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Coldplay

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Coldplay
File:Coldplay2005A.jpg
Background information
Years active1997–present
MembersChris Martin
Jon Buckland
Guy Berryman
Will Champion

Coldplay is a post-Britpop/alternative rock band from London, United Kingdom well known for their rock melodies and introspective lyrics.

The band consists of:

Coldplay's early material was reminiscent of artists such as Radiohead, Oasis, Jeff Buckley, and Travis. Other influences include U2, R.E.M, Pink Floyd, a-ha, John Lennon, The Smiths, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, The Stone Roses, Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips, Neil Young, Echo and the Bunnymen and, more recently, Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk. Before his death, Cash was actually scheduled to record a track written by the band.

Despite Coldplay's surge in popularity, the band has remained very protective of how their music is used in the media. The band allows their music to be used in film, television, and promotional spots such as the movie trailer to Peter Pan. However, Coldplay has been adamantly against their use in actual product endorsement. The band turned down multi-million dollar contracts from Gatorade, Diet Coke, and The Gap, who wanted to use the songs "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic" respectively. According to Martin, "We wouldn't be able to live with ourselves if we sold the songs' meanings like that."

History

Origin and early years (September 1996–October 1999)

File:ColdplayFlyer.gif
Flyer for an early 1998 gig

The members of the band met in the residence halls of University College London in September 1996. Martin and Buckland were the first members of the band, having met one another during freshers' week. They spent the rest of the year planning a band; at one point Martin had considered forming a *NSYNC inspired boy band called Pectoralz. Eventually, Berryman joined the ranks, without consideration of what musical direction the band was taking. On January 8, 1998, the band's line-up was complete when Champion joined the band to take up percussion duties. The multi-talented Champion had grown up playing piano, guitar, bass, and tin whistle; he quickly learned the drums, despite having no previous experience with that instrument. At the time, the band performed under the name Starfish. Eventually, they took the name Coldplay from a mutual friend, Tim, who had his own band. According to Martin, "He (Tim) decided he didn't like the name anymore because it was too depressing." In 1998, Coldplay was performing small club gigs for local Camden promoters. Wanting more creative freedom, Martin recruited fellow student and childhood friend Phil Harvey to act as band manager. Harvey helped the band raise money needed to record a demo. Harvey managed the band up until and including the release of their debut album Parachutes. He was later replaced by American based manager Dave Holmes who continues to manage the band to this day. On May 18 1998 the band released 500 copies of Safety EP. Most of the discs were given to record companies and friends; only 50 copies remained for sale to the public. In December, Coldplay was signed by indie label Fierce Panda, after founder Simon Williams had attended the band's gig that evening. The result was the three track EP Brothers And Sisters which was quickly recorded over four days in February 1999. The disc was released in April, only 2,500 copies were pressed in a very limited release. Buzz was slowly growing across the UK, helped by regular airplay from BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq.

File:ColdplayEarly.jpg
From left: Guy, Jon, Chris, Will

After completing their final examinations, Coldplay was signed to Parlophone for a five-album contract in Spring 1999. After making their first appearance at Glastonbury, the band went into studio to record a third EP titled The Blue Room. The disc was released in October, and 5,000 copies were made available to the public. The recording sessions for The Blue Room were tumultuous. Champion walked out for a week, causing Martin (a self-proclaimed non-drinker and non-smoker) to go on a drinking binge. Eventually, the band worked out their differences and placed a new set of rules to keep the group intact. First, the band declared an all-for-one approach; Coldplay was a democracy, and profits were to be shared equally, taking a page from bands like U2 and R.E.M. Second, the band would fire anyone who used cocaine. In later years, Martin joked about the band's clean-cut image by saying "This (playing music) is better than doing coke off a hooker's back! Which we don't do!"[1]

Parachutes (November 1999–September 2001)

In November 1999, Coldplay focused their efforts on their debut album. The band spent the New Year by completing album tracks "Yellow" and "Everything's Not Lost". They also played on the NME Carling Premier Tour, which showcased up-and-coming acts. After releasing three EPs without a hit song, Coldplay scored their first Top 40 single, "Shiver". Released in March 2000, the single placed at a modest #35 and earned the band their first airplay on MTV.

File:ColdplayBrits.jpg
Coldplay at 2001 Brit Awards

June 2000 was a pivotal moment in Coldplay's history. The band embarked on their first headlining tour, which included a triumphant return to Glastonbury. More notably, the band released the breakthrough single "Yellow". The song shot to #4 on the UK Singles Chart and placed the band in public consciousness.

Coldplay released their first full-length album, Parachutes, in July 2000, which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart. Along with critical acclaim, Parachutes was sometimes criticised for bearing a strong resemblance to the music of Radiohead in their The Bends–OK Computer era. "Yellow" and "Trouble" earned regular airplay on radio on both sides of the Atlantic. Parlophone originally predicted sales of 40,000 units of Parachutes; by Christmas, 1.6 million copies had been sold in the United Kingdom alone. Parachutes was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2000.

Having found success in Europe, the band set their sights on North America. Parachutes was released in November 2000. The band embarked on a US club tour in early 2001 coupled with appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Parachutes was a modest success, and was certified with Gold status in the United States. The album was also critically well-received, earning Best Alternative Music Album honours at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

A Rush Of Blood To The Head (October 2001–Mid-2004)

Coldplay returned to the studios in October 2001 to begin work on their second album. The sessions were sometimes difficult, and there were numerous rumours that the band was on the verge of a break-up or that the album would be their final release.

File:ColdplayAROBTTH.jpg
Clockwise from left: Will, Guy, Jon, Chris

With much anticipation, Coldplay released their sophomore album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head in August 2002.

The album was generally considered to be a more sophisticated effort than Parachutes. For example, the charged opening track "Politik" was written days after the September 11 terrorist attacks. A Rush Of Blood To The Head became a best-seller and earned the band more critical accolades. The album spawned many popular singles, notably "In My Place", "The Scientist", and "Clocks". A Rush Of Blood To The Head was perhaps most reminiscent of classic era Echo and the Bunnymen. This is not surprising, since Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch was invited to recording sessions as an unofficial studio consultant. On one occasion, Martin was actually wearing McCulloch's jacket when recording "In My Place". Chris Martin and Jon Buckland returned the favour by guesting on McCulloch's solo album Slideling. Coldplay has also performed live renditions of the Bunnymen hit "Lips Like Sugar" on a regular basis.

Since the release of A Rush Of Blood To The Head, Coldplay has also been actively supporting various social and political causes. They have been advocates for Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and Amnesty International. The group has also performed at various charity projects such as Band Aid 20, Live 8, and the Teenage Cancer Trust. Martin was outspoken against Iraq war in 2003, and endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. Bassist Guy Berryman says, "You can make people aware of issues. It isn't very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it".[2]

Coldplay toured for over a year, from June 2002 to September 2003, visiting five continents including co-headlining festival dates at Glastonbury Festival, V2003, and Rock Werchter. The tour showed the band's progression into a bona fide stadium act. Many shows included elaborate lighting and individualized screens reminiscent of the U2 Elevation Tour. Coldplay also built a reputation of performing eclectic covers, including Aqua's "Barbie Girl", Rammstein's "Du Hast", and Nelly's "Hot in Herre", along with more heartfelt renditions of a-ha's "The Living Daylights" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World". During the extended tour, Coldplay also recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2003, at Sydney's Horden Pavilion. A new song, "Moses", could be found on this compilation.

In December 2003, Coldplay covered The Pretenders hit "2000 Miles", which was made available for download on their official site. It was the top selling UK download that year, with proceeds from the sales were donated to Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence campaigns. A Rush Of Blood To The Head won two trophies at the 2003 Grammy Awards. At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Coldplay earned Record of the Year honours for "Clocks".

X&Y (Mid-2004—)

File:Coldplay2005.jpg
Coldplay, Inside Entertainment (April 2005)

2004 was a quiet year for Coldplay, as they spent most of the year out of spotlight resting from touring and recording their third album. In May, Coldplay teased fans with a new song and music video on their official site to celebrate the birth of Apple, Martin's daughter. Famed producer Sir George Martin introduced the promo as Coldplay and their producer Ken Nelson performed as The Nappies, a satirised rap/glam rock outfit. Martin joked that this music had been inspired by Jay-Z.[3].

Coldplay's third album, X&Y was released on June 6, 2005 in the UK. The lead single "Speed of Sound", made its radio and online music store debut on April 18 and was released as a CD on May 23, 2005. The album debuted at #1 in 28 countries worldwide and was the second fastest selling album in UK chart history (behind the 1997 Oasis album Be Here Now).

X&Y was originally set to be released in late 2004. In the middle of that year, Coldplay had penned over 40 new songs for their third album. Several of these songs (such as "Ladder To The Sun", "World Turned Upside Down", and "Pour Me") had been performed live on the A Rush Of Blood To The Head Tour. However, they were scrapped and the band regrouped to write and record new tracks. X&Y was recorded over 18 months in eight studios in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Liverpool, and London.

To promote the new release, Coldplay performed at a series of intimate secret gigs in Europe and in North America from March to May, 2005, which resulted in sold-out shows in locations such as San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and New York City. Coldplay is currently performing on a European tour through June and July; the band will be playing at 40 North American shows from August to late September during the Twisted Logic Tour. Summer 2005 also saw them headlining the Coachella, Glastonbury, and Fuji Rock festivals, as well as appearing at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London.

Coldplay has planned a second leg of the Twisted Logic Tour for 2006, with tentative North American dates from February to April.

Next studio album

In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Chris Martin hinted that Coldplay's next album may be a "fast, dark and heavy" affair "with no pianos." [4] Band manager David Holmes suggested that the band may record a new album between their tour schedule over the new year: "They're definitely hungry to get back in the studio to make another record; they've got a lot of material. So for next year we're looking at building a tour around their recording schedule. Ultimately it could potentially mean we end up releasing another record [next year] and continuing to tour well into '07."

Discography

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all releases are on the Parlophone label in the UK and Capitol in the US.

Studio albums

File:Coldplayparachutesalbumcover.jpg 1. Parachutes (July 10, 2000); #1 UK; #51 US

File:Coldplayarushofbloodtotheheadalbumcover.jpg 2. A Rush of Blood to the Head (August 26, 2002); #1 UK; #5 US

File:XYCoverBig.jpg 3. X&Y (June 6, 2005); #1 UK; #1 US

Live albums

Live 2003 (November 4, 2003); #13 US

DVD

  • Live 2003 (Official concert and documentary release)
  • Maximum Coldplay (Unofficial documentary)
  • Coldplay - Back to the Start (Unofficial documentary)

EPs

  • Safety EP (1998, released independently, UK only, limited to 500 copies)
  • Brothers & Sisters EP (1999, released on Fierce Panda in the UK, also limited to 500 copies)
  • The Blue Room EP (1999, released on EMI Int'l in the US and Parlophone in the UK)
  • Trouble (2000 - a live EP, recorded in Norway, different from the single of the same name, Norway only, released on the EMI label)
  • Sparks (2000, never commercially released but promotional copies are widely available, contains a live version of Yellow and a B-side from The Blue Room EP)
  • Clocks (2003, a live EP, recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, comprising three separately-sold singles that go together in a large gatefold case, released on EMI international, limited production)
  • Fix You (2005, released as a digital EP in the U.S.; available excusively on iTunes; includes the album and live versions of "Fix You" plus two previously unreleased songs in the U.S. 100% of proceeds will go to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.)

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
UK Singles Chart US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Adult Top 40
1999 "Brothers & Sisters" #107 - - - Brothers & Sisters EP
2000 "Shiver" #35 - #26 - Parachutes
2000 "Yellow" #4 #48 #6 #11 Parachutes
2000 "Trouble" #10 - #28 #23 Parachutes
2001 "Don't Panic" #130 - - - Parachutes
2002 "In My Place" #2 - #17 #22 A Rush of Blood to the Head
2002 "The Scientist" #10 - #18 #34 A Rush of Blood to the Head
2002 "Clocks" #9 #29 #9 #4 A Rush of Blood to the Head
2003 "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" #100 - - - A Rush of Blood to the Head
2003 "2000 Miles" - - - - Download-only charity single
2005 "Speed of Sound" #2 #8 #5 #3 X&Y
2005 "Fix You" #4 #77 #20 - X&Y
2006 "Talk" - - - - X&Y

Other

  • "Ode To Deodorant" (1998, demo tape)
  • "Mince Spies" (2001, released only to the pre-Parachutes Coldplay fan club, consists of a cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and a remix of "Yellow", limited to 1000 copies worldwide)
  • "Remixes" (2003, UK only, limited to 1000 copies)

References

Mass media

Websites

See also

Influences

Similar artists

Official site

Fan sites

Other


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