Im Sorry If This Is In The Wrong Thread But ColdPlay Wants To Be U2

[LemonMelon]

To me, it sounded like he was comparing Viva to the last two U2 albums.

Do you think ATYCLB and HTDAAB are that good?

Yes, I do. There's nothing on Viva that can touch Beautiful Day or Kite. Not even close.

 

[phanan]

Yes, I do. There's nothing on Viva that can touch Beautiful Day or Kite. Not even close.

While I agree that certain individual songs are stronger, as a whole those albums are just not as good. I think Viva stands up to them easily. And I think that's fair.

Now, if we are starting to compare Coldplay's best to U2's best, like Achtung Baby or Joshua Tree, then it would be a ridiculous comparison. Coldplay are a very good band, but they obviously will never touch albums like those.

 

[popacrobat]

I don't think anything off Viva would be better than City, Original, Sometimes... or Vertigo. But that's also just me. I think a more fair comparison is between Viva and How to Dismantle..., but in the end I enjoy the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and All That You Can't Leave Behind much better than Viva La Vida. Does that make Viva La Vida poor? Not at all - I think those are very good U2 albums whereas I think this is a pretty good Coldplay album.

I find a Rush of Blood to the Head a much more enjoyable album- and please don't crucify me for saying this- but it sounds more organic and less influenced by other bands... and it seems like they are just trying to make music that they can make. There's no Eno, (not that Eno equals ripping off U2, I'm not saying that at all but I'm sure deciding to work with him is a slight nod to wanting to be somewhat like U2) and the music seems to flow naturally to me. On Viva, except for a few tracks, it seems pretty forced to me and it sounds like too many influences are present- not simply U2.

That said, I do enjoy Viva La Vida, Violet Hill and Cemeteries of London a good bit. And again, I'll say that i think they do try to emulate U2 to an extent. Is it a blatant rip off? No. Am i saying that it's even a bad thing? No. Most of us would be heavily influenced by U2 if we made music I bet, or whomever our favorite band was. I just think that when you attempt to do that you will end up with a lesser product than if you just tried to make music that you yourself came up with naturally and not wanting to be similar to somebody. If that makes sense.

 

[neatperson42]

apples and oranges - there's room enough for all!

haven't heard Viva La Vida - i hated Violet Hill so i have to get over that first before i decide i wanna take a listen to the rest of the album hehe

how have you not heard Viva La Vida lol. That damn ipod commercial is on all the time! I hear it too much!

and I agree, Violet Hill is not that great. the video is kind of weird too.

 

[Rob33]

listening to Viva La Vida, which sounds so much better than every Coldplay album before it, it would seem U2 have to put out a pretty shit-hot album to compete after the last auto-pilot offering. If you listen to Viva La Vida and think it sounds just like U2 you're obviously TRYING desperately to find similarities after the last few albums which obviously have U2's influence all over them. If anyone needs "waking up" it's U2. I don't know how you can post something like that having heard the album, Rob33...have you??

yes I listened to the album 5 times all the way through yesterday...

Coldplay/Chris Martin are making a mistake- they are allowing their influences to interfere with their creativity as a band. Instead of being true to themselves, they are trying to emulate U2's sound/attitude/style, etc....Essentially, they are trying too hard, and in effect limiting themselves.

oh and gareth...it's not just that- Chris Martin has obviously seen/watched a lot of live U2....he even copies how Bono speaks to the crowd, how he handles himself....so obvious....

I hope it's U2 vs. Coldplay at the Grammy's and U2 wins...oh that would truly be "fucking brilliant"

 

[AtomicBono]

I don't get why people get so annoyed when they state (the relatively obvious) that Coldplay are heavily influenced by U2. even Chris Martin says they measure their albums in terms of U2-albums. do they want to BE U2? Who knows. But they certainly do their best to emulate their sound, and I don't really understand why people get so pissy around here when that's stated.


As for whether or not Coldplay want to be U2, I'm not sure. I do think you can hear a fair share of U2 in this album, probably more than any of their other albums to be honest. That might just be because of Eno. That said, it's not just me that sees this. My friends around here (non U2 fans) thought that the Viva La Vida song was U2 when they heard it on the iTunes commercials.

you totally stated what I was thinking

Cemeteries of London could easily be a U2 song
Lovers in Japan sounds like Bono singing an Arcade Fire song - that melody is straight up U2
Violet Hill sounds a bit like U2 to me

I agree with your later statement also that the album shows many influences, not just U2

but if you can't hear U2 in Coldplay then youre in denial. every song? no. but there is an obvious influence that Martin readily admits to

I also don't think it's a bad thing...I like U2, therefore I like songs that sound kinda like U2

 

[Zoots]

I hope Coldplay does a surprise rooftop performance next!

 

[last unicorn]

Strangely, listening to Viva La Vida gets me excited about the new U2 album every time.

 

[Carrie Anderson]

Just watching Coldplay on Jonathan Ross. Two great live songs.... I love Coldplay.

Rule the World is brilliant...

The first song they did.... interestingly... had the lyric "the banks became cathedrals"

"Playboy Mansion" anyone

I have to go and get this album....

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't think anything off Viva would be better than City, Original, Sometimes... or Vertigo. But that's also just me. I think a more fair comparison is between Viva and How to Dismantle..., but in the end I enjoy the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and All That You Can't Leave Behind much better than Viva La Vida. Does that make Viva La Vida poor? Not at all - I think those are very good U2 albums whereas I think this is a pretty good Coldplay album.

Just IMO, but HTDAAB > Viva > ATYCLB. Of course, ATYCLB really isn't one of my favorite U2 records by any stretch, probably in the bottom three, and there are a number of songs on it that are miles better than anything from Viva.

 

[sue4u2]

I don't understand this endless need from some posters to constantly try to prove that U2 is superior to Coldplay in every way! Are you people so paranoid that Coldplay will overtake U2 in terms of popularity? It is okay to appreciate both bands equally, people! I know this is a U2 forum and all but sheesh, why this endless need to compare? I think Viva La Vida is a perfectly fine album in it's own right and I don't necessarily hear U2 in it nor am I trying hard to hear U2 so I can scream "rip off!"!

Exactly. It's one to thing to have influences but it's another when it's that blatant and obvious. Using the same producer, wanting to imitate the frontman, borrowing off the guitar player...it's almost getting to the level of those Gallagher bros obsession with the Beatles.
I will buy the new album and they are my favourite new band of the last decade but honestly - they need not try so hard being like U2, just being Coldplay would do.

I agree with most of this with the exception of using the same producers.
U2 have used numerous producers and I don't recall many accusations about them trying to sound like or rip off someone else.
And you're right, just being Coldplay would do. Because I just really like Coldplay.

Strangely, listening to Viva La Vida gets me excited about the new U2 album every time.

I know. It's sort of like a warm up album act while we are waiting for the real thing. (and I didn't mean that as a slight to Coldplay -see above^)

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Exactly. It's one to thing to have influences but it's another when it's that blatant and obvious. Using the same producer, wanting to imitate the frontman, borrowing off the guitar player...it's almost getting to the level of those Gallagher bros obsession with the Beatles.
I will buy the new album and they are my favourite new band of the last decade but honestly - they need not try so hard being like U2, just being Coldplay would do.

I've said it dunno how many times: James. They have used Brian Eno more than once. Go on, tell me how THEY are copying U2???

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

When i hear this record i just hear Brian Eno. Thats why im sort of pissy about the whole thing. ColdPlay just wanted the u2 sound and they needed Brian Eno...it worked production/music wise but there arent any good songs! Which leads me to the point that ColdPlay thought they can just bring Brian Eno on board and they would get a "The Fly" or something like that....its just one gigantic synth sound after the next. At least with U2 they put out classic material without Brian Eno.

This definitely shows how much Brian Eno has an influence on the music he produces. Take a band like coldplay and basically lay out the sonic landscape for them. I really wonder how much of the music Eno actually played and how much the band actually did.

 

[GibsonGirl]

 

[cobl04]

No, Coldplay doesn't.

Whether Coldplay is a quality band or not is one thing. But it doesn't want to be U2, it's not ripping off U2, it's not trying to destroy U2's career, etc. Et al. Ad infinitum.

I agree this thread.

Why the fug would Coldplay ever want to be U2?? Why would any musician on the earth want to be a carbon copy of someone else???

 

[Rob33]

one big difference between U2 and Coldplay is that no matter who produces what and how, U2 will always stay true to themselves, and produce music that is actually representative of U2...

Coldplay on the other hand borrows various parts of different bands/different songs such as Edge's chimey notes, or a vocal melody from Bono, and focus too much on other bands/sounds (U2) as opposed to truly inventing a new sound and letting your musical mind go (hence why some say the new Coldplay album sounds forced at times)...it's all so obvious and just so frustrating to see/hear

I do have one quick question though if anyone happens to know-

What album sold more copies worldwide to date....HTDAAB or X & Y ???

 

[GibsonGirl]

It really frustrates me when U2 fans imply that The Edge was the first and only guitarist to combine a delay pedal with simplistic riffs and chord structures.

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

one big difference between U2 and Coldplay is that no matter who produces what and how, U2 will always stay true to themselves, and produce music that is actually representative of U2...

Coldplay on the other hand borrows various parts of different bands/different songs such as Edge's chimey notes, or a vocal melody from Bono, and focus too much on other bands/sounds (U2) as opposed to truly inventing a new sound and letting your musical mind go (hence why some say the new Coldplay album sounds forced at times)...it's all so obvious and just so frustrating to see/hear

QUOTE]

Agreed, this is basically the point im trying to make...I didnt mean that ColdPlay want to be literal carbon copies of U2..u guys are reading into what im trying to say too much.. This album is forced and not true to a coldplay as band. U guys say even that the lead singer talks and acts like bono on stage and still dont agree with me!! Like at least in angels and airwaves that dude still sings the way he does like when he was in blink 182...imagine if he tried to sing like bono

 

[LemonMelon]

It really frustrates me when U2 fans imply that The Edge was the first and only guitarist to combine a delay pedal with simplistic riffs and chord structures.

He was the first to break through into the mainstream with it, however, and that's what's really important. Just ask Nirvana.

 

[love_u2_adam]

big freaking deal.
i want to be a model, is it going to happen ..no.
every one wants to be bono and every band wants to be u2.
deal with it, theres only one u2.

 

[Saracene]

Yes, Coldplay borrow from U2.

I still don't see the point of this whole Coldplay/U2 obsession amongst some U2 fans,

 

[blueeyedgirl]

one big difference between U2 and Coldplay is that no matter who produces what and how, U2 will always stay true to themselves, and produce music that is actually representative of U2...

Coldplay on the other hand borrows various parts of different bands/different songs such as Edge's chimey notes, or a vocal melody from Bono, and focus too much on other bands/sounds (U2) as opposed to truly inventing a new sound and letting your musical mind go (hence why some say the new Coldplay album sounds forced at times)...it's all so obvious and just so frustrating to see/hear

I do have one quick question though if anyone happens to know-

What album sold more copies worldwide to date....HTDAAB or X & Y ???

Big fucking deal. Hannah Montana probably outsells both of them. Because "shifting units" is an indicator of quality?

 

[LemonMelon]

I do have one quick question though if anyone happens to know-

What album sold more copies worldwide to date....HTDAAB or X & Y ???

It was pretty much a tie as far as I know. Both sold around 9 million.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

When i hear this record i just hear Brian Eno. Thats why im sort of pissy about the whole thing. ColdPlay just wanted the u2 sound and they needed Brian Eno...it worked production/music wise but there arent any good songs! Which leads me to the point that ColdPlay thought they can just bring Brian Eno on board and they would get a "The Fly" or something like that....its just one gigantic synth sound after the next. At least with U2 they put out classic material without Brian Eno.

This definitely shows how much Brian Eno has an influence on the music he produces. Take a band like coldplay and basically lay out the sonic landscape for them. I really wonder how much of the music Eno actually played and how much the band actually did.

"Best known in the field of music, Eno's discography as a musician, producer and artistic collaborator includes some of the most acclaimed recordings in the history of modern music. Artists as seminal yet varied as John Cale, David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Bono and Peter Gabriel have chosen to work with Eno, and he is one of the most sought after figures working across the spectrum of contemporary music, from guitar driven rock to film scores and electronica.

Eno's early dedication to the musical avant garde was always steeped in wit and a passionate regard for the classic history of purely popular music – from black American doo-wop through the volatile lullabies of The Velvet Underground to the eerie soundscapes of Can. Speaking in 1997, Eno defined his relationship to pop in a characteristically succinct and aphoristic aside: "I have never thought that popular music was about making music in the traditional sense of the word;" he said, "it is about creating new, imaginary worlds and inviting people to join them."

With this in mind, Eno's role as a founder member of the rock group 'Roxy Music', in 1971, can still be regarded as one of the most accomplished debuts in the history of pop. By colliding a highly stylised selection of popular music forms – from French chanson to surfer rockability by way of Johnnie Ray – with an uncompromising backdrop of atonal, electronically massaged atmospherics, Roxy Music were and remain the most eloquent and spectacular testimony to Eno's definition of pop.

In 1975, in collaboration with the artist Peter Schmidt, Eno also developed the 'Oblique Strategies' set of problem-solving cards for artists. Each card states an act or attitude which can make an immediate intervention into the creative process. In effect, this simple yet highly refined mechanism pre-figured the current vogue for re-patterning creative thinking – as life-coached today through NLP programmes – by nearly a quarter of a century.

It was also in the 70's that Eno established the 'Obscure' label of recordings. Audaciously harnessing his by-now extensive fame as a 'rock' musician, to a progressive, curatorial role as a producer, Eno single handedly brought some of the most interesting and important musicians from the musical avant garde to the vast new audience commanded by rock. Thurs Michael Nyman, John Cage, Gavin Bryars and The Penguin Café Orchestra, as well as many others, released albums on 'Obscure' in a series of uniform (yet slightly differing) black sleeves, and at a special lower cost to a mainstream pop or rock album. The series would include Eno's own 'Discreet Music' – a recording of simple variants of musical tones, and a founding example of Eno's creation of Ambient music. But, far from risking the earnest aridity of some 'intellectual' approaches to music making, the public perception of Eno's role as a good humoured and whole-heartedly generous combination of Noam Chomsky and Joe Meek made him a favourite with the music press as well as a new folk hero for liberal humanism.

By the late 70's, Eno's legendary collaboration with David Bowie on the latter's 'Low', 'Heroes' and 'The Lodger' albums, combined with his own 'Ambient' series and 'Music For Films' releases, enthroned Eno as the presiding spirit of much immediately post-punk, industrial and electronic music. In his work with Talking Heads, Devo, Snatch, Ultravox, as well as his renewed curatorial role on the 'No New York' compilation of New York New Wave groups, Eno was regarded as a Phil Spector-like figure for the new groups enabled by punk.

A pioneer of extreme form of music making, Eno's brilliance as a producer lies in his ability to enable musicians to re-enchant their own creativity in new and dramatic ways. Thus his work with Talking Heads saw the group expand on their edgy, guitar driven songs of alienation and domestic unease, to achieve a soaring, epic version of themselves. His role as U2's producer – on 'Unforgettable Fire', 'The Joshua Tree', 'Zooropa', 'Achtung Baby' and 'All That You Can't Leave Behind', would transform the band from anthemic rockers into purveyors of multi-media spectacle – the anthemic rocking intact, but intensified into a hyper-stylised version of itself by the acuity of Eno's production.

It is a testament to Eno's standing as a musician that he has been cited as an inspiration by artists as varied in tone and temperament as Prince, Franz Ferdinand, Autechre and Public Enemy. His collaboration with David Byrne, 'My Life In The Bush of Ghosts', released in 1981, is still regarded as one of the founding models for the use of sampling in music – its pared down, febrile energy and funk guitars coming across like some sci-fi reclamation of a global media reaching critical mass. Eno's continued work in the musical field has been matched by his site specific and environmental media projects – notably in the form of audio-visual installation. Asked by the Tate Gallery to present the prestigious Turner Prize, Eno has been as much an art historical reference point of inspiration of young artists as Warhol or Jeff Koons, and it is the pan media yet holistically intact nature of Eno's work to which they most respond."
I got that off the net. So when you talk about Brian Eno's work, is the above what you're talking about??

Or are you just familiar with only his work with U2, like most U2 fans??? To say I find this argument, simplistic at best, idiotic at worst, is an understatement and a waste of time.

And I shall roll my eyes melodramatically now.....

 

[U2girl]

I've said it dunno how many times: James. They have used Brian Eno more than once. Go on, tell me how THEY are copying U2???

1) James didn't spend building their entire career on borrowing their sound from U2, and 2) Eno worked with them about a decade after he worked with U2 - not that working with Eno = copying U2.

It's really not that easy and simple, and it's hardly the only similarity between Coldplay and U2.

 

[coolian2]

Fuck me drunk

Another one.

Where's the dancing lock?







Ah, there it is.

 

[popacrobat]

Fuck me drunk

Another one.

Where's the dancing lock?







Ah, there it is.

You know, I'm pretty tired of this sentiment around here that because somebody doesn't like a thread that means it has to be locked. There's a decent bit of healthy discussion going on here. If you don't like it, don't read the thread. But I'm really tired of this type of attitude in general where when somebody doesn't like a thread or whatever they throw up a lock smiley. It's pretty rude and I think it's up to the mods to decide what should get locked. This thread has no reason to be locked. This place didn't used to be this way three to four years ago.

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

I understand people want the thread locked because of the bunch coldplay and u2 comparison threads. I think it was a worth topic of discussion because of the direction colplay took with this album...chris martin even said "this is our unforgettable fire". So its definitely worthy of discussion. Im not trying to ask "who is better" or "who is more creative" because for me u2 wins automatically. This new coldplay album is just filled with their influences and not coldplay. If you just turned on the radio in the middle of one of these songs without hearing chris martin sing at the time i wouldnt doubt that there would be a chance that you could say "is this the new u2 single at last" because Brian Eno planted his seed on this album.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

for me no, if i heard one of these songs without chris's singing I would not think it was a U2 song.. no way.. their sound and coldplays sound are distinctly different no matter if Eno is involved or not.

I understand ur wanting to have a discussion thread about this and I know now that all over the media including Chris Martin himself there is the comparsion between the two it seems there's no way not to avoid it cuz it's everywhere! I mean People magazine is raving about this album and making those same comparsions.. IMO, it's completely ridiculous... I am sick and tired of it and there are just way too many threads on this subject..I wish it would stop but I know it won't..

 

[Visiongfx]

I found some other quotes from Coldplay that you guys might wanna see.

The Coldplay frontman, whose new album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is released this week, looks to the Irish rockers as a measure of success.

He said: "U2 once said they were reapplying for the job as the best band in the world. On Viva La Vida... we feel like we're just reapplying to be a band again.

"I always view our albums in terms of U2 albums. Viva La Vida is our Unforgettable Fire in that it's less straightforward, more oblique. It's about sex and death and love and fear and travel and illness. There's light and there's dark."

Despite the critical acclaim the band have received, Martin doesn't think Coldplay are the best band in the world.

Chris added: "The best bands in the world today are probably Arcade Fire and Sigur Ros. I think Coldplay is only the seventh best band in the world."

Earlier this week, Chris revealed he has been dreaming about U2 frontman Bono.

He said: "I always dream about other musicians. And with U2 or Radiohead it's always, 'Hey, how are you doing?' And they are never interested in hanging out with us. It's a permanent feeling of being at school and the bigger boys don't want to play with you."

I don't think its wrong for any band to compare to u2, i mean most any band that gets world wide recognition eventually does. But i surely hope Coldplay isn't following the U2 discography forumula. So far they are on track with u2.

3 Albums like a trilogy:

Parachutes -> Boy
Rush Of Blood -> October
X&Y -> War

Then a new different sounding album with eno:

Viva -> Unforgettable Fire

I really hope they don't continue to follow U2's footsteps... i like coldplay and i hate seeing them just wishing they were somebody else...