Coldplay – X&Y (2005)X&Y is the third studio album by Coldplay, released in June 2005 on Parlophone Records and produced by Ken Nelson and the band. The album was the fastest-selling album in UK chart history at the time of release, selling over 463,000 copies in its first week, and went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide. It debuted at No. 1 in 32 countries simultaneously and became the best-selling album worldwide in 2005. The album followed the extraordinary critical and commercial success of A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and represented Coldplay's full transition from critically acclaimed alternative rock act to one of the biggest stadium bands in the world. Talk is built around a sample of Kraftwerk's Computer Love (1981), licensed with the German electronic pioneers' blessing. Fix You — written by Chris Martin for his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow following the death of her father Bruce Paltrow in 2002 — has become one of the most played and emotionally resonant songs in Coldplay's catalogue. The album closes with the hidden track Till Kingdom Come, originally written for Johnny Cash but recorded by Coldplay after Cash's death in 2003.Highlights Fix You — One of the most emotionally direct and universally resonant songs Coldplay have ever recorded; written by Martin as a private act of comfort for Paltrow, the song's journey from a quiet, organ-led verse to the full-band climax of the final chorus is one of the most cathartic and emotionally satisfying moments in 2000s rock, and has become a staple of memorial services and sporting events worldwide. Speed of Sound — The album's lead single and one of its most immediately accessible tracks; a driving, piano-led rock song with a melodic directness and emotional generosity that gave Coldplay one of their most commercially effective singles and demonstrated their ability to operate at the very highest level of mainstream pop without sacrificing their musical identity. Talk — The album's most musically distinctive track; built around Kraftwerk's Computer Love synthesiser riff, the song gives the familiar electronic melody a rock context that is both surprising and completely convincing, and demonstrates Coldplay's willingness to draw on the full breadth of pop history in constructing their sound. Till Kingdom Come (Hidden Track) — Originally written for Johnny Cash and recorded by Coldplay after his death in September 2003; a gentle, acoustic song with a lyric of devotion and endurance that gives the album a quietly moving conclusion and stands as one of the most personal and emotionally honest recordings in Coldplay's catalogue. White Shadows — One of the album's most sonically ambitious and musically expansive tracks; a five-minute rock song that builds with real force and demonstrates the band's ability to construct a sustained musical narrative across an extended form, and one of the most underrated moments in their catalogue. CD Details Title: X&Y Artist: Coldplay Year: 2005 Label: Parlophone Records / EMI Producer: Ken Nelson, Coldplay Format: CD Album (inc. hidden track) Tracks: 13 Barcode: 094631128028 ConditionCondition: Good/Good — see our Condition Grading Guide.Browse our full 2000s CD collection. You might also enjoy our Blu-ray titles or our Vinyl Records.
