Coldplay

Coldplay is an English rock band from London. Formed in 1998, Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with their 2000 single "Yellow", followed by the success of their debut album, Parachutes. The group comprises vocalist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion.

Coldplay's early material was often compared to acts such as Jeff Buckley and Radiohead,^[1] while also drawing comparisons to U2.^[2] Since the release of Parachutes, Coldplay has also drawn influence from other sources, including Echo and the Bunnymen^[3] and George Harrison^[4] on A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and Johnny Cash and Kraftwerk for X&Y (2005), the band's latest release.^[5]

Coldplay has been an active supporter of various social and political causes, such as 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.^[6]

History

Formation and early years (1996–1999)

The members of the band met at Ramsay Hall, a residence hall at UCL in September 1996. Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland were the first members of the band, having met one another during their orientation week. They spent the rest of the year planning a band, with their efforts culminating in an *NSYNC-inspired boy band called Pectoralz.^[7] Eventually Guy Berryman, a classmate of the two, joined the band without consideration of what musical direction it was taking. By 1997, Coldplay were performing small club gigs for local Camden promoters. By that time, the band had renounced their earlier boy-band flavoured aspirations, and changed their name to Starfish.^[7] Martin also had recruited his erstwhile school friend Phil Harvey, who was studying classics at Oxford, to act as band manager. Harvey managed the band until the release of their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Finally, in early 1998, the band's lineup was complete when Will 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. Eventually Tim Rice-Oxley, a mutual friend, gave the band permission to use the name "Coldplay", which he had rejected for his band as he thought it was "too depressing". Rice-Oxley also was offered a position as Coldplay's keyboard player, but he refused since he was already committed to Keane.^[8]

On May 18, 1998, the band released 500 copies of the 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 signed to indie label Fierce Panda. Their first release on the label was the three track Brothers and Sisters EP which they had quickly recorded over four days in February 1999. Released in April, the EP's initial run was limited to 2,500 copies. Interest in the band was slowly growing across the UK, helped by regular airplay from Radio 1's Steve Lamacq.

After completing their final examinations, Coldplay signed to Parlophone for a five-album contract in the spring of 1999. After making their first appearance at Glastonbury, the band went into studio to record a third EP titled The Blue Room. 5,000 copies of the EP were made available to the public in October, and the single "Bigger Stronger", which got airplay on Radio 1, was instrumental in establishing Coldplay.

However, the recording sessions for The Blue Room were tumultuous. Martin kicked Champion out of the band but later pleaded with him to return, and due to his guilt, went on a drinking binge. Eventually, the band worked out their differences and put in place 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 a-ha, U2 and R.E.M. Second, the band would fire anyone who used hard drugs.

Parachutes (1999–2001)

In November 1999, Coldplay focused 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 Carling 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. 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, although some argue that it turned many against them as it was very depressing, with Martin sounding very whiny.

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 alt-rock band Radiohead in their The Bends–OK Computer era. "Yellow" and "Trouble" earned regular radio airplay 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, beginning with a show in Vancouver, Canada, which was coupled with appearances on Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Late Show with David Letterman. Parachutes was a slow burning success in U.S., but eventually reached double-platinum status. 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 (2001–2004)

Coldplay returned to the studio in October 2001 to begin work on their second album. With much anticipation, Coldplay released A Rush of Blood to the Head in August 2002.

The opening track, "Politik", was written days after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The album spawned several popular singles, notably "In My Place", "The Scientist", and "Clocks".

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 individualised screens reminiscent of U2's Elevation tour. During the extended tour, Coldplay also recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2003, at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. The compilation featured a new song, "Moses".

In December 2003, they were named by readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best artist and the best band of the year. At that time 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 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. The album was also named to Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums at number 473.

X&Y (2004–2006)

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 terms of musical influences for this particular album, bassist Guy Berryman has said, "“We were listening to lots of different stuff during the early stages [of X&Y], from Bowie, Eno and Pink Floyd to Depeche Mode, Kate Bush and Kraftwerk.” ^[9] 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 with his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow. 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. [2]. Coldplay's third album, X&Y, was released on 6 June 2005 in the UK. This new, delayed release date had put the album back into the next fiscal year, actually causing EMI's stock to drop. It became the best-selling album of 2005 with worldwide sales of 8.3 million. The lead single, "Speed of Sound", made its radio and online music store debut on 18 April and was released as a CD on 23 May, 2005. The album debuted at #1 in 28 countries worldwide and was the second fastest selling album in UK chart history. Two other singles were released that year: "Fix You" in September and "Talk" in December. In May 2006 the band released "The Hardest Part" in several countries outside the UK. Despite the commercial success, the critical reaction to X&Y was less unanimous in its praise than the reviews for its predecessor.

From June 2005 to July 2006, Coldplay went on their Twisted Logic tour, which has included festival dates like Coachella, Glastonbury and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. For the 2006 tour, the band completed a third visit in the same tour to North America with dates from late January (Seattle) to early April (Philadelphia).

In July 2005, the band appeared at Live 8 in Hyde Park, where they played a rendition of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" with Richard Ashcroft on vocals. In September, Coldplay recorded a new version of "How You See the World" with reworked lyrics to War Child's Help: A Day in the Life charity album. In February 2006, Coldplay earned Best Album and Best Single honours at the Brit Awards. In his acceptance speech, lead singer Chris Martin raised rumours of a band split when he announced in manner "This (award) means so much to us, especially now. It's going to be a few years before you see us again." The band's label have refuted these claims as they have two more albums in contract. [3] --cena_77 01:01, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

Next studio album (2007–?)

Early in December 2006, Coldplay's official website announced a new Latin American tour for the beginning of 2007. Coldplay toured venues in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.^[10] The band are currently in the process of writing material for their fourth studio album and are "keen to play some intimate shows to try out their new songs". In early December 2006, it was announced at Billboard.com that the next album was set for release in late 2007. The band has denied this through a Question and Answer section on their official website.

There are four known new songs: "Mining on the Moon", "The Butterfly", "The Fall of Man" and "Bucket for a Crown" (which was debuted at an unplanned appearance at a benefit for the UK charity Mencap).

On January 26, 2007, during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Front Row, musician and producer Brian Eno revealed that he would be the producer for Coldplay's fourth album.^[11] The band confirmed this through a Question and Answer section on their official website. In March 2007, famed producer Timbaland told GQ Magazine ^[12] that he would be collaborating with the band on their next album.

Discography

Main article: Coldplay discography

• Parachutes -10 July 2000 - #1 (UK); #51 (US) - 8.5 million units worldwide
• A Rush of Blood to the Head -26 August 2002 - #1 (UK); #5 (US) - 12 million units worldwide
• X&Y -6 June 2005 - #1 (UK); #1 (US) - 10 million units worldwide

Political and social activism

Despite Coldplay's large worldwide popularity, the band have remained protective of how their music is used in the media, refusing its use for product endorsements. In the past, Coldplay turned down multi-million dollar contracts from Gatorade, Diet Coke, and 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."^[13]

Coldplay are supporters of Amnesty International; frontman Chris Martin is also noted as one of the most visible celebrity advocates for "fair trade", supporting Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign until its dissolution in 2005 after the concert Live 8 (which Coldplay played at) and the G8 summit in Gleneagles. Martin has been on trips with Oxfam to assess conditions, has appeared in their advertising campaign, and is known for wearing a "Make Trade Fair" wristband during public appearances, including at Coldplay concerts.

Martin was outspoken against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and he endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. Although he is not a U.S. citizen, Martin's wife Gwyneth Paltrow is: both currently live in London and New York City.

In their early years, Coldplay were also widely noted in the media for their claim to give 10% of their band's profits to charity. 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".^[14]

However, there is controversy surrounding Chris Martin's commitment to climate change as he has repeatedly been reported of flying home to his wife and child in between gigs on his private jet. This casts doubt over his real commitment to combating global warming. [4]

References

Books

• Roach, Martin (2003). Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711998108.
• Spivack, Gary (2004). Coldplay: Look At The Stars. MTV/Simon/Pocket Books. ISBN 0743491963.

Mass media

• Coldplay concert review The Guardian 16 April 2003.
• Fair Trade's Front Man Mother Jones January 2004.

Websites

• Recording Coldplay's Parachutes Retrieved 22 March 2005.
• — Coldplay History Retrieved 22 March 2005.
• Amnesty International (USA) — Coldplay Retrieved 22 March 2005.
• Coldplay help put a smile on the Teenage Cancer Trust's face Retrieved 22 March 2005.

Notes

Wikipedia information about Coldplay This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Coldplay". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.