Ummm…no.
Does anybody really come close to thinking this? I mean, this is simple magazine hype, right?
Weren’t Coldplay originally hyped up as “the next Radiohead”? They weren’t that either.
Over-rated, headed by a self-important bozo, coasting for about 2 decades?
God, I hope not.
I don’t think it’s all that preposterous a question to ask – Coldplay looks to have a fair shot at the critical-acclaim-mixed-with-enormous-popularity slot that U2 has owned for the past couple of decades.
At the same time, I do think it’s magazine hype.
Lesse…
U2: Early on, an excellent band. Slowly became more self-absorbed. Aside from occasional peeks back at their roots, pretty lame anymore.
Coldplay: Lamer than the lamest U2 effort lamely played on the lamest day in the month of Lame.
EW ain’t exactly on the cutting edge of music.
Or TV…
Or movies…
Or books…
Or…etc
Some lyrics from a song by Triumph the Insult Comic dog :
How about Coldplay?
They should be Cold Sore
Back when they were called U2
I used to like them so much more
George
I don’t know what EW means by the question. But if they’re asking “Will Coldplay become an enduringly huge band that sells millions of albums and does stadium tours?” I think that’s possible. Their music combines the right elements for that in my opinion.
I’ve always thought of Coldplay as “Radiohead for nice people,” but they’re alright.
I remember in about 1995, there was a magazine with the band Live on the cover. The headline said “LIVE - the Megaband of the Decade”.
Remember Live?
I only know Coldplay for two reasons: (1) The song “Clocks” is very enjoyable and (2) The Lead Singer knocked up Gwen Paltrow.
The question that cover brought to mind (I didn’t read it because I don’t really follow music) was “Are they THAT popular?”
Have they had a lot of hits? Do their albums sell as well as the other top acts of the day?
Plus, at what point will Martin go solo? One of the biggest reasons why U2 is such a great legacy act is because Bono enjoyed playing with his mates instead of going solo.
Wow, I had no idea Coldplay was so popular. They’re so…bland. They seem like a band old stiffs (read: Matt Lauer and his ilk) listen to in a pathetic attempt to be “with it”.
Couldn’t’ve said it better myself…and this coming from someone who definitely qualifies as an old stiff from an age standpoint…
Same here. I remember when “Yellow” was out, my friends and I were sitting around a table eating and someone asked what we thought about Coldplay. I immediately said, “Generic Brit rock.” We went around the table and everyone agreed I pretty much summed them up.
I noticed on Saturday Night Live that he has an oddly enormous mouth.
That’s all I noticed. There was nothing else to notice. They seem to be getting a ton of critical acclaim (or at least that’s the hype I hear - I don’t pay enough attention to remember reviews of albums I’m not interested in) but their music is just so dull - sort of blandly singable melodies, with only the most tenuous hooks, repeated over and over with no song structure or variation or anything. By the time the song is done, it’s already completely worn out. I don’t understand them as a pop act, because their music just isn’t singable and certainly not replayable, and aren’t those qualities an essential part of pop music? And it’s just not complex or musically interesting enough to qualify as the sort of rock I enjoy.
What the hell is up with their success, in other words? They seem absolutely crafted for elevators and telephone hold music twenty years from now.
I just ended a rather lenghty conversation with a good friend of mine. He says the very reason I (well, we, really) dislike them is why they’re so successful. The band is safe, but just edgy enough to be what the Lauer crew considers to be edgy. They allow the Lauer crew to feel cool and their wives to feel like they married a cool guy, and, whaddya know, they’re getting laid again for being cool.
I laughed. He’s a funny guy.
Oh, I fogot the second most important part. The Lauer crew has a pretty sizeable disposable income to spend on CDs and concert tickets.
Coldplay reminds me a lot of U2… I think they deserve to be compared.
Naturally i’m a fan…
The Lauer crew?
They are not the next U2, but I like them if for no other reason than Coldplay makes for good background music. They don’t stand out, but they are enjoyable. I do like the song Yellow quite a bit.
Well put, they really do have a dull sound. Alan McGee (ex-Creation records boss) described Coldplay as music for bed-wetters, bit OTT maybe but something that would never have been said about early U2. Unfortunately they’re treated like royalty over here in the UK, even worse is the fact that there’s not actually too many British bands that you could actually say were better than Coldplay right now. What the fuck happened to British rock n roll? I guess we invented it and then called it a day 