Recorded between 2001 & 2002.

"Clocks" won the 2004 Grammy Award for Record Of The Year. A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. "In My Place" won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.

Personnel: Chris Martin (vocals, guitar); Jon Buckland (guitar); Chris Tombling, Susan Dench, Richard George, Laura Melhewish, Anne Lines, Leo Payne, Peter Lale, Audrey Riley (strings); Will Champion (drums, percussion).

Audio Mixers: Coldplay; Danton Supple; Ken Nelson; Mark Pythian.

Recording information: Studio 1 Air (09/2001-05/2002); Studio 1, Air Abik (09/2001-05/2002); Studio 2 Mayfair (09/2001-05/2002); Studio 2, Mayfair, England (09/2001-05/2002); Studio 3 Parr Street (09/2001-05/2002); Studio 3, Parr Street (09/2001-05/2002).

Photographers: Zed Nelson; Tom Sheehan.

In 2000, Coldplay appeared seemingly out of nowhere and immediately advanced to the head of the Britpop class in the UK, while easily outdistancing the likes of Oasis and Blur in terms of US popularity. The most striking thing was that they did it with zero attitude and unassuming, melodic tunes humbly presented with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of memorability. That trend continues on the band's second album, A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD.

There's little stylistic alteration from PARACHUTES here, which is just fine, considering how enormously and instantly appealing that style is. While Travis, Elbow, and other entrants in the Britpop sweepstakes offer a not dissimilar sound, none can communicate with the honest immediacy and directness of Coldplay. Part of the key, apart from melodies so ridiculously catchy as to make Belle & Sebastian sound like Public Image Ltd., may be their working-class sense of all-for-one proletarianism (though not in the breast-beating Oasis manner). Even on "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," when Chris Martin goes so far as to offer a few boastful phrases, the ultimate sentiment that comes across is the refrain "your guess is good as mine."