Coldplay VS. Metallica in 2008

[lazarus]

Critical success is often inaccurate. White Stripes get all this praise from critics for whatever reason, though no one's gonna care about their music 10 years from now.....

You can add that one to the list, Dalton.

On the "idiotic" side.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

I wouldn't completely write off Coldplay. I think X&Y and Chris Martins shifting personality have damaged them significantly, but try and remember pre-X&Y, pre-Chris Martin acting like a tool at every opportunity. Parachutes was a killer debut. Rush of Blood was a 'big'/expansive second album. Few individual songs have caused such a meltdown here as when Clocks first appeared, overplayed as it is, don't pretend that you've never liked it. Then, he starts acting like a moron. Then comes X&Y, an album that had a stench so bad it infected Rush of Blood as well. It was so similar, but so bad, it's effected everyone's opinions of Rush as well.

They're forever compared to U2, but really I think the only true similarity is their ambition. Like U2 they want to be fucking massive, hold a position beyond just music, and they're not afraid to make that obvious. Perhaps also like U2 their lead singer is polarising, but I think the public opinion of Martin probably swings further into purely 'dickhead' territory than it did for Bono so early on.

Wanky name dropping: I spent a day with Coldplay just before they went truly massive. Just as Yellow hit. They were easy going, fun guys. Chris Martin was really laid back and nice, very inquisitive guy. My guess is that like Bono in the 80s, he's putting up a public persona that doesn't tell the whole story of the personality. He's just not very good at it. He doesn't come off like an earnest tool like Bono did, he comes off as an egotistical tool, a problem that Bono has always danced around and defended against with self-depreciating humour, but Chris Martin just seems to continually crash into head on.

Point being: Somewhere in there they probably still have a shot, but they've done their 'U2' run all in the wrong order. Post Parachutes and Rush of Blood a lot of people thought their Joshua Tree was just around the corner. But they jumped forward and released their own Atomic Bomb stinker. And now they need their Achtung Baby - tear it all down and build it all up again, and make it dramatically different. They were a parody of themselves on X&Y. There are 5 or 6 absolutely brilliant Coldplay songs on their first couple of albums, and I'd rather them out there than a lot of the other shit that sells as much as they do and has a profile as high or higher than they do. He just needs a wake up, and they just need a musical reset.

 

[lazarus]

I never liked Clocks.

 

[intedomine]

and they just need a musical reset.

And it looks as if that is what is happening with LP4, with the band utilising the experience of Brian Eno and also enlisting Timbaland to work on a couple of tunes.

And X&Y is merely flawed and lacking in any cohesion, some of the songs off that album are crackers, and realise what the band were trying to achieve (Speed, Square One, Talk)

 

[intedomine]

You can add that one to the list, Dalton.

On the "idiotic" side.

How is it idiotic? White Strpies are merely a band with a whiny frontman and forgettable, trivial riffs

 

[GibsonGirl]

How is it idiotic? White Strpies are merely a band with a whiny frontman and forgettable, trivial riffs

Forgettable riffs? The White Stripes?!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I too disagree with intedomine's thoughts on the White Stripes, but eh, 'tis their opinion.

I'd rather them out there than a lot of the other shit that sells as much as they do and has a profile as high or higher than they do.

Exactly. I've not really seen/read much in the way of interviews with Chris Martin, so I can't comment on his personality or anything, but overall, I think there's a lot of truth to your post.

It got overplayed, yes, but I still love "Clocks". I'll still listen to it whenever it comes on somewhere.

Angela

 

[LMP]

Forgettable riffs? The White Stripes?!

It's not like Seven Nation Army has one of the more famous riffs this side of 2000.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Good post Earnie. I still love Rush, to me it's just a great collection of songs that all belong together. Yep X & Y was not of that standard but I wouldn't dump on them just cos of one album.

And on the point of Chris Martin's confused public persona. I strongly suspect that if he had married Joanne Bloggs from Oxford, rather than some famous Yank, noone would give a rat's arse about what he does or says in public. Really, the only thing that sets Bono apart is that he hasn't gone "Hollywood" and gotten divorced and married some blonde half his age.

 

[hardyharhar]

Critical success is often inaccurate. White Stripes get all this praise from critics for whatever reason, though no one's gonna care about their music 10 years from now.....

If you had said this 10 years ago, you'd already be wrong. And I'm guessing in another 10, that isn't gonna change. I don't see too many music journalists praising the Stripes here in interference, so if your saying none of us are gonna care about them in 10 years, I'd like to place a small wager on that statement.

I remember short-sighted comments like this about the punk movement in the late 70's.

 

[Bono's shades]

I never liked Clocks.

Me neither. I much prefer Politik or The Scientist or In My Place.

I think I first began to have second thoughts about Coldplay when they came out with that awful Moses song. At the time I thought it was a fluke since it was clearly something they just threw out there as a single from that live CD/DVD package they released after A Rush of Blood to the Head. Then X&Y came out.

 

[U2girl]

never did much for me either

whiny frontman

I'm surprised for all the flack Chris Martin gets for his vocals, no one says anything about Jack White. Pathetic singer with a really, really annoying tone.

 

[XHendrix24]

The first two Coldplay albums ARE good. Say what you want about X&Y, but those two are solid efforts.

Still looking forward to the Eno collaboration. Look at it this way - it certainly can't be any worse than the last album.

 

[intedomine]

Re: never did much for me either

I'm surprised for all the flack Chris Martin gets for his vocals, no one says anything about Jack White. Pathetic singer with a really, really annoying tone.

Wow, an ally.

 

[intedomine]

Just listened to X&Y for the first time in months, and it's very "be here now" in the sense that although it's much maligned, it's nowhere near the total shambles so many like to generalise about it, and is merely a come down after the classic status of it's predecessor (Rush/Morning Glory).

Fix You and Til Kingdom Come are what really kill the album...

 

[Diemen]

How is it idiotic? Coldplay are merely a band with a whiny frontman and forgettable, trivial riffs

Fixed that for you.

 

[xaviMF22]

The first two Coldplay albums ARE good. Say what you want about X&Y, but those two are solid efforts.

Still looking forward to the Eno collaboration. Look at it this way - it certainly can't be any worse than the last album.

A rush of blood is epic

 

[Dalton]

Re: Re: never did much for me either

Wow, an ally.

Yes, the two of you ARE peas in a pod. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[phanan]

I'm disappointed I missed all the banter between GG, Axver, and Brau.

 

[phanan]

The first two Coldplay albums ARE good. Say what you want about X&Y, but those two are solid efforts.

Still looking forward to the Eno collaboration. Look at it this way - it certainly can't be any worse than the last album.

I agree with this.

 

[LMP]

Re: never did much for me either

I'm surprised for all the flack Chris Martin gets for his vocals, no one says anything about Jack White. Pathetic singer with a really, really annoying tone.

Yeah, Jack only kind of sounds like that guy Robert Plant at times.

What a hack.

 

[lazarus]

But LMP, Chris Martin sounds like Dave Matthews, John Mayer, and all those other breathy singers.

You mean that's not better?

 

[intedomine]

Martin sounds nothing like Matthews or Mayer....

And I'd rather a breathy vocal, than a whiny, half-arsed squeal....

 

[lazarus]

One is rock and roll. The other is wispy wimp-rock.

Enjoy.

 

[Diemen]

[swoon]But he's so tender and emotional when he sings in falsetto. [/swoon]

 

[Zoots]

Are you talking about Chris Martin's falsetto? In my opinion his falsetto is what brings Parachutes down from a 5 star album to a 4 star album. I generally cannot stand the guy's falsetto! There are a few exceptions though... like the ending of The Scientist.

 

[Diemen]

you sarcasm detector is faulty.

Though it has its moments, I think Martin uses his falsetto as a (wobbly) crutch because his natural singing voice is so limited. Falsetto should be a spice, not the main course. And if the main course is rather unsubstantial then perhaps it's time to get some cooking lessons.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

His falsetto is absolutely awful when he uses it for any length of time other than 'sparingly' (again, see Fix You for the singular lowest of low points in their relatively short career). I don't think his regular voice is anything above mediocre, and it is the singular crutch that I think they have creatively stopping them from perhaps branching too far, or being able to stretch themselves to anything truly great, but I don't think it's all that bad either. It's not awful, just not 'great' enough to carry them through too much.

Jack Whites voice does and can do everything it needs and everything he probably wants. Chris Martins is too limited to do everything he probably wants, and Coldplay maybe will need.

 

[Zoots]

I don't think his regular voice is anything above mediocre, and it is the singular crutch that I think they have creatively stopping them from perhaps branching too far, or being able to stretch themselves to anything truly great, but I don't think it's all that bad either. It's not awful, just not 'great' enough to carry them through too much.

Agreed!


Oh and Diemen, I didn't fail to recognize your sarcasm. I just made my own point about his falsetto, that's all.

 

[corianderstem]

Jack White on par with Robert Plant? Did I misunderstand something there? Because mostly that thought makes me go