I've said multiple times that Jon Buckland is such an underrated player. Not because his guitar parts are crazy tech or difficult, but because they complement Chris voice, the piano, or the general music really really well. It's like he knows when to make his input and every time is flawless.

Dude, the guitar "solo" in their song Lost! is so simple but sooooo good, it complements the song so well and the dissonance is beautiful.

Johnny Buckland plays amazingly simple lyrical lines to compliment the songs. A bit like a latter day Edge, he uses his guitar as an instrument within the song and not specifically as an up front "look at me, I'm the guitarist, watch me solo" type of musician. I love plenty of the guitar heroes but also appreciate the style of people like Buckland, Edge, Will Sargeant (Echo & The Bunnymen), Ed O'Brien (Radiohead) and of course Johnny Marr from The Smiths. In 40 years of playing, I've moved from wanting to be the lead guitarist to wanting to create melodies and songs with the instrument I am best at playing - the guitar - together with other musicians. The musicianship of Coldplay and a lot of bands gets ignored because they do not have some virtuoso on guitar that is worshipped by guitarists. That seems a pity as the whole is bigger than the parts. I guess that's what makes a great band imho :)

First song I heard was Shiver, back in 1999. I was coming back from school, listening to the radio and getting ready to play The Sims, then Coldplay came up on the radio. There was something about the voice and the guitar that got me. I've been a fan of them ever since.

Ive always be a fan of Coldplay since I first heard them on the radio in the mid 00s. Ghost Stories is on of my all time favorite albums. Critics and listeners bashed it saying it was boring and mellow but sometimes not everything has to he upbeat, popy and electric. Chris Martin was going through a very sentimental time and thanks to that he gave us a very beautiful, astral, toned down album. Sometimes more is less. Sometimes in life we need that mellowness, thats slow paced music without the crazy guitar solos. Just to sit down and listen and feel the emotion and Coldplay did it exceptionally well. The guitars and tones made me feel like I was drifting in space, the sounds put me in my imagination, which in my book is what makes artists great at their craft and for that Coldplay is a 10/10

The first Coldplay song I remember hearing is “Yellow”. Those bending chords in the intro/turnarounds still amaze me. I rip Johnny off when I play two note chords in the style of the chorus just on the B and E string without the root. It’s such a great trick to give a song a different taste… especially when playing in a big band.

I played a Coldplay tribute show once and I gained a tonne of respect for them. Iconic songs, great arrangements and hugely underrated guitar playing. I don't enjoy their more recent stuff, but they're not nearly as bad as their haters say.

I always liked Coldplay. They are very melodic and their sound feels huge due to their production. I don’t get the notion of hating bands like Coldplay or nickelback due to them being “generic” because a lot of other bands on the radio lack guitar solos, creative melodic lines, and at times lack of ability to play an instrument yet people don’t hate on them…

I remember my first Coldplay song well. My parents had just moved me into my upstairs duplex, it was going to be my first night on my own. I had just bought a large flat screen LCD TV after saving many pizza job paychecks. As soon as my parents left, I turned on the TV and Coldplay was jamming out Clocks on Austin City Limits. It was very comforting for some reason and I've been hooked on their sound ever since.

Once I took the deep dive for Green Day. I then appreciated the song writing abilities. The simplicity is catchy. They make great music

FYI, noel didn't write the entire solo for Up&Up. The first solo is written and played by Johnny and the second is written and played by Noel. Their styles couldn't be more different. Noel would never do small intricate notes like Johnny's first solo. The second one, particularly with that bend, sounds like basically like most Oasis solo's.

Yellow, Death & all his friends, the scientist outro, Violet Hills, Every Teardrop, and my favourite, always in my head. Jonny has a lot of very very cool guitar parts throughout their carerer span.

The bands that originally caught me off guard when doing casual listening were Quicksilver (John Cipollina) and Fleetwood Mac (first Peter Green, then Lindsey Buckingham). No matter the genre they were immersed in, they could come up with melodic variations and unusual timings that would catch your attention. Once you have been caught out a few times, you are sort of trained to listen for subversive hooks in changes in melody, etc. Then somewhere along the way, you listen to Osibisa and the rhythms and melodic structures vary even more. All a journey.

I freakin love Coldplay. Beyond the “hits”, there’s a lot of wonderful material. Great video!

Going from middle school to high school in 2005, I would wake up early for basketball practice and I remember seeing Speed of Sound on VH1 Jump Start.. I was MESMERIZED. That and “Fix You” hold special places in my heart. Looking back, I think they were the songs that made me aware of how much I loved music.

First song I remember hearing a lot from them was In my Place. Actually grew up listening to them a lot and didn’t care what everyone thought about them. Their album A Rush of Blood to the Head I think is still their best ever.

my first Coldplay song was Clocks... then heard Yellow... but it wasn't until the Viva La Vida record with "Lovers in Japan" that had me consuming some Coldplay... it was also during that record that I had my own collection of guitar pedals as a church guitarist myself to where I experiment with finding the Coldplay tone on my MIM 72 Tele Custom... or maybe it was my PRS SE Custom 22... either way, "Lovers in Japan" help me refine my tone... But then I learned about X & Y's "Fix You" and that one string riff in the turnaround to the bridge... that really got me digging them...

One cannot simply hate Coldplay’s guitar work. From acoustic to electric, genius all all-round

I remember seeing the video first for Yellow, a youthful Chris Martin walking down a beach, probably 2000. We were coming out of a post Britpop slump so there was a bit of a gap to fill as I remember. I've never really understood the hate, I just think they became too big for the 'cool police' to accept them. Songs like The Scientist and Violet Hill, to me, are incredible compositions. Buckland had me from the guitar part around the chorus in Don't Panic

First song I heard by them was Violet hill and just loved the the fuzz and the trot like beat that followed the voice. Then just went on to look them up and enjoyed a lot of their music upto thag point. Haven’t listened in a while though

As a Coldplay fan since long, I'm actually glad how you have broken down how fine their music can get, in spite of getting overly complicated. They have produced some great piano songs like "Fly On", "Everglow" to the acoustic bliss like in their old EP era such as "See You Soon" or "Sparks". If someone actually spends some time, they can try listening to the Everyday Life where they took an attempt to shift their genre to combine with orchestral sounds. On going to the "Life in Technicolor" song, you can even find the subtle use of Indian classical Music. And for the ones complaining Coldplay ain't "rock" enough, maybe try listening to "People of the Pride" or "God Put a Smile Upon My Face". Cheers!! Thanks Mike for this amazing video!

I always liked a bunch of Coldplay's music, the first song I heard from them when I was a kid was Viva La Vida back when it first came out back in 2008-09 and that song has always had a special place for me, I've always loved the instrumentation in that song but the song that really blew me away from them was Shiver. I remember first hearing that song back when I played Guitar Hero: World Tour (which was one of my favourite games when I was younger, and still to one of my favourites) and the fuzzed-out guitar tone that Johnny Buckland got is still absolutely awesome. Definitely a criminally underrated player imo

I always think it’s funny listening to my guitarist friends complain about pop music being “simple” while they worship bands like AC/DC and Black Sabbath and Guns and Roses. Like, your average 4 chord pop song has more chords than the average AC/DC song, as an example. And then so many people put classical music in such a high pedestal, too. I went and started listening to classical, and I realized that Chopin liked to compose pieces around 4 chord loops, and Mozart seems to like composing around simple chord loops or melodic hooks. Once I realized that, I decided to just listen to whatever music I wanted, and I’ve found some really amazing hidden gems.

I've always been a fan of Coldplay. EVERY member of Coldplay is underrated and overlooked, imo. None of them ever really do anything over the top or flashy, but as a whole the band is just a magical mixture that is much more than the sum of their parts. Any musician, or person in general really, instantly loses a ton of respect from me if they trash on Coldplay. It's fine if they aren't your style of music - but if you think they are just trash or not skilled, then you just aren't looking closely enough at what is going on. Johnny isn't going off on crazy Mayer blues solos or revolutionizing guitar like Polyphia, but regardless he has so many catchy guitar lines that are iconic and memorable - and the tones and sounds he creates are just magic. Guy isn't trying to do a ton of crazy slapping or solos on the bass like he's Victor Wooten or Thundercat, but he is such an incredibly solid foundation that holds the entire band together, and when you take the time to listen for his bass riffs they are freaking sick. Will's drumming is solid and punchy, and he has so many cool beats. And everyone knows Chris has such an iconic voice, with a ton of range, as well as being an incredibly underrated piano player. They just fit together perfectly and all of their parts weave together to make something special. Unfortunately their latest 3 albums have been pretty disappointing, as I feel they strayed too far from what they do well as a band. Albums 1-7 however are golden.

First Coldplay song that grabbed my attention was The Scientist. Followed by Clocks. I didn't hear their biggest hit Yellow until much later.

Wanna hear an awesome Coldplay guitar solo, check out Hurts Like Heaven from their Mylo Xyloto album. It just happens to be my favourite song of theirs...

Likely 'In my Place' in 2001ish. That intro lick is fire

My favorite album is Parachutes. It still sounds great 👍

First one I heard was shiver and that’s still one of my favourites of theirs, it’s got a great lick. The video for yellow was filmed at a beach near my home town too 😊

Have a soft spot for that band, they were my first concert at the rose bowl! My dad won tickets and it was a unforgettable concert!

Almost 2 decades ago I saw a video of Barcelona and Ronaldinho beating Real Madrid at their stadium in such a style so even the local fans applauded to a brazilian magician. The song behind was Speed of Sound by Coldplay. Till these days one of my favorite songs.

When I first started playing guitar Coldplay was my favorite band and some of their X&Y stuff while being pretty simple, is so fun to play. Even though in some songs, the guitar parts are easily missed once you hear them you realize they fit so well.

I haven’t really enjoyed their music for quite a while now but they will always be legends to me because of the music they released in the 2000s. Parachutes, A Rush Of Blood to the Head and (my personal favourite) Viva La Vida are all classic albums and I enjoy X&Y quite a bit too.

From the era Parachutes to Viva La Vida and Prospect March EP, I appreciate Johnny Bucklands Guitar Tone. Yellow was the perfect start and love for the Fender Jaguar. God Put A Smile got the cool Telelead and dang good.

This video and the John Mayer video was my favorite. Loved it.

Pretty good video, altho the real reason we hate (respectfully) coldplay is actually not the lead guitar, but actually Chris Martin's guitar playing. For example, careful where you stand, spies, shiver. Amazing rhythm, crazy tunings and almost more than 10 different chords with original finger pickings.

johnny buckland write the one you showed (up&up at 3:18). noel made the later one (up&up at 4:52)

The most nostalgic song i remember when it comes to Jonnys playing is with the hidden track “chinese sleep chant” off of Viva La Vida where the band are playing this sleepy pulsing music and then jonny comes in with this sleepy guitar break.

They just write great songs. Most people do not give a single shit about widdly widdly guitar hero solos. They're awesome.

Hey Mike, great video as always. I’d love if you could do this type of video on Oasis, I think a lot of ppl hate/write them off because of wonderwall but they have a lot of good songs which are more heavier and ‘cooler’. Thanks man!

jonny buckland is my biggest inspiration, always plays to the song and really enhances the band as a whole. very chill guy too, tries to avoid the spotlight despite absolutely earning it. for the doubters, check out Violet Hill, Major Minus, Hurts Like Heaven, and Cemeteries of London

Coldplay is absolutely loved here in Brasil. People are asking him to live here!!! They even met the president and gave him a guitar!! They really cool.

I first remember hearing Clocks for a preview for the Peter Pan live action movie on a CD I have.

But Noel Gallagher is the one who plays the solo on the song, right? Correct me if I'm wrong, but show the source too 😅

Johnny Buckland has the talent of writing "memorable" "emotion-filled", "serving-the-song" I think it's more important technical virtuosity. Some guitarist and artists are able to create a listenable sound *and* present an impressive technical playing for the masses.

Mann though I worship led zepp and queen and head bang to metal music in free time before I became a musician, Coldplay were my childhood I can’t deny that and I still love their music

Just for clarification, the one minute solo is Buckland's, Noel Gallagher did the second solo on the song

I’ve listened to plenty of Coldplay, and while I personally don’t like their music, that doesn’t mean they’re a bad band. They’ve made quite a bit of good music, and I’m not hating for the sake of hating, just not my cup of tea. But I completely understand why somebody would like them.

"Talk" and "Fix You" always had such great guitar in the background

The solo from moving to mars is sick

You are too young, that is the moral of the story. Coldplay were the saviors when Radiohead went electronic. Jonny Buckland inspired me to buy a Hardwire RV-5 pedal with the Lexicon chip because I knew his ambient tones were around a Lexicon reverb.

I’m old enough to have experienced Coldplay’s story. Their first two records were phenomenal and even album 3 and 4 were decent, but they have fallen off a cliff. I think they’re quite synonymous with some of the issues with modern pop music… overproduced, safe and bland. I tried listening to ghost stories because I heard that it was a little more experimental but it was a bit of a snoozefest. It is a shame because I do stand by the facf that they are (or at least were) very talented song crafters .

I think whats amazing is that Jonnys playing in the earlier demos feels like he (and the rest of the band) are trying to 'fit in' with other English musicians of the 90's, and there's a song I always think to where I just hear Chris and Jonny shine in full technicolor for the first time, and its 'Careful Where you Stand.' While published as a Parachutes B-side, the song was written earlier and feels very VERY Coldplay. Towards the end Jonny's guitar playing is really haunting and so melodically odd, and pairs beautifully with Chris' vocal instrumentation. For those who are newer fans, PLEASE listen to this song. And furthermore, check out all their B-sides. Though not all are winners, there's some really good stuff there!

Jonny Buckland is a very underrated guitar player it's true. He plays guitar as an instrument and not for some flashy show-off a-la Slash or any Rock guitarists of the past. His guitar tones are often delicate and mellow, just fits perfectly with Coldplay's music. Coldplay hate is so forced and weird tbh. It's one thing to dislike their music cause it's a matter of taste and preference, but to actively deny that they have made an impact in music industry is daft. Their music is very distinctive & recognizable with interesting chord progression and that's why I love them so much. And I prefer male singers with soft falsetto rather than some screeching 'metal' voice that many of Coldplay haters prefer. I do think envy is a part of the hate tbh. They are selling stadiums really fast, everywhere around the world. If your music taste is so 'refined' 'edgy' 'sophisticated' don't you want your amazing favourite band to be successful and selling stadiums too? don't lie...lol. And the fact that today's music landscape & distribution is more digital and the way to make a living as a musician is to be a successful touring act...and it's a pretty tough achievement nowadays but Coldplay just dancing away being just that! and they are still relatively young. Also they are deemed 'uncool' because apparently Chris & co are humble, straight laced people with zero 'rockstar' gimmicks? They are too much of a green flag and it's difficult to tear them apart. Society tends to reward toxic men. Don't y'all just love it when you hear some rock stars getting into scuffle? I mean, hitting women, sleeping with groupies, giving women STDs, or maybe getting on the pedo train by dating underage girls... the more extravagant the stories the 'cooler' they are!! The frontman Chris Martin never badmouth his ex-wife (which is a great testament to his personality and IMHO more men should look up to him as a role model) and the rest of the boys (Jonny, Will and Guy) we never hear any weird gossips about them, which of course, made them 'Beta' and 'Boring'. I say keep being boring Coldplay. Let people hate. I bet they are having a good time crying all the way to the bank.

I really like their sound. It's really cozy, at least up to AHFUD. Sometimes though, I couldn't stand Chris Martin's voice and wished that they were an instrumental-only band. It's like the same dynamic with Bernard Sumner and New Order. Sometimes though I see it as a way to ground and humanize their sound.

Discovered Coldplay with X&Y and a rush of blood to the head. Still masterpieces for me. New coldplay is not for me anymore...But respect for what they did.

The first Coldplay song I listened to was actually Hymn for the Weekend back in 2016 as well (got massive publicity in India for obvious reasons). I loved Guy Berryman's bassline there (a point where I was just getting into playing the bass) and then I dived into their catalogue, starting with A Head Full of Dreams. That album, especially Up&Up and Adventure of a Lifetime, were crucial in my (both harmonic and technical) development as a guitarist (I'd been trained in Hindustani classical at a young age, so a lot of the knowledge transferred over onto guitar, it was like redoscovering an old treasure all over again). Of course later on learned that Noel played Up&Up (Oasis's catalogue has been super influential for me too). Coldplay are musically a very well accomplished band, and even though I hopd Parachutes very very dear to my heart, and haven't been quite enjoying their newer endeavours (My Universe off their newest album is a bop tho), I've always had a massive respect for them as they chose to change their sonic palate in every subsequent album.

I had no opinion about Coldplay until I started singing some of their songs. They are really satisfying to sing

Hey Mike. Just wanted to take the time to say as a guitar player that I really appreciate your videos and enjoy watching them for both leisure and to learn things depending on what I'm doing. Good stuff man.

Someone that truly shocked me with a new release was a little nobody called Taylor Swift. When she dropped Folklore and Evermore, I listened to that on loop. The storytelling, the lyrics, the song construction was pure Gold! These two albums stay my forever favourites and following that Midnight was sort of a let down.

im kinda surprised that you had never heard adventure of a lifetime before, considering it's one of youtube's most popular songs

My first concert ever was Coldplay on their X&Y tour. I really liked them a lot back then. I feel their sound up until viva la vida was extremely defined by Bucklands harmonic style on the guitar (lots of sus chords, chords with extensions etc, lots of open strings and non functional progressions.)

1st Coldplay song. Yellow! HBO concert 2003. Love that band. Wish I could see them live.

Well, the guys in Coldplay are big U2 fans. U2 has also gotten its fair share of hate, because the Edge creates textural guitar parts that serve the song and not the guitarist. Jonny Buckland does a similar thing in his music, like on Speed of Sound where he’s doubling the piano for the main riff, or on Fix You, where his infamously simple guitar part doesn’t change, but the rest of the band switches up the chord progressions in creative ways. He does have kind of flashy parts, like you mentioned on Adventure of a Lifetime, and of course Yellow, but those are blending into the chord structure rather than soloing or standing out too much. I don’t listen to them a lot, but they are quite the creative storytellers and sound designers musically.

I didn't understand anything except that Jonny Buckland is a legend. Which is what I came to hear. Ma' man knows whose the GOAT

Viva la Vida like 10+ years ago, when I first heard it. First one I liked a lot, adventure of a lifetime 2015. Now I’m still huge fan with replicas of clothing and everything and went to 2 concerts 😂.

We're you saying "little known" ironically? Because they've been super well known since at least "Yellow."

If you see from the Live 2003 dvd, Jonny in A Rush of Blood to the Head is purely haunting. And if you can guess my name Parastar here is Coldplay based. For me Parachutes will always be their best album and Guy Berryman’s bass work too was his best there. The fact that he also plays right hand bass when he is actually left handed in real life is pretty cool

The first song i heard from coldplay was don’t panic and i have been in love ever since

It's always been cool to hate whatever band got huge. For Coldplay I remember when Yellow hit - I hated it, and I still do. But then Clocks wiped me out and I've been a fan of not everything, but a lot of what they've released ever since.

johnny buckland is amazing

First 3 albums were great but after that they became a disney meme band. No one say they are bade musicians, they truly can write very good music and play but the band direction that they choose is completly opposite from their beggining. They could become the new radiohead but instead they are playing music for young boys/girls who watch disney movies.

My first song by Coldplay was Magic. It was in like 2013-2014 I think

I always love seeing more love for Johnny buckland, and Coldplay in general , their first 7 albums are incredible particularly parachutes thru viva la vida, they are pretty damn good songwriters

I don't personally know much if Coldplay's music but I never disliked them. I like all the songs I know

I wanna say I’ve liked Coldplay since I heard Yellow when I was 14 (in 2007) which by then it wasn’t even a new song anymore but now it’s a classic 🤙🏽

Hey, can you have a deep dive about Richie Sambora? Thanks!

Haters gonna hate. Having said that, that mini solo from True Love is really great.

Neat analysis! Also I believe Noel Gallagher from Oasis wrote and played the Up and Up solo on the album

As a keys player I can both confirm this and also add that we LOVE Coldplay

Portugal. The Man. Their chording is amazing.

John Mayer comes to mind with his first few albums…then John Mayer Trio and Continuum came out 🤯 . The dude is a mastermind . Btw great vid

I learned to play guitar by watching Chris martin, you should check out how he constructs cords when he plays the acoustic guitar. Take a look at the acoustic parts of shiver, spies, god put a smile upon your face, fix you

Coldplay are great. It's just a shame they didn't release anything after Parachutes.

@mike Cole you and Vigi are like my favourite guitar KZfaqrs!!! You’re the only guys that manage to keep me interested!! Awesome content man! Really appreciate what you do!!

Personally I think it's Chris that causes a bit of the resentment of Cold Play. When they first burst on the scene you couldn't get away from them, I think the first one I heard was Yellow, as they were the darlings of the scene. I'm no great fan of all their work despite liking some of their songs quite a bit and some of the guitar lines are quite brilliant. Personal favourites are the White Shadows riff which is simple and effective and I really like how the guitar just crashes in on Violet Hill almost catches you off guard. Its all very influenced by the way 'Edge' from U2 plays I feel.

Literally how I feel when people bitch about Ghost. From the lyrics to music they are absolutely fantastic. My favorite band.

So...is that the only light purple hoodie you own , or do you have like , a weeks worth of them ?

Hi can you help me how to create affiliate link for Sweetwater.

Jonny Buckland is my favorite guitarist. He’s freaking brilliant.

Think of how many celebrated singers are rated as great. But, if we’re honestly listening, just imagine if there was only the singer. Truth, few can stand with just a single instrument accompanying.

I’m pretty sure Noel Gallagher from Oasis is the one that played the solo on up and up not Johnny Buckland

I love your talks

What's next, Why do Guitar players Les Pauls Teleys or Strat?

Coldplay's viva la vida was stolen song from the JOE SATRIANI but most people would like to side with the more popular Coldplay.

To be honest, I used to like them a lot more than I like them now. After... I guess it would have been after Viva La Vida, when they started playing more with electronic parts. And that was fine at first, but as it went on they started replacing the parts of their sound that I had really liked with new things that didn't really hold my interest the same way. The last album I heard, I think it was Everyday Life, still had a few tracks that I really enjoyed on there... but those were certainly fewer and farther between than they used to be. A Rush of Blood to The Head, X&Y, and Viva La Vida are still three albums I really like and I listen to songs from them a lot. While I'd be happy to be proven wrong, I don't think there's going to be anything new from the band that will take their place for a good while to come. I will say, in spite of all that, Chris Martin is still one of my favourite vocalists, right up there with folks (in other styles) like Peter Steele and Trent Reznor.

We want the Wonderwall video!!

What about 'Yes'? That is amazing

I never understood the "Nickelback" thing. I thought they played some pretty good hard rock pop guitar-driven music and I'm 71yrs old. I still like them and have several of their albums/CDs.

I'm sure you've heard 'Shiver'. One of the best rhythm/lead guitar songs ever.