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Coldplay - Biography
| 07-07-2006 20:16 | 0 reaction(s) | add reply |
Coldplay is a 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, piano/keyboard, guitar
* Jon Buckland: 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, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Smiths, Grandaddy,
Sparklehorse, The Stone Roses, The Verve, 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
the track "'Til Kingdom Come" 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 the use of their music 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."
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".
Contents
* 1 History
o 1.1 Origin and early years (September 1996–October 1999)
o 1.2 Parachutes (November 1999–September 2001)
o 1.3 A Rush of Blood to the Head (October 2001–Mid-2004)
o 1.4 X&Y (Mid-2004–present)
o 1.5 Next studio album
* 2 Discography
o 2.1 Studio albums
o 2.2 Live albums
o 2.3 DVD
o 2.4 EPs
o 2.5 Singles
* 3 Other
* 4 Tours
* 5 References
o 5.1 Books
o 5.2 Mass media
o 5.3 Websites
* 6 See also
o 6.1 Influences
o 6.2 Similar artists
* 7 See also
* 8 External links and references
o 8.1 Official site
o 8.2 Fan sites
o 8.3 Other
The members of the band met in the halls of residence at the
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 an
*NSYNC inspired boy band called Pectoralz. Eventually, Berryman
joined the ranks, without consideration of what musical direction the
band was taking. On 8 January 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 Canadian David Holmes, who continues to manage the band to this
day. On May 18, 1998 the band released 500 copies of the EP Safety.
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.
After completing their final examinations, Coldplay was 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. 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. Martin
kicked Champion out of the band but later pleaded with him to return a
nd due to his guilt, Martin (a self-proclaimed non-drinker and non-smoker)
went 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!"
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 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. While having strong influence of Radiohead, the album captured
some of their audience after the electronic-experimental alienating fusion
Kid A. 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 n
umerous 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 second 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 & 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 have 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 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 U2's 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 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 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.
Coldplay's third album, X&Y, was released on 6 June 2005 in the UK. 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 (behind the 1997 Oasis album Be Here
Now). Two other singles were released that year by the Brit quartet: "Fix
You" in October and "Talk" in December.
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 "The World Turned Upside Down" and
"Pour Me", which have since been released as b-sides on the "Fix You"
single, and "Ladder To The Sun") 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. Since June 2005, Coldplay
has been on the Twisted Logic Tour, a global concert tour that has
included festival dates like Coachella, Glastonbury, The Austin City Limits
Festival and the Fuji Rock festivals. In July, the band appeared at Live 8 in
Hyde Park, London. In September, Coldplay recorded a new version of
"How You See The World" to War Child's Help: a Day in the Life charity
album. Then in December 2005, the band appeared on the American
television concert series Austin City Limits and performed previous hits
and songs from X&Y.
Coldplay has planned two more legs of the Twisted Logic Tour for 2006,
with North American dates from late January (launching in Seattle) to e
arly April (ending in Philadelphia). The band has also confirmed Australian
concerts in June/July in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Adelaide and
Perth were also added after successful online and offline petitions from
the respective cities. Their Australian support group will be upcoming
Aussie band Youth Group.
The version of X&Y released in India has generated controversy due to
the strict copy protection that will prevent it from being ripped to MP3
format, copied to CD-R or CD-RW, and may not allow it to be played in
anything other than a "regular CD player" .
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." 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."
Recently, there are speculations that the band will get to the studio soon
to make new material. "We just love being creative," bassist Guy
Berryman said. "When we're out on the road, it's amazing to play live
but we're really missing what we do best, which is creating. We've been
together for almost ten years now and we've only made three albums."
Speaking to BBC 6 Music, he added: "When you look at people like The
Beatles who knocked out a couple a year, it sort of makes us start to
panic a little bit. So we're just desperate to get back into the studio."
-from wikipedia. |
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