Coldplay: The Band

Coldplay: the band burst on to the music scene in the early 2000s and since have established themselves as one of the top selling rock bands today. The band has faced some controversy in recent years, including a charge of plagiarism, but they remain a firm fan favorite and one of the most recognizable names in music.

The story of Coldplay starts at University College London in 1996. During their freshman orientation, Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland met, bonded over their love of music, and decided to start a band. Martin and Buckland played together as a duo for a period of time under the name Pectoralz, but a year later, they recruited fellow student Guy Berryman into the group and rechristened themselves as Starfish. Martins’ friend Phil Harvey came on board as manager at this time and was considered an honorary member of the band.

Shortly after Berryman joined the group, the final band member was put in place when Will Champion joined up. Not long after Champion joined the band, they renamed themselves yet again, this time settling on Coldplay, a name they borrowed from a fellow student who had used it for his own music.

Coldplay began playing gigs around London, and in 1998, they recorded a demo EP called The Safety EP. The Safety EP was mainly used to promote the group to labels and to hand out to friends and family. Only about 50 copies or so of the short run pressing were ever sold and the EP is now a collector’s item.

Eventually, Coldplay gained the attention of famed UK indie label Fierce Panda. In 1999, they released their first official release, Brothers and Sisters EP, on that imprint. A gig at UK music festival Glastonbury followed, and the band soon moved on to a major label deal with Parlophone Records.

Coldplay’s first major label release came out in the UK and Europe in 1999. The album, called Parachutes, put the band on the map thanks to the mega hit single Yellow. After making a name for themselves on their home court, the band released Parachutes in the US in 2000, and again thanks to the lead single of Yellow, the album became a smash in the States. Parachutes eventually went double platinum, and the band picked up a Best Alternative Music Album Grammy in 2002 for this release.

Coldplay followed up Parachutes with A Rush of Blood to The Head and X&Y, each of which was a great success for Coldplay. The band toured almost constantly in support of these albums and was basically on the road from 2001 – 2006.

In 2006, Coldplay began to work on their fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. They recorded with legendary producer Brian Eno, who influenced the direction of the record.

Viva La Vida was released in June 2008, and became the fastest selling digital album ever at the time on iTunes. The album was a critical success and a fan favorite, but controversy was not far behind.

Just a few months after the release of Viva La Vida, guitarist Joe Satriani filed a suit against Coldplay claiming that Coldplay had lifted portions of his song If I Could Fly for the title track of their album. You can compare the songs for yourself here on MSNBC.

Brooklyn band Creeky Boards also claim Coldplay took a portion of their song as their own. They told their story to Prefix Magazine.

Coldplay, particulary singer Chris Martin, is known for their political activism. The band is heavily involved in Oxfam’s campaign to promote Fair Trade and they have also been involved in the RED campaign. They have turned down high profile and lucrative offers to have their music used in commercials for companies such as Coke and The Gap. They are also active in the Make Poverty History campaign.

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