[1] Politik (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:18
[2] In My Place (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 3:48
[3] God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 4:57
[4] The Scientist (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:09
[5] Clocks (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:07
[6] Daylight (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:27
[7] Green Eyes (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 3:43
[8] Warning Sign (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:31
[9] A Whisper (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 3:58
[10] A Rush of Blood to the Head (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:51
[11] Amsterdam (Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin) - 5:19
GUY BERRYMAN - Bass, String Arrangements, Art Direction, Mixing, Producer
JON BUCKLAND - Guitar, String Arrangements, Art Direction, Mixing, Producer
WILL CHAMPION - Percussion, Drums, String Arrangements, Art Direction, Mixing, Producer
CHRIS MARTIN - Guitar, Piano, Vocals, String Arrangements, Art Direction, Mixing, Producer
AUDREY RILEY - Strings, String Arrangements
ANNE LINES - Strings
LEO PAYNE - Strings
CHRIS TOMBLING - Strings
RICHARD GEORGE - Strings
PETER LALE - Strings
KEN NELSON - Producer, Engineer
MARK PYTHIAN - Additional Producer, Engineer, Mixing
RIK SIMPSON - Engineer
GEORGE MARINO - Mastering
DANTON SUPPLE - Mixing
ANDREA WRIGHT - Assistant
JON BAILEY - Assistant
BLUE SOURCE - Art Direction
TOM SHEEHAN - Photography
SOLVE SUNDSBO - Cover Art
PHIL HARVEY - Management
After touring in support of their debut album, Parachutes, Coldplay was
personally and professionally exhausted. Frontman Chris Martin insisted
he was dry; by the time they closed their European tour in summer 2001,
he hadn't written a song in months. The U.K. music press immediately
pounced on the idea of Coldplay calling it quits, but somewhere lurked
the beauty of "In My Place." The spirit and soul of this ballad allowed
Coldplay to pull it together to make a second album. What came from
such anguish and inquisition was A Rush of Blood to the Head. Coldplay
has surely let it all go on this record. Acoustics are drowned out by
Jon Buckland's riveting guitar work, and vocally, Martin has sharpened
his falsetto, refining his haunting delivery. It's a strong album; you
can feel, hear, and touch the blood, sweat, and tears behind the songs,
and that's exactly what Coldplay was going for. Co-producer Ken Nelson
and mixer Mark Phythain (the team behind the blissful beauty of
Parachutes) allowed Coldplay to make an album that's initially
inaccessible, but that's what makes it intriguing. Lush melodies and a
heartbreak behind the songs are there, but also a newfound confidence.
From the delicate, shimmery classic "In My Place" to the piano surge of
"The Scientist," Coldplay exudes an honest passion. The disco haze of
"Daylight" and the lovedrunk ballad "Green Eyes" are divine examples of
solid lyrical arrangements, but "Politik" and the stunning
guitar-driven "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" project a nervy edge to
the band. Echoes of early post-punk showcase Coldplay's ballsy
musicianship. Don't fret — it's not exactly rock & roll, but
Radiohead, Echo & the Bunnymen, and The Smiths weren't exactly rock
& roll either, and they were well-loved. "Yellow" didn't follow the
rock formula, but it sold well, and similarly A Rush of Blood to the
Head might not instantly grab listeners, but it's not tailored that
way. It pushes you to look beyond dreamy vocals for a musical inner
core. Regardless of the band still being in their mid-twenties, they've
made an amazing record, and if it ends up being their last, A Rush of
Blood to the Head didn't sugar coat anything. It's a bittersweet design
no matter what.
Coldplay required a lifetime to make its wonderfully assured debut,
Parachutes. But it took less than two years for the moody British
quartet to deliver a masterful follow-up. As a band they have advanced
to a stage where they outshine nearly every one of their rivals in
terms of imagination and emotional pull. A Rush of Blood to the Head is
a soulful, exhilarating journey, moving from the cathartic rock of
"Politik" to the hushed tones of "Green Eyes" without once breaking its
mesmerizing spell. Singer Chris Martin takes his voice on soaring
flights, reaching places only Jeff Buckley previously dared to go. And
the music is nearly flawless, a persuasive cross between Pink Floyd and
The Verve. Even if they haven't come up with another "Yellow," you
would be hard-pressed to care. This is exquisite stuff.
Aidin Vaziri - Amazon.com
Coldplay haben ein Leben lang gebraucht, um mit dem so wunderbar
selbstbewussten Debüt Parachutes zu landen. Aber es dauerte
weniger als zwei Jahre, bis das stimmungsvolle britische Quartett ein
meisterliches Folgealbum nachlieferte. Sie haben sich als Band auf ein
Niveau entwickelt, auf dem sie fast jeden ihrer Rivalen in Sachen
Fantasie und emotionaler Ausdruckskraft übertreffen. A Rush Of
Blood To The Head ist eine gefühlvolle, heitere Reise von dem
begeisternden Rock "Politik" bis hin zu den gedämpften
Klängen von "Green Eyes", ohne ein einziges Mal die faszinierende
Wirkung zu stören. Der Sänger Chris Martin treibt seine
Stimme zu Höhenflügen an und erreicht Ebenen, die eigentlich
nur Jeff Buckley bisher anzustreben wagte. Die Musik ist ganz einfach
tadellos, eine überzeugende Kreuzung zwischen Pink Floyd und The
Verve. Selbst wenn sie nicht noch einmal mit so etwas wie "Yellow"
auftauchen, macht einem das überhaupt nichts aus. Dies ist
erstklassiges Material.
Aidin Vaziri - Aus der Amazon.de-Redaktion
On Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head, the melodic excellence of
Parachutes remains, as does the delicate soulfulness of Chris Martin's
voice. But now different styles are approached, as the band develop
even further beyond their debut album (and the numerous Radiohead
comparisons that dogged them at first). "God Put a Smile upon Your
Face", for instance, has a thumping voodoo quality, while the hypnotic
"A Whisper" has a wild vocal arrangement recalling Jefferson Airplane.
Beyond this, each of the 11 tracks--from the literate power ballad "In
My Place" to the 60s-style mantra "Daylight"--are given room to
breathe, gradually reaching an ecstatic crescendo where Martin and that
huge Coldplay piano ride over a pulsing rhythm and orchestrations that
are powerful but never overblown. "Give me real, don't give me fake"
says Martin in the opening "Politik" and it's an appropriately
uncompromising demand, for A Rush of Blood... is without doubt the most
heartfelt and emotionally liberated album to top the charts in ages.
Dominic Wills - Amazon.co.uk Review
With A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay have created what may be the
most disappointingly safe alternative album of the year. Their debut,
Parachutes, wasn't much more than a band trying to hone in on a sound
by way of Radiohead at its most wistful, though it did manage to
succeed with "Yellow," a song which, while disposable, at least sounded
good played loud. On Blood, Coldplay have arrived at a sound that seems
to suit them best: One that is thoroughly pedestrian. Like its
predecessor, this album is full of ballads and mid-tempo numbers, but
the band seems to be struggling here to reach heights that seem beyond
them. Specifically, Blood suffers from attempts to be painfully,
tragically earnest. A perusing of singer Chris Martin's lyrics presents
a guy who's trying to say something deep and meaningful, but lyrics
like "Where do we go?/ Nobody knows" ("God Put a Smile Upon Your Face")
and "Honey, you are the sea upon which I float" ("Green Eyes") fall far
short. Like so many other British bands, Coldplay have all the lovely,
floaty bits down pat, but the beauty, it turns out, is all surface.
Listening to Coldplay's A Rush Of Blood To The Head is a bittersweet
experience; the band's signature brand of mope-rock teeters
precariously between disheartened ("Warning Sign") and optimistic ("In
My Place," "Daylight"), but that's what makes thisn foursome one of the
U.K.'s best. Frontman Chris Martin has mastered the art of yanking
listener's heartstrings with his stunning voice and reflective lyrics,
but Coldplay never leaves them feeling totally dejected (listen to
"Clocks," for example). While Rush Of Blood would be the ideal
soundtrack for waving goodbye to a true love from a bus window before
disappearing forever (see "The Scientist"), there is a cavernous beauty
to this album's melodic depression that can't be denied. Take the
ambitious closer "Amsterdam" for example. Martin, at his most
vulnerable, sings, "I know I'm dead on the surface/ but I am screaming
underneath." Then, during the song's closing crescendo, Coldplay's tone
shifts from somber to spiritual and Martin's hopefulness is born again.
"Stood on the edge/ tied to the noose/ but you came along and you cut
me loose," he wails. That's nothing if not sincere. Put down the pills,
Prozac nation. Your voice has arrived.
Coldplay arrived in 2000 with the smash power ballad "Yellow," an
instant classic of trembling guitar ripples, ridiculous stargazing
lyrics, anthemic choruses and the forlorn vocals of Chris Martin. The
guy's voice sounded like a puppy kicked down a flight of stairs, one
step at a time, and then kicked back up the flight of stairs. But even
as he bravely flirted with outright dippiness ("Look at the stars/Look
how they shine for you" -- egads), his heartfelt yodel won you over.
Like similar-minded U.K. bands such as Travis and Starsailor, Coldplay
took the basic sound of Radiohead and pumped it full of emotion, using
those loud-quiet-loud guitar textures to soothe and console you, rather
than to alienate your jangled nerves. Sweet boys, really. Martin isn't
your typical rock star, either -- he proudly admits he doesn't drink
(dislikes the taste) and didn't start having sex until after he'd
written his first hit. But then, "Yellow" isn't a very rock & roll
color, is it? Sheila E. had a great song called "Yellow," but aside
from a submarine here or an electrical banana there, rockers usually
think it's too boring to even sing about. Coldplay might be out of step
with rock orthodoxy, but their sheer conviction has made them a global
sensation.
Coldplay's debut, Parachutes, was perhaps too mellow for its own good,
too sedate in its good-vibes homogeneity to stand up to repeated
listens. But A Rush of Blood to the Head is a nervier, edgier,
thoroughly surprising album. The guitars are still full of Pink Floyd,
but the band has figured out how to let loose and rock out, something
Floyd never learned. The same influences are here: the Radiohead of The
Bends and OK Compute, the U2 of October and War, the Smiths of The
Queen Is Dead. But where Parachutes was the clumsy diary of a
high-strung kid, A Rush of Blood sounds more like a band with the
confidence to test its own limits. Jonny Buckland comes into his own as
a guitar hero, while Martin has grown gratifyingly adult in his sobs
and growls. He's still got plenty of angst to vent, though, wailing
about death ("Amsterdam"), war ("A Rush of Blood to the Head") and lost
love (damn near everything).
"God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" is the slinkiest and best thing
Coldplay have ever done -- while the acoustic-guitar figure may be a
little too transparently based on Roxy Music's "Out of the Blue," the
band whips it into a head-spinning trip of aggressively strummed
paranoid folk rock. The folkie shuffle "Green Eyes" sounds like hippie
Christian singalong time, but it works, while the fantastic piano
ballad "The Scientist" is an overt sequel to "Yellow" ("Let's go back
to the star") with a cataclysmic falsetto finale that could raise every
hair on the back of your neck. Buckland shines in excellent psychedelic
rockers such as "A Whisper," "Clocks" and "Daylight." When you're not
in the mood, Coldplay are still too mellow: In the soggier songs, such
as the unfortunate first single, "In My Place," the choked vocals can
make Coldplay sound like nothing more than a trans-Atlantic breed of
Counting Crow. but with A Rush of Blood, Coldplay do more than fulfill
the promise of "Yellow" -- they surpass everything they've done up to
this point, making first-rate guitar rock with some real emotional
protein on its bones.
Look at earth from outer space
Everyone must find a place
Give me time and give me space
Give me real, don't give me fake
Give me strength, reserve control
Give me heart and give me soul
Give me time give us a kiss
Tell me your own politik
And open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Give me one, 'cause one is best
In confusion, confidence
Give me peace of mind and trust
Don't forget the rest of us
Give me strength, reserve control
Give me heart and give me soul
Wounds that heal and cracks that fix
Tell me your own politik
And open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Just open up your eyes
But give me love over, love over, love over this, I ...
And give me love over, love over, love over this, I ...
IN MY PLACE
In my place, in my place,
Were lines that I couldn't change,
I was lost, oh yeah.
I was lost, I was lost,
Crossed lines I shouldn't have crossed,
I was lost, oh yeah.
And yeah, how long must you wait for it?
Yeah, how long must you pay for it?
Yeah, how long must you wait for it?
I was scared, I was scared,
Tired and under prepared,
But I wait for it.
And if you go, if you go,
Leave me down here on my own,
Then I'll wait for you, yeah.
Yeah, how long must you wait for it?
Yeah, how long must you pay for it?
Yeah, how long must you wait for it?
Oh for it
Sing it please, please, please,
Come back and sing to me,
To me, me.
Come on and sing it out, now, now.
Come on and sing it out
To me, me
Come on and sing.
In my place, in my place,
Were lines that I couldn't change,
I was lost, oh yeah.
Oh yeah.
GOD PUT A SMILE UPON YOUR FACE
Where do we go, nobody knows
I've got to say I'm on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face
Where do we go to draw the line
I've got to say I wasted all your time
Oh honey honey
Where do I go to fall from grace
God put a smile upon your face yeah
And ah, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
And ah, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down when
God gave you style and gave you grace,
And put a smile upon your face oh yeah
And ah, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I want it to
And ah, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine.
It's as good as mine, It's as good as mine
It's as good as mine
As good as mine, as good as mine,
As good as mine, as good as mine
Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down when
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face
THE SCIENTIST
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me you questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles
Chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
CLOCKS
The lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead singing
Come out of things unsaid
Shoot an apple off my head and a
Trouble that cant be named
A tiger's waiting to be tamed singing
You are
You are
Confusion never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know singing
Come out upon my seas,
Cursed missed opportunities
Am I a part of the cure
Or am I part of the disease, singing
You are, you are, you are
You are, you are, you are
And nothing else compares
And nothing else compares
And nothing else compares
You are
You are
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
DAYLIGHT
To my surprise
And my delight
I saw a sunrise
I saw a sunlight.
I am nothing
In the dark
And the clouds burst
To show the daylight
Oooh and the sun will shine
Yeah on this heart of mine
Ooooh and I realise
Who cannot live without
Ooooh come apart without
On a hilltop
On a sky-rise
Like a firstborn
Child
And at full tilt
And in full flight
Defeat darkness
Breaking daylight
Oooh and the sun will shine
Yeah on this heart of mine
Ooooh and I realise
Who cannot live without
Ooooh and come apart without
Daylight
Slowly breaking through the daylight X10
GREEN EYES
Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I come here to talk
I hope you understand
The green eyes
Yeah the spotlight
Shines upon you
And how could
Anybody
Deny you
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter
Now I met you
Honey you should know
That I could never go on
Without you
Green eyes
Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know
That green eyes
You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you,
Must be out of their mind
Because I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter since I met you
And honey you should know,
That I could never go on
Without you
Green eyes, green eyes, ohohoh...
Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand.
A WARNING SIGN
A warning sign
I missed the good part then I realised
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so.
A warning sign
You came back to haunt me and I realised
That you were an island and I passed you by
When you were an island to discover
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so
And I'm tired
I should not have let you go
So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
A WHISPER
A whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
A whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Who remembers your face
Who remember you when you are gone
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Come back and look for me, look for me
When I am lost
Just a whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
Just a whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
Night turns to day
And I still have these questions
Bridges will break
Should I go forwards or backwards.
Night turns to day,
And I still get no answers
Just a whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
Just a whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Who remember your face
Who remembers you when you are gone
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Come back and look for me, look for me
When I am lost
Just a whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
Just a whisper, a whisper, a whisper, a whisper
A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD
He said I'm gonna buy this place and burn it down
I'm gonna put it six feet underground
He said "I'm gonna buy this place and watch it fall
Stand here beside me baby in the crumbling walls
Oh I'm gonna buy this place and start a fire
Stand here until I fill all your heart's desires
Because I'm gonna buy this place and see it burn
Do back the things it did to you in return
Ah ah ah, ah ah ah...
He said I'm gonna buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
Oh and I'm gonna buy this place that's what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head
Honey
All the movements you're starting to make
See me crumble and fall on my face
And I know the mistakes that I made
See it all disappear without a trace.
And they call as they beckon you on
They said start as you mean to go on
Start as you mean to go on
He said "I'm gonna buy this place and see it go
Stand here beside my baby, watch the orange glow
Some will laugh and some just sit and cry
But you just sit down there and you wonder why
So I'm gonna buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
And I'm gonna buy this place that's what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head
Oh to the head
Honey
All the movements you're starting to make
See me crumble and fall on my face
And I know the mistakes that I made
See it all disappear without a trace.
And they call as they beckon you on
They said start as you mean to go on
As you mean to go on, as you mean to go on
So meet me by the bridge,
Oh meet me by the lane
When am I going to see
That pretty face again
Meet me on the road
Meet me where I sais
Blame it all upon
A rush of blood to the head
AMSTERDAM
Come on, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
And if I, if I'd only waited
I'd not be stuck here in this hole.
Come here, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
And I swear I waited and waited,
I've got to get out of this hole
But time is on your side
It's on your side now
Not pushing you down and all around
It's no cause for concern
Come on, oh my star is fading
And I see no chance of release
I know I'm dead on the surface
But I'm screaming underneath
And time is on your side
It's on your side now
Not pushing you down and all around
It's no cause for concern
Stuck on the end of this ball and chain
And I'm on my way back down again
Stood on a bridge, tied to a noose
Sick to the stomach
You can say what you mean
But it won't change a thing
I'm sick of the secrets
Stood on the edge
Tied to a noose
You came along
And you cut me loose
You came along
And you cut me loose
You came along
And you cut me loose