo*cough*

This album is definetely more synth-heavy than the others. However, they sound great, they didn't smother the tracks in the synths or anything, and they have a lighter feel to them which helps I suppose. Also, they made the synths actually mean something, giving a certain space feel to the tracks, and not just throwing them all over the track meaninglessly like you see in most pop songs today

Overall, this is a solid, and very well done album (contrary to the band's thoughts). Falls in the top 3. This album is suitable for listening on a rainy day. :D

Viva la Vida or Death And All His Friends:

Hoooooolly experimentation! WOW! They've done it all in this album. With Brian Eno on board, this was sure to be a great album. Now Brian Eno of course is known for being the father of ambient music (Please Coldplay, do a full album of this sometime in the future :() however not much of that showed up on here, outside of the Violet Hill intro, of course. Still, I love that they're playing with exotic instruments. I even like how they created that ever-so-infectious main part in Life in Technicolor with an instrument that I don't even know the name of! It sounds really interesting, for sure though. I mean, you have Lost!, trying out new drum sounds, Viva la Vida (same idea) which also combines slightly sad lyrics with such a beautiful melody that's uplifting, yet sad in a way. The Goldrush seems waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outside of anything Coldplay would do. One of their most experimental tracks for sure. Glass of Water's lyrics are in 7/4? I don't even know how that's possible.... I mean, this album was one of their peaks in terms of experimentation. The tracks have this certain feel to them, again, that I really can't explain.

I also like how they did this Prospekt's March EP thing where they showed off some of their other more raw stuff that didn't make the album. I wish they'd have done that more, especially in the later eras of Coldplay where they never really did that anymore. They even released the demos.

This album I guess would be good for listening to in the slightly late afternoon I guess? :D

Mylo Xyloto:

Here comes... MY FAVORITE ALBUM OF COLDPLAY! :D

Wow. Just wow. I don't know where to start. Something COMPLETELY new from Coldplay here, They're taking a slight pop direction (yet retaining most of their rock sound from before). Bursting full of color and energy this one is. I LOVE the big stadium anthems that sprung from these album's recording sessions. I would have loved to have seen the acoustic album as well though. (Come on Coldplay, you know that there could have been room for an Prospekt's March-style EP here too.... :()

You have: Paradise, Up With The Birds, U.F.O, Us Against The World, ETIAW, Hurts Like Heaven, Don't Let it Break Your Heart, and Charlie Brown. Same idea with AROBTTH: all of them are just so perfect, especially the first 4 or 5, and they seem like true tracks. They all have this feel to them. I just don't know what it is. A magical feel to them.

I really don't feel the need to say much more. This is just a perfect album (besides the flow which is fine for the first half, but gets a little off in the second half). It's full of life, color and energy.... I love that. I don't know. Just so perfect.

Suitable for listening in the late afternoon.

Ghost Stories:

They're taking it back to Parachutes, everyone. This album is a nice return to the intricate style of their earliest works. The warm atmosphere is replaced by a more cool one. Flow is very nice. I really like the experimental "Midnight" of this album; I'd have wished more of the album was like this, it's a very nice ambient track. (I hope they continue this trend with LP8, ambient seems like the next way to go for Coldplay.) Fly On is the perfect piano ballad to end the album. I like how "ASFOS" was the "light at the end of the tunnel" so as to speak in which they'd go and build off of AHFOD.

This album is perfect for listening to at midnight. Makes it even better.

A Head Full Of Dreams:

Well, you want experimentation? You've got experimentaion. It seems to have came back. The band continues to slide just a bit further into the pop and R&B scene with "Hymn for the Weekend". You have a disco rock track on here, the guitar riff is so freaking infectious! You've got an originally alt-rock band that now has gone so experimental as to try the "tapping on glass" in HFTW and the trumpets, and even going into hip-hop. I don't think another band could do that. The flow is actually pretty decent in this album. Up&Up is soaring, and has not one but two guitar solos, a choir (INCLUDING BRIAN ENO, good things possibly for LP8? :D), Merry Clayton, Noel Gallagher, Chris' children, and Annabelle Wallis, potentially among others, on this massive celebratory track. On the album, there is the most amount of collaborations, with Beyonce and Tove Lo. Davide Rossi doing strings on two tracks, and even Gwyneth Paltrow is in the album! They really wanted to include everyone this time around... makes sense for a celebratory and happy album. This album's theme is great!

I guess this album is great for listening to... sometime in the late morning? I don't know. Makes sense, but I'm honestly not sure.

 

There you have it. :D

that took a little longer than expected :P

Thanks @AMDB9 for your kind words :)

Now I'll share my favorite things. I'm not an expert on music and all those technical terms, so I'll write of something I do appreciate wich is the emotions each album gives me.

Parachutes: It has Spies, one of my favorite songs. I like the general vibe it gives me. Whenever I want a peaceful moment I listen to it. In this album I don't skip any song. Each song is connected to the next, that makes me listen to it as a whole instead of separated tracks.

AROBTTH: politik is one of my favorite opening tracks. It has a powerful sound that prepares the listener for a great journey. My favorite song from this album is Clocks. The live version in each era is fantastic.

X&Y: this is the album I listen to when I need to feel I'm strong. Especially Square One and Talk are the stand out from this era IMO. Coldplay, in their despair to pleased everyone after AROBTTH, they managed to write great songs. They may not like it because they relate it to a specific moment in their lives, but I like it because this represents how I feel when I feel under the pressure from the people around me.

VLVODAAH: Viva la Vida is my favorite song. I might find difficult to choose or rate the albums but I can say what is my favorite song though. The sound of this song is so powerful and it stands out from the rest of hits from the 00s. Plus, in this era they released the Prospekt's March EP which has my favorite B-side. Moreover, their live performances were amazing and Guy did a great job in the backing vocals. I can't stop watching the videos from the Live with Jools Hollands performances. And they were inspired by incredible painters. One of them is Mexican, Frida Kahlo is a great representative of the Mexican culture and that makes me feel proud.

Mylo Xyloto: this was the era when I discovered Coldplay. I heard the beginning of Coldplay working on the Pop genre and it was so different from the rest of the most popular pop singers. Also, this album has my favorite line "I rather be a comma than a full stop" I'm not sure what that means but for me it represents what I want to achieve on what I do in my life. I think they improve their live performances. The Xylobands are unique and the live version of GPASUYF in this era is my favorite one.

Ghost Stories: I think Coldplay show the most personal side of them. Chris was the one on the front pages but the rest of the band was very supportive and it was shown in the songs. This is the other album in which I don't skip any song and I prefer to listen to it as a whole than separated. This album gives me hope that love exists even in the most difficult times.

AHFOD: what I love the most about this album is the joy and happiness the band wants to share with their fans. They embrace everything they love and they aren't worried about the things people might say about it. In this era I can hear there's something from the past, the present and the future. They are enjoying this moment and I think this will be shown in their live performances.

 

In general what I like from each album is that they are different. I can't get bored of listening to them because there are different sounds, emotions and styles that makes this band different to the rest. They can do whatever they want and it will sound amazing. Also, I appreciate they always share a positive message at the end of each album. That's something we need to look at in this moment when the world seems to forget that we need to support each other to make it a better place to live in.

Oh wow...long posts LOL Which is so great because we all love so much from each album! haha

 

There is no way for me to list all I like from each album without writing a novel haha so I´ll try to just put some short words about each one, maybe something unusual other than what applies to each album like, I dont know, Jonny is a legend in each track hehe

 

Parachutes: Spies first song I heard from Coldplay still gives me shivers, Dont panic first Jonny solo I heard and marvelled at :) I love how the Parachutes title turned into hot air balloons in AHFOD :)

 

A rush: Clocks omg the perfection :) , Politik is just so powerful and the ending is just no words probably their best ever, Green Eyes majorly personal to me, The Scientist same thing, I like how I had songs like Warning Sign to keep me company when I was miserable in love LOL, I love the title track.

 

X&Y: Love the codes and puzzle theme, love how the first time I listened to it I thought I was listening to a "best of" lol, the soaring space-y feeling each song has, my first Coldplay concert was during X&Y great memories :), A Message I particularly love because its so personal to me.

 

Viva: The colours! Coldplay´s got colours LOL The clothes, the cover, how I was mesmerised when I listened to it for the first time, it sparkles this one in so many ways, two wonderful concerts I attended from this era Wembley one especially, all those butterfly confetti and yellow balloons and free live CDs :), the marvellous EP with even more gems. The whole thing is like a marvellous painting, true to its covers, how Cemeteries of London speaks of witches and God in one song haha, the death and life theme throughout, the Strawberry Swing app game LOL

Where up until now I really really liked Coldplay, from Viva I started to love them :)

 

Mylo Xyloto: My life changed dramatically when this album came out and each single seemed to go side by side with every new marvellous step I took, so this one is incredibly personal to me. I cud not name all it means to me in one post, so Ill go for some quirky things. Love how the title is a new word, how the cover to the special edition is a cut out, the collectible edition is a pop book how cool is that?, the comics people...the comics!, the picture disc, the sense of joy and freedom and liberation in each song, the rose bursting from the concrete, I really like Every Teardrop and Princess video, the amazing concert I attended in Paris and the xylobands.

 

Ghost Stories: Oh wow another incredibly personal one haha (Citing again only a few random things, otherwise it´d be a novel hehe) Midnight blew me away so amazing, loved the video!, love how the album is so cool, somber gives me the feeling of swimming in a deep cold cold ocean, the animation introducing the album was stunning, the journey this album portrays is just wonderful concluding with A SFOS and Fly On its just so perfect and poignant, the feeling of longing each track has is exquisitely beautiful in its sadness, this one accompanies you as your heart is breaking into a million pieces all the way until you start seeing a glimmer of light, love how Chris bears his soul in this one and his buddies rally around him in support.

 

A head full of dreams: Too early for a proper list hehe but I love how its a a celebration, love Adventure best Coldplay single imo, the soaring Birds, the way the absence of someone you love is turned into something so positive in Everglow, Hymn is so epic and joyous, Kaleidoscope is the best Coldplay interlude imo very moving and lovely piano, how you can make a personalised cover! hehe, happen to love X marks the spot a lot, love how I listened to it for the first time and I was moved through and through while reading the colourful 360 degrees lyrics on the vinyl haha Good memories :), more to be added as this era evolves Im sure :)

Also, this album has my favorite line "I rather be a comma than a full stop" I'm not sure what that means but for me it represents what I want to achieve on what I do in my life.

 

Wow great time to discover Coldplay with an album like Mylo! hehe

 

And just because I like geeking about lyrics, to me that sentence can mean different things. One to me is saying that I´d rather believe in hope, in the future and in change (a comma as a pause that precedes a new sentence) rather than believe that things are hopeless or done for (a full stop ends your story). Another meaning to me is that I´d rather be dynamic and fluid rather than too rigid and black and white (the comma gives me a sense of fluidity, while the full stop makes me think of something rigid and absolute----"Only Sith deals in absolute" - sorry Star Wars pops up when you least expect it in my head haha)

 

Its one of my favourite sentences too by the way as well as "rose bursting through the concrete" and quite a few others :)

Wow great time to discover Coldplay with an album like Mylo! hehe

 

And just because I like geeking about lyrics, to me that sentence can mean different things. One to me is saying that I´d rather believe in hope, in the future and in change (a comma as a pause that precedes a new sentence) rather than believe that things are hopeless or done for (a full stop ends your story). Another meaning to me is that I´d rather be dynamic and fluid rather than too rigid and black and white (the comma gives me a sense of fluidity, while the full stop makes me think of something rigid and absolute----"Only Sith deals in absolute" - sorry Star Wars pops up when you least expect it in my head haha)

 

Its one of my favourite sentences too by the way as well as "rose bursting through the concrete" and quite a few others :)

I like your descriptions. I heard that song in a specific time of my life that gave even more hope on what I was doing. I think it means I prefer to be different/make a difference than be someone who is following what is established. I'm not talking about breaking rules lol. It's more about trying to look at the positive side of people/things, support people around me, be someone different from what people expect me to be. It’s like I won't stop making silly things just to look like a "normal" person lol.

I also like that line from Charlie Brown. Something that I also like from each album is that I can choose a favorite line from each song even when I don't like the song at all :)

"I rather be a comma than a full stop"

That's my favorite line too!

Parachutes: That it clearly is a debut record with sleepy, indie flavor. The album has some real alt-rock bangers (Yellow, Shiver) Some super well done radiohead impressions (Spies, High Speed) and a number of lovely acoustic tracks to roll yourself up in. Love each song and its somewhat introspective self-deriding lyrics.

 

AROBTTH: Dramatic, beautiful sound. Simple hard hitting songs with emotional peaks and addicting pop singles scattered throughout. Songs like Politik and the title track are uncommonly powerful for Coldplay, while Clocks and In My Place offer up catchy sing a longs. Some of the best tracks will hypnotize you with dark, moody guitar and piano: Daylight, A Whisper, Amsterdam.

 

X&Y: Space rock and newfound atmosphere! This album is a bit too long and has a few duds, but I love the grand space symphony production and Jonny's really stabbing guitars. This album has great alt-rock in Square One, White Shadows, Low. It has great pop songs with Speed of Sound, Hardest Part, A Message, Swallowed in the Sea. It has huge love songs too that we all chant along with: Fix You, Til Kingdom Come. A unique album with great tracks and atmosphere. (ORGAN!!!!!)

 

Viva: Everything. The commitment to experimentation and new production on Yes, Chinese Sleep Chant, 42, Reign of Love, and LiT. The amazing pop sensibility of Lost!, Lovers In Japan, and VLV. The sheer beauty and magnitude of Strawberry Swing, Violet Hill and DaAOHF. This album is incredible on all levels.

 

MX: I think this is easily Coldplay's funnest album (and also weirdest). The concept is just bonkers, and the lyrics are sometimes cringe inducing. BUT the sound definitely comes through. The first three tracks are so explosive, catchy, and fun. All are creative, lush, amazing pop songs. The first half of this album is a pop-masterpiece in my opinion, and even DLIBYH and UWTB are great closing tracks that stand as wonderful Coldplay tracks. Even PoC is fun to some level :)

 

GS: I love that the album is consistently downbeat and mellowed out. I like the commitment to glitchy, twangy sounds, the sheer beauty of some tracks: Oceans, O, AIMH. The short and sweet pop tracks are instantly catchy too and have great production: Magic, Ink, AA. Finally, the ambience that comes through is my favourite part of GS, from Midnight to the end of Oceans, to the opening and closing of the album, to the guitar finale of True Love.

 

AHFOD: I like the commitment to new danceable sounds on this album. It also has the feel of a Coldplay compilation to some degree. Amazing Day and Up&Up are very meaningful and lovely. Birds is fantastic, one of Coldplay's best. AOAL has one of Coldplay's (and pop's) best riffs of 2015. But honestly, I can't say there is much more I love about this album.

Parachutes: everything

AROBTTH: everything

X&Y: everything

VLVODAAHF: everything except Viva La Vida

MX: The concept was quite good, also the visuals. I liked also their live performance between 2011 and 2012

GS: I like the flow and the fact it's true to itself

AHFOD: Jonny

Parachutes: The acoustic and quiet songs.

AROBTTH: Lyrics, melodies, instruments, Chris' voice. Everything.

X&Y: The lyrics in this album have a personal connection to me. The album that helped me the most during the worst moments of my life so far.

VLV: I like to call it Viva La Vida lol this album is very special because it sounds epic and it has Strawberry Swing.

MX: I hardly listen to it but MX+HLH is fantastic and the Live 2012 shows how good the songs are live.

GS: The intimacy of this album, the quiet songs and the electronic drums. Also most of the lyrics and the cover art is perfect.

AHFOD: To see the boys so happy is enough. Also there's a vibe of hope on almost every song.

Parachutes- sculpture of their music, something eternal, out of reach, out of comparison to any other thing, deepnes, intimacy, search, way through a tunnel, belief in beauty, but not seeing it still..

 

AROBTTH-after Parachutes holding me on the sky, this album was very grounding for me, more realistic and profane, The Scientist and AROBTTH have led me to Parachutes, the lyrics of Clocks are the best lyrics ever (although I don`t love the melody, never managed to love it despite its popularity ), but the whole album didn`t really fell into my heart, something was missing a little.

 

X&Y- it was back to Parachutes somehow, to that sweet sadness and beauty, but with more light and optimism, great songs, great lyrics, guitars, feeling of hope and love. LOVE this album :)

 

VIVA- for me it was more rock album than others, a bit strange atmosphere, like I couldn`t get the point of it, like they were singing about something reserved only for them, dark album, not so close to me but I like that it was different to others, still with quality and Coldplay sound.

 

MYLO- beautiful album, one of the best, very close to me, full of energy, it moves me on, lifts me with flow of fight against everything, helps me to resist, to perserve, very hopeful and spiritual songs Up with birds, U.F.O., Us against the world, powerful messages in Every teardrop and Hurts like heaven, brilliant album, music, lyrics, guitars, makes me happy!

 

Ghost Stories: the whole album is really a gost story, story of human`s soul, of our past that shapened us, and now we are awakening that memories, that awareness, suffer, but with elements of hope, love, of sense and reasons for everything. Intimate story that touches me, every song is like a reveal, like a diary, that album touches me deeply, very poetic and spiritual moments with O, True Love, Ink, well even the artwork and every song from this album are heavenly. The words can`t explain :)

 

AHFOD-a little different album more open to wide audience, not only Coldplayers used to their sound and their beauty, an album also open to dancing which is my great passion and hobby, it`s a moving and lifting album, with some special wonders like Up&UP, Birds, Everglow, well... good job ;) :)