A Rush of Blood to the Head

honestly, a very beautiful album. it’s only real weak spot is the starting deterioration into the pretty bland band coldplay is today, foreseeable in "clocks". besides that, "a rush of blood to the head" and "parachutes" would be inarguable all-timers, if we could ignore what happens after.

Parts of the latter half underwhelm, but the first half is outstanding stuff. Quite easily their best album. Favorite track: The Scientist

genuinely like very good i wasn't expecting to like it as much as i did!!! shout out the scientist

I kind of like Coldplay, but this isn't exactly their best album. Sure, there are a few good songs on it, “Clocks” for example, but they've had better material.

I am not sure about this one. There just seems to be something that is missing here. I guess it's decently constructed but it just doesn't light the spark for me.

Coldplay are a band that receive a lot of stick, and I'd entirely agree that their later material is amongst the most beige, insipid, soul-destroying stuff out there. Music for people who don't like music and "Karens" essentially. However, and I'm acutely aware that this might get me crucified, I actually quite like this album (and only this album), particularly the first half of it.

Some of the textures, arrangements and harmonies on A Rush of Blood are wonderful, and whilst it is perhaps a bit cynical in some ways and a direct consequence of what Radiohead were doing, it holds up pretty well in 2025 unlike much of the other "post britpop" stuff which was loitering around at the time. There is an emotional depth to A Rush of Blood which still endures today, and Chris Martin's vocal performance / lyricism here doesn't stray too far into over-earnestness for me, although I get how it might for others. "Clocks" was one of the first songs I learned how to play on the keyboard at school, and I'm not afraid to admit that it's a cracking tune.

I could do without a handful of tracks on this - some of the second half is a bit dull, but not enough to taint the rest of the experience too much for me.

If Coldplay made albums like this, I can forgive what they made later

While my wife and I were out for dinner at a fairly fancy restaurant in the city before going to a concert we overheard one of the waiters excitedly telling another table about his summer plans to see Coldplay at all 4 of the tour dates in our city. He went on to explain how he’d already seen them dozens of times and wants to see them at least 100 times in his life. I love music and love going to concerts, but that kind of commitment to one artist is genuinely baffling to me.

Anyways, I feel much the same way about this album as I did for Parachutes. Less groaning this time as I did genuinely enjoy Parachutes so I’m coming at this one with a bit less bias than last time. That said, there still were a few groans of ‘ugh, it’s this incredibly overplayed song’. Overall, it was a decent album, but I’m yet to be truly converted to a Coldplay fan and I’m definitely not planning on seeing them 100 times in my life.

This is not bad for what it is. It’s a soft pop album with good vocals.

Honestly this isn't the worst album ever. Sure it's generic as hell, but if it had been a one of it would have been atleast passable. The problem is that Coldplay has been recreating and touring with variations of this album for a quarter of a century. And somehow everything they put out is played to death by commercial radio the world over. I'm so fucking sick of hearing the Coldplay sound, and know nothing interesting is about to happen.

Man, such a nostalgic album for me. I think I previously commented on Hybrid theory that it was the first good music that I enjoyed, Coldplay was pretty contemporary with that. But I can thank John, my brother, for getting into Coldplay because of his interest in piano. I was trying to think of what made this so good at the time that it came out, and I don't have a smoking gun answer. Chris Martin did take the singer/songwriter form and made it rock. What's interesting about Coldplay is that they used elements: synth and distortion, that had been explored by other bands in rock genres to push out more extreme sounds but Coldplay felt like the pendulum swinging back inwards to approaching these elements with a softer touch. Basically, what if a singer/songwriter sang about love and used a synth to compliment the piano? Then what if they had a rock band that knew when to go heavy and when to keep it soft? Alright, then apparently you will have a band with generational sound.

If Radiohead were to go pop, I guess you'd get Coldplay, which isn't exactly putting Chris martin and co. on a pedestal. Radiohead isn't flawless, tho they have their moments, and Coldplay is a diluted take on Thom Yorke's vagaries and philosophical pretensions. But they aren't merely that: 'The Scientist' is a pop rock classic, 'Clocks' is another worthy single, 'Green Eyes' is a gem, and 'Warning Sign' is sappy but convincing. Still, the songs are too long, Martin's voice is effective but not an all-time stunner, and the lyrics are neither saved by wit nor enhanced by sincerity: 'Am I a part of the cure? / Or am I part of the disease? Singing / You are'; 'I am nothing / In the dark'; 'Come back and look for me, look for me / When I am lost.' nah.

I've always thought of Coldplay as kind of the softer version of Nickelback - so incredibly vanilla that they had to just be trying to appeal to the masses. And I feel like 'good music' doesn't mean that everyone likes it. This is music that doesn't challenge you, and probably because of that, doesn't engage you at all either. Needless to say, what I've heard from them has done nothing for me. However I believe this is my first time listening to an entire Coldplay album. Halfway through and my opinion hasn't been swayed at all. Clocks is a song that pretty much everyone has heard before. Too many times. I have to admit that when it starts I kind of dig it but by the time I'm a couple minutes in I'm ready for it to be done. That might be the theme for this whole album. I feel like this record is on the list because it was one of the biggest albums of the early 2000s and that goes to show what a shit state music was in during that time. Have we progressed since then? I think we have... But the worst thing about listening to this album? Now Spotify is going to think I want to listen to Coldplay. Rounding down because of that. 2.25/5

Ei pääse mihinkään siitä että Coldplay on vaan aika tylsää musiikkia. 2/5

This album brings me back to where and who I was when it came out, and it has been with me in some capacity all throughout my adulthood. Whether is was a breakup or times when I felt free and on top of the world driving with the windows down, or when I just wanted to listen to beautiful composition, this album has always been there.

I have never seen them live, but just last night, my wife told me they'd be in my town soon. I think I'll go.

I'm going to rant a bit because I'm unable to sleep and for some reason feel compelled to. This album is way better than it looked - and honestly... songwriting is fine, but what jumped out was ebow, delay tomfoolery, stuff that is out there by slick pop standards. It's safe music at surface level, but it got my attention - it felt like it got better towards the end and sounded more like a band. :) Happy to say this site gave music I wrote off a second try! :)

It was way better than I expected, few of the songs were actually really good comparing to what I expected and the rest was okay - but the album became very repetetive over some time.

It's just so bland. It's all the same tempo and has all the same vaguely sad atmosphere. It's like if Shepherds Pie made music, just tasteless

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.

This album!!!! 😭❤️

We had this album at home and I overplayed it to death. Every single song is so good!

You've got the underrated songs like Politik and Green Eyes, and 4 big singles. The Scientist is 5 star worthy itself

Clocks was one of the first songs I learnt to play on piano, and one of the songs that inspired me to take lessons. This album just takes me back to a very specific time in my life. Hits me right in the feels

I feel like people pre judge Coldplay based off what they hear on the radio - but I think this is their best album

5 ⭐️