The Coldplay Conundrum

Some bands are mentioned and immediately: "I love that band." Others inspire the opposite reaction. Coldplay came around as playlists were shrinking and radio was in its long descent into irrelevance.

They sell a lot of records. They are popular. If you ask a server about a menu choice and they say "A lot of people buy it" that does not not mean they like that dish.

Is Coldplay a good band? They have maintained a career almost long enough to enter The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some bands are ignored while others have new music played so often it makes me wonder "Why them?" Why has Maroon 5 received attention every new album and other bands do not?

Coldplay has decent songs. Subjectively I enjoy many of them. I have not listened to an album. The Black Eyed Peas have good songs and full albums grow tiresome.

Some bands are singles acts. The Beatles probably were the first band who had great albums. Most bands before them had a couple singles and questionable covers for an album. They could have released static after the three singles and no one would have known.

I found a long out of print Ike and Tina Turner album like this. Tina Turner performing covers is on another level. Record store finds- it might have cost seventy-nine cents so there was nothing to lose.

None of which has to do with Coldplay. Some successful bands are unnecessarily hated. There is a documentary about Nickelback describing their journey and perception.

Michael Bolton was unnecessarily hated before that. He wrote I Found Someone which reignited Cher's career and was disliked because his music was overplayed.

Most of my dislike for Ed Sheehan springs from The Shape of You played eight million times in 2017. He cannot control the fact that radio plays three hundred songs across all formats.

Coldplay has no songs that annoy me. Some act like they are the greatest band ever. They aren't. There are enjoyable songs. Others are in the background. Their new music does not inspire the long lost feeling of hearing a new song for the first time.

I probably have not had that feeling since The Rising. I wasn't aware Bruce Springsteen was working on new music and it made me stop and take notice; not unlike the first time Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You was enjoyed.

Maybe Viva La Vida is in that category. I don't mind hearing that ad infinitum. So much is showcased I never felt the need to delve into Coldplay's back catalog. It's not like discovering different Jimi Hendrix songs I never heard before.

There are concerts that also interest me. YouTube is good for something. In the post "You have to buy music" era Coldplay has had success. Draw your own conclusions as to whether they are good or not. They put it out there. Don't hate them because many people enjoy their music.