A Rush Of Blood To The Head

I will risk being called a math nerd but I need to use that side of the brain to try to show why the number of Coldplay listens on Spotify is so confusing. So - some simple math. On Spotify The Scientist has 1.2 billion - that's with a B - listens. That's more than 15% of the world's population. I can't believe more than 1 in 10 people want to hear this song. But wait - it's far worse! Spotify has only 200 million subscribers. So on average, each Spotify subscriber has listened to this song six times and if only 5% of subscribers (being 10 million which sounds way too high) actually like - and listen to - this song, then those soup lovers have listened to this 120 times each. Why would anyone do that? Who are these people? Do you know any? I know none of my friends listen to it. Ditto for my enemies. But those people must exist. There can't be just one Gen Yer playing it over and over 24 hours per day.

I’m sorry for judging you Coldplay. This is honestly a great album. There’s something about the writing and tone, simplicity and emotion in the lead vocals that really get you

I remember watching a documentary once about how the Swiss army were working to develop bullets that caused less harm as they passed through people. The idea being that you could stop someone, but have less chance of fatally injuring them. Similarly, Coldplay have developed a brand of music so anodyne that it leaves almost no trace on the listener. I genuinely forgot it was playing at one point. Clearly they're earnest chaps, and mean well, but it's merely more evidence that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Overall I'd prefer to listen to this again than be shot (Swiss bullets or regular), but it's a closer call than it should be.

I feel like a lot of people are overly critical of Coldplay, more so than they need to be. These seem to be the same people I get into arguments with about the importance of pop music. Anyway, this album reminds me of a very specific time in my life so I can't help but like it.

2.4 + Had a burned copy of this in 2002 when I was going through a tough breakup. Initially some of these songs hit well but after about a week the goopy sincerity and simplistic song structures and lyrics began to grate. This is a Paulo Coelho-esque, universalist, "we're-all-in-this-together" soundtrack, where the songs paint a very basic emotional landscape - vaguely sad, vaguely longing, vaguely hopeful - such that anyone can fill in the broad strokes with their own flourishes and colors. It's lowest common denominator music aimed at drawing a broad swath of listeners, likely those with less discerning musical palates who seek affirmation in music and eschew any challenge. I imagine it also helps if your English language skills are still developing - Chris Martin's voice labors deliberately through stanzas of simple words, enunciating every "F", "C" and "S." Here's another album that makes me question the premise behind this exercise - is this really an album to hear before I die??

I’ve never been a fan of Coldplay but also never really listened to them, so in a strange way was looking forward to this record to either surprise me or confirm my dislike of them. Good lord they are the most boring, whiny, self indulgent band of all time. I will never understand the appeal of this band

Coldplay gets a bad rap for being bland or corny but these songs are compelling enough to me that I enjoyed the album quite a bit! Varied songwriting and solid hooks that keeps the runtime fresh, exceptional production that plays to that songwriting, and a few hit songs to keep things fresh at the halfway point. My biggest problem, however, is the runtime. A couple of songs in the back half could easily be axed to allow for a more digestible album, but instead it ends up feeling a bit bloated and kills the momentum near the end. The CD era of albums is certainly to blame for this, but alas.

This is a great album. Coldplay’s overplayed hits & media personas may lead one to lose sight of their innovation and artistry. ‘The Scientiist’ is cleverly crafted and executed perfectly. The album’s concepts and sequencing are very well thought out - great opener with a touch of turmoil, plenty of soaring chorus builds bathed in reverb, and somehow the sparseness of the guitar makes it that much more impactful. On a personal note, I will never forget performing Green Eyes’ at my friends Rob & Peggy’s wedding.

Its alright, it goes on a bit, as i listen to it i can image in parallel worlds people in wandsworth necking white wine around the kitchen table and talking about that time they went to a live gig and in another chris martin counting his spotify royalties whilst idly penning a tweet telling other people how to live Tbf this was the album they made before falling completely into the chasm of being superstar nobs so most of the tracks are still very listenable...clocks, the scientist and in my place are all great songs but its hard for me to listen to it without going to a mental place where chris martin is a nob and coldplay are boring which is a shame as this and 9parachutes were great in their time.

I'm biased because I'm a massive fan of the old Coldplay but I think this is a great album. The lyrics speak to me on a different level. The simplicity and tone of the music and vocals just hits the right spots.

Made me wanna hug my dog and drive off a cliff. Pretty good.

I couldn't even make it two full tracks in. I wanted to give it a more thorough listen and lay out all the reasons why Coldplay is boring music for boring people, but life is too short to waste listening to Coldplay.

If Coldplay were a spice they'd be flour

This album would be graded higher if people stopped hating on Coldplay for just being Coldplay; people are far too critical of them. Anyway, this was an excellent album, great vocals, lyrics, and instrumentals. They sound very unique and alot of the songs on the album are great. 10/10.

Maybe the best Coldplay album? I always forget how into them I was for those first few albums.

One of my favorite albums of all-time. Finished right after 9/11, it truly reflects vulnerability and pain.

Some great songs, but also a fair bit of filler. Struggled to make it to the end! Between a 3 and a 4, but as it’s Coldplay I’ll round down.

Highlights: God Put A Smile On Your Face, The Scientist, Daylight I've always thought of Coldplay as the alternate-universe version of Radiohead that continued to explore the Pablo Honey sound and style; and surely there is room for both versions. As such, I never understood the hate that Coldplay gets...They're one of the biggest acts in the world and every one of their albums top charts. For good reason, too; Chris Martin's instantly-recognizable voice is the backbone of every song, accompanied by Buckland, Berry, and Champion, every song feels bigger than the sum of its parts, but not overwhelming. God Put A Smile... is enrapturing and captivating, probably one of the band's strongest cuts, but then it's followed by The Scientist, which is almost as fantastic. Clocks and Daylight at the crest of the record keep the highs going...Near the closer is the title track which also serves as an apt description. Rush of Blood might be peak Coldplay, but it would be be a disservice to the listener to stop the journey here.

It’s fun hating Coldplay, so don’t tell anyone I actually, really rather enjoyed this.

It was inoffensive. I need a 2.5 star option. This falls right at neither agree nor disagree.

Chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord man these guys really chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord stick to what they know best and the melodies chord chord chord chord chord chord chord themselves are often quite pretty but the lyrics chord chord chord chord chord chord chord are the soul of jejunosity and Mr. Martin’s voice is nasal and whiny and always chord chord chord chord chord chord flat oh and ugh here comes the falsetto part chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord again it all starts sounding the same and it’s really is quite a challenge getting through the chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord chord whole album chord chord chord chord…

It's Coldplay. Bland and repetitive.

Shite music for shite cunts

I think people know this album as the one with Clocks & The Scientist – I certainly did, and I won’t act like I’m not guilty of that. It's more than that; It’s an instant classic. In terms of sticking to a theme, expanding on that theme, and keeping both a vocal style & an instrumental style that hooked me in, I think the album as a full experience was as enjoyable of a listen as I’ve gotten out of any other album. If I’m being nitpicky about it, then… yeah, the album sticks to its theme really, really hard, but it doesn’t really feel repetitive to me, even though we’re dealing with a similar one throughout. Much like Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, it’s not a full 5, but it’s so close to a 5 for me that I think I have to rate it that.

I'm often conflicted when it comes to Coldplay's music. The songs are trite and sappy. They are pseudo-serious and irritating. That said, they are also undeniably catchy. Every song has a good hook. Many on this list love to hate Coldplay. And I can understand the aversion to music that is, at times, saccharine. I just can't seem to figure out if I, too, truly despise the band; or maybe I have allowed peer pressure to stop my feet as they unconsciously tap along to the songs. Dave Grohl once said that "the whole guilty pleasure thing is" ... well ... to paraphrase ... BS. Maybe he's right.

I find the popularity of Coldplay's dull music kinda irritating. Has anyone ever said "I got into music and formed a band because of Coldplay"? But to it's hard to knock the accessibility of their songwriting and ignore some of the megahits on this album. 7/10

While I'm not a fan of what Coldplay has become, there's a reason they got to be so huge and this album is an absolute masterpiece. It's moody, has great heart and emotion, it's so easy to get into this and every song is a banger. There's a huge run of hits but even the tunes that didn't become radio hits are all great, Politik is an excellent opener. The band went on to lose the magic that made this album so fantastic, and their new tunes are all focus-group pop music to appeal to the masses. But despite the future that comes, this album stands on it's own and is worth five stars easily.

Tranquil melancholy.

Coldplay might be boring but this is a good album

Not a fan. This is the kind of soft rock that plays in the background of an accountant’s office.

The hum of a ungrounded turntable is more interesting than than this tribble.

The band that put me off music and caused me to lose faith in the human race.

With this project I find it hard to break away from the nostalgia of albums I loved in younger years. Conversely it's the same to listen to music of bands I hate. I tried but it's still shit. The music is dull the lyrics are so ernest I want to barf . His vocals are those of a bored supply teacher. I hate this so much.

A very meaningful album to me. Has been with me most of my life. Many memories listening to this. Music is very good too. Clocks (glad they delayed the release to include it) and The Scientist are amazing, but I wouldn't skip a song. Lots of hate for Coldplay, but back then, they were on top of their form, and made great sounding music.

Sure, they've gone steadily downhill from this point, and sure, the band name alone comes loaded with negative preconceptions these days, but I'll go to bat for this album, no problem. It's their best by a comfortable margin. Anthemic, melodic, but also with a little bit of voodoo in the rhythms and guitar parts that really suits them. 13 year old me spent his pocket money on this. No regrets. No skips.

Fuck the haters; the first four Coldplay records are all legitimately great and there’s a reason this sophomore effort sent them into the stratosphere.

Classic Coldplay album with great lyricism and wonderful production. Every track was fun for me. I love the mix of piano and guitar.

one of my favorite albums ever - a true masterpiece front to back. Amsterdam is such an underrated song. Coldplay's best album bar none, and one of the best of the last 25 years

Will always love this album

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again. Coldplay has 3 perfect albums, and this is one of them! Incredible songs all the way through, with lots of variation and genre blending. A thoughtful progression of tracks and sounds.

Barely a weak moment - a band at their peak. Politik sets the bar really high from the off and it flies from there for me. God put a smile on your face, Clocks, The Scientist, Warning Sign. A couple of weaker moments but it finishes on a total high with A rush of blood to the head being another standout track - an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great album. The last one of theirs I really cared for.

chronic coldplay enjoyer

The great con in muso circles is that Coldplay are shit. You can't be part of the club if you like Coldplay. How embarrassing! But of course, they're actually pretty good. The songs are solid, well put together, and quite effective. There is an actual reason they're so popular amongst the great mass of musical plebs. I'm glad some people on this project are coming to the same conclusion - as am I! Before this I mostly wrote them off, but now I'm middle-aged and I don't care and I like what I like, with no pretence. Overall this is pretty solid, with some nice tunes in there. 3.5 rounded up.

Det er rimelig nemt at hate på Coldplay, fordi de er blevet så store. Derfor overraskede det mig lidt hvor godt jeg kunne lide den her plade og hvor meget jeg er vokset med den her opgave. Stort set alle sange var fine og der er de klassiske bangers, som alle kender, The Scientist, Clocks, In My Place (Som jeg også spillede i band på gymnasiet) Den her plade gav mig plads til lidt refleksion omkring mine musikalske fordomme og det skal den sgu lige have tak for!

This is Coldplay before they started acting like ridiculous rock stars. The songs are tight and refreshing. The syncopation of Clocks is a standout and brought a wider audience to the band. Afterwards, Coldplay became self-absorbed, experimental (not in a good way) and phone-it-home dull.

I didn’t realise how many of Coldplay’s hits were on this album. Banger. 8/10

Hating Coldplay is NPC behaviour.

I guess I can see why they were so popular, its not music that will offend or challenge anyone. Not my cup of tea

You’d think an album called “A Rush of Blood to the Head” would be a little less fucking boring, but here we are. Coldplay has a deft ability to take Radiohead’s mope-core, wring out any sense of urgency and dial up the malaise a notch or so. The end result is an album that is likely to become the ideal soundtrack to your somnambulism.

For most artists, the album project has allowed me a deeper appreciation that I might have missed before. Unfortunately for Coldplay and their legion of fans that exist for some reason, I am becoming radicalized in the "Coldplay sucks" camp whereas I was indifferent before. Like the diehard fans, their music also brings me back to my childhood. However, it evokes memories of hearing this bland adult contemporary shit on the radio. I thought listening with fresh ears and an open perspective would allow me to understand what so many others love about them. I guess it's just a "you had to be in the fan club" kind of appeal, because in the words of Siobhan from Banshees, "You're all feckin' boring!"

The problem is, lots of people now realise that Coldplay are quite dreary. Dreary doesn't mean rubbish, but, to me, they had that thing: a moment of impact when they briefly seemed exciting, but then, a few albums in, it became clear that they were actually always pretty dull (see also James Blunt, Ed Sheeran). It's impossible for me to listen to this now without hearing the inherent dreariness. The most enthusiasm I can muster is that there are a few pleasing, less predictable chord progressions now and again. But I like my rock to have a bit of edginess and swagger. Call me shallow, but Coldplay are a big snooze-fest. 5 out of 10.

I cannot believe this record is on here. It is the very definition of "fine". Absolutely no one NEEDS to hear this record before they die.

Coldplay is so boring. Don’t know how they got so popular

Maudlin claptrap from a sub par singer. A band for people who don't like music.

For me Coldplay is the U2 of their generation, and I like them just about as much. I just don't get them.

Coldplay is sort of my nemesis so I hate to say that while I didn't enjoy this album, I can understand why others do.

I like my version of X&Y more, but this is a better album. So much promise of what they could be vs. what they became.

I had this album in college. I've liked it since then, so this one should be easy. Even the songs I don't love as much, like Daylight, are still strong. It's also hard to beat the run of Politik to Clocks for five-track groups. It's been a long time since I've listened to the album all the way through, and this listen caused me to pick up on the time and longing themes that seem to cycle through the album. Lots of ideas about missed opportunities, rewinding time, and a clock motif in multiple songs (also reflected in the rhythmic instrumentation in songs like A Whisper).

One of my all time favorites. Two pop sensations, 4-5 more classics, and then Coldplay's best song (Amsterdam).

It slaps don’t @ me

Coldplay is a worldwide icon and deserves all the praise it gets.

Favorite Track: The Scientist

One of the reasons I’m enjoying 1001 albums is that it throws up albums I’d never normally listen to, and sometimes those I’ve never even heard of. But also because sometimes it throws up an old album that I played a lot at the time, but haven’t heard for many years. This is one of those. I had it on CD in the car and listened to it to death. I loved it then. But 20 years later and Coldplay have become the band that everyone loves to hate. Chris Martin is a bit of a twat. In fact whenever I’ve seen them interviewed the whole band come across as nobends. Every album they made after 2010 was shite. And when I took my family to see them at the Emirates in London about 15 years ago the sound was diabolical. And they had the gall to have the fucking dreadful Rita Ora as support (because she was a 'prodigy' of Martin's bestie JayZee by all accounts). So their decision making is clearly suspect too. And they’ve headlined Glastonbury far too many times. So...if everyone hates them … why do they still sell out stadiums and fill the Pyramid Stage field? 
 Basically I’m hunting for reasons to dislike this album. But I can’t because it’s still brilliant. Pity.

You wanna know how I know you’re gay…? Kidding aside. Coldplay Vida la Vida and earlier is pretty great. They’ve fallen off very hard, but this is solid stuff here. The Scientist and Clocks are definitely the best, but In My Place is good too. It’s not a 5 because it does drag a bit at the end.

I've never listened very closely to this before, and was amazed to find the lyrics more trite even than I had imagined. That takes some effort! It's a lot to put on the shoulders of a single album, but this one in particular stands as a symbol of the complete collapse of quality "alternative" music from the creative heights of the '90s into the tedious sludge of the 2000's and beyond. This mirrors quite closely the general degradation of Western society, which perhaps tracks with the substantial quantities of this record sold in that period. Just kidding, it's still better than any 2000's U2 album! It's fine..

I think Coldplay will continue being a singles band for me. They've had some bangers through the years, including 'Clocks' from this album, but having listened to the whole of this album I don't find myself enjoying the rest of it nearly as much Standouts Clocks Amsterdam 3/5

I've only previously heard their radio hits, so I know it's not necessarily a representative sample of their sound, but from that exposure I haven't formed a very positive association of Coldplay. And now, after hearing this album (plus knowing that I have their debut album in store at some point down the road in this collection), I'm not sure my opinion has changed much. For good or bad (and in my case mainly bad), Chris Martin's warbling/keening style kind of dominates the experience of listening to a Coldplay song, and it seems like almost every single one of their songs is somehow THE MOST IMPORTANT EMOTION AND CONCEPT YOU WILL HEAR, even though I can't usually understand what he's singing over the wall of symphonic and urgently authentic music. It's likely my prejudice against them more than anything else that makes me cringe when I hear a Coldplay song, and feel like they're just trying *way* too hard to sound like they're the most emotionally attuned band on the planet. And the videos for their singles don't really add (or subtract) to this impression, sadly; well, except for the surprisingly dark video for "God put a smile on your face", which didn't seem to have anything to do with the song but had a great (dis)appearance by Paddy Considine.

I expected Coldplay to be worse. They get a bad rap, but this album was pretty good. It doesn’t hold up as well as some other albums of the time, but it can still be enjoyed every once in a while. Not too original, but by no means is it a bad album. 3/5

Who can doubt this record’s effectiveness? Engineered to the nanometre, wind-tunnel tested for the sleekest form, words stripped of any friction, which is to say concrete meaning, anything to delay the instant digestion of big vague swishy feelings. It’s a giant, modern mall, muzak included, emptied all for oneself, apart from the meat-craving zombies.

Gonna do some live notes on this one. First two tracks bore me. Was surprised to hear the third track, God Put A Smile Upon Your Face, sounded a little angular, there was a little edge in the bassline and guitar work. This song sounds like it could be a Stone Temple Pilots cover. The chorus is a little unimaginative though. Also, I have yet to hear any particular thought-provoking lyrics. The Scientist. Of course am familiar. This is the kind of basic, repetitive, overproduced global hit that turns my stomach. It doesn’t move me the way it thinks it will. I’m a little annoyed that 1001 Albums is making me listen to this tbh. I could have died without hearing this without issue. Also familiar with Clocks. It’s admittedly a cool walk down part on the piano on which the entire song is built. But damn, it just repeats forever. The bridge is not a big enough departure from the pattern. They built something cool from that repetition but after a couple times through, I’ve had enough. Speaking of clocks, this is 54 minutes of my life I won’t get back. Well, Daylight is different! Cool bassline in the verse. Then, are those strings tracked backward? Some cool stuff in the verses. 3rd track and this definitely the highlights of the album so far. Still surprised how bland and generic the lyrics are. I expected they’d be better from reading a few album reviews. Shrug. Lyrics are pretty subjective anyway. Green Eyes doesn’t blow my mind, but it’s nice to hear a different sound from them. Acoustic with country influence. Lyrics suck again though. Maybe I was under the wrong impression, I thought Chris Martin was supposed to be good lyricist. Sounds mostly trite to me. Warning Sign - in the first two minutes, the entire four-plus minutes of this song have bored the shit out of me. Whisper - OK, well they’ve found something cool here with the 3/4 time. So I’ve learned that there’s more to Coldplay than the antiseptic pop they got huge with. Again, some cool bass things and production giving it an off-kilter dreamlike feel here. So that’s a compliment, right? Rush of Blood - lyrically, I see the Johnny Cash and Nick Cave influences Martin mentioned to Spotify. But it’s too clean and shiny for the darkness it tries to convey. Amsterdam - well, going into it I’ve heard a few songs with the same title that are good. Can they pull it off? … more than halfway through and not looking good. … And no, nothing interesting here. While this track wraps up, I’ll confess I am not sure what it is that I have against Coldplay. I guess it’s that nothing moves me. Almost like it’s trying too hard to be more than it is. It projects a lot of emotional drama, but I don’t feel any of it. Perhaps my authenticity detector is picking up songs being written for popularity rather than for art. Sounds pretentious but just trying to verbalize the way I take in this band’s music. I will say there were three (God Put A Smile, Daylight, Whisper) tracks that make me appreciate them a bit more after this listen. Don’t mean to be harsh, this is a perfectly fine album, but unfortunately that’s all it is.

I'm still not a fan of Coldplay. Off to a great start...

Coldplay just sucks. Boring basic music for boring basic people.

Nobody must hear Coldplay. They're just there. Like magnolia walls. As an experiment if I have heard an album before I'll listen to it without the singles. Different Class by Pulp would be great album without the singles. This, well without the singles it's one star.

2-3. Very coldplay-y

Bland, soulless music for middle class dinner parties where the food is varying shades of grey, and the conversation dull. Utterly pointless drivel.

Like listening to paint dry. This album is 23 years old and I still haven’t learned to like it’s smug, saccharine, forced stadium anthems and especially that audible self-impressed grin that you can in the vocals. Coldplay have flayed the flesh from the bones of your favourite 70s soft rock acts and are wearing it as an ill fitting costume and it’s embarrassing.

gay

Coldplay just headlined Glastonbury for a record fifth time, with one reviewer saying that it would be churlish not to enjoy their performance. Well, I’m that cold-hearted churl. I hate Coldplay. I hate their mind-numbing, faux-earnest, emotionally-manipulative songs. I hate that they normalised eschewing innovation and making unchallenging edge-free pop rock for the 21st Century. These days, they’ve realised that bands are no longer the moneymakers so they’ve switched to making “EDM” with emojis for song titles, which seems like the logical conclusion to their race to the bottom. Fuck Coldplay.

Please make it stop.

Ugh. The most nothing type of nothing music. Cod feeling cod emotion, awful awful awful. I call stuff like this music for people who don't actually like music

"1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and you want me to waste precious minutes of my life listening to fucking Coldplay?! Are you fucking serious? This list sucks

An album full of hsbc adverts

Couldn't do it. Awful play

Bland music that makes millions of people who don't like music fall into some soma version of "happiness" I guess? Best Tracks: God Put a Smile on Your Face; The Scientist; Clocks;

Coldplay sucks

listen, i love coldplay and i'm not even sorry. i don't love all coldplay and i especially don't love the more recent things but THIS album, come on. this is a GREAT album. it is just banger after banger. politik. the title track. all the singles. AMSTERDAM??? my memory of this album is listening to it in the back of the car on a cd walkman (lmao) on a family holiday in france. i was 14 and it was the early noughties and it wasn't (that) uncool to like coldplay yet, peep show hadn't come out yet so there was no quote from super hans to bring up every time someone mentions coldplay, it was a simpler time.

Peak Coldplay, amazing

Finally [[Coldplay]] with Clocks.

Fuck yes! Love me some Coldplay. Had to pop on my old CD copy of this terrific album. I don’t care what the haters say, Coldplay is always a joy to listen to. Which sounds weird because most of their shit is sort of sad and depressing, but they always seem to squeeze one or two upbeat tracks onto their albums to turn those frowns upside down. Was lucky enough to catch these guys live back around 09-10. The only band that’s even come close to matching the positive vibes of a Flaming Lips show.

This was one of first albums I ever bought. First 5 or 6 it doesn’t really miss a beat. Does eek out a bit at the end but still a nostalgic 5

Maybe it’s nostalgia talking, but A Rush of Blood to the Head is a great album from start to finish. Every track holds up; it's emotional, well-crafted, and memorable. It might just be Coldplay’s last truly great album. It’s a shame one joke from The 40-Year-Old Virgin did more damage to the band’s reputation than any of their actual music. This record deserves better.

4.5/5

I think this is a great album. Sounds great, and the songs are just beautiful. It is a bit frontloaded, but there's not a bad song here. "Politik" is an incredible opener, and other standouts include "In My Place", "The Scientist", "Clocks", and "Warning Sign". 5 stars.

Phenomenal superstar-making second album from the Coldplay clan. Parachutes as a debut was great but here they step up the consistency and quality of their songwriting a further notch and create a true blockbuster for the ages where every track is amazing, every track is a stunner. On A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay do ascend to the top of Mount Olympus and become the Zeus of searing, heartfelt, starry indie and soft rock balladry with timeless hits such as In My Place, Clocks and The Scientist, stellar strength in depth such as Green Eyes, Warning Sign, Amsterdam and the title track plus crashing, 9-11 inspired opener Politik and hugely fine, hypnotic deep cuts like Daylight and A Whisper. In terms of sheer overall magnificence it is like Abbey Road, Rumours, OK Computer, Thriller, Songs In The Key Of Life Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here and the good parts of Beatles White Album all whisked into one. 5+

My interest in Coldplay dropped off around Mylo Xyloto but their first four albums were a solid run; I don't put them on very often anymore, but I still enjoy them. I'd rank A Rush of Blood at #2 (I think X&Y would be my #1; looks like that one missed the 1,001 cut). It's good throughout, but some standouts are "Politik," "The Scientist" (an all-timer, more than likely Coldplay's best track), and "Clocks." Sometimes I do feel unsatisfied by the opaqueness of most Coldplay's lyrics - few of their songs ever seem to me to be about anything concrete. Instead they seem more focused on delivering texture; you bring your own thoughts and emotions to project onto them.

A day-one album with zero skips. I remembered almost every lyric on the first listen this morning, which makes sense when I think about the hours I spent in the mid-2000s learning Clocks, The Scientist, and Green Eyes on piano/guitar. Huge influence on my own songwriting. Hard to overstate how seismic this music was for me and my friends. As much as I roll my eyes at the current place Coldplay occupies in the culture, A Rush of Blood to the Head holds up so well, and it’s clear to me much it shaped my adult taste in music.

GOD

The first 6 tracks are fantastic and for that alone the album is a 4.5 for me. I'm bumping to 5 ... is that crazy? This is an all timer for me and one of the greatest albums ever? I guess? Such an easy listen even if the last 2 tracks are a bit limp.

Look, sorry, Coldplay is my favourite band. Though this isn't my favourite album of theirs - that's "Viva la Vida" - I still think AROBTTH is a really strong album. There are so many iconic Coldplay tracks on this album (i.e., "The Scientist" and "Clocks"), and the sequence of the first five tracks is such an incredible run. For me, I dislike "A Whisper" and "Daylight", which I think are two of the worst Coldplay tracks ever, but it also has some of my favourites, in "In My Place", "GPASUYF", and the title track. I also love, love, love the album cover, and I think it's one of the best album covers in existence. This album is really a 4.5 for me, but I've cried too many times to "The Scientist" for it to only be a 4.5.