Can 1st week sales of new Coldplay album (X&Y) match those of HTDAAB?

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So far, most shows in the United States are not soldout for Coldplay. Boston, 2 shows in New York and one California show are soldout. Large cities like Philadelphia and Washington DC still have lawn tickets available for only $30. The tweeter Center in Camden/Philly has a capacity of about 25,000, while the Bristow VA/Washington DC venue has a capacity of 20,000.

It will be easier to judge Coldplay's overall popularity once the full weeks sales figures are actually in. If the hyped numbers are correct for the album sales, then it appears that Coldplay's concert ticket selling ability is well behind its album selling ability in North America.
 
34,347 to be precise - # 6 debut on Oricon International chart. Quite surprising : I thought it would do much more in Japan.

Oasis, DBTT, did 95K.

HTDAAB did 84K. So, Round 2 to U2 :wink:
 
Well, so far the critics have actually given better reviews to HTDAAB. Go check out Metacritic.com : X&Y has a score of 67 from 14 reviews. HTDAAB had a score of 83 after 14 reviews, 78 after 25 reviews (81+ = universal acclaim).
 
mosquito said:

In terms of sales will be a round 2, 3,4......,77 for U2 , but in terms of music a victory by K.O. for coldplay.

To echo Edge3, the reviews for X and Y have been decidedly mixed. Three of the four daily papers I receive have given it poor reviews. (The fourth does its reviews on Thursday.) Those same three papers gave HTDAAB good to rave reviews. An unscientific sample,sure, but these are all major circulation newspapers.
 
Do you honestly think that Coldplay make better music than U2?
That´s nonsense.
Now I didn´t listen to the new album but the new single sucks big time in my eyes so I don´t expect the album to be anywhere as good as the bomb which, by the way, I deem the third masterpiece of the irish fab four.

As other has also pointed out, media reviews for the bomb where much more better than X&Y.
Overall, HTDAAB was deemed the best album in 2004 by US media (averaging rates from all major specialized sources).

So, I beg to differ, in terms of music quality, it´ll always be 10000 to 1 rounds for U2, in terms of sales, the ratio is going to be more balanced.

Again, Rocky can only beat the bad russian in the movie ...


mosquito said:

In terms of sales will be a round 2, 3,4......,77 for U2 , but in terms of music a victory by K.O. for coldplay.
 
fedeu2 said:
Do you honestly think that Coldplay make better music than U2?
I have not said that. I honestly think that there is no comparison between htdaa and x&y. Music today belongs to coldplay.The history puts U2 on the top three bands of the history probably so still a lot of work for coldplay to reach the same status.
 
Ok. I will listen to X&Y and then let you know my opinion!


mosquito said:

I have not said that. I honestly think that there is no comparison between htdaa and x&y. Music today belongs to coldplay.The history puts U2 on the top three bands of the history probably so still a lot of work for coldplay to reach the same status.
 
To be honest X&Y is difficult not to like : 70% UF/JT era U2 + 10% Radiohead + 10% Beatles + 10% bits of other stuff like Kraftwork (apparantly, but I haven't noticed this yet). It's amazing how much stick some people give them for being so commercial & 'boring' but I guess they will need to change their sound with their next album - a la Achtung Baby/Zooropa/Pop - if they want to ultimately get the same critical respect as U2.

...anyway, I really do think X&Y will sell 1.5M worldwide in first week at Mediatraffic - 650K in US, 400K in UK, 450K ROW - & fair play to them.
 
edge3 is quiet right. maybe not with his percentages - i'd say it's like 60% U2 + 20% Echo and the Bunnyment + 10% Radiohead + 10 Kraftwork and misc. I didn't include the Beatles as they influence everyone, including the other mentioned ones.
Coldplay's cd is a hell of a lot better than i thought it'd be judging from reactions here. look i'm one of the biggest U2 fans ever, and it excites me to see a band that might be able to do similar things.
 
Oh yeah...I forgot about Echo & The Bunnymen...christ, i know i shouldn't say this 'cos the Bunnyen were never too keen on U2 (esp. big mouth tosspot Ian McCulloch), but they are soooo underated : I love the Bunnymen's first 4 albums...but I guess that's all they've done.

...also - track 10 on X&Y (The Hardest Part) is kind of 2nd rate REM.
 
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look i'm one of the biggest U2 fans ever, and it excites me to see a band that might be able to do similar things. [/B]

But Coldplay are blatently ripping off sounds from music history in a vain attempt to reach the level of U2. That's quite a significant difference, would you not say?
 
X&Y had sold 260,000 by end of Wednesday in UK. So 400K+ is probable by end of Sat. This would mean Coldplay overtaking U2's record of 360,000 for 1st week sales of Rattle & Hum in 1988.

Top 10 fastest selling albums of all time in UK :

1. Oasis - Be Here Now : 695,761 from 3 days on sale, 813,000 after 7 days (Aug 1997)
?2. Coldplay - X&Y : 400K+ (June 2005)?
3. Dido - Life For Rent : 400,351 (Sept 2003)
*4. U2 - Rattle & Hum : 360,000 (Oct 1988)
*5. Michael Jackson - Bad : 350,000 from 5 days on sale, 380,000 from 7 days (Sept 1987)
6. Boyzone - By Request : 329,176 (May 1999)
7. Robbie Williams - Greatest Hits : 320,081 (Oct 2004
8. Beatles - One : 319,126 (Nov 2000)
9. Prodigy - Fat Of The Land : 316,951 (June 1997)
10. Robbie Williams - Sing When You're Winning : 313,585 (Aug 2000)

*NME & The Sun newspaper this week published this top 10 but didn't include R&H & Bad for some strange reason (maybe this was 'cos a different company collated the sales info back in the 80's so these figures weren't availabe).

Also, Q magazine said R&H sold 315,000 copies in 1st week in it's Jan 2002 edition but I'm sure this was incorrect 'cos I have 2 editions of Musicweek which says it sold 360,000 in 1st week.
 
Nice article edge3. But i heard that Definitily Maybe from Oasis was at the time the fastest selling debut album ever in UK. How much did it sold, do you know?
 
Yeah, that's true : I think Def. Maybe did 150K in 1st week

...actually that reminds me - I forgot to include Morning Glory which did 347K in 1st week.

Here's the article again, corrected :

X&Y had sold 260,000 by end of Wednesday in UK. So 400K+ is probable by end of Sat. This would mean Coldplay overtaking U2's record of 360,000 for 1st week sales of Rattle & Hum in 1988.

Top 10 fastest selling albums of all time in UK :

1. Oasis - Be Here Now : 695,761 from 3 days on sale, 813,000 after 7 days (Aug 1997)
?2. Coldplay - X&Y : 400K+ (June 2005)?
3. Dido - Life For Rent : 400,351 (Sept 2003)
*4. U2 - Rattle & Hum : 360,000 (Oct 1988)
*5. Michael Jackson - Bad : 350,000 from 5 days on sale, 380,000 from 6 or 7 (?) days (Sept 1987)
6. Oasis - What's The Story Morning Glory : 347,000 (Oct 1995)
7. Boyzone - By Request : 329,176 (May 1999)
8. Robbie Williams - Greatest Hits : 320,081 (Oct 2004
9. Beatles - One : 319,126 (Nov 2000)
10. Prodigy - Fat Of The Land : 316,951 (June 1997)

*NME & The Sun newspaper this week published this top 10 but didn't include R&H & Bad for some strange reason (maybe this was 'cos a different company collated the sales info back in the 80's so these figures weren't availabe).

Also, Q magazine said R&H sold 315,000 copies in 1st week in it's Jan 2002 edition but I'm sure this was incorrect 'cos I have 2 editions of Musicweek which says it sold 360,000 in 1st week.
 
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mosquito said:

In terms of sales will be a round 2, 3,4......,77 for U2 , but in terms of music a victory by K.O. for coldplay.


Whoa! Highly subjective opinion there. I like Coldplay, but from what I've heard of this new album, it's the same old/same old. Those of you attacking U2 for "sounding the same" but praise Coldplay are nothing but hypocrites - your opinions are immediately invalid, IMO.

Furthermore, I find U2's music uplifiting and spiritually moving. Coldplay is good, but they are very melancholy - like a Radiohead-lite. There's nothing spiritual or uplifting in any of their songs, which I think is a shame. If they had such songs in their catalog, then they might truly challenge U2 (and if Chris Martin was a better singer, but that's another issue - at least he's tolerable).
 
according to radio1, Coldplay X&Y, has sold allmost 500'000 copies this week in the UK!! the 2nd highest ever after oasis-be here now. and more than double HTDAAB!,

:ohmy:
im pretty shocked
 
ybird3k said:
according to radio1, Coldplay X&Y, has sold allmost 500'000 copies this week in the UK!! the 2nd highest ever after oasis-be here now. and more than double HTDAAB!,

:ohmy:
im pretty shocked
[/QUOTE am pretty sure sales will now slump
 
HITS

9.70%

coldplay - X&Y - 39,247 #1
set to sell approx 400'000 copies this week.

coldplay - rush of blood to the head # 26, 2,296 !!

white stripes #3 on 11,832

oasis #35 on 2,116
 
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mosquito said:

In terms of sales will be a round 2, 3,4......,77 for U2 , but in terms of music a victory by K.O. for coldplay.

Hey mosquito, must be round 3, comprehensively, to Coldplay then : 464,471 copies of X&Y sold in UK in 1st week does now put Coldplay in 2nd place on the all-time list - just try & make it less than Rattle & Hum next time boys.

Top 10 fastest selling albums of all time in UK :

1. Oasis - Be Here Now : 695,761 from 3 days on sale, 813,000 after 7 days (Aug 1997)
2. Coldplay - X&Y : 464,471 (June 2005)
3. Dido - Life For Rent : 400,351 (Sept 2003)
*4. U2 - Rattle & Hum : 360,000 (Oct 1988)
*5. Michael Jackson - Bad : 350,000 from 5 days on sale, 380,000 from 6 or 7 (?) days (Sept 1987)
6. Oasis - What's The Story Morning Glory : 347,000 (Oct 1995)
7. Boyzone - By Request : 329,176 (May 1999)
8. Robbie Williams - Greatest Hits : 320,081 (Oct 2004
9. Beatles - One : 319,126 (Nov 2000)
10. Prodigy - Fat Of The Land : 316,951 (June 1997)

*NME & The Sun newspaper last week published this top 10 but didn't include R&H & Bad for some strange reason (maybe this was 'cos a different company collated the sales info back in the 80's so these figures weren't availabe).

Also, Q magazine said R&H sold 315,000 copies in 1st week in it's Jan 2002 edition but I'm sure this was incorrect 'cos I have 2 editions of Musicweek which says it sold 360,000 in 1st week.
 
from HITS, it looks as if X&Y will sell at least 800'000 copies this week in US. aswell as the 450'000 from the UK and sales from the rest of the world, it looks as if X&Y's first weeks sales could well be more then HTDAAB's. :ohmy:

i really dont understand why coldplay are so popular. IMO all their music sounds exactly the same, and they couldnt make a ROCK song if their lives depended on it.
 
ybird3k said:
from HITS, it looks as if X&Y will sell at least 800'000 copies this week in US. aswell as the 450'000 from the UK and sales from the rest of the world, it looks as if X&Y's first weeks sales could well be more then HTDAAB's. :ohmy:

i really dont understand why coldplay are so popular. IMO all their music sounds exactly the same, and they couldnt make a ROCK song if their lives depended on it.

John Coltrane didn't make a ROCK song either, does that decrease his stature? BTW, a lot of non-U2 fans say the same thing about U2.

However, I am shocked by how well it is doing. I expected about 400,000 to 500,000. The number of Coldplay haters might just be topped by the number of Coldplay lovers. U2 has always been the same way.

Not that I think Coldplay is the new U2, but the comparisons can be easily seen.
 
Yeah that's incredible, well done Coldplay. Here's the numbers from Hits :

58% in :

461K for X&Y (# 1)
25K for AROBTTH (# 25)
14K for Parachutes (# 47)

ps - I agree, ybird, Coldplay need to start rocking a bit with the next album a al Vertigo, The Fly, Untill The End Of The World, Bullet The Blue Sky, Elevation ect
 
Final top 4 of new releases:

-- 1 COLDPLAY CAPITOL 740,331 --
X&Y
-- 2 THE BLACK EYED PEAS A&M/INTERSCOPE 295,036 --
MONKEY BUSINESS
-- 3 THE WHITE STRIPES THIRD MAN/V2 171,348 --
GET BEHIND ME SATAN
-- 4 SHAKIRA EPIC 160,037 --
FIJACION ORAL VOL.1
 
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