Track Listing

1. Life In Technicolor
2. Cemeteries Of London
3. Lost
4. 42
5. Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love
6. Yes
7. Viva La Vida
8. Violet Hill
9. Strawberry Swing
10. Death And All His Friends

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11 in Music
• Released on: 2008-06-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk review
To say there has been a lot of anticipation for Coldplay’s fourth album, Viva La Vida, is an understatement. Having enlisted legendary leftfield producer Brian Eno, borrowed their album title from a painting by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and made tantalising remarks about sonic reinvention, the world has been curious (to say the least) to hear what the ‘new’ Coldplay might sound like. Viva La Vida definitely makes some departures from the band’s usual formula, which happens to be one of the most commercially successful rock-pop blueprints of recent years. The plangent chords, emotive melodies, stadium-rock rhythms and universal lyrical concerns remain, but Martin and co. have gone out on several limbs here, incorporating instrumental tracks ("Life In Technicolour"), using subtle North African and Latin elements ("Yes", "Strawberry Swing"), and overhauling previously strict verse-chorus-verse structures in favour of slightly more avant arrangements. The old Coldplay still shine through (see tracks like "Violet Hill" and the title song) but even their classic sound feels more muscular and confident. The band’s new flourishes, cosmetic and self-conscious as they may be, are enough to make Viva La Vida a welcome break from the old routine--Danny McKenna

CD Description
Coldplay’s fourth studio album, Viva La Vida, Or Death And All His Friends, sees the band emerge from the success of 2005's X&Y with the same hunger that has gained them global success ever since 2000's Parachutes. Lead single "Violet Hill" contains trademark catchy piano hooks, along with a heavy guitar edge.

Coldplay Photos

Did You Know...

• Coldplay are supporters of Amnesty International, and singer Chris Martin is also noted as one of the most visible celebrity advocates for fair trade, supporting Oxfam's "Make Trade Fair" campaign
• The band had two other names, Pectoralz and Starfish, before settling on the now-famous Coldplay
• Chris Martin is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and the couple have two children, Apple and Moses
• Chris Martin is ambidextrous. He writes with his left hand, plays guitar the orthodox way, and draws with his right hand
• Lead guitarist Jonny Buckland is the godfather of Martin's daughter Apple
• Buckland studied astronomy and mathematics at University College London, where drummer Will Champion also studied anthropology
• Bass player Guy Berryman is rumored to be the U.K.'s fourth richest man under the age of 30

More from Coldplay
X&Y	Parachutes	A Rush of Blood to the Head	Coldplay - Live 2003 (DVD)
The Best of Coldplay for Easy Piano (songbook)	Coldplay: Complete Chord Songbook	X&Y: For Piano, Voice and Guitar (Songbook)	X&Y t-shirt

Customer Reviews

Very dissapointing...
I loved Cold Play's two first albums, I feel like I could get absorbed in them and never skip a track.

I have listened to this new album about 10 times and I just don't feel the same way about this album. When listening to this album I honestly say I enjoy about 3 of the songs, the rest well I really don't.

Yes, it's fashionable to slag them off...
... but that shouldn't be a deterrent. Let's be honest, they're good at what they do. No doubts about that. Talented - absolutely. They have carved a niche, actually more of a corner, in the market for plaintive songwriting and it's a time-tested and A&R trusted fact that this stuff sells by the truckload.

Frankly, if you've bought a Coldplay album before and liked it, you're probably going to like this one. If you already hate Coldplay, you're going to hate it. The fact is it's not going to make many new fans or new enemies - the band appear to have become the "through the looking glass" skewed mirror image of Radiohead. Whether that's a good thing or not depends on where your head's at.

Bringing in Eno is an interesting one - the guy's flirted with genius at the helm before (Remain in Light etc), but it doesn't work here. Doesn't exactly aid the U2 references either.

3 out of 5 as it's perfectly fine if you like this sort of stuff, but it ain't gonna convert ya if you don't.

Good but not great
I quite like Coldplay and I enjoyed this album. But it's quite obvious that the band did not try that hard with Viva la Vida. Chris Martin once described creating the album as 'just jamming' and that is an accurate description. Most songs are catchy but lack substance and often you expect the song to build but nothing happens then it ends.

I think Coldplay are getting lazy and it's going to cost them fans.