Music - Coldplay Appreciation #17 - "We're as big as you can get!"

**Crystaline** · 07-08-2008, 08:39 PM

Coldplay Appreciation Thread

The Band
Chris Martin - Vocals, Piano, Guitar
Jonny Buckland - Lead Guitar
Guy Berryman - Bass Guitar
Will Champion - Drums

Discography
Parachutes - July 10th, 2000
A Rush of Blood to the Head - August 27th, 2002
X&Y - June 6th, 2005
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends - June 12th, 2008

Singles
Yellow
Trouble
In My Place
The Scientist
Clocks
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Moses
Speed of Sound
Fix You
Talk
The Hardest Part
White Shadows
Violet Hill
Viva la Vida

Links
Official Site
Coldplaying

Biography
Coldplay never intended to become England's favorite rock & roll sons when their signature rock melodies ruled the charts throughout 2000. The Brit rock quartet -- composed of Chris Martin (vocals/piano), Jon Buckland (guitar), Will Champion (drums), and Guy Berryman (bass) -- yearned to mess around a bit, plucking their own acoustics for fun while attending the University College of London. All had been playing instruments since their early teens and had been influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, the Stone Roses, Neil Young, and My Bloody Valentine.

They never imagined taking reign of the U.K.'s ever-changing rock scene. Each member had come from a solid household of working-class parents who encouraged music. Martin, the eldest of five, began playing the piano as a young child. He started playing in bands around age 15 and sought solace in the words of Tom Waits. Buckland, on the other hand, was into the heavy guitar work of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix and was playing guitar by age 11. Scotland native Berryman was into funk instead of indie rock, therefore leaving him to play bass. The multi-instrumentalist, Champion, didn't plan to be a drummer until he joined Coldplay. He favored playing guitar, bass, and the tin whistle, but caught on to playing percussion when the band became official.

Coldplay was heart-rending like Travis, passionate like Jeff Buckley, and as fresh as Oasis when they burst onto the scene. They had played their first gig at a festival for unsigned bands in Manchester, and the Safety EP was issued shortly thereafter. The Brothers & Sisters EP was issued by Fierce Panda and released a year later. (Both releases saw only 500 pressings.) Their sweet melodies and swooning lyrics landed Coldplay a U.K. deal with Parlophone in April 1999, and the five-track limited-edition Blue Room EP followed that fall. With nods from the media, the dream pop foursome was hailed as the next Travis, thanks to their simplistic acoustics and charming personas. Two more EPs, Shiver and Yellow, arrived in spring 2000.

Their full-length debut, Parachutes, earned the band a Mercury Music Prize in the U.K. It saw a U.S. release in November 2000, and a month later "Yellow" was chosen as the theme song for all promo spots for ABC. The well-received hype surrounding Coldplay continued throughout 2001 as well; they were nominated for three Brit Awards and embarked on a sold-out ten-date tour of the U.S. Rumors of a split consumed most of the U.S. tour. Martin frequently battled nasty colds and voice exhaustion, which led Coldplay to cancel a series of American dates and scrap a European tour. With all gossip aside, Coldplay resumed playing in summer 2001 and earned additional success with second single "Trouble."

By fall, they headed into the studio for a second album. Rumor had it that it might be Coldplay's last album, for the bandmembers felt they might not capture such brilliance again. A Rush of Blood to the Head was released in August 2002. The CD/DVD package Live 2003 was issued one year later. Capturing the band's show at the Horden Pavilion in Sydney, Australia, it highlighted Coldplay's monumental success worldwide with A Rush of Blood to the Head. Martin specifically earned a higher notch on the celebrity scale by marrying actress Gwyneth Paltrow in December 2003. Paltrow gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Apple Blythe Alison Martin, the following April.

Fatherhood didn't stop Martin from working, as Coldplay began recording material for a third album within weeks. Previously recorded material with longtime producer Ken Nelson was scrapped early on, while Danton Supple (Morrissey, the Cure) joined Coldplay to complete the recording of X&Y. "Speed of Sound" marked Coldplay's first single from their long-awaited third effort in spring 2005; the album followed in June, topping the charts around the world, including America and Britain.

The band released their fourth studio album, "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends" in June of 2008. Produced by Brian Eno, this album is said to be a new direction for the band. Coldplay released their first single "Violet Hill" off the album in late April, offering it as a free download to fans worldwide. It has since reached up to 2 million downloads and charted well across the globe. The band will be kicking off it's Viva La Vida World Tour later this month, offering free gigs in New York, London and Barcelona. Check out the full tour date schedule here!

The previous thread can be found here.

Carlie06 · 07-08-2008, 08:43 PM

HOLA, NEW THREAD.

And hello hottest picture in the universe!

Thanks, Crystal!

**Crystaline** · 07-08-2008, 08:45 PM

That photo is seriously stunning.

Carlie06 · 07-08-2008, 08:47 PM

42 just came on my iTunes.

**Crystaline** · 07-08-2008, 08:58 PM

42.

My current obsession is Lovers in Japan.

Bringing this over from the last thread:

Quote:

UK album chart: Coldplay likely to hold off Duffy challenge again

Five weeks at UK No.1 would be a personal best for Coldplay

Coldplay are set to become the first act to spend five consecutive weeks at number one on the UK artists albums chart this year as they again fight off the challenge of Duffy’s Rockferry. The Parlophone-issued Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends has opened up a lead of a few thousand sales over A&M/Polydor act Duffy, according to early sales figures. The Duffy album has been at number two for the past three weeks behind Coldplay.

Meanwhile in Australia, there is no stopping the Coldplay juggernaut. ‘Viva La Vida’ sold another 20,000 units in Australia this week, about five times more than the number two album by Rihanna. ‘Viva La Vida’ has been the biggest selling album of the year, shifting around 90,000 units in just three weeks. Included in the 90,000 sales are around 10,000 downloads.

Quote:

Coldplay Remains On Top In The Billboard 200 Album Chart

Coldplay hold the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the second week in a row.

Coldplay's new album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends, is at No. 1 again this week, and has also become the top selling album released this year worldwide (by sales). Total sales stand at 2,763,280.

That puts Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III in at No. 2. The hit album has been on the chart for three weeks, debuting at No. 1. The chart is determined by airplay and sales data.

Woohoo!

venusinfurs · 07-08-2008, 11:25 PM

Chris just looks so good in that photo. I can't get over it.

And our kings will never be dethroned!

So. Much. Success. It's awesome!

**holding my heart** · 07-09-2008, 01:30 AM

Yes New Thread!

And MEGA BIGA awesome picssss

heartscollide · 07-09-2008, 04:43 AM

Whoo, new thread!

Love the title.

The level of success they're achieving is so awesome!

Sweet lord, that picture is just a whole new level of hotness.

**holding my heart** · 07-09-2008, 07:02 AM

Hum Level what? 8?9? or so much more

Chris

guy

**Crystaline** · 07-09-2008, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by venusinfurs (View Post)

And our kings will never be dethroned!

You spoke too soon.

Quote:

Lil Wayne Replaces Coldplay To Reclaim US Album Number One

US rapper Lil' Wayne has returned to the top of the US Billboard album chart with 'Tha Carter III'.

The rapper's sixth album has exchanged places with Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends', which falls to number two. There was a consolation for Coldplay, however, as the band’s fourth album went platinum in its third week.

'Tha Carter III' sold 156,000 copies in the last seven days, according to statistics from Neilson Soundscan. The album, which sold over a million copies in its first week last month, has now shifted more than 1.68million units in four weeks.

As previously reported on Coldplaying.com, Coldplay are currently spending their fourth week on top of the album chart in the UK.

Canada:

Coldplay's latest effort continues to sizzle on the Canadian album charts. "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friend" was locked in at No. 1 for a third straight week, selling 20,000 copies, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. It has now racked up a grand total of 145,000 in sales since its release.

France

Coldplay's new album is number 1 for the third week in France with 107,561 albums sold so far.

Lil' Wayne sells a million copies in one week. What is the world coming to?

Quote:

[Article] In Defense Of Coldplay

Chris Martin knows why you hate his band. For the first time in his career, he couldn’t care less.

Blame it on their selling a zillion records—or perhaps it has to do with a singer who shows up in tabloids as much as music mags (thanks to a movie star wife, a daughter named Apple and a son named Moses). Whatever the reason, Coldplay is the most polarizing band this side of U2.

From the dubious homophobic joke heard round the world in Judd Apatow’s “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (“How do I know you’re gay? You listen to Coldplay”) to the New York Times brazenly labeling them “the most insufferable band of the decade” (what, they’ve never heard of Nickleback? I kid!) it’s not easy being a Coldplay fan—especially for a dude.

Unlike the testosterone-approved digital math of alpha-male-approved acts like Battles, Coldplay’s soaring, emotional anthems have a similar effect on many females thanks to honest vulnerability and Chris Martin’s wrenching falsetto delivery. The ladies could care less about scales and key changes. Lines like “For you I bleed myself dry,” however, are an entirely different story. Just ask Gwyneth Paltrow.

Thanks to Martin’s self-deprecating candor and a little (OK, a lot of) help from legendary producer Brian Eno, Coldplay’s latest chart-topper, “Viva La Vida” looks to be their most fully realized album yet.

When critics lined up to trash their last work, “X&Y,” Martin took it like a man. “We were bigger than we were good,” he admitted to Rolling Stone recently. “Brian Eno broke it down. He goes, ‘Your songs are too long. And you’re too repetitive, and you use the same tricks too much, and big things aren’t necessarily good things…and your lyrics aren’t good enough.’ Within 20 minutes [of working with him], we’d forgotten about any previous record sales.”

Coldplay have been dismissed by music snobs as “diet Radiohead,” but the oft-heard criticism actually points to one of the band’s strengths. Sure, you can hear echoes of the Verve, Jeff Buckley and U2 throughout “Viva,” but Coldplay have cherry-picked some of the best aspects of those artists to create a huge, arena-packing sound that’s all their own.

They’ve even picked up some new tricks, like the oceanic wash of hidden song “Chinese Sleep Chant” (tucked in behind the tune “Yes”), a crashing nod to Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine that's almost clairvoyantly timed to match that band’s current reunion.

As usual, it’s the hip-hop nation that’s led the way in establishing Coldplay’s cool points. Let’s not forget how Jay-Z and Kanye West have fought over Chris Martin like schoolboys, with Kanye coming at Jay on Graduation track “Big Brother” with the lyric:

“I told Jay I did a song with Coldplay / Next thing I know he got a song with Coldplay / Back of my mind I'm like, ‘Damn, no way’ / Translate Español / No way, Jose.”

“Rock ‘n’ roll is about not caring what anyone else says,” Martin defiantly told Rolling Stone. Ultimately, he can just let the music do the talking. With “Viva La Vida” being one of the most life-affirming and best singles of the year—and with a hard-earned, career-defining album to back it up—there is absolutely no reason to hate Coldplay in 2008.

See Coldplay hit the high notes when they commence the “Viva La Vida” tour at the Forum on July 14 and 15.

Quote:

Blender Magazine: Chris Martin - Superstar (he's answered your questions!)

The Coldplay sensitoid-in-chief once stabbed someone, used to think he was gay and digs Limp Bizkit. All his secrets are out as he answers Blender’s reader questions.

You may remember Coldplaying asked you to submit your questions to Blender magazine for Chris Martin to answer. Well, Chris Martin has answered and the results are now available online in audio. Some questions asked were:

Producer Brian Eno had you hypnotized while you were recording the new album. What weird stuff did he make you do while you were under?
Don’t lie: Just how much did you pay for Radiohead’s In Rainbows?
Do you know how I know you’re gay?

Read the full article, the questions that were asked, and audio of Chris Martin answering them - all here [thanks mimixxx]

No one on Earth could fault Chris Martin’s political crusades. He hates poverty. Loves global debt relief. Wants to marry fair trade. But, ducking in to a Korean vegetarian restaurant on a rainy Manhattan afternoon, Coldplay’s lead singer unveils his most controversial cause yet: The redemption of Muzak. "This is lovely," he says, gesturing toward the ceiling-mounted speakers, which ooze a tinkling, Asian-ized version of "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da," all zithers and erhus. "These instruments are so beautiful. It reminds you that bad Muzak is often the composer’s fault, not the genre’s itself."

Nothing, not even Muzak, is too cheesy for Chris Martin. In fact, the defense of cheese might be the campaign he’s most passionate about. The Devon, England–born singer, 31, invests baldly sentimental music with a deep, lived-in sense of yearning; he is an irony-vanquishing, tear-duct-exercising master craftsman of swoons and breakup jams.

He’s in New York to work on a politician-mocking video for "Violet Hill," the first single from Coldplay’s fourth disc, Viva La Vida, which offsets Martin’s hug-the-world side (the gorgeous, tender piano ballad "Reign of Love") with a newfound musical adventurousness (the booming beat on "Lost!"; the grinding metal riff on "Violet Hill").

The album was completed only after a storm of revisions, rejections and sleepless nights, familiar to anyone who’s followed the band’s career. Even now that Viva La Vida is done, the notoriously insecure singer isn’t sure about it. "Some days I feel like I’m in a really good rock band," Martin says. "But I never feel I’m really good."

Unsurprisingly, then, the prospect of answering Blender’s reader questions has him a bit uneasy. "Ready when you are," he says, fidgeting with some chopsticks and eyeing the tape recorder on the table. "But … am I allowed to skip the ones I don’t like?"

Quote:

Blitz Magazine (Portugal) July 2008: Coldplay ‘Long Live The Revolution’

Cover:
“The revolution according to Coldplay”
“The band that everyone likes but doesn’t admit”

Article:
“Long live the revolution”
“In the eve of their return, Coldplay invited James McMahon to visit their secret headquarters. He found a band insecure about its past, but with a new and dashing musical manifesto (or something). The revolution of Viva la Vida is served hot.”

“Somewhere in the north of London, where Camden ends and Primrose Hill begins, in the middle of a nameless alley, there is an old bakery. It isnt used for years, at least for making bread. It isn’t the type of place where it is expected to be the cradle of one of the most discussed musical returns of the year.

See the scans and read the full article here

Quote:

Coldplay's Chris Martin Defends 'Crazy' Celebrity Baby And Band Names

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has defended celebrities who choose to give their children unusual names.

Martin, whose own children with Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow are called Apple and Moses, said “a name is just a noise”. He also said that if the parents were happy, then they shouldn't be concerned about what others thought.

"People make a big fuss over names. Names of babies, names of albums, names of bands,” he told Blender. "There's nothing weird about calling your baby Chewbacca (Star Wars character) if that's what you want to call your baby. It's no stranger than Sarah. A name is just a noise, and, if you like it, then **** what everyone else says."

Coldplay are due to begin their US tour in Los Angeles next Monday (July 14th). The band, who are currently number one with their new album, played a number of warm up shows last month.

~*bitterswt*~ · 07-09-2008, 07:19 PM

Thanks for the new thread, Crystal!

Love the pictures you've added to the intro.

Quote:

Let’s not forget how Jay-Z and Kanye West have fought over Chris Martin like schoolboys

Quote:

“Viva La Vida” being one of the most life-affirming and best singles of the year—and with a hard-earned, career-defining album to back it up—there is absolutely no reason to hate Coldplay in 2008.

Completely agree with this!

Carlie06 · 07-09-2008, 08:02 PM

Lil Wayne?! Seriously? Come on, America.

Quote:

“the most insufferable band of the decade” (what, they’ve never heard of Nickleback? I kid!)

LMAO, I totally agree with this. And I'm not kidding.

Thanks for the updates!

**Crystaline** · 07-09-2008, 08:09 PM

The collaborations with Kanye and Jay Z have been awesome (I like 'Homecoming' more than 'Beach Chair'), but to be honest, I kinda resent that Coldplay, and Chris in particular, have become so mainstream. Everybody loves him and wants to get him in the studio but I bet when 'Yellow' came out nobody was jumping for joy for Chris Martin's introduction into the music world. Now they're all Coldplay this, Coldplay that now that they've blown up. Ugh.

I just hate trends.

Carlie06 · 07-09-2008, 08:24 PM

Oh, I totally feel you. I like enjoying bands that aren't 'in the know'. I mean, the success is great but yeah, Coldplay is ours.

Not really but you get what I mean.

Like when Feist went all big with her song that was on the iTunes commercial, I wanted to tell people when they saw me listening to it that I liked her before the commercial. I'm that kind of snob.

**Crystaline** · 07-09-2008, 08:32 PM

Seriously! I liked that song waaaaaay before I saw the commercial. My sister didn't even know what the frak I kept singing for weeks.

It's the same thing with Coldplay. I saw the video for Yellow way back in 2000 and I was a goner. Parachutes is still my favorite Coldplay album.

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