It is something that Coldplay has not really been around all that long and is about to come out with their fourth studio album but yet they are one of the biggest bands of the era.

I am sure there are those who don't like them--but I have to say that I love most of the music this band plays----I like the sort of anthemic style of their music with songs such as "Clocks"

They certainly do know how to make music that appeals to the emotions and I think it would have to almost be a spirtitual experience to hear their music--especially songs like "Clocks" in a big arena with 15,000 other people with that sort of etheral sound, the laser lights and all of that.

I am wondering how many of you are Coldplay fans--do you love 'em or hate 'em and if you love 'em--are you looking forward to the new album due later this month?? Got plans to see them in concert this summer??

I count Parachutes in the top 10 CD's of the mell'00's (2000's).

I like Rush of Blood to the Head, but I don't think it's as good as Parachutes, IMO. X&Y didn't do a lot for me even if it was the first album in history to be #1 in 23 countries on the day of it's release... I like some of the songs, but most of them just don't stand out to me.

However, having said that, I have all of their "affordable" import singles many from different countries. As far as non-affordable, their original Safety EP sold for $400+ the last time I saw it on eBay, so I don't have it. Nor do I have the Christmas 2-song CD Mince Spice which also is outrageously expensive. Plus a few of the Holland imports that are like $150 for the three disc set, etc. Nor do I have the Ode To Deodorant Demo Cassette that just happens to be on eBay currently with shipping costs to the USA of $137...

So yeah, I consider myself a fan...

BTW, if you dig Coldplay, there are some really good discs you should pick up that are similar to Coldplay:

1. Thirteen Senses - The Invitation



IMO, this disc is better that Rush of Blood, but not quite as good as Parachutes. Yes, that was my avatar for forever... Their second disc, Contact, is about as good as X&Y.


2. Evermore - Dreams



This is phenomenal if you don't mind the Australian accents. This whole disc is intriquing. Their second disc, Real Life, is more poppy, but interesting as well.


3. & 4. Pineapple Thief - Variations of A Dream, 137



What Coldplay wanted to be... Variations of a Dream is in my top 5 for the decade. It's like the progressive rock version of Coldplay only not submersed in prog... There's much more instrumentation than Coldplay's attempt to make every song a radio hit. 137 is almost as good as Variations and has this great song called Kid Chameleon. Evermore listed above is half way between Coldplay and Pineapple Thief. TPT (The Pineapple Thief so as not to confused with Porcupine Tree [PT]) have several other discs. Everybody seems to like the new one really well, called Tightly Unwound. I'm still warming up to it, but I like it a little more each time I play it. These discs are all imports so they can be a little expensive. I have found ordering directly from them is the cheapest as nobody else is adding their fees into the cost.


5. The Doves - Lost Souls



I could have just as easily listed either one of the other CD's, The Last Broadcast or Some Cities. All three discs are good. The Doves actually pre-date Coldplay and probably should have been The Coldplay unless of course you speak with Travis fans... All three discs rate about the same as Rush of Blood to me.


6. Athlete - Tourist



There's a wonderful song called Wires on this disc. Their second disc, Beyond the Neighborhood, is at the same level as X&Y.


7. Longview - Mercury



Further was a big hit in England. This is just a tad heavier than Coldplay, but one listen and you know it's similar. Also, there's another band named Longview so you have to be careful what you are purchasing...


8. Embrace - Out Of Nothing



This disc contains a great song called Gravity. They have a bunch of discs that range from Travis to Coldplay to Radiohead.


9. Blue Merle - Buring in the Sun



Nashville's version of Coldplay. The lead singer sounds like Adam Dunst of Couting Crows. Good stuff if a touch country.


10. Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP



These guys have several CD's, but they're just a little too sensitive for me...


Honorable Mentions:

Rubyhorse - Goodbye To All That - a really good disc with a couple of great song, Fell On Bad Days and Can You Feel. I probably should have listed this one above instead of Turin Brakes, but some people really like TB...

The Engineers - A little more mechanical sounding but in the same vein

British Sea Power - Kind of like a non-poppy version of Coldplay

Son, Ambulance - American group that grew up with Bright Eyes

I wonder if Karin Bergquist likes Coldplay? I know she's a fan of Turin Brakes and Blue Merle.

BTW, I do know one Apple who probably likes Coldplay...Apple Martin.

That iTunes commercial makes me want to break something.

Seriously...we know Chris Martin wants nothing more than to be Bono, but could he be just slightly less obvious about it? On the other hand, since he's got all the moves and poses down, maybe he could make a living in a U2 tribute band if Coldplay breaks up.

if anyone is in the nyc area coldplay is giving a free concert at madison square garden in june 23rd

Say what you want, but I don't remember any U2 EP's going for this much cash:

eBay

But then again, I'm only an early U2 fan...Rattle & Hum and earlier...

And how do you know, that Bono doesn't want to be Chris Maritn? After all, he's married to...Gwyneth Paltrow!

Besides, why would CM want to be Bono, U2 were #2 to Michael Jackson in the 80's... Coldplay is #1 in the 2000's! That ranks them with Elvis, The Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson, and what's her name... Although, there's two year's left, maybe somebody will put out a "thriller" and steal the decade...fitycent could do it...but then that would only make him tied with Bono...

I think you may underestimate how big Coldplay is outside of America. X&Y debuted #1 in 23 countries. Nobody else has done that. I'm not talking about quality, merely quantity, as X&Y doesn't do it for me. But you gotta be a little impressed by how big this group is and the mere fact that it's not rap (remember the "c" is silent...)

I will agree that the commercial is obnoxious, but then again, most of them are!

I have to say, I don't really like coldplay. But there's something about the new single that seems - I dunno. I just like it. But yes Steve, that commercial is indeed annoying.

X & Y was the first one I bought and I love it! Parachutes didn't do as much for me and I still haven't picked up A Rush of Blood to the Head. I'm looking forward to the new one...

I'm listening to the stream of Viva La Vida now. It's quite good. I have a tough time figuring out how Brian Eno does it. So he doesn't play any instruments, and isn't super musical?? How does he lend such a quality to the things he produces??

There's a few Edge-y times with guitars on the new one (Cemeteries of London) but on my 2nd time through, the songs are all really great. I was only a casual Coldplay fan before, had purchased only Parachutes and X&Y.

42, Violet Hill, Lost! - actually, almost nothing on here I don't like, but these so far are the ones I want to play again when they were done.

So - the title track - the single - Viva La Vida - what's it about, do you think?

I wasn't sure what to make of it, but they played it live for the first time last week at the MTV Movie Awards, they had the sequence of red white and blue sections for each chorus, and Apple's dad says something about America at the end. Is it a "End of the American Empire" song??

I believe it was Keith who called them "soulless hacks" a few years ago. Not only am I with him, but I will be in NYC on the 23rd and won't go anywhere near MSG. Yick. Bad music. Bad.

i don't think i'd know a coldplay tune if it bit me on the ass. radiohead either.

Over on the CJMB, Jason called the band Muse as being "like Coldplay but without the sucking." Here's if Coldplay ever rocked.

Muse is awesome.

"Stockholm Syndrome" is effing SICK.

Muse is an interesting band. But we don't judge all musicians by how hard they rock, because if you did you wouldn't spend much time on this band's website... Personally, there are tons of bands that don't "rawk" that I dig. OTR would certainly be on that list!

I like a lot of Coldplay's music especially the Parachutes CD which at this point is still in my top 10 of this decade.

We live in a beautiful world...

No, but if you're going to pretend to be a rock band and strike Bono poses at every chance you get, then yes, you should rock pretty hard at least once in awhile.

Nah, they just irk me...remember during the mid 90's when British rock was huge and brash and made you feel really good instead of being all sad all the time? I miss that.

Actually, I didn't like the British groups in the 90's. I was into DADA, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Big Head Toad & the Monsters, Tonic, Sister Hazel, Dishwalla, Counting Crows, Black Crowes, Far Too Jones, Train, Red House Painters, Pat McGee Band and the blues (see the Blues Thread).

Of course, I didn't konw Porcupine Tree existed back then or things may have been quite different. As far as I am concerned, Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief, and OTR as groups rate higher on my list than Coldplay, but that still makes them top 5 for me in this decade. Currently, Elbow holds the 5th spot, but the new disc just didn't do it for me. Maktub is knocking on the door! Grace Potter & the Nocturnals have a very good start. The John Butler Trio is not far behind. Cowboy Junkies, Dolorean, Sound Santuary and Martin Sexton would round out my top 10 for the decade, but there's still time left!

So, what I'm saying is that Oasis, Tavis, etc, did nothing for me...

I'll take Coldplay, Athlete, Embrace, TPT, PT, Sound Sanctuary, KT, Duffy, even Josh Stone, over those guys all decade long!

coldplay...aren't they the band who's singer is married to gweneth paltrow? (i think his name is mr. gweneth paltrow, guess i've gotta brush up on my pop culture)

if so, i'm sure that being on constant rotation on "entertainment tonight" and on the pages of "people" magazine helps sell a a cd or two and put a few butts in the seats @ shows.

There are so many good melodies on the record. It's weird, there are 10 tracks, but three are long and stop mid-way and have another song. Not sure I've seen that done to this extent.

It's such a satisfying album. It's very very strange that there is almost no major beat snare on the whole thing. I'd say less than 10 minutes of the whole 43 minute CD has the main beat snare so typical in most music.

Strawberry Swing is my new repeat-play song. It's very Beatle-y, but in a less sing-song-y way. The melody is very sublime but grabs and sticks with me.

Also, the "first" song on the song Yes reminds me of something Damon Albarn would do.

same for me, only cowboy junkies.

yeah, yeah...

I'm sure resurrecting this thread will not be popular with some, but...

I've found that I've probably spun this CD more than any other cd in my collection in recent months. I never seem to get sick of it. I always hear something new when I listen. And, oddly for me, I like every tune on it. Every last one.

This actually surprises me a bit.

But I truly dig it.

We finally picked this up in Nashville today and listened to it, while on the way home from KY.

My wife and I really enjoyed it, althought we both kept waiting for Chris Martin's singing to head for the stratosphere since he's got such a range. I understand that there was a conscious decision made for him to sing in his lower range on this recording, and it totally changes the sound of their music.

It's pretty cool ...

Brian Eno rocks! (I have got to investigate his stuff, further)