Coldplay were still widely popular by 2014. Although they had already released three interesting live albums, they released yet another album to celebrate their main album, 2014’s Ghost Stories. Although this live performance did have numbers that were not on the parent album from the main live performance, it was assembled from several different live performances of the Ghost Stories parent album and put together as a hodgepodge sort of track listing. In any case, this album should be a decent listen throughout. It was released in a special edition package, complete with a DVD included back in 2014. This live album was released on 24 November 2014 on EMI Parlophone Records. Coldplay are: Jonny Buckland (electric guitars); Guy Berryman (bass guitars); Will Champion (drums and electronics) and Chris Martin (vocals, piano and keyboards). Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear where it takes us.

1. Always in My Head – Live at the Royal Albert Hall, London is the first track and has a ton of crowd cheering at the start of it all. Coldplay obviously had a great fanbase. Soon enough, the group launches into the song, with some ethereal electronic sounds present. This sounds very amazing and sweet. Following this, drums and guitars enter. This does sound really fantastic, and Coldplay knew their craft very well. Chris Martin sings very well on this song, and his voice has greatly improved over the years. Coldplay and Pop Music fans will absolutely dig this, it is a great performance indeed. A moving, touching and sensationally great listen, this is a gorgeous song about missing one’s love. A fantastic tune and this sounds extremely appealing. In the second half, it launches into a good guitar solo section, and Chris Martin sings sweetly here. A really great tune to hear. This sounds very amazing and awesome throughout. It wraps up with some loose guitar parts and intricate drumming. The crowd goes absolutely nuts at the end, deservedly so.

2. Magic – Live at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney launches right into it, with electronic drum beats and weird guitars. This does sound monumentally fantastic, all the same. Chris Martin and the audience sing this song through, and it sounds very much like Joy Division musically. A gorgeous but tragic song that sounds absolutely awesome, this is a real winner of a song. It sounds colourful and fantastic and has some interesting music and sounds throughout. There is a neat breakdown with punchy electronic beats towards the midsection before this tune arises to sound really great with the lyrics, singing and instrumentation. All in all, this tune sounds very, very amazing to listen to. Coldplay indeed could cut it live, and this tune about relationships falling apart is brilliant to listen to. In the second half are strummed acoustic guitars, and this piece of music is a winner. A really cool and amazing tune. Towards the end, one can hear the crowd screaming and yelping, as the song gradually reaches a logical conclusion. A great live tune. Fantastic. A joyous listen.

3. Ink – Live at Le Casino De Paris, Paris begins with some interesting melodies on the keyboard, and has a load of momentum throughout it all. Electronic drumbeats enter, and this tune gets going nicely. A fantastic listen, the crowd cheers and sings the harmonies throughout. Chris Martin sings wonderfully on this song, and he sounds like a man on a musical mission on this song. All in all, a really spirited, energetic, catchy and fantastic listen throughout. Coldplay has made a very impressive live album to hear, and the crowd sound very enthusiastic singing away as well. Chris Martin sings about the old habit of tattooing one’s lover’s name on your own body. In any case, this is a brilliant live performance, even for a lesser Coldplay parent album overall. These guys obviously were on a roll at this point. A great listen, through and through. Definitely worth the four minutes of your own life to hear this. Very awesome. It wraps up with repeating melodies to conclude.

4. True Love – Live at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney begins with some interesting keyboards from the original song, and has the crowd singing along very nicely. A very pretty and decent tune, the live delivery of this song makes for an interesting listen throughout. This gradually builds up to a climax and sounds absolutely awesome as a tune throughout. A really very pleasant listen throughout, this sounds extremely well performed. Chris Martin in particular sings very well on this song, and his vocals are reassuringly pleasant and enjoyable to listen to. A really interesting sonic ballad for the 21st century, the music present is undeniably awesome. Everyone has at least one true love in their lifetime, and whether or not it works is another thing. A moving and impressive-sounding song, although this is not the Pop/Rock of very early Coldplay music. Still, it packs a treat. This music sounds extraordinarily fantastic and sweet to listen to. The wordless vocal harmonies towards the end sound stunning, alongside electronics and guitars. The crowd goes nuts at the end, a great listen.

5. Midnight – Live at the Royal Albert Hall, London begins with some sweet electronic-sounding guitars and builds up a great deal of suspense throughout. The audience claps along very nicely, and this tune gets going very well. The sound of Chris Martin’s voice is different on this tune, and his vocals are electronically treated. Piano eventually enters, and this song comes alive very nicely. Soon enough, the audience claps along with this tune, as the song progresses. This sounds a lot like Radiohead’s 2000 album Kid A, but it is still quintessential Coldplay. A pleasant and melancholy sort of listen, this is a really moving and outstanding effort throughout. Coldplay managed to make an outer space 21st-century ballad on this song. All in all, this sounds extremely fantastic and listenable throughout. Kick drum beats emerge in the second half of the song, along with some clapping and a huge build-up of sound. Electronic melodies enter, and this piece continues to build up nicely. A really great live album has been recorded by this point from Coldplay. It sounds absolutely fantastic, as does this song. A great listen which ends with Chris Martin’s treated vocals. Worth it.

6. Another’s Arms – Live at the Beacon Theatre, New York launches into it with some awkward keyboard melodies and piano, before Chris Martin sings emotionally about night-styled romance. In any case, this is another good tune from the era. It sounds sweet, lively and magical throughout. It’s not at all the best song from this era of Coldplay, but Chris Martin and his bandmates pull it all together very nicely. An enjoyable enough listening experience, in any case, this does work nicely. A good listen without being a great listen, this does have some impressive sounds abound throughout it all. This tune is a good mixture of 21st-century postmodern inner and outer space, set to music. A very cool and interesting listen, this does work wonders nicely. It sounds deep and meaningful, especially lyrically. If you are a sensitive new-age guy or girl, this is the perfect music for you. A good but lengthy listen.

7. Oceans – Live at E-Werk, Cologne launches off with some interesting electronics and guitars, primarily acoustic guitars. A sweet and sensationally good tune, this has some awesome sounds put into this live experience. Chris Martin sings well on this tune, and his voice sounds much better than it did on Parachutes (2000) or A Rush Of Blood To The Head (2002). This music sounds wonderful, magical and lively throughout. A really cool and interesting tune, this has some genuine magic to it all. A really great listen, this is another outer space ballad that has some ingeniousness about the music at hand. A very lovely and pretty music ballad. Chris Martin sings better than ever, and he is clearly the musical leader of Coldplay. There is a magical string section in the second half, as singing over the top of it all emerges. A really fantastic listen. It finishes fairly quickly, to big applause from the crowd. Excellent. It has swirling electronics leading into the next song after that.

8. A Sky Full Of Stars- Live At The Royal Albert Hall, London launches right into it with some melodic piano and clapping throughout. It sounds moody and introspective throughout, which is typical of Coldplay’s music. This is a more upbeat tune that has some great quality about it. The music is a fantastic and anthemic listen, and again touches on relationship issues. This music has a very sell-out vibe present, but it sounds incredibly awesome, all the same. Chris Martin sings in a very humble way, and the music throughout is a really excellent listen. The sounds and music throughout are extremely good to hear. Without a doubt, this was Coldplay’s best live album to date. It sounds magical and terrific to listen to. A thoroughly cool Pop tune, although it sounds rather trashy as well. It still sounds very good, and although this is a lesser tune, you can still sit through it. A wonderful listen. This sounds absolutely monumental. It wraps up with electronics and Chris Martin chanting with the crowd before applause occurs. Brilliant.

9. O – Live at Royce Hall, Los Angeles is the final song on this live album. It begins with dramatic piano and launches into a very sweet song. Coldplay does some great music, even if they are generally loathed by critics. Chris Martin sings in his reassuring nice guy-styled way about birds and looking up to the sky. A really lovely and interesting tune to hear, this music is very, very good. The sounds and production throughout are really ace. This piano ballad is a bit of a slow starter, but it still has some dramatic appeal with it all. All in all, this is a really fantastic and sweet listen. Towards the midsection are some interesting electronic sounds and some deep singing by Chris Martin. A great and lovely listen, although this will not appeal to everyone listening as it is simply a piano ballad. It finishes up with a ton of applause and cheering before Coldplay performs an encore number to add to this album. The music sums up the listening experience throughout. The extra encore isn’t entirely necessary here, but that’s fine. It is a good listen. The album ends here.

This is the best live album by Coldplay so far at this point of time of their career (i.e. 2014). The group showcase their ambition, musicianship and melodies throughout. This isn’t a perfect live experience as it only has songs from Coldplay’s Ghost Stories (2014) release and is a mixing botch job. However, having said that this is still a standout mixture of live performances that holds up well to this very day. The question is, should you listen to this album? Yes, if you are a Coldplay fan but no, if you prefer other styles of music.

A very good mixture of live performances.

8/10