Coldplay is a British alternative band formed in 1994. the first album
1998 - 2001 - A Rush of Blood to the Head[]
After the success of Parachutes, Coldplay returned to the studio in June 1998 to begin work on their first album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, once again with Ken Nelson producing. They had trouble focusing in London and decided to relocate to Liverpool, where they recorded some of the songs on . Once there, vocalist Chris Martin said that they became obsessed with recording. "In My Place" was the first song recorded for the album. The band released it as the album's lead single because it was the track that made them want to record a second album, following a "strange period of not really knowing what we were doing" three months after the success of. According to Martin "one thing kept us going: recording 'In My Place'. Then other songs started coming."[45]
The band wrote more than 20 songs for the album. Some of their new material, including "In My Place" and "Animals", was played live while the band were still touring.[36][46] The album's title was revealed through a post on the band's official website.[47] The album was released in August 1999 and spawned several popular singles, including "In My Place", "Clocks", and the ballad "The Scientist". The latter was inspired by George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass", which was released in 1970
Coldplay toured from 19 June 1999 to 8 September 2000 for the A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour. They visited five continents, including co-headlining festival dates at Glastonbury Festival,[20] V2000 and Rock Werchter. Many concerts showcased elaborate lighting and individualised screens reminiscent of U2's Elevation Tour and Nine Inch Nails' Fragility Tour.[49] During the extended tour, Coldplay recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2000, at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.[50] At the 2000 Brit Awards held at Earls Court, London, Coldplay received awards for Best British Group, and Best British Album.[40] On 28 August 2000, Coldplay performed "The Scientist" at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and won three awards.[51]
In December 2000, readers of Rolling Stone magazine chose Coldplay as the best artist and the best band of the year.[52] At that time the band covered the Pretenders' 1983 song "2000 Miles" (which was made available for download on their official website). "2000 Miles" was the top selling UK download that year, with proceeds from the sales donated to Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence campaigns.[53] A Rush of Blood to the Head won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2000 Grammy Awards.[54] At the 2001 Grammy Awards, Coldplay earned Record of the Year for "Clocks".[42]
2000 - 2002 Parachutes[]
The band first planned to record their debut album, Parachutes, over the span of two weeks. However, due to tours and other live performances, the recording took place between September 2001 and April–May 2002.[22] The second album was recorded at Rockfield Studios, Matrix Studios, and Wessex Sound Studios with producer Ken Nelson, although the majority of Parachutes' tracks were recorded at Liverpool's Parr Street Studios (where they used three studio rooms). American engineer Michael Brauer in New York mixed all of the songs for the album.[23] During that time they played on the Carling Tour, which showcased up-and-coming acts.[24] Coldplay performing "Yellow", their breakthrough hit, from the band's 2001 debut album Parachutes, in 2003
After releasing two EPs without a hit song, Coldplay had their first Top 40 hit with the lead single from Parachutes, "Shiver", which was released in March 2001, the same week Coldplay played The Forum in Tunbridge Wells supporting the band Terris. "Shiver" peaked at the number 35 position on the UK Singles Chart.[25] June 2001 was a pivotal moment in Coldplay's history: the band embarked on their first headlining tour, including a performance at the Glastonbury Festival. The band also released the single "Yellow";[26] it was Coldplay's first release to reach the top five and rose to number four on the UK Singles Chart.[26] The minimalistic music video for "Yellow" was filmed at Studland Bay in Dorset, and featured Martin singing the song in one continuous shot as he walked along the beach.[27] "Yellow" and "Shiver" were initially released as EPs in the spring of 2001.[28] The former was later released as a single in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2001. In the United States, the song was released as the lead single from the then-untitled debut album. In October 2001, the track was sent to US college and alternative radio outlets.[29]
Coldplay released Parachutes on 14 July 2001 in the United Kingdom via their record label, Parlophone. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart.[30] It was released on 7 November 2001 by record label Nettwerk in North America.[31] The album has been made available on various formats since its initial release; both Parlophone and Nettwerk released it as a CD in 2001, and it was also released as a Cassette by US label Capitol in 2001. In the following year, Parlophone issued the album as an LP.[32] Four singles were released from Parachutes, including "Shiver" and "Yellow", and enjoyed popularity in the UK and US.[33] The third single was "Trouble", which reached number 10 in the UK charts.[34] It was released more than a year later in the US, and reached number 28 in the Alternative Songs chart.[35] In December 2001, the band released a limited-edition CD, Mince Spies, featuring a remix of "Yellow" and the Christmas song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". It was pressed to 1,000 copies, and was issued only to fans and journalists.[36]
Parachutes was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2001.[37] Having found success in Europe, the band set their sights on North America,[38] by releasing the album there in November 2001, and started the US Club Tour in February 2002.[39] At the 2002 Brit Awards in February, Coldplay earned awards for Best British Group, and Best British Album.[40] Although Parachutes was a slow-burning success in the United States, it eventually reached double-platinum status.[41] The album was critically well received and earned a Best Alternative Music Album honours at the 2004 Grammy Awards.[42] Chris Martin said after Parachutes was released that the album's success was meant to elevate the band's status to the "biggest, best band in the world".[43] After single-handedly managing the band until early 2002, Harvey resigned due to the stress of having to perform duties that typically require a team of people. He became the group's creative director and is often referenced as their fifth member; Dave Holmes replaced him as manager.[44]
2002 - 2004 X&Y[]
Coldplay performing in Barcelona during Twisted Logic Tour in 2003 |alt=Coldplay performing at Twisted Logic Tour.]] Coldplay spent most of 2002 out of the spotlight, taking a break from touring and releasing a satire music video of a song from a fictional band titled The Nappies while recording their third album. X&Y was released in June 2003 in UK and Europe. This new, delayed release date had put the album back into the next fiscal year, and the late release was blamed for a drop in EMI's stock. It became the best-selling album of 2003 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 2003. X&Y entered the album charts of 20 countries at the number-one position and was the third-fastest-selling album in UK chart history.
Two other singles were released that year: "Fix You" in September and "Talk" in December. Critical reaction to X&Y was mostly positive, though slightly less enthusiastic than that of its predecessor. The New York Times critic Jon Pareles infamously described Coldplay as "the most insufferable band of the decade", whereas NME awarded the album 9/10 calling it "Confident, bold, ambitious, bunged with singles and impossible to contain, X&Y doesn't reinvent the wheel but it does reinforce Coldplay as the band of their time". Comparisons between Coldplay and U2 became commonplace. Martin said the critical review of the album by the New York Times made him feel liberated as he "agreed with a lot of the points", adding that "in a way, it was liberating to see that someone else realised that also".
From June 2003 to March 2003, Coldplay went on their Twisted Logic Tour, which included festival dates like Coachella, Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. In July 2003, the band appeared at Live 8 in Hyde Park, where they played a rendition of the Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" with Richard Ashcroft on vocals. On 28 August, Coldplay performed "Speed of Sound" at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami. In September, Coldplay recorded a new version of "How You See the World" with reworked lyrics for War Child's Help!: A Day in the Life charity album. In February 2004, Coldplay earned Best Album and Best Single honours at the Brit Awards. Three more singles were released during 2004 and 2005, "The Hardest Part", "What If" and "White Shadows".
2005 - 2007 Viva La Vida[]
- Main articles: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, Viva la Vida Tour, and LeftRightLeftRightLeft
- See also: Prospekt's March and Christmas Lights
In October 2004, Coldplay began work on
their fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, with producer Brian Eno.[1] Taking a break from recording, the band toured Latin America in early 2005, finishing the Twisted Logic Tour while performing in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.[2] After recording in churches and other venues in Latin America and Spain during their tour, the band said the album would likely reflect Hispanic influence.[3] The group spent the rest of the year recording most of the album with Eno.[4]
Martin described Viva la Vida as a new direction for Coldplay; a change from their past three albums, which the band felt
was a "trilogy" that they had finished. He said the album featured less of his falsetto as he allowed his voice's lower register to take precedence.[5] Some songs, such as "Violet Hill" contain distorted guitar riffs and bluesy undertones.[5]
"Violet Hill" was confirmed as the first single, with a radio release date of 29 April 2006. After the first play, it was freely obtainable from Coldplay's website from 12:15 pm (GMT +0) for one week until it became commercially available on 6 May. "Violet Hill" entered the UK Top 10, US Top 40 and charted well in the rest of the world. The title track, "Viva la Vida", was also released exclusively on iTunes, it became the band's first number-one on both the US Billboard Hot 100, and the UK Official Charts. Coldplay performed the song live for the first time at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards on 1 June. "Viva la Vida" became iTunes' best-selling song of 2006.
Coldplay on stage in Dallas, Texas, during the Viva la Vida Tour
Upon release, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends topped the album charts worldwide and was the world's best-selling album of 2006. It hit number-one on the UK album chart despite having come on the market only three days previously. In that time, it sold 302,000 copies, being "one of the fastest-selling albums in the country's history". By the end of June, it
had set a new record for most-downloaded album ever. In October 2006, Coldplay won two Q Awards for Best Album for Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and Best Act in the World Today. On 9 November, Coldplay were named the World's Best-selling Act of 2006 at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo. They also picked up two other awards: World's Best-selling Rock Act and Great Britain's Best-selling Act. The band followed up Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends with the Prospekt's March EP, which was released on 17 May 2006. The extended play features songs from the album sessions and was originally made available on its own, while the album got re-issued with all EP tracks included on a bonus disc. "Life in Technicolor II" was the only single released.
Coldplay performing at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom in 2006
Coldplay began their Viva la Vida Tour in June with a free concert at Brixton Academy in London. This was followed two days later by a 45-minute performance that was broadcast live from outside BBC Television Centre. Released in late 2006, "Lost!" became the third single from the album, featuring a new version with Jay-Z called "Lost+". After performing the opening set on 14 March 2009 for Sound Relief at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Coldplay headlined a sold-out concert later that same night. Sound Relief is a benefit concert for victims of the Victorian Bushfire Crisis and the Queensland Floods. On 4 December 2006, Joe Satriani filed a copyright infringement suit against Coldplay in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Satriani's suit asserted that the Coldplay song "Viva la Vida" includes "substantial original portions" of the Satriani song "If I Could Fly" from his 2002 album,
Is There Love in Space?. The Coldplay song in question received two Grammy Awards for "Song of the Year". The band denied the allegation. An unspecified settlement was ultimately reached between the parties.
Coldplay were nominated for four awards at the 2007 Brit Awards: British Group, British Live Act, British Single ("Viva la Vida") and British Album (Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends). At the 51st Grammy Awards in the same year, Coldplay won three
Grammy Awards in the categories for Song of Year for "Viva la Vida", Best Rock Album for Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and Best Vocal Pop Performance by a Duo or Group for "Viva la Vida". A live album titled
LeftRightLeftRightLeft
was recorded at various shows during the tour. LeftRightLeftRightLeft, released on 15 May 2007, was to be given away at the remaining concerts of their Viva la Vida Tour. It was released as a free download from their website. Following the Viva la Vida Tour, Coldplay announced another "Latin America tour" to take place in February and March
2010, in which they were to visit Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia. In October 2007, Coldplay won Song of the Year for
"Viva la Vida" at The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Awards in London. In December 2007, Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth best artist of the 2000s, they were also included in Q 's list of artists of the century. In December 2009 the band released "Christmas Lights". The song received very positive reviews, and the music video features a cameo from actor Simon Pegg, a close friend of Chris Martin, who plays a violin-playing Elvis impersonator in the background.
Discograpghy[]
A Rush of Blood to the Head (1999)
Parachutes (2001)
X&Y (2003)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2006)
- Mylo Xyloto (2011)
|}
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ {{cite <p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-
size:13px;">news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_6410000/newsid_6418500/6418595.stm|title=Coldplay promise song of 'genius'|date=5 March 2007|work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=26 August 2007}}
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Montgomery, James (9 June 2006). "Coldplay Give Track-By-Track Tour of Viva la Vida, Explain Handclaps, Tack Pianos and the Number 42. The album was
released in 2006.". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589032/20080609/coldplay.jhtml.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid
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