Parachutes (EcoRecord)

Good value for money, great songs

This review applies to the translucent yellow 20th anniversary vinyl edition - cat#/bar code 0190295182502 released 20 November 2020, delivered, played and reviewed the same day (on pre-order)!I guess the music needs no introduction as it's been around a surprising amount of time - er - like - 20 years. This new edition has no pops or clicks. None. Its flat like you'd expect too. It is warm sounding and pretty good to listen to. Maybe it isn't as transparent as you'd like (no pun intended) and perhaps its bottom end is a touch full in places. Nice to have the classic tracks on clean vinyl and I'd rather take the warm full sound over a lean one.Leaving aside the transparent yellow vinyl there's nothing special done for the anniversary edition bar a bland sticker on the film wrap. Not even a lyric sheet, no making of book, no photos of early concerts, posters or tickets. Nothing. I measure 172g so decent weight disk much better than the 150g norm, and not far off the premium 180g. No mp3 or wav download voucher so Amazon's complimentary autorip will have to do for a digital copy if you haven't got one already (its worth checking 2nd hand CDs).I'm giving this the full five stars owing to the very clean nature of the pressing and enjoyable sound which at the end of the day is what matters.Amazon (sold and dispatched) - this album was in a large box in only its film wrap with no special LP cardboard box to protect it, along with 2 other purchases including a 500ml pump action bottle of sanitizer rattling around. This risked trashing the record and sleeve. Fortunately the record survived bar a couple of very minor things with the sleeve I'll let go as the disk is undamaged and so good. Please pass on feedback to always put LPs in the specialized LP carboard wrapper packaging no matter what, even if they will go into a larger outer box for delivery. I'm assuming you'll read this. Thanks.

It was well packaged and not damaged when delivered

EXCELLENT BUY

I am a fan of the old sound of Coldplay and that's why I have been collecting their albums before Viva la vida. A few years ago I bought X & Y due to it having my favourite Coldplay song on it - Fix you, and I was impressed with the album. Last year I purchased A rush of blood to the head and really liked that album too. So after working my way backwards the only thing left was for me to buy this album which features the classic singles Yellow and Trouble on it.After the band released a couple of EP's - The safety EP and The blue room EP (which also features an early version of Don't panic), this debut album was released on 10th July 2000.The album cover is a picture of an orange coloured globe apparently purchased from WH Smith for £10, which contrasts with the black background. The album has 10 songs and features a hidden bonus track.Don't panic starts off and it's not the Coldplay you expect. It's based around acoustic guitar and it's a ballad with a chorus you're likely to recognise. Shiver comes in like an alternative rock track but slows down for the verse and has a quirky guitar riff between Martin's vocals. The overall sound is stronger and the lyrics of yearning are good. Spies is another acoustic song with soft vocals, a consistent sound with decent guitar and a high pitched vocal for the short chorus. It's pretty good and is the (naturally) longest track here at 5:18. The middle 8 gets big and intense but it comes back to the soft sound it began with, with Martin squeaking "they're just spies!". Sparks is another acoustic track with a melancholy sound and a sober tone. Yellow is the best track here and 1 of Coldplay's most famous songs because it's the song that got them recognised. This song is upbeat, has a great chorus and features electric guitar.Trouble is surely the 2nd best and another famous track from them with a great piano riff you should immediately recognise. It's a strong song with Martin asking for forgiveness stating "I never meant to cause you trouble". Parachutes takes us back to a quieter, slower sound with acoustic guitar carrying this. It's incredibly short at just 47 seconds! High speed is a bit heavier, once again with a guitar riff wrapped around the vocals. It's still got the quiet, relaxed sound that this album has throughout. We never change is another acoustic track with a soft tone and electric guitar wrapped around for effect. It's another really laid back, sombre track. I think we've had a bit too much of that already in my opinion. It would be nice to have more upbeat, exciting tracks. Everything's not lost is a slow piano driven track with some cool guitar. It's another track where Martin sounds like he's complaining, with his pathetic earnest. It's a decent closer with a sound we've got used to by now. After a gap there's a 1:37 hidden track called Life is for living which is a folk sounding acoustic track with echo-y vocals at the beginning which gets cleaner and features what sounds like an organ.If you don't like soft acoustic songs then you are not going to enjoy most of this album! Besides the 2 standout tracks which are the singles Yellow and Trouble, this album is very soft, downbeat and quiet and you are going to have to have an appreciation for that style to like this album all the way through. I like it and it's definitely worth listening to but I just wish there was more variety to it because then it would have been great not just good.

Good quality.came quick. Would buy again

Debut and probably best album by this band.This is the album that brought them to everyone’s attention. Well crafted and eclectic songs. Before they became stellar, this is probably their finest hour in a musical sense.

one of those albums i keep coming back to whenever i'm anxious or stressed. the opening track: 'don't panic' has lines such as 'we live in a beautiful world, yes we do' really make me stop and take a deep breath and go on a walk. crazy to think that it's almost 18 years old. but it really is timeless, beautiful and calming. the tracks aren't complicated - and that's what makes it such an unforgettable album. i can find no other album that is as authentic and true to my own life as this one, and i recommend that everyone listens to it, and takes 41 minutes out of their day to just breathe.