Number 20'A Rush of Blood to the Head' by Coldplay
Trotter’s Top Ten position : 1 in 2002
UK Chart high : 1 in 2002
Just getting this out of the way first...we don't need to make any apologies for liking Coldplay (I did that earlier with 'Parachutes'!). And you know I overthink music too much, right? Well there's a favourite aspect to it that I look out for with any artist which this album probably epitomises more than any other - and that's when someone follows up a debut that you really liked with a second album that completely raises their game and takes you by surprise. 'Yellow' certainly had pointed towards a future beyond selling out Brixton Academy, but listening to the opener here - 'Politik' - with its bombastic opening chords and the 'Look at Earth from outer space' first line couldn't have widened Coldpay's reach any further if they'd tried. Their live performance of this track at the Grammys (below) absolutely propelled them into the act we know today so its easy to forget they actually worked their way up from sticky-floor indie-dom to get there. Relistening to 'Clocks' also reminds you of what a great painist Chris Martin actually is - and if he's any sense he should return to that strand with their next album. Okay, this period also sowed the seeds of writing 'Fake Suede Deer' on your hand or something else I can't quite make out from here - now of course there's an app for that - and also the annoying vocal tick that Chris developed live by beginning every line with 'Singin'...'. But, all the peripherals aside, this is one of the finest English albums made full stop and comes complete with one of the best album closers too, played and sung along to far too many times at the end of a drunken evening than I should probably admit.... so I won't.
Look at The Scientist ; Clocks ; Amsterdam (live) ; Politik (live at the Gammys) ; God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Listen to a sampling of the Top Fifty on Spotify as we go or the 'one from each album' version
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