Coldplay are still touring hard in the US in support of not only fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and latest EP Prospekt’s March, but now also the live CD LeftRightLeftRightLeft, all the while preparing for ANOTHER album that is supposed to hit shelves later this year, reports Pretty Much Amazing (dot com). Here's their online review of the new CD, along with some fan mini-reviews:
Chris Martin is really trying to squeeze as much as he can from his band, because wasn’t it the blue-eyed Coldplay frontman who said, “I’m 31 now and I don’t think that bands should keep going past 33.” Either way, we're excited at the chance to catch Coldplay live again — they’re truly fantastic, and equally excited to hear another album from the band in the upcoming months.
I guess a good middle-ground for the two is this new, free live EP that Coldplay has begun to hand out at their shows. For those not lucky enough to catch them live, the band is now giving the EP for free online. Coldplay are a bunch of stand-up guys, aren’t they?
I uploaded this onto my iPod as soon as it finished downloading and I’ve been running through the songs all weekend long. I’m not a huge fan of live albums, but sometimes these live albums are beyond words. It has a lot to do with the band, but even more with the crowd. There is such a thing as too much crowd participating, but no one likes a dead crowd either. On Left Right Left Right Left, Coldplay have found the perfect magnitude of cheering, yelling, and singing along in this crowd. The EP runs a delightful and generous 9 tracks spanning Coldplay classics (”Clocks,” “Fix You”), Viva highlights (”42,” “Strawberry Swing,” “Viva La Vida”), and Prospekt’s March filler.
Glass Of Water:
The EP opens up with said Prospekt’s March filler, “Glass Of Water,” and ironically, it’s one of the best tracks on the EP. The song opens up to a roaring crowd silenced by a combination of stuttering keys, electric guitar and Chris Martin’s voice. Crowd participation is limited to light cheering. I’m assuming not everyone in the house has Prospekt’s songs memorized like they do Viva La Vida. All that’s about to change.
Viva La Vida:
Shockingly, the crowd did not go wild when “Viva La Vida”’s oh-so familiar string arrangement permeated form the stage. Definitely a show highlight, this rendition of the upbeat “Viva La Vida” depicts a crowd having the time of their lives bobbing around and singing along to 2008’s biggest hit. “Viva La Vida” is a particularly great song to see performed live. Chris Martin’s captivating stage presence is made known through awkward dancing and erratic jumping about the stage. If you saw this year’s GRAMMYs, you know what I’m talking about (and if you didn’t, watch this).
Clocks:
You don’t feel the crowd loose complete control until one of the world’s most recognizable piano melodies resonates throughout the sold-out arena. “Clocks” has always been my favorite Coldplay track, as well as a personal all-time favorite. Looking back at the times I’ve seen Coldplay live, I recall fire in Chris Martin’s eyes. You can’t see them now, but by listening to this live rendition of the career-defining “Clocks,” you can feel the band’s passion. This is a band still excited about what they do every night, tens of millions in album sales later. What more can you ask for?
Some fan reviews:
Missing some of my all time favs, like Yellow, but a great live album. “The Hardest Part” is a nice surprise, cuz its stripped down to the bare bones with just Martin’s piano supporting a far more restrained vocal. On X & Y, its all light-weight but on this stripped down version, it is far darker. Will Champion also sings well on “Death Will Never Conquer”, which is pretty unexpected. Great of them to give this out free… [David~!]
I downloaded this EP the day it came out - really pumped for it. I was at the first friends and family show for this tour back in June of 08, and the experience is something that will always stay with me. I like the track selection, it gives a good taste I think of what the show is like. You get a good balance between the very choreographed moments that make a Coldplay “show” SO COOL - and the stripped down, unexpected, improvised moments that prove what a truly great band they are. HOWEVER. This EP leaves out a lot of, what I thought, were the highlights of the show. The points that were filed with emotion, that shook the arena floor, and that were really unforgettable (which is probably the idea, since they want people to buy a ticket - but STILL, how great was the 2003 Live record!!) [Evan]
Someone mentioned this on Twitter, so obviously I downloaded it, even though I thought Coldplay were a bit boring. And then I listened to this, and immediately looked them up on YouTube and HypeM and very nearly bought all of their albums. So yes, I liked it rather a lot. [sarianna]
This giveaway is an amazing treat for all loyal Coldplay fans. I hope this will further help people realize that Coldplay are not in this for the money or the awards but rather because of the beauty of music itself. It’s wonderful hearing the “oh oh ohh oh oh ohhh” chant during Viva La Vida, just goes to show that music really is the universal language. [Alejandra]
They were in New Zealand earlier this year, but i couldnt afford the ticket price! So its therefore great to hear an album where i can turn it up loud and actually imagine being there. Clocks especially, i can just picture in my head what it woul dbe like- they have got that perfect mix between vocals, insturments, and more importantly in this case- the crowd. Good Effort Coldplay! [simon D]
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Don't forget, the free download of Coldplay's new live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, is currently available for download on Coldplay.com. Click here to download your free copy. Copies of the CD are being handed out to all fans at every remaining Coldplay live show in 2009 (apart from Festival shows). The free download will also be available from Coldplay.com until the band play their final 2009 show.
What do you think of the live album? Let us know your early thoughts on all the tracks at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks tauiwi, Macbook86, marie/pims & ravrat]
The album was recorded over the past year in various cities around the world on the Viva La Vida tour. Its tracklisting is as follows:
1. Glass of Water - 4:44
2. 42 - 4:52
3. Clocks - 4:40
4. Strawberry Swing - 4:16
5. The Hardest Part / Postcards From Far Away - 4:15
6. Viva La Vida - 5:24
7. Death Will Never Conquer - 1:39
8. Fix You - 5:39
9. Death And All His Friends - 4:24
Total Running Time: 35:52
Review by: prettymuchamazing.com
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