Coldplay – Left Right Left Right Left (Free EP), Review & Giveaway

Click on the turntable on the left to listen to a continuous stream of music featured on Pretty Much Amazing - updated every day. For more, you can check out the Best Songs of 2011, or our Best Albums of 2011.

No, we’re not giving away the already free EP! We’ll be giving away a copy of Viva La Vida/Prospekt’s March [Deluxe Editon]

Coldplay   Left Right Left Right Left (Free EP), Review & Giveaway stream music mp3 Coldplay
Left Right Left Right Left

Coldplay.com
Free Live EP

[82]
[Rating Scale]
[DOWNLOAD]

[rating:82/100]

Coldplay are still touring hard all around the world in support of their massive fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends / Prospekt’s March, all the while preparing for ANOTHER album that is supposed to hit shelves later this year.

I guess Chris Martin is really trying to squeeze as much as he can from his band, because wasn’t it the blue-eyed Coldplay frontman who said, “I’m 31 now and I don’t think that bands should keep going past 33.” Either way, I’m excited at the chance to catch Coldplay live again — they’re truly fantastic. I’m equally excited to hear another album from the band in the upcoming months.

I guess a good middle-ground for the two is this new, free live EP that Coldplay has begun to hand out at their shows. For those not lucky enough to catch them live, the band is now giving the EP for free online. Coldplay are a bunch of stand-up guys, aren’t they?

I uploaded this onto my iPod as soon as it finished downloading and I’ve been running through the songs all weekend long. I’m not a huge fan of live albums, but sometimes these live albums are beyond words. It has a lot to do with the band, but even more with the crowd. There is such a thing as too much crowd participating, but no one likes a dead crowd either. On Left Right Left Right Left, Coldplay have found the perfect magnitude of cheering, yelling, and singing along in this crowd. The EP runs a delightful and generous 9 tracks spanning Coldplay classics (“Clocks,” “Fix You”), Viva highlights (“42,” “Strawberry Swing,” “Viva La Vida”), and Prospekt’s March filler.

The EP opens up with said Prospekt’s March filler, “Glass Of Water,” and ironically, it’s one of the best tracks on the EP. The song opens up to a roaring crowd silenced by a combination of stuttering keys, electric guitar and Chris Martin’s voice. Crowd participation is limited to light cheering. I’m assuming not everyone in the house has Prospekt’s songs memorized like they do Viva La Vida. All that’s about to change.
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/01-glass-of-water.mp3,_Coldplay - Glass of Water,download]

Shockingly, the crowd did not go wild when “Viva La Vida”‘s oh-so familiar string arrangement permeated form the stage. Definitely a show highlight, this rendition of the upbeat “Viva La Vida” depicts a crowd having the time of their lives bobbing around and singing along to 2008′s biggest hit. “Viva La Vida” is a particularly great song to see performed live. Chris Martin’s captivating stage presence is made known through awkward dancing and erratic jumping about the stage. If you saw this year’s GRAMMYs, you know what I’m talking about (and if you didn’t, watch this).
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/06-viva-la-vida.mp3,_Coldplay - Viva La Vida,download]

You don’t feel the crowd loose complete control until one of the world’s most recognizable piano melodies resonates throughout the sold-out arena. “Clocks” has always been my favorite Coldplay track, as well as a personal all-time favorite. Looking back at the times I’ve seen Coldplay live, I recall fire in Chris Martin’s eyes. You can’t see them now, but by listening to this live rendition of the career-defining “Clocks,” you can feel the band’s passion. This is a band still excited about what they do every night, tens of millions in album sales later. What more can you ask for?
[audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/03-clocks.mp3,_Coldplay - Clocks,download]

To enter to win a copy of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida/Prospekt’s March [Deluxe Editon], leave a comment with your thoughts on the live EP. Make sure you leave your name/email address in the provided fields! Entries will be accepted until May 25th

Ed. Note: Are you interested in writing about music? We'd love to hear from you! Email us with samples and a short bio.

{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }

Evan May 18, 2009 at 6:23 pm

I downloaded this EP the day it came out – really pumped for it. I was at the first friends and family show for this tour back in June of 08, and the experience is something that will always stay with me.

I like the track selection, it gives a good taste I think of what the show is like. You get a good balance between the very choreographed moments that make a Coldplay “show” SO COOL – and the stripped down, unexpected, improvised moments that prove what a truly great band they are.

HOWEVER.

This EP leaves out a lot of, what I thought, were the highlights of the show. The points that were filed with emotion, that shook the arena floor, and that were really unforgettable (which is probably the idea, since they want people to buy a ticket – but STILL, how great was the 2003 Live record!!)

Violet Hill
God Put a Smile on Your Face
Yellow
Lovers in Japan

These songs in the show were KILLERRRR – and I was really hoping to hear them once again. But I will resign them to memory….

Reply

David~! May 18, 2009 at 8:19 pm

Missing some of my all time favs, like Yellow, but a great live album. “The Hardest Part” is a nice surprise, cuz its stripped down to the bare bones with just Martin’s piano supporting a far more restrained vocal. On X & Y, its all light-weight but on this stripped down version, it is far darker. Will Champion also sings well on “Death Will Never Conquer”, which is pretty unexpected. Great of them to give this out free…

Reply

Randi Baron May 18, 2009 at 8:20 pm

what’s the username/password you have to put in?

Reply

Eric May 18, 2009 at 8:45 pm

wait, what about this username and password?
how did everyone get past that?

Reply

Jordan May 18, 2009 at 9:13 pm

It’s supposed to ask you for your email address… not a user/pass?

Reply

ryan May 18, 2009 at 10:03 pm

Luis… here is the full version of the madonna and lil wayne track

Reply

Mick May 19, 2009 at 4:05 am

The live EP is a great gift in my opinion, I really like what they did with The Hardest Part. If you ask me this live EP kicks the Live 2003 cd.

Reply

Rob May 19, 2009 at 5:32 am

Takes me back to when i saw them in Manchester in Decemeber Brilliant.

Reply

Sarianna May 19, 2009 at 7:03 am

Someone mentioned this on Twitter, so obviously I downloaded it, even though I thought Coldplay were a bit boring. And then I listened to this, and immediately looked them up on YouTube and HypeM and very nearly bought all of their albums. So yes, I liked it rather a lot. :P

Reply

Julio May 19, 2009 at 10:03 am

This is a great live cd! Makes me wish that I was there during these live performances!
Great song selections and can’t wait to the next release….

Reply

Rory May 19, 2009 at 1:51 pm

My favourite thing about this website is that there is mostly only love in the comments, unlike most sites, where people only comment on negative things!
And I love this E.P.

Reply

Peter May 19, 2009 at 2:38 pm

Hey, thanks for running the contest/giveaway! Hope I win, ha!

Reply

Alejandra May 19, 2009 at 4:12 pm

This giveaway is an amazing treat for all loyal Coldplay fans. I hope this will further help people realize that Coldplay are not in this for the money or the awards but rather because of the beauty of music itself.
It’s wonderful hearing the “oh oh ohh oh oh ohhh” chant during Viva La Vida, just goes to show that music really is the universal language.

Reply

Alessio May 19, 2009 at 5:36 pm

This is a truly magnificient gift. The audience sound is really great and they can sing as much as the band. It sounds like a happy party and it’s nice to be part of the experience by listening to it! It shows it’s all about passion…

Reply

Julie May 19, 2009 at 7:23 pm

since Coldplay is my favorite band it’s hard not to find something to love about this free CD. I will say that I wish they would have added “Politik” to it. They played it at the live show I went to last year and it was by far the best song of the evening and a welcomed addition to their normal playlist. I’m excited to see them again this July.

Reply

Thomas C May 19, 2009 at 9:29 pm

Just listened to it, great great great! They are wayyy better live that I was expecting. Viva La Vida was probably the only let down, only because the studio version is sooo good, it is very hard to top that live. Thanks for the link PMA!!

Reply

Simon D May 20, 2009 at 12:44 am

They were in New Zealand earlier this year, but i couldnt afford the ticket price! So its therefore great to hear an album where i can turn it up loud and actually imagine being there. Clocks especially, i can just picture in my head what it woul dbe like- they have got that perfect mix between vocals, insturments, and more importantly in this case- the crowd
Good Effort Coldplay!

Reply

Wlodi May 20, 2009 at 10:57 am

This EP is a really great gift for every Coldplay fan. This nine-track mini-album is a perfect sampler for everyone who couldn’t make it to their live gigs. It sounds spectacular in every aspect. It’s easy to feel the chemistry between the band and the audience. This makes up 40 minutes of some really amazing tunes. Most of them are from “Viva la Vida” album, but Coldplay also played their two hit songs, “Fix You” and “Clocks” what makes the EP even more interesting.

Reply

Derek May 26, 2009 at 9:08 pm

i love this EP. I went to one of their concerts in 2008 and I can definitely say that this is as close as it gets to feeling like being at the concert as it gets! I’m so glad they released this live, although I would have bought this cd even if they didn’t!

Reply

marcio meirelles March 25, 2010 at 9:14 pm

i love this EP. I went to one of their concerts last february, in São Paulo, Brazil. The concert was perfect, yellow was great, it’s my favorite song

Reply

Leave a Comment

The Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” has been sitting comfortably at the No. 1 spot of the US singles charts for the last 6 weeks. Taking a look at…

Keep Reading...

I’ve been sitting on this one excitedly all weekend long — you know how I hate blogging on a Saturday or Sunday — and I’m excited to finally let you…

Keep Reading...

Weezer performed “Kids” and “Poker Face (zomg!) at T-Mobile’s new Sidekick premiere (lame) last week. Just watch the video — Weezer always kills quirky randomness. That’s why we love them,…

Keep Reading...

In the air of this press release: New York/London–Babelgum announced that Ceri Levy’s Bananaz, about virtual cartoon band Gorillaz, has launched worldwide today on the new, Flash-driven Babelgum website and…

Keep Reading...

Note: PMA gives away each album it reviews. Learn how to enter at the end of the review. Bloc Party Intimacy Remixed Wichita Out May 12th [72] [Rating Scale] [rating:72/100]…

Keep Reading...

What’s this? I got this in the mail today… What started as a vague idea planted as a seed into the minds of a few individuals has now sprouted into…

Keep Reading...

Two of my favorite newcomers on the same delicious track. You’ll like this one. [audio=http://pmatunes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dan-black-symphonies-passion-pit-remix-1.mp3,_Dan Black - Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix),download] epic photo by jalapeño

Keep Reading...

After a couple of rounds of voting, the original top 3 ended up being the winners. I will set them up in rotation ASAP and contact the designers. Congrats! 1.…

Keep Reading...

Southpaw, in Park Slope, is dark and uncrowded. The sparse crowd is an awkward, eclectic mix. In one corner a DJ spins nineties rap, watched by awestruck preppy hipsters in…

Keep Reading...