Parachutes (album)
Parachutes | |||||
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Studio album by Coldplay | |||||
Released | 10 July 2000 | ||||
Recorded | November 1999 – May 2000 | ||||
Studio |
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Length | 41:44 | ||||
Label | Parlophone | ||||
Producer |
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Coldplay chronology | |||||
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Coldplay studio album chronology | |||||
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Singles from Parachutes | |||||
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Parachutes is the debut studio album by British alternative rock band Coldplay. It was released by Parlophone on 10 July 2000 in the United Kingdom. The album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, excluding one track, "High Speed", which was produced by Chris Allison. Parachutes has spawned the hit singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic".
The album was a commercial success, and was met with positive reviews. Upon release, the album quickly reached number one in the United Kingdom, and has since been certified 8× Platinum. In the United States, the album peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, and has since been certified 2× Platinum. It won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2002, and has earned the band various accolades since its release. Parachutes is also the 17th best-selling album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom, and won the Best British Album award at the 2001 Brit Awards. As of 2011, it has sold around 8.5 million copies worldwide.
Recording and production
The band started working on the album in 1999 and produced an EP with British record producer Chris Allison. Allison was asked to 'come in and give the band a bit of a direction sound wise. Both the band and the A&R department – both parties wanted that'.[1] Things got off to a productive start with the song 'High Speed', which ultimately proved good enough to make it onto the Parachutes album. Allison describes it thus: 'You'll notice it is quite a bit different to the other tracks, because there are other sounds going on in it: we wanted to mix a soundscape in with the classic rock sound on that particular track. I thought 'High Speed' was a really good marriage between the classic rock sound and the new sound that was developing out of it, something that was more atmospheric'.[2] Seven tracks in all were recorded during the sessions at Orinoco studios in London, three of them ended up on The Blue Room EP.
The band took a break to write more songs for the album. A few months later it was arranged that Allison and the band meet at a rehearsal room to start on the album proper. "They started up playing in the rehearsal room and they really weren't together at all. And I was very honest with them, I just sort of said 'Look this simply isn't good enough'". Allison adds, "The interesting, the most significant thing that did occur out of the fact that we didn't end up starting the album on that day of the rehearsal was that Chris Martin had not written 'Yellow' by that time".[3]
Several months later British record producer Ken Nelson was chosen, producing all but one song on Parachutes. He was introduced to Coldplay by his manager Pete Byrne (who gave him a copy of the band's Fierce Panda-distributed debut single in 1999). Nelson has claimed that, as soon as he heard vocalist Chris Martin's voice on the song "Bigger Stronger", he "realised that he was something special". Nelson was offered the job while Coldplay were performing in Liverpool with English indie rock band Gomez (whose debut album, Bring It On, was what he had produced at the time).[4]
Coldplay initially planned to record Parachutes in the space of two weeks. However, tours and other live performances caused the recording to spread out between September 1999 and April–May 2000.[5] The band began work on the album at Rockfield Studios in Wales, Matrix Studios, and Wessex Sound Studios, although the majority of Parachutes' tracks were recorded at Liverpool's Parr Street Studios. The band worked in three studio rooms at Parr Street, and tracked much of the album in one of these rooms—the project studio which producer Ken Nelson describes as "basically a demo room". The Chris Allison-produced track "High Speed" was also included on the album, and originates from earlier sessions at Orinico Studios in London. The album was mixed by American engineer Michael Brauer in New York. Coldplay's record label, Parlophone, had originally intended to use a mixing engineer for the tracks they picked as singles, but eventually hired Brauer to work on all songs on Parachutes[4] except the song "High Speed" which was mixed by Chris Allison.
At the Liverpool concert where he was offered the production job Nelson had noted that Coldplay's performance was "very very uptight [...] they rushed through the set and it was quite difficult to listen to". Once in the studio Nelson and the band went through each song, learning how to play the piece live and deciding what tempo to play it at in an attempt to get the group to "calm down" ("Trouble", for example, had to be reworked to eliminate the cacophony included in its early versions).[4]
The album's cover features a photograph of a globe taken with a disposable Kodak camera. The globe had been purchased from W H Smith for £10; it was featured in the music videos for "Shiver" and "Don't Panic", and also accompanied the band on their tours.[6] The album was dedicated to drummer Will Champion's mother, Dr. Sara Champion, who died of cancer in 2000.[7]
Music and style
Champion has explained that Nelson's production style was liberating and allowed the band to feel at ease during the recording of Parachutes (many songs from the album often featured slow tempos). The ensuing album was "a record's worth of moody and atmospheric tunes". As a nod to the moods created by the album, Champion has compared the song lyrics to the 1972 song "Perfect Day" by American rock singer-songwriter Lou Reed, stating that the "lyrics are beautiful and they're really, really happy, but the music is really, really sad. It's that kind of thing, where you can create [differing] moods through the music and lyrics."[8]
Parachutes was recognised to have an alternative rock sound similar to English band Radiohead in their Bends era. In fact, it has been suggested that the album's commercial success was due in part to a portion of Radiohead's audience being alienated by the band's experimental and more electronic-influenced Kid A album.[9]
Release and promotion
Parachutes was released on 10 July 2000 in the United Kingdom via record label Parlophone. In the United States, it was released on 7 November 2000 by record label Nettwerk.[10] The album has been made available on various formats since its initial release; both Parlophone and Nettwerk released it as a CD in 2000, and it was also released as a cassette by newfound US label Capitol in 2001. In the following year, Parlophone issued the album as an LP.[11]
The main version of the album contains 10 tracks; the tenth track, "Everything's Not Lost", segues to a hidden short track called "Life Is for Living", clocking in for a total of 7:15. The Japanese version of the album contains all main tracks, and the additional tracks "Careful Where You Stand" and "For You".
Four singles were released from the album: "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic". "Shiver" served as lead single in the United Kingdom while "Yellow" was used in the United States. Upon the release of "Trouble", Coldplay abandoned their initial plan of releasing "Don't Panic" as the album's fourth single, after they deemed three singles were enough for an album. Despite this, however, it was released as a single in some European regions.[12]
Since its wide release, Parachutes has earned the band a large array of awards. The album won Best Album at the 2000 Q Awards, and was nominated at the 2000 Mercury Music Prize. The following year, the band earned Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards and Best British Album at the BRIT Awards.[13][14]
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
Alternative Press | 4/5[16] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[18] |
Los Angeles Times | [19] |
NME | 9/10[20] |
Pitchfork Media | 5.3/10[21] |
Q | [22] |
Rolling Stone | [23] |
Uncut | [24] |
Parachutes was released to generally favorable reviews from music critics.[24] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 20 reviews.[22] In a contemporary review of the album, Michael Hubbard of musicOMH called it "an album of remarkable depth, especially when one considers the youthful ages of the band members."[25] NME stated that "all told, it's incredible this is a debut album" and concluded that "accomplished, yet subtle, it works perfectly as a whole in a way all the production skills in the world couldn't replicate."[20] Melody Maker hailed Parachutes as a "masterpiece" and "a defining musical statement of 2000", while Uncut felt that the album "more than justifies the plaudits heaped upon [the band] by the weekly music press".[24] The Guardian described the album as "one of the year's most uplifting albums", adding that it features "elegant songs, classic guitars and gorgeous singing".[26]
While noting that Parachutes "brings nothing new to the table" and that its "musical reference points are immediately recognizable and difficult to overlook, Billboard stated that the band "seems talented enough to transcend this early identity crisis."[27] Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone opined that the album "ultimately rises above its influences to become a work of real transcendence".[23] In a retrospective write-up, MacKenzie Wilson of AllMusic commented that Parachutes introduced the band as "young musicians still honing their sweet harmonies", adding that the album "deserved the accolades it received because it followed the general rule when introducing decent pop songs: keep the emotion genuine and real."[15]
In a less enthusiastic review, Spencer Owen of Pitchfork Media called the album "harmless and pretty... [but] nothing else".[21] Barry Walters, writing in The Village Voice, similarly writes that "there's little on Parachutes that demands attention or punctures the pensive spell, and, unlike Travis's, Coldplay's hooks are slight."[28] In his Consumer Guide column for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau selected "Yellow" and "Don't Panic" as "choice cuts",[29] indicating good songs on "an album that isn't worth your time or money."[30] Setareh Yousefi of Stylus Magazine felt that "the finer moments of Parachutes are blended with some boring sappy songs", with Martin's "powerful voice" ultimately being "in many ways wasted on songs that are alright but not bewildering."[31]
Commercial performance
Parachutes performed well in the United Kingdom. The popularity of the songs in British clubs, pubs and sporting events bolstered the album to debut at number one on the UK Albums Chart.[32] It has been certified eight-times Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, with sales of around 2,400,000 units, to date.[33] In July 2011, Parachutes climbed from No. 184 back to No. 48 in the album's 318th charting week there.[34] As of February 2012, the album had sold 2,559,678 copies in the UK, making it the third biggest selling Coldplay album behind A Rush of Blood to the Head (2.8 million) and X&Y (2.6 million).[35]
Parachutes has reached number 51 on the US Billboard 200, and has peaked at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers. Over two million copies have been shipped to the United States, leading to being certified two-time Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[36] It has also been certified three-time Platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association,[37] and two-time Platinum in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[38]
Impact and legacy
According to the British trade paper Music Week, Parachutes was one of the most-impressive debut albums ever, spawning the hit singles "Shiver", "Yellow", and "Trouble". With nearly 2.4 million units sold in the United Kingdom alone, it has placed at number 12 on the country's list of 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century.[39] The album was placed at number 25 in Channel 4's 100 greatest albums of all time, and in 2006 at number 33 in NME's 100 greatest British albums.
Despite the album's critical and commercial success, Chris Martin said that Coldplay didn't like the album. He also commented that they look beyond Parachutes: "We know that's terrible music and we always try to think about what we can do next."[40]
Track listing
All songs written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Don't Panic" | 2:17 |
2. | "Shiver" | 5:00 |
3. | "Spies" | 5:19 |
4. | "Sparks" | 3:47 |
5. | "Yellow" | 4:29 |
6. | "Trouble" | 4:31 |
7. | "Parachutes" | 0:46 |
8. | "High Speed" | 4:14 |
9. | "We Never Change" | 4:09 |
10. | "Everything's Not Lost" (5:39 / includes hidden song "Life is for Living" 1:37) | 7:17 |
Total length: |
41:49 |
Japanese edition bonus tracks | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
11. | "Careful Where You Stand" | 4:45 |
12. | "For You" | 5:42 |
Total length: |
52:16 |
Personnel
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Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Certifications
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References
- ↑ Coldplay, Look at the Stars by Phil O'Brien. p35
- ↑ Coldplay, Look at the Stars by Phil O'Brien. p36
- ↑ Coldplay, Look at the Stars by Phil O'Brien. p43
- 1 2 3 Inglis, Sam (October 2000). "Recording Coldplay's Parachutes". SOS. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
- ↑ Roach, p. 45
- ↑ Roach, p. 36
- ↑ (2000) Artwork for Parachutes by Coldplay. Capitol (0 6700 30162 2 3).
- ↑ Basham, David (29 September 2000). "Coldplay Opens Up "Parachutes" For U.S. Audiences". MTV. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
- ↑ Finch, Stephan (16 February 2001). "Coldplay: Parachutes". 2 Walls Webzine. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (2 August 2000). "Nettwerk To Release Coldplay Album". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "Discography – Coldplay: Parachutes". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
- ↑ Roach, p. 54
- ↑ "Grammy Awards Winners". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on 25 May 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ Kemp, Rob (26 February 2001). "Robbie Williams, U2, Coldplay Dominate Brit Awards". MTV. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- 1 2 Wilson, MacKenzie. "Parachutes – Coldplay". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- ↑ "Coldplay: Parachutes". Alternative Press (149): 94. December 2000.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-857-12595-8.
- ↑ Sullivan, James (17 November 2000). "Parachutes". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- ↑ Nichols, Natalie (7 January 2001). "'Parachutes' Cushions Coldplay's U.S. Landing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- 1 2 "Parachutes". NME. 4 July 2000. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- 1 2 Owen, Spencer (7 November 2000). "Coldplay: Parachutes". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- 1 2 "Reviews for Parachutes by Coldplay". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- 1 2 Diehl, Matt (3 October 2000). "Parachutes : Coldplay". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 8 December 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- 1 2 3 Roach, Martin (2010). Viva Coldplay: A Biography. Omnibus Press. p. 62. ISBN 1-849-38546-7.
- ↑ Hubbard, Michael. "Coldplay – Parachutes (Parlophone)". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 27 January 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "Ashcroft and Coldplay nominated for Mercury Music Prize". The Guardian. 25 July 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "Coldplay: Parachutes". Billboard. 18 November 2000. Archived from the original on 6 December 2000. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ↑ Walters, Barry (7 November 2000). "No Hype to Not Believe". The Village Voice. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (13 February 2001). "Pazz & Jop Preview". The Village Voice. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ↑ Yousefi, Setareh (1 September 2003). "Coldplay – Parachutes". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
- ↑ Spitz, Marc (October 2002). "Look at the Stars". Spin: 75. Archived from the original on 1 August 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2008.
- ↑ "Certified awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "Album Top 40 from the Official UK Charts Company". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ↑ Jones, Alan (6 February 2012). "Official Chart Analysis: Lana Del Rey album sells 117k, 43% digital". Music Week. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ↑ Jeckell, Barry A. (5 August 2005). "Coldplay's 'X&Y' Notches Double Platinum". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "Gold and Platinum Certification". Canadian Recording Industry Association. April 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ Jones, Alan (12 March 2008). "The 20 biggest selling albums of the 21st Century". Music Week. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ↑ "Coldplay's Martin lobbies for fair trade". USA Today. Associated Press. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
- 1 2 Credits adapted from CD liner notes.
- ↑ "Australian Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Austria Top 40 – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Charts Vlaanderen – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Charts Belgique Francophone – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Coldplay Album & Song Chart History – Canadian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "TOP 50 Prodejní: Coldplay – Parachutes (EMI)" (in Czech). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of the Czech Republic.
- ↑ "Danish Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Dutch Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Finnish Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Classements – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)" (in French). Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Album – Coldplay, Parachutes" (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Italian Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Irish Music Chart Archive – Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 4 January 2001". Chart-track.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Mexican Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Mexicancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "New Zealand Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "VG-Lista – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Spanish Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Spanishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Swedish Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Swiss Charts – Coldplay – Parachutes (album)" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "2000 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive – 22nd July 2000". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Coldplay Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Oros y Platinos" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 28 November 2005. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2005". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes". Music Canada. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Guld og Platin 2001" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Archived from the original on 5 October 2002.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Coldplay; 'Parachutes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Certificazione Album fisici e digitali settimana 34 del 2012" (PDF) (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "Buzz-top-3: Chirac, Donner en Coldplay". HP/De Tijd (in Dutch). 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "Spanish album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 27 June 2012. Select the "Chart", enter ' in the field "Year". Select ' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coldplay; 'Parachutes')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 June 2012. Enter Parachutes in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ Jones, Alan (26 May 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Coldplay LP sells 168k to set 2014 pace". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 14 July 2015. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "American album certifications – Coldplay – Parachutes". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 27 June 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
Literature
- Roach, Martin (2003). Coldplay: Nobody Said it was Easy. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9810-8. Retrieved 9 September 2008.
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