1. Parachutes (2000)
Parachutes is the debut album Coldplay, released by the record label Parlophone on 10 July 2000 in the United Kingdom. The album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, excluding one track which was produced by Chris Allison. Parachutes has spawned the hit singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic". The album was generally a commercial success, and was met with positive reviews. Upon release, the album quickly reached number one in the United Kingdom, and has since been certified 7x platinum. In the United States, the album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, and has since been certified 2x platinum. It won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2002, and has earned the band various accolades since its release. Parachutes is number 12 on the list of the 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century in the United Kingdom, and was the winner of the Best British Album award at the 2001 Brit Awards.
2. A Rush of Blood to the Hell (2002)
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by Coldplay. Released on 26 August 2002 through the label Parlophone in the UK, the album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson. The album is the band's first album that Chris Allison, producer of The Blue Room (1999), wasn't credited or involved in. Recording started after the band became popular in Europe and overseas with the release of their debut album, Parachutes, and, in particular, one of its singles, "Yellow". Attitudes to songwriting were affected by the September 11 attacks in the United States, which occurred the week before recording started. The songs featured in the album have a greater use of piano and electric guitar than its predecessor. The album was made available in August 2002, two months after its original release date. It was released on August 27 in the United States through Capitol Records. In 2008, Capitol released a remastered version of the album on a 180-gram vinyl record as part of the "From the Capitol Vaults" series. The album debuted to huge commercial legacy, an ongoing pattern that began in Parachutes which made Coldplay one of the best-selling bands worldwide. It topped the UK Album Charts upon its first week of release in the United Kingdom, where it enthralled a ranking at number seven of the country's 20 biggest-selling albums in the 21st century. The British Phonographic Industry has since certified the album 8x platinum for its accumulated sales of over 2.6 million units in Britain and over 12 million worldwide. The album spawned the hit singles "In My Place", "The Scientist", "Clocks", and "God Put a Smile upon Your Face".
3. X & Y (2005)
X&Y is the third studio album by Coldplay, released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via the record label Parlophone. The album, which features influences of electronic music, was produced by the band and British record producer Danton Supple. Development of the album was often troubled; The album's original producer, british record producer Ken Nelson, was supposed to produce much of the album, however, many songs written during their sessions were ditched due to the band's dissatisfaction. The album's cover art is a combination of colours and blocks, which is a representation of the Baudot code. The album contains twelve tracks and an additional hidden track, "Til Kingdom Come". It is omitted from the track listing on the album sleeve, but listed as "+" on the disc label and inside the album booklet. It was originally planned for American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash to record it with Martin, but Cash died before he was able to do so. The song "Talk" appeared on the main track listing, although it was thought to have been downgraded to a B-side for the album's subsequent single releases, after it leaked online in early 2005. Originally titled Zero Theory, X&Y was released after a considerable amount of hype and was a significant commercial success, reaching the top spot of many charts worldwide, including the United Kingdom and United States, the latter being their first. With accumulated sales of 8.3 million units in 2005 alone, X&Y was the best-selling album released in 2005 worldwide. To date, the album has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.
4. Viva la Vida or Death and All Hiss Friends (2008)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, often referred to as simply Viva la Vida (Spanish pronunciation: ['biβa la 'βiða]) is the fourth studio album by Coldplay, released on 11 June 2008 on Parlophone. The album was named after a Spanish phrase that translates in English as "long live life". Lyrically, the album contains references to love, life, death, and war. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 2007 to April 2008 and featured production by Jon Hopkins, Rik Simpson, Markus Dravs and Brian Eno. The album was the first to be produced by the latter. The band forced themselves to explore experimental styles, as Eno required every song on the album to sound different, and expanded their musical interests while recording Viva la Vida. The band wanted to make the album shorter than 42 minutes. As a result, the album is longer than the length they intended. Development of the album delayed the release date several times. Viva la Vida was released to positive reviews and commercial success. Five singles have been released in promotion of the album; "Violet Hill" and "Viva la Vida" in May 2008, "Lovers in Japan" and "Lost!" in November 2008, and "Strawberry Swing" in September 2009. "Viva la Vida" became the band's first song to reach number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72% from Metacritic. It won Best Rock Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards and was the best selling album of 2008. Viva la Vida was re-released on 25 November 2008 in a deluxe edition containing the original album and the Prospekt's March EP. As of 2011 the album has sold over 9 million copies worldwide.
5. Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Mylo Xyloto (pronounced /ˈmaɪloʊ ˈzaɪlətoʊ/) is the fifth studio album by Coldplay. It was released worldwide on 24 October 2011 by EMI. It was preceded by the lead single, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall", on 3 June 2011. "Paradise" was released as the second single three months later in September. "Charlie Brown" was released in January of 2012. Internationally, the album charted at number one in thirty countries. In the United Kingdom, Mylo Xyloto became their fifth album to debut at number one. "Paradise" and "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" received a total of three Grammy Award nominations. Mylo Xyloto has received mixed-to-favourable reviews from critics. Mylo Xyloto is a concept album, and its content follows a story throughout. According to Chris Martin, the album is "based on a love story with a happy ending," in which two protagonists living in an oppressive, dystopian, urban environment, meet one another through a gang and fall in love. Lyrically, the album is inspired by "old school American graffiti" and "the White Rose Movement." Coldplay have stated on several occasions that they want their next studio album to be "more acoustic" and "more intimate" than its predecessor, 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. However, while this was the initial approach, the tone of the record became more electronic in nature. Though songs recorded early in the process such as Us Against The World and U.F.O have maintained the "stripped" approach in the way they reflect the type of album Coldplay intended on recording initially, the overall sound and style of the record is electronic tinged with some of the world beat elements from the predecessor, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.
