True Coldplay

True Coldplay

One Particular Quartet from the United Kingdom has transformed themselves into a musical power far too big for the confines of Great Britain but was rather destine for America, “the land of opportunity” where they grew into a world power in the music industry. No, this is not the Beatles, but rather a group of four members currently sweeping the nation and the world with haunting falsetto’s and piano lines provided by front man Chris Martin, melodic guitar riffs from Johnny Buckland, Guy Berryman’s staggering bass lines, and simple but carefully calculated drum beats played by Will Champion. Here is a band that is not interrupted or distorted by drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity, but surrounded by wives, fiancйes, children, and family while trying to live a happy and normal family life. Fortunately enough for the members of Coldplay, their lives are far from normal with over 17 million album sales worldwide and possibly the three best soft-rock albums the world has ever seen. From the raw, relaxed first LP, Parachutes, to the urgent, experienced A Rush of Blood to the Head, ending on the current organic, electronica album X&Y, Coldplay is defining their indie soft-rock sound through these three LP’s.

KCRW-FM, an NPR station on Santa Monica City College Campus sent Coldplay into the American air through radio by playing the band’s hit single “Yellow” for the first time in the US, but not before Coldplay’s first album Parachutes debuted at number one and sold 70,000 copies in the first week in the UK. After reading reviews upon reviews before Coldplay reached the United States, Capitol Records/EMI had no choice but to try and get closer to Coldplay, so they invited them to play some gigs around L.A. They played a jaw dropping acoustic set and the “Almost Christmas Show” at the 6,000-plus-seat universal amphitheater (Spiveck 53-54). The show was a success, and Coldplay then launched a U.S. tour that sold out each event in minutes. The raw, organic and honest Parachutes was a sheer work of art, yet so simple; that was actually the beauty of it. In fact, the tracks: “Don’t Panic,” “Sparks,” “we Never Change,” and “Life is for Living” were all completely live takes which gives it that “real” feeling. Co-Producer Ken Nelson stated, “I’m very proud of the Coldplay album (Parachutes), because I think it’s got quite a lot of that energy and soul, and I can actually listen to it. Not a lot of the work I do I can sit down and listen to but I love that album (qtd. in Inglis).” Parachutes was an album that brought students, young adults, tastemakers, hipsters, ravers, and yuppies together into the same circle (Spiveck 43). The single “Yellow” had sat in the top 10 at modern rock, and Parachutes was selling well over 20,000 records per week in the U.S., but just as easily as Coldplay became American pop stars they could have just as easily been one-hit-wonders unless, of course, they could pull off an album that topped Parachutes.

Two years after their first album, which sailed them across the sea, Coldplay was ready to drop their anchor down for good in the U.S. and take over the charts once again with their follow up album to Parachutes. “Not a single night goes past where I don’t wake up sweating and thinking no one will like this record,” front man Chris Martin said nervously before Coldplay’s A Rush of Blood to the Head was put on the shelf in August of 2002 (qtd in Wiederhorn). This new album was different from the first, and it had to be because Coldplay would not accept the same sound as the first album. Many of the songs were even scrapped from the album because they sounded too much like they could have been on Parachutes. They were musicians and felt that growth was needed in order to better their music and themselves as musicians. Front man Chris Martin explained that “some of the songs on the last record [Parachutes] were more relaxed, because we were in a relaxed stated of mind. There’s a bit more urgency on some of these songs [from A Rush of Blood to the Head]; and that’s born from all the places we’ve been and the thing’s we’ve experienced (qtd in Spivack).” “This album is the juxtaposition of the majesty and fragile beauty found in Coldplay’s music that has attracted millions of fans (O’Brien 5).”

The success of Coldplay and their new album solely relied on one song: “In My Place.” They felt this was their best song and if it went nowhere then, as a band, they would go nowhere along with it. However “In My Place” did just the opposite and saved the band’s career because of it. From the hard rock jam in “Politik” to the distinctive drum beat in “In My Place” to the fast piano riff in “Clocks,” the most popular single from the band’s 2002 album would have to be “The Scientist”. This pretty piano ballad, accompanied