footyfan10

I must say I don't understand why people could be annoyed at Bono for being a humanitarian. The stuff he does in Africa has absolutely nothing to do with the band, promoting the band or the like. I read the U2 book which was written by everyone in the band with occasional commentary from McGuinness, and everyone else seemed somewhat miffed at Bono for doing it. They talk about when he was a kid he was the same way though. Not that he was all about AIDs or Africa, but that he was out doing his thing, being popular or annoying or whatever you would like to call it. Bono has a personality, and its true, he's got an ego. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a heart. There's worse things he could be doing than helping people in Africa. And someone said the Irish are pissed at him, well from an irishman who is unfortunately in the states, i think there's a good comparison with that. I don't know how I know this, probably because I was watching some stuff with Bono and Africa, but Oprah does some humanitarian work in Africa too, and people from urban America are pissed at her because she's not "helping her own people". Her argument was that there was a vast difference between a poor person in Africa and a poor person in America. Here kids want TVs, video games, etc. In Africa they just want medicine, food, water. Now I don't know what compares to that in Ireland to be perfectly honest, but I do know much of the country is poor, but its not anything like Africa. Back to the band argument though. I must say I don't listen to these bands in one listen. Meaning when I want a certain type of music, I don't think I could listen to U2 and Coldplay. Same with Radiohead (im newer to them), I don't listen to them in the same sitting as Coldplay. These bands are very different within the same basic genre. And like people said, U2 has a massive amount of songs to choose from. In terms of great songs they've got dozens upon dozens. Coldplay has maybe two dozen good songs if you want to stretch it out. People need to stop comparing the music (unless obviously they start sounding the same) and realize that the comparisons are really just about being the "biggest band in the world"...whatever that really means. For those who bash U2 just to bash and play into the stereotypes of other misinformed non fans, listen to a greater breadth of their stuff. If you listen to All that You Can't Leave Behind, which is u2's second to latest effort, you'll see an album that in my opinion falls more under the coldplay type of music. It's floats and jumps about in songs like Kite and Wild Honey. Don't just listen to the popular stuff, especially the recent popular stuff which isn't the best they've done (Vertigo for example).

wow this was just jubilation and then falling to earth...

I'm also a huge U2 and Coldplay fan. I like lots of music from the UK, some of my fav bands being those i said and Oasis, snow patrol, keane, the beatles, the rolling stones, etc. U2 and Coldplay rain supreme for a couple of reasons, but they also aren't truly comparable because U2 has been around for thirty years and Coldplay have been around for almost ten. U2 like someone said is a great live band. They really get you into what they're doing, and while I've recently started liking some of Coldplay's live stuff a little bit better, I'd give u2 the nod here without thinking twice. U2's length of time as a band have allowed them to have a lot of great songs. per album they don't necessarily come up with lots of great one's, just a good single or two, and maybe some songs that will come into their own live. Coldplay have made albums in my opinion that tend to have at least half of the songs as absolutely top class. U2 took two albums to come into their own in my opinion, but they do have some redeaming songs from their first two efforts (Boy and October). War had a few really good songs. Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Years Day, 40. The Unforgettable Fire let them grow up a bit, and with that change they created the legend that is The Joshua Tree. The thing about U2's best albums is they make at least three songs that are just flat out class, like great singles. Coldplay have usually only had one or two songs that are pure class, and the rest just being really good. Bono and Chris Martin really are incomparable. Bono is an energy man. He's fiesty, he gets pumped up and he gets the crowd pumped up. He's a bit of actor too, with a taste for theatricality that's annoyed some of his bandmates. All this aside he is a great singer, with a classic voice. His lyrics are inspired, and quite complex, and when he really feels a song you can hear it in his voice. For Bono a lot of songs aren't just songs, theyre near and dear to his heart. This passion is something I think seperates him and Chris Martin. That doesn't mean Chris isn't class in his own right. He does have passion, as seen in Green Eyes, where his emotion just takes you into another place. But on the whole he's more downbeat, reflective i guess you could say. He and Bono do not have similar personalities. Chris like someone said is musically more talented. He connects to his audience with comedic value, more lighthearted than Bono. I don't think its necessary to get into the other stuff about the two leadmen, in terms of what they stand for outside of music. I respect both of them, and I think its unfair the way some people are annoyed by Bono. I think it would be better to be someone who takes initiative where most people would not, and use his celebrity for good causes than simply sit at home and be rich. I'm not comparing him to Martin there mind you, but really most rich people. Martin is involved in what he believes in, albeit to lesser media awareness. In terms of other bandmates. I think The Edge wins because he is quite possibly the most talented and innovative guitar player I've ever seen. He takes you places, and if he wasn't in U2, we wouldn't be having this debate. Buckland is great too, and I've been really impressed with him on Viva la Vida, but he's not Edge right yet. The other players are relatively equal, but its really hard to tell the difference with bass and drums because there's not enough to quantify talent. All in all I think they're both great bands, but definitely different bands. I've got to give Coldplay props because they seem to have hit a groove early in their career, whereas U2's career arc has been more of a middle, then WAY UP, then way down, than a little bump above the middle. I think Coldplay has only gone down with X & Y, which i think if they make a lot more albums, will be seen as a popular album, but not good enough on the long term. I think we can expect some amazing albums from Coldplay, maybe even one that defines them like The Joshua Tree, and we'll probably see a time when they take a misstep. Time will tell. Right now though, I think they are different. And I think whenever people compare them (and even when the band does) they are referring to the massive popularity, rather than type of sound. I don't envision a future where Coldplay sounds like U2, and I don't think anyone should worry about it.

yeah i always knew Chris was funny (if you guys havent seen him and Ricky Gervais interview, i can post it for you), but he's shown it a lot lately this song is interesting...lol, i dont know what else to think quite yet. some of these songs have been layed out in such a way that your getting an opening act and a closing act that are different (violet hill and lovers in japan), so maybe we'll get that with yes too...quite obviously there will be chinese death with it. yeah, i repeat this song is interesting, im looking forward to hearing it off the album

yeah i cant say i agree that this album is the wrong direction, if anything its the direction X & Y was not. every band needs an album where they throw most of their old stuff out of the window so they can see what its like to different stuff, and luckily IMO, this album did that without sacrificing quality, in many ways i think it increased their quality. think about the bands that last a long time, along the lines of a U2 or Oasis or The Rolling Stones (a really really long time), they all evolved. coldplay's evolution has been paced like U2's, who took a good five albums before they really hit one out of the park with The Joshua Tree. the fans obviously like the stuff before it (I love U2's early albums, and I obviously love Coldplays) but it wasn't until they had time to get big (in coldplays case going into X & Y) and then realize being big wasn't so great if it was just big and not better. which is exactly what Chris Martin said. I think Viva la Vida might be Coldplay's Joshua Tree, in that it has A LOT of top quality songs. I mean, right now there isn't a song i dislike, and ive listened to them long enough to start to be iffy on them. i mean, all songs sound good or bad right away, but once you get past that and you find you like them, you know you've got a grade A album. A Rush of Blood to the Head was a Grade A album, parachutes was an A- for me, but X & Y was just a B, because i look at a lot of the songs as ones that i wont be listenting to hardly at all after the album after viva la vida comes out. there not bad songs, but they aren't good either (what if, white shadows, a message, low to name a few). right now i like every new song because they all offer something unique. It's probably apparent I'm a big U2 fan, but I will say that in terms of breadth of top quality songs per album, they tend to do less than well. they usually have a few standouts, but because they've been a band for a long time it seems like they've made a lot of great albums. Coldplay was most like U2 with X & Y because it only had a few offerings I think we'll be hearing ten years from now (fingers crossed theyre still together!). Songs like Fix You, Speed of Sound, Talk, Swallowed in the Sea. But Viva la Vida looks like it could be the perfect record. So yeah, long story really long, i think this album rocks right now, and i can only hope that stays true when we've got the whole thing.

i cant say im feeling anything... in regards to wanting something to happen - for a while i wanted to hear the new songs, but i think thats just because we've been so spoiled with this new stuff. how many bands give you two different songs from their upcoming album, non-leaked? im impressed with all the new stuff, but i think it might be smart to not listen to anymore new stuff that may come out, because there won't be that new album feel...its already probably somewhat gone anyways. i would listen to the b-sides though, although i doubt theyll release any before the album, because if they do well they might feel dumb for not putting them on it...there's still the double album or two albums in a few months idea floating around (i paraphrase, but they said the bands working on new stuff in the emi release a week or so ago). maybe we'll get some of those songs they talked about before.

im pretty sure if it was released there would be some fanfare, an announcement, some word from coldplay or emi...but there wasn't so im guessing you have not heard "yes"

hold up i attached a small pic originally, i'll get as close to full sized as possible edit: Okay here it is [ATTACH]27465[/ATTACH] Okay i really don't know how to post a big pic, if someone could tell me id be more than willing to give you the normal sized pic, which is quite large

wow this guy is an idiot lol

depending on the type of person you are, i think there's always going to be that initial "I LOVE IT" or "this sucks...". i mean, certainly if a band completely screws it up most people will say it sucks, but thats definitely not the case right now. ive never been more excited for an album, and i was pumped for x and y. that being said when I first heard x any y i thought it was great. although it still didn't have the great first impression of arobtth. now a few years on there are only a few songs on x and y i think of that have great redeamable value. there's quite a few songs where i think, what were they thinking. arobtth is just really pure gold. there's songs for the masses to love that we can like to, there's song that no one will ever know about but the biggest fans and there are songs that hit different people in different (yet good) places. parachutes was a great opening act, and i think in time, that's what it will be considered. right now viva la vida is just blowing my mind though. my musical know how has improved quite a lot, as has my library, so when i compare it to the breadth of selection i have now i can't help but be impressed. the songs so far have all been masterpieces of their own making. i was extremely impressed by violet hill, and i now think it might be the weakest we've heard. coldplay stepped up their game in my opinion, and i really think viva la vida will be the defining album among their fans, if not the masses, who will likely cling, like someone mentioned, to the songs that made them popular.

yeah i actually got the pic from the article, i would post the actual thing, but i couldn't attach the file, and im not yet versed in all the ways of this site

I get entertainment weekly and was reading it when I came up this article. I'm not sure if this has been posted. It's a pretty basic article, but it outlines some stuff about cemetarties of london, 42 and lovers in japan, albeit not in great detail. Right now I'm having some trouble posting the actual scan of the article, does anyone know how I could do that. Until then I'll actually type out the whole article, which was relatively short. "Three albums inot their multiplatinum career, Coldplay have had a polarizing effect on music fans: Some praise the English quartet for their crescendoing lullabies; others scorn them as practitioners of mawkish, somnambulant tunes. 'I could walk down the street and get a handshake one minute - then spat at the next,' jokes frontman Chris Martin, 31. 'I'm never sure whether to wear gloves or a helmet.' Perhaps they won't require either anymore, because the band decided to switch up that sound for their latest, Viva la Vida, by recruiting producer Brian Eno (U2), famour for his layered, textured soundscapes, which he added to their compositions. 'After a month of working with Brian, we literally forgot we'd ever had any records out,' says Martin, 'We were free.' Hence the fresh addition of soaring riffs, Eastern rhythms (a result of their far-reaching travels), and ethereal group vocals. But freedom apparantly meant leaving certain things behind as well - most significantly, Martin's trademark falsetto. Says the singer, 'Between you, me, and all your readers, we're slightly terrified about this record, because we've thrown away all our tricks. The truth is, we tried to find new ones." Track by Track (which I should tell you is only four tracks, including Violet Hill, which I won't post due the fact we've all heard it) "Cemeteries of London" Recorded in a Barcelona church, the album's echoey second track set Viva's somber tone and features the bandmates chanting in unison. "When I imagine the song in my head, I see London in 1850," says bassist Guy Berryman, 30. "A hell of a lot of rain and men in top hats." Adds Martin, "Or when they were drowning witches in the Thames." "42" "It's a nod to U2's '40' and the Smashing Pumpkins' '1979'," cracks Martin, explaining this winding, three act opus. "I don't think you can try to be the best band in the world without having a song that's a number." "Lovers in Japan" "No one associates romance with Japan," says Martin of the song that most resembles the familiar wistful Coldplay style. "Everyone thinks Japan is just about Hitachi and neon signs, but every time we're there, we see these amazing sunrises. It's very sexy."

im going to be pretty disappointed if nothing significant comes out today...it cant be the ad, or they wouldnt have said the 21st, it came out yesterday on US tv...so maybe there's hope, but I'm doubting it. i shouldn't have listened to all the hype

im also a big U2 fan, so maybe thats why I like this song so much, but it really just gets me pumped up for the rest of the album...it leaves me wanting more. at first i wasnt to sure about it, but after listenting to it for sometime im really into it

I think it might be pertinent to say that iTunes has both Viva la Vida and Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends as two seperate albums. The details are differing on Coldplays main page, but both go to the same page. I'm just promoting dumb ideas, even though I said initially I didn't believe there would be two albums.

im not so sure what i think about this i dont mind most of the song, but i figured theyd go serious for the final verse...but it is a relief to see a band that doesnt take themselves seriously, which is quite different from most others

Yeah Amsterdam is one of those songs that just hits you in all the right places. When I first heard it I got chills - I still do. You can really see it, one of Chris's most potent lyrics.

My intial impression was they were tossing it up between two titles. VLV or DAAHF, but since I'm not so sure. iTunes does just list it as Viva la Vida, and they are informed about the title, so I doubt they'd make a mistake. This could indicate double album possibilities...idk.

I'm going to list these in a horizontal and vertical fashion because I think my top three are all pretty close and alternate depending on mood (which shows Coldplays range) 1. Viva la Vida 2. Lost! (Acoustic) 3. Violet Hill 4. Life in Technicolor (It's an excellent song, but unless something is wrong with the version I've got, its got no singing except for one "ooo", if this isn't right Itd be great for someone to fill me in) 5. A Spell A Rebel Yell (pretty obvious why its a b-side, its an interesting song, but not one i'll give more than the occasional listen to once the dust settles)

I like Coldplay's not exactly "new direction" but definitely the addition of new elements to their music. I think Violet Hill is the perfect blending of this. I can understand the dislike. It's certainly not traditional Coldplay, but I think what it retains is the things that underscore all their music - great lyrics, solid tempo, etc - I think ending it the way they did was also a masterstroke. I don't think I'd like it nearly as much without the ending, mainly because it would seem a little to different, but the end brings it all together. Great song in my opinion.

I really doubt that we're going to see a double album, as disappointing as that sounds. Although I do like the theory of one part being more upbeat and the other less. I'm pretty sure the more likely speculation is that they'll be releasing a lot of the songs that didn't make the final album a few weeks later or maybe as a bonus. Actually now that I think about it, didn't Coldplaying have an article up about Chris Martin talking about a buy one get one free type deal. Wouldn't this support the two album idea. Also the fact that the cover only says "Viva la Vida". That would be a great thing.

Yeah I'm into tons of stuff, Coldplay being up at the top, and I'm just hoping I don't where all this stuff out before the release of the whole album. Lost! the acoustic version is a great song. I don't know what they did for the non acoustic version, but I can't see how it could be better. It's just Chris and the piano, and while I'm loving the new Eno infused approach, I don't know how that would suit this song well.

Yeah haha. I get everything I can from iTunes. Unfortunately a lot of the stuff is released in EPs or just singles in Britain, and we never get to see them. Just like with all the music I like from over there. If it's available for purchase I'll buy it. If not, then I'm not hurting the band by getting it on download. But yeah, if no one knows its no problem. I didn't know if anyone knew off the top of their heads.

Also, I'd like to apologize for my first post being a non Coldplay related post. lol

Anywhere to find Oasis downloads Hey, I like so many of you am from the U.S., and we aren't nearly as lucky as the Brits in the music bands send our way from over there. There's quite a few songs I've listened to that aren't available for purchase over here, and I was wondering if you had any links to where to find some mp3 downloads of them. The main song I've been listening to lately is Sad Song.