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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:
Chris Martin: lead vocals, lead
piano/keyboard, guitar
Jon Buckland: lead guitar, harmonica,
backing vocals
Guy Berryman: bass guitar, synthesizer,
harmonica, backing vocals
Will Champion: drums/percussion, piano,
backing vocals.
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,
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.
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".
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
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.
June 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. 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, and Parachutes earned 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.
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 also performed live renditions of the Bunnymen
hit "Lips Like Sugar" on a regular basis.
Coldplay toured for over a year from June
2002 to September 2003, visiting 5 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-present)
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
Martin's daughter, Apple. 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
the 6th June 2005 in the UK. The lead single "Speed of Sound", made its
radio and online music store debut on the 18th April and was released as
a CD on the 23rd May 2005. The album debuted at #1 in 28 countries
worldwide. 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.
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 "Poor 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 8 studios in New York City, Chicago, Los
Angeles, Liverpool, and London.
* * * *
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Date Article Copied:
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