KidA

I used to think Coldplay were the best band in the world. They just had so many great songs! As the first band I loved I think this is understandable - but then as you discover more and music their basic faults start to appear as clearly their unique brilliance always did. I know that I'll always love large parts of their discography because, put simply, Chris Martin might very well be the worlds greatest melodist. He's incredible. And that gives them such a solid base to build every song up from - granted, the ambition and creativity with which they've done this varies from album to album but when they get it right it can lead to some of the most gorgeously constructed, indelibly melodic rock/pop around. They have such a knack for just nailing the instrumentation style and make the production compliment that perfectly. Take Viva, that sounds so grand and uplifting and it's because they got understood how to bring out the melodies perfectly. The same is true of AROBTTH and its intimate, intense style. Even when the overall album isn't great, they always get the overall sound right. However it's when you get past the melodies and production that some cracks begin to show, especially when viewed in contrast to several other more artistically developed bands or artists, and you see why they are not in fact considered the best band in the world. The lyrics are trite at worst, mediocre usually, and great rarely. After you've heard Bob Dylan, it's hard to get excited about vague, surface-level lines like "How long must you wait for it? How long must you pay for it?" The instrumentation often feels too safe for its own good - after you've heard heavier, more aggressive rock it's hard to feel thrilled by the guitar breakdowns Violet Hill. I often find myself wondering how much more intense and powerful such songs would be in the hands of other, less "soft" rock bands. And then you have the creative nose-dive most agree they have taken post-2009, which has been discussed so many times I don't need to run over it again here. And they're not the best band in the world because they never depart too far from the basic formula that underpins most music - Viva planted the seeds but they never allowed that creativity to grow. The great bands - Radiohead, The Beatles, even U2 in their own way created new and original ways of writing their songs, which Coldplay have never done. However, despite all their faults, I believe Coldplay were - and still can be - an absolutely superb band, certainly not deserving of all of the hate and disdain then recieve from music fans generally. When they make the music compliment the melody there's no one else that can match the universal beauty and appeal of their songs. They're not perfect, but they're pretty damn good. PS. All of this is, of course, completely off topic - but I think it's very interesting how your perception of a band can change over time, especially when you start appreciating others more and more.

Green Eyes AROBTTH is probably their best song lyrically, especially the verses.

I'm not trusting any list that puts Green Day ahead of Queen, Oasis and Nirvana in anything.

I'd be VERY surprised if AHFOD is released independently, but I'd be VERY happy to see them go indie post-lp7.

Moses

I think he meant that for AHFOD to be a big success or even get to number one this fall it will have to be a poppy record. Makes sense to me. Of course exceptions are possible but that's a pretty solid argument, especially given the musical climate at the minute and the expected competition. I think the hatred of pop comes from the fact that this is a fan forum for a band who's (in general opinion) downward spiral has coincided with their increasing use of chart-pop style music. I'm with them tbh. Coldplay can do so much more than chart music and that's why, in this context, I resent it. It seems to me after Viva they could have carried on being truly experimental, writing differently, continuing Viva's promise of better lyrics, adding new styles and instruments. That album should have been the genesis of a new, experimental Coldplay. They could have expanded on the shoegaze of Chinese Sleep Chant, the heaviness of Glass of Water, the classical of Postcards From Far Away. Instead they wrote simple, sing-a-long pop tunes and dressed them up in colourful Eno production. Not saying that's intrinsically a bad thing but it feels like a lack of ambition. In fact I think that sums up the feeling towards their new, chart-pop style - not inherently bad, but something of a let down.

Phil is certainly a better musician than Noel, as most musicians above a certain basic level I'd say. But the difference is the songwriting. Noel was a mind blowingly good songwriter in the 90s. After cocaine, his biggest hobby back then was writing classics. But as you say, off topic. I agree the record would be nice to have, but I don't really care if they don't get it. I'd love to see them beat Adele though, as unlikely as that is. Sorry for the double post.

I hope it didn't come across as I was saying Coldplay aren't good; clearly I think they are, I was saying that even if they do get the record - it's meaningless really. Do you really think Coldplay has the most consistent discography ever? Sorry if I misread you there, that sounds like what you're saying. To be honest if you don't think Coldplays quality has dipped at this point, I doubt you ever will. It's great to love a band that much, and I'm sure you'll get your wish! :)

No that's perfectly clear, and that would be a cool record for Coldplay to have. Although it seems unlikely Oasis and The Beatles are the only ones to do it though. Probably more. Although as Noely G himself once said - "Just because you sell a lot of records doesn't mean to say you're any good. Look at Phil Collins."

Moses

Ahem...https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis_discography And then there's the small matter of Noel's two number one solo albums, , meaning he has had 9 consecutive number one albums.

Moses

What do you guys use for making these? I'd love to have a go...

I Ran Away

I think a collaboration with Noely G is pretty unlikely - the music styles are too different these days for it to gel properly. I'd love to see that though, loving both of them. I'd just die if Thom was on the album, but I doubt it. Who knows though, considering Coldplays new electronic(ish) direction, he might be a natural step. I could see Coldplay adding layers to his minimalist stuff, like Hearing Damage or Guess Again! And in the realm of fantasy - the lead single is called "Introspekt - Coldplay feat. Thom Yorke/Noel Gallagher" It would be a piano melody like Postcards From Far Away worked into a ominous beat and synth line with verses sung by Chris and Thom before it explodes into a massive chorus sung by Chris and with Noel on backing vocals, followed by a f**k off guitar solo and a psychedelic outro. *sigh*

Nightmare tracklist: 1. A Head Full of Dreams 2. Never Give Up 3. Thinking Outside the Box 4. The Bright Side 5. Starlight 6. Love Story 7. Hope & Colour 8. New Beginnings 9. Nothing Like it Seems 10. Happily Ever After

Murder

Gonna try again... 1) Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends [9/10] 2) A Rush of Blood to the Head [9/10] 3) Parachutes [8/10] 4) Mylo Xyloto [6/10] 5) Ghost Stories [6/10] 6) X&Y [5/10] Just realised there isn't a single Coldplay album I wouldn't change the tracklisting to in some way... On Parachutes I'd swap High Speed for See You Soon On A Rush of Blood to the Head I'd swap A Whisper for Crests of Waves X&Y would look like this: 1. Square One 2. White Shadows 3. Fix You 4. Talk 5. Speed of Sound 6. A Message 7. The Hardest Part 8. Sleeping Sun 9. Gravity 10. Til Kingdom Come On Viva, I'd put Postcards From Far Away / Glass of Water between Lost! and 42 On Mylo, I'd swap Up In Flames for Moving to Mars In Ghost Stories I'd swap Ink, True Love and A Sky Full of Stars for Ghost Story, All Your Friends and Atlas respectively. Hmm.

I like it - although I always wished I was called Mycroft so what do I know?

I really like 1.36 - one of the few times it sounds like they're pulling no punches.

Whoops, sorry - I recognise people by their avatars mainly :) Diogo is a cool name...

To be fair, Viva is the least cliche-filled of their albums but it still packs a fair few on Lost and Lovers in Japan as you say. But X&Y is just FILLED with them...like FILLED. As is Mylo and Ghost Stories. About Oasis is interesting, they too were capable of great lyrics (and achieved it more than people think) but the difference is in Oasis you know songs like Supersonic are just deliberately devoid of any thought. Which, in their case, furthers the mood they're creating...like they're saying "Try and work this one out motherf**kers!!" and they really don't care what you think. Although Liam's snarling sneering vocals might be the thing giving that impression...on the other hand Coldplay's frequent lack of lyrical depth often doesn't work as you know it's trying to be deep and emotional. @Diego, no lol I don't have a problem with rhyming - I was saying an X&Y lyric like those in Swallowed in the Sea sound like just came out of a rhyming dictionary :)

Haha, that's a good explanation. I'd quite like to see how long it takes Chris to write this stuff...although as long as the rhyming dictionary is not far away... Seriously though it's such a shock to see so many praising their lyrics when for so long it's been considered a weakness. I guess the difference is whether you're ok with cliches, I hate them. Many clearly think they get the job done. It would be nice though to see an album where Chris just sets the rule - NO CLICHES. Like goes through the lyrics and just crosses out stuff like "Life goes on, it gets so heavy" or "get what you want but not what you need". Would be cool to see what he could come up with if he pushed himself, as to be honest I think he's pretty complacent in this regard.

Haha true, I can't STAND the lyrics to Swallowed in the Sea - like not even cliched, just stupid. Forget but not forgive? That doesn't even make sense.

I don't think it's subjective that Fix You's lyrics are cliched; they clearly are. Whether it gets away with this is opinion as you say. The lyrics you posted are another example of the bland cliches that plagued X&Y as a whole IMO, "fighting with my weak hand", "driven to distraction" and "all part of the plan" are familiar cliches, we've all heard them a million times before and Chris never explains what he means by them - why is he unable to deal with his problems? What are his problems? What is the distraction like? His lyrics rarely go deeper than a cliched expression of vague circumstances. Compare this with, say, Thom Yorke's lyricism around the time of The Bends/Ok Computer. A lot of the basic themes of these albums are similar to Coldplay at that time - namely paranoia, heartbreak, insecurity etc...but Yorke took his lyrics deeper by using striking, original imagery and by linking his pain with society, the media, and his own psyche to explain those themes in greater detail. Chris is capable of doing this, but he rarely does - and what you're left with is a string of bland, vague cliches like Fix You. Of course, the upside of these type of lyrics is that everyone and his mother will be able to relate to it in some way. Whether that is a good thing is, again, down to opinion.