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Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends | 
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| Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/EMI
Category: Music
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £7.98
You Save: £9.01 (53%)
New (56) Used (7) Collectible (2) from £5.46
Rating:  197 reviews
Sales Rank: 33
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5099921211409
ASIN: B0017NCVWY
Release Date: June 12, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Life In Technicolor | | • | Cemeteries Of London | | • | Lost | | • | 42 | | • | Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love | | • | Yes | | • | Viva La Vida | | • | Violet Hill | | • | Strawberry Swing | | • | Death And All His Friends |
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| Editorial Reviews:
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Revolution and Evolution May 12, 2008
Antonio Moncayo (Zaragoza)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is the album the band wants to be remembered by and it looks like they have achieved just that.
The opening song ,Life in Technicolour has a great melody and no lyrics. you can notice the hand of Brian Eno who produced it ,is an innovative song hintting of a new direction in the band's style. It sounds like a fragment from Joshua tree.
Cemeteries of London is the best track in the album and will remind you of parachutes, this is when coldplay are at its best and the voice of Chris Martin suits the music very well.
Lovers in Japan is a brilliant song with the same backing guitars and drums as One by U2 and is very fresh and optimistic track. Perhaps is one of the most progressive in the album.
Reign of Love is a hidden track and is a nice simple slow song with Chris's voice a some background piano and guitars ,reminds of everything's not lost and should have been a stand out track on its own , this is the second best song on the album.
Yes Chinese sleep chant is a bit of an experiment with multiple influences and weird sounds (oriental strings , eastern percussion) to the lyrics ,is not one to buy the album for.
Viva la vida sound a bit like Viva las Vegas , fresh and uplifting with plenty of guitars and is a possible single that will do well as it has some catchy lyrics. However it does not sound anything like the early coldplay material and is the most comertial track of the album, already used in a itunes comertial.
The first single Violent Hill is available to download for free on their website before the album release and is full of guitars everywhere, is a somewhat commercial song and is going straight to number one on the charts.Stars slow and picks up the pace to break into full electric guitar mode and strong lyrics.
Strawberry swing has a delightful intro with some happy notes and is one of the brightest songs in the album and has a lot of feel good factor about it.
Death and all his friends is a mellow chilled slow song to finish the album , a far more simple than the singles and with more acustic guitars a reminder of the origens of the band , until the electric guitars kick in and turns into a more upbeat song with some catchy lyrics. There is a hidden track "The Escapist " at the end, Chris sings softly and slowly to some dreamy guitars and violins , it will make you think you are floating in a cloud.
The acustic version of Lost could be something out of the second part of parachutes and will delight the fans of the most melancholic symphonies of the band mixed with some " sounds of world " drums , reflecting the eclectic influences in this album.
Some people might find a great difference in styles from Parachutes to Viva la vida but that is being progressive is all about , the only problem with this album is that is overproduced with many instruments being played at the same time , unlike Parachutes with a bit of acutic guitar and a piano.
Overall a great album and will be a contendant for album of the year .Personally I much prefer Parachutes but I am happy to give 5 stars although this is not perfect .Time will tell...
I think this is Coldplay's Masterpiece. June 27, 2008
Robbie Swale (York)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
It's funny that people have given mixed reviews of this album. I think this is probably the first time that Coldplay have really flexed their muscles. I have no doubt that Chris Martin and Co could have churned out another X&Y, but instead they have removed themselves from the comfort zone of piano ballad/anthems and the result is nothing short of impressive.
I love albums as a whole - and that's why I don't think I'll ever end up buying into downloading music instead of CDs - and this is an album for that. It's made to be listened to from beginning to end, with the songs linking together, sometimes two tracks in one, sometimes echoes of previous tracks returning. That doesn't stop the album containing some fabulous songs - notably the two singles, the Oasis-esque Violet Hill and the magical, sweeping Viva La Vida, which I think could be argued is Coldplay's finest ever track for its complete lyrics, interesting arrangement, catchy chorus and sweeping verses.
The album starts and finishes in style, with a beautiful and bouncy instrumental opener, and, in Death And All His Friends, the album's closer, we have Coldplay's answer to I Am The Resurrection.
People will criticise Coldplay for this album - it won't be to everyone's taste - but it is an album they wanted to make. It is enjoyable, full of good songs, and a great listen as a whole. And it is Coldplay earning their pay - thinking about their music, developing it, developing their live shows and their back-catalogue. Their real problem is that so many people like them, and for many different reasons.
We all, in some ways, think that Coldplay are a bit like us. I've missed them, and I'm really, really glad they're back.
I don't wanna follow death and all his friends... October 15, 2008
DancinJ (UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A beautiful, touching and emotive album.
Coldplay are stretching out into very introspective waters and this can often be very risky. However, they have done it so well that many like it simply because it is a good album.
The themes of life and death echo throughout the record. I love the way it starts and finishes with the organ sound- a sound that many of us will associate only with a start of a new life, or the ending of an existing one.
The final ( and partly eponomous track) maybe offers us the way are lives go- A blissful happy start, a thunderous, exciting middle and a poignant retrospective end.
When Martin sings "No I don't wanna battle from beginning to end; I don't wanna cycle or recycle revenge; I don't wanna follow death and all his friends" you feel that he is connecting with so many of us out there. This is coldplay's greatest quality, and a very comforting one at that.
Coldplay Make Classic Album Shocker! June 17, 2008
Ms. Tze-ching Ong (UK)
19 out of 28 found this review helpful
know everybody who approaches this album will have a few things in their mind. If you are a dire hard fan of a particular Coldplay album, its probably easier to compare tracks to past albums.
For 'Parachutes'fans, you are looking for more chilled out acoustic sound, which you see glimpses of in Strawberry Swing and Death & All His Friends. Strawberry Swing has a real summer sound, clearly the group were looking for a more throwaway upbeat feel to the song. It's no single, but then it never makes any pretentions to be so.
'Death And All His Friends' however leans towards the Parachutes track 'Everything's Not Lost'. It's a subtle piano opening which builds and reaches its eventual crescendo and then reprises the opening track 'Life In Technicolor'.
The second set of people will be those who judge the album against 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head'. Those fans will be looking for songs with a more political edge whilst embracing a more pop sound. Tracks such as Lost!, a gospel bundle of joy which catches you unaware with church organs and hand clapping in large supply. It's in my opinion Coldplay's version of 'I Still Haven't Found What I Am Looking For' by U2. Ironic, as the albums producer is one Brian Eno, producer of the U2 album which 'Still Haven't Found' comes from.
The track follows the more ghostly 'Cemeteries Of London' which leans on a more eery opening, conguring up images of a misty graveyard walks coupled with a double hand clap drum beat.
Another track, '42' has by far one of the best lines i've ever heard in an album; 'those who are dead are not dead, there just living inside my head'. As you can tell from the line, the track deals with the theme of death, and is very downbeat for the first two minutes before drums and another killer guitar rift kicks and the second half of the song takes over, with Chris Martin indicating that the subject matter thought they would become a ghost and they made it just short of heaven. Again, the theme of the album is two parts to most of the tracks, with '42' being the perfect example, rounding off the song as it began with a more downbeat piano and string section.
For those X&Y fans (which includes me) you are going to instantly be drawn to the likes of Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love which is just crying out for a stadium to try and contain its upbeat catchy sound. The high tempo piano rift which runs through the track is catchy as hell and the guitars have been treated to an echo feel, leaving the listener with one of the rare songs that could be considered for single release.
The other X&Y moment is 'Yes', which is by far my favorite track. The song opens with a stealth orchestral snippet followed by Chris Martin taking on his lowest octive vocal ever. You then get a quick burst of arabian strings before more of his low octive singing and slide guitar. Trust me, its a corker and includes a double back drum beat which you find yourself tapping along to long after the song is finished. Yes is followed by the secret song 'Chinese Sleeping Chant' which is all big guitars and upbeat tempo, but the vocals have been minipulated, so you can't quite work out what they are singing....again, superb.
The remaining tracks still maintain the quality. The opening 'Life In Technicolor' builds and builds and is so X&Y its painful, but just as the vocals are about to kick in the song finishes...so frustrating.
Viva La Vida has already been offered to the world via the current I-Tunes, and is an epic orchestrial moment describing the downfall of royalty, and is a particular highlight of the album. It's Coldplay doing BIG and they pull it off well.
Violet Hill, the first single on its own didn't really in my view stand up well compared to previous singles. However, when placed in the context of the album overall, the song sounds more polished, with a great guitar rift and continues the milatary theme.
To sum this album up is simple. If you are looking for singles, they are clearly hard to find. Coldplay clearly decided they wanted to create an album, not just four or five singles and then fillers. It is a change of direction, but at the same time, they haven't lost their sound completely. It just sounds like a group who want to give their songs a chance to breath and grow, and from a dire hard 'X&Y' fan, i think they have done that, and convinced me at least that this is their most complete album to date. Roll on the tour dates!
crazy good July 2, 2008
Mr. Ricky Lawrence (UK)
13 out of 19 found this review helpful
This album is what I've been waiting for from Coldplay. I was worried they were going to smash out another album of ballads with piano tinkles and a high pitched aaaaaah's. That would have been it for me. But, fear not. They have instead made me eat my words because Viva has amazed me. It has masterful pace. At times its Hans Zimmer soundtrack, then its U2 stadium filler, then its 70's Floyd. And it all sits so well together and as a Coldplay album.
The first good sign was that I didnt like it immediately. Worryingly, there seem to be people reviewing it after 2 listens. Songs here are more epic than pop rock. And I fail to see how a fan of the previous albums cant enjoy it. Brian Eno has taken them to a place beyond the charts. The samples and instrumentals on this album are what were needed all along. That ambience is no longer left solely to Chris Martin and his piano. I love the last track fading back into the first.
Oh, and one last thing... play it loud.
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