Coldplay were just another spotty college band in the UK until the dropped Parachutes. Watch the story behind how it was made right here.
COLDPLAY BEGAN AS A COLLEGE GROUP IN 1996 BY SINGER CHRIS MARTIN AND GUITARIST JOHNNY BUCKLAND. HOWEVER, IT WASN’T UNTIL BASSIST GUY BERRYMAN, DRUMMER WILL CHAMPION, AND THEN-MANAGER PHIL HARVEY GOT INVOLVED THAT THE BAND STARTED TAKING SHAPE.
WHILE THEY KEPT IT RELATIVELY LOW-KEY DURING THEIR TIME IN UNIVERSITY, PLAYING MOSTLY SMALL SHOWS IN CAMDEN, IT WASN’T UNTIL THE LIMITED RELEASE OF THEIR “BROTHERS AND SISTERS” SINGLE THAT PARLOPHONE RECORDS TOOK NOTICE. COLDPLAY SIGNED A FIVE-ALBUM CONTRACT WITH PARLOPHONE IN 1999, AND THE BAND WAS READY TO START WORK ON THEIR DEBUT ALBUM.
A PERIOD OF TENSION WITHIN THE BAND OCCURRED WHILE RECORDING “THE BLUE ROOM” EP, AND CHAMPION WAS BRIEFLY FIRED FROM THE GROUP. ONCE MARTIN WAS ABLE TO BRING HIM BACK, THE BAND DECIDED TO OPERATE AS A DEMOCRACY AND WORK CREATIVELY AS A UNITED FRONT.
SESSIONS FOR THEIR DEBUT ALBUM TOOK PLACE PRIMARILY AT ROCKFIELD STUDIOS IN WALES AND AT PARR STREET STUDIOS IN LIVERPOOL. WHILE THE BAND HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO FINISH THE ALBUM IN TWO WEEKS, TOURING AND PERFORMANCES CAUSED THE RECORDING PERIOD TO TAKE PLACE OVER SEVERAL MONTHS, FROM SEPTEMBER OF 1999 TO MAY OF 2000.
PRODUCER CHRIS ALLISON WORKED WITH THEM ORIGINALLY, WHICH LEAD TO THE ALBUM CUT “HIGH SPEED”. BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL KEN NELSON STEPPED IN THAT THE SESSIONS FLOURISHED. WORKING WITH NELSON, THE BAND WAS ABLE TO FINISH ALL OF THE ALBUM’S MATERIAL.
THE ALBUM’S RELEASE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY FOUR SINGLES: “DON’T PANIC”, “TROUBLE”, “SHIVER”, AND THEIR BIGGEST HIT AT THE TIME, “YELLOW”. THE SINGLE WAS A COMMERCIAL BREAKTHROUGH FOR THE BAND, REACHING NUMBER FOUR ON THE UK SINGLES CHARTS AND GIVING THE BAND SOME SERIOUS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION. THE SONG CHARTED IN ICELAND, AUSTRALIA, AND THE U.S.
FINALLY, ON JULY 10th, 2000, “PARACHUTES” WAS RELEASED IN THE UK. IT DIDN’T REACH THE U.S. UNTIL NOVEMBER 7th, BUT BY THEN? COLDPLAY WAS ALREADY A HOUSEHOLD NAME. BY ADDING THEIR MIXTURE OF AMBIENCE AND HONESTY TO THE POST-BRITPOP SCENE, THEY EARNED COMPARISONS TO CONTEMPORARIES LIKE RADIOHEAD. IN FACT, SOME BELIEVED THAT COLDPLAY WAS ONLY ABLE TO RISE TO THE TOP BECAUSE RADIOHEAD FANS’ ALIENATION, RESULTING FROM THEIR ELECTRONIC 2000 ALBUM, “KID A”!
“PARACHUTES” EARNED COLDPLAY A GRAMMY FOR BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM IN 2002, AS WELL AS A BRIT AWARD FOR BEST BRITISH ALBUM IN 2001. “PARACHUTES” HAS SINCE GONE ON TO BE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST DEBUT ALBUMS OF ALL TIME, AND RANKED NUMBER 33 ON NME’S LIST OF THE 100 GREATEST BRITISH ALBUMS.
COLDPLAY HAVE SAID THAT “PARACHUTES” ISN’T THEIR FAVORITE, WITH CHRIS MARTIN EVEN DESCRIBING IT AS “TERRIBLE MUSIC”. BUT WITHOUT “PARACHUTES” INJECTING US WITH COLDPLAY’S “MESMERIC CHARM”, THEY WOULDN’T HAVE A 20 YEAR CAREER OF GENRE-SPANNING BRILLIANCE. FOR ITS UNDENIABLE POWER, STRONG EMPHASIS ON ATMOSPHERE AND FEELING, AND LONG STANDING LEGACY IN ENGLISH CULTURE, “PARACHUTES” BY COLDPLAY IS OUR GREATEST ALBUM EVER...THIS WEEK.