12 Coldplay Months of 2010: OCTOBER (3rd art history lesson)

[LilyC]

Hi people, there's the review for October :) I hope it's gonna be fine :shy:

Sorry if I didn't post the pictures with the articles :blush:

 

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-- October 1 - Guy still wants your old photos -- [ Here ]

 

Good afternoon. Guy has asked us to pass on an update about his old photos project:

 

I've just been looking through the latest batch of old photos which have been sent in for the art project I'm working on. There really are some amazing pictures in there, from all over the world - in fact, 28 countries and counting! A big thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to send one. Please do keep searching them out and sending them in.

 

Thank you,

 

Guy

 

For all the info on where to send your photos, *****[/center]

 

-- October 5 - Roadie#42 - Blog #124 -- [ Here ]

 

October 5, 2010 5:47 pm

#42 fancies a cuppa

 

Tea. Daily studio life can come to revolve around it.

 

 

 

("All That Remains" - Left to right from top: Chris - glass of water, Markus Dravs - coffee long black, Brian Eno - mint infusion, Jonny - tea white without, Guy - tea white without, Rik - tea white without, Matt McGinn - tea white 1 sugar, Will - espresso intenso.)

 

To borrow someone else's story for a moment, it's claimed that uber-producer Flood earned his nickname very early in his career whilst working as an assistant on an album with The Cure. Legend has it that he was one of two assistants working alternate days in the studio. The two chaps apparently had very different levels of commitment to ensuring a regular flow of hot beverages. Apparently, this prompted Robert Smith to quip that on the tea front, it was "either flood or drought". The two assistants then became known by these names for the remainder of the session.

 

It's a fair indication of the importance of the almighty brew, that Flood went on to achieve greatness and you don't see the name Drought on the back of many album covers. (Kids, ask your grandparents about "album covers", they were all the rage for a while...).

 

Perhaps the propensity for always having a steaming mug on hand comes from the fact that studio work can be quite "stop-start". In the old days, you'd wait for the tape to rewind, or for someone to fiddle around in the patch-bay. Nowadays, of course, technology has banished all of that for good. Or rather, it's simply replaced it with "waiting whilst one person clicks a mouse at a rate that would give a morse code operator cause for raised eyebrows".

 

The person in front of the computer here at the Beehive is Rik Simpson. Now Rik is a big tea fan, but during each of these moments, which form the ideal opportunity for a swig - he's the one rushing like a loon getting the job done. As a result, his desk can regularly be seen sporting an array of cold, half finished mugs. As the work ramps up, he's spending less and less time away from the computer screen between arriving at half nine and stumbling home some time in the next a.m.

 

 

 

This clearly hasn't gone unnoticed by the band - and this morning, something rather sweet occurs.

 

The first tea run of the day (actually featuring predominantly coffees, truth be told), is performed by assistant Chris Green. It always includes a few pastries, some fruit and some tubs of yoghurt and granola. Sometimes, people come in straight from the gym - or if the evening session has run long and sleep has been scant, straight from bed. This makes the morning coffees and teas into a last chance for a quick breakfast.

 

Will offers Rik a yoghurt, with the addition "and I want to see this eaten now, not still on your desk at 4pm".

 

It's not done in a sarcastic or nasty way, but rather in an almost fatherly and concerned manner. Not a lot gets past Mr. Champion. He's clearly twigged how hard Rik's been working and has figured that if Rik isn't going to look after himself, then he'll do it for him. Will stands behind Rik as he continues to fiddle in the Pro Tools screen. It's a lot like watching a parent trying to pull their child away from the X-box. I imagine Will has come straight in from the family breakfast table at home. Perhaps he's still in the transition from "parent mode" to "work mode". Perhaps he's just nice. Either way, Rik starts the day today with a healthy breakfast.

 

 

 

True to form though, his brew is still two thirds full come lunch time. I'm led to believe that in a previous studio, Rik was referred to by the name "Coldcup" for this practice of continually being too busy to get his brew while it was still hot.

 

Me, I'm considering asking for folks to start referring to me as 'NotherCuppa. Think it'll catch on?

 

R#42

 

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-- October 8 - Art history #3 (Blue Room EP) [ Here[/yrl]

 

It took us a little while, but we managed to track down Tim Moore, the man responsible for designing the cover of Coldplay's first release for Parlophone, The Blue Room EP, which was released almost exactly a decade ago, on October 11th 1999. Tim was kind enough to answer the questions we emailed about the cover.

 

 

 

Hi Tim. So, how did you come to design the cover for the Blue Room EP?

It was a lucky one, I had just graduated from Edinburgh College of Art & was in London planning a trip to Japan funded by the Royal Society of Arts I was discussing my work with a friend who had popped round and was mates with Claire O'Brien at Parlophone. He gave me Claire's contact details, I made contact and showed her my portfolio at EMI. Luckily she really liked my sketchbooks, so she held onto them and mentioned she would show them to a new band she was working with, I was called back into Parlophone soon after that & ended up meeting with Chris and the band at their flat in Camden.

 

Was it among the first covers you designed?

I had done a few covers for Electronic Music artists - Global Communication but yes it was early days in terms of my commercial work

 

What had you trained in at college?

I trained as a Graphic Designer on the Visual Communication course at Edinburgh College of Art. I did my dissertation on the visualisation of music & that subject continues to fascinate & inspire my work.

 

Was there a specific brief for the Blue Room EP?

Both the band & the label had some ideas of how they wanted the cover to look, I remember feeling pretty hemmed in by the process. At that time I had no studio of my own and laptops were a bit out of reach on my budget, so due to time restraints and the way it all turned out I did the design in the basement of the EMI building in Kensington. It was full of people busy artworking EMI communications, this gave me my first taste of the realities of Commercial art for major record labels.

 

Who was responsible for picking the image and why was it chosen?

Chris Martin had this book on the National Geographic Photographer David Doubilet called 'Water Light Time' published by Phaidon. It contains incredible images of marine life & I was also really interested in underwater photography so it was decided to work with several images from the book. We had to contact the photographer's agent and request the rights to the eventual image, in the end the image of a delicate coral in the hand worked best within the 12-inch format.

 

Were there lots of different options for the cover?

Not really no. It was a choice between 5 potential images and the coral in the hand worked best within the frame. Then it was a case of working with type to best balance the information with the beauty of the image itself.

 

Were the band involved with the process?

Not after the first meeting, no. I remember they gave feedback on the first visuals and liked the crop and the way in which the cover felt using a simple layout & clean typography.

 

I remember wondering how I could work more of my own ideas on this job, but to be honest at this time pure typography alongside photography didn't play to my strengths. This was a lesson to me & soon after I ended up working for one of Europe's top designers for 3 years to greatly improve my typographic skills.

 

Were you a fan of Coldplay's music? Obviously it was very early days for them.

I had never heard of them before I received an early copy of the EP & knew straight away that they had a sound that would go on to be very popular. It wasn't my kind of sound, but I did appreciate the production even then, the Bigger Stronger & High Speed tracks felt like well-honed pop records. I was fresh out of college, & had been djing and producing underground dance music since I was 16 so I didn't take the music as seriously as I might have. I would certainly take the cover in a new direction now, but hindsight is a luxury of the past.

 

How much time did you spend on the design?

Probably about a week as I also did a promo mail out in the form of the coral from the cover image. I remember thinking the CD worked best, as the Digipac opened up and the CD on body was the coral with the hand sitting behind it under the clear tray to make it seem as you were removing the coral from the hand. It's such a beautiful image and ended up working well across formats with the tone of the EP.

 

Were you pleased with the finished result?

I learnt a lot on the job and it was great to work with an image of such power, but I had little creative freedom & when the vinyl came out the record company had placed this huge white limited edition box below the type in the lower left hand corner without consulting me, which completely messed the entire balance of the cover and just felt like such a careless thing to do… I was pretty shocked by that to tell you the truth.

 

And what do you think of it now?

The cover is really the photograph & the photograph is excellent so it certainly works as an arresting image & fits the music well in terms of the mood, with almost ten years having passed there are lots of things I would change especially the type on the back - it makes me cringe. It's probably the  worst bit of typesetting I have ever let out into the world but as a cover it works well.

 

The EP goes for quite a bit on eBay now - do you still have a copy?

Yes I still have copies of the CD and vinyl release + some very rare and rather basic blank colour versions that have a varnished finish to them. I was lucky enough to be given the 0001 copy of the 12 inch so if anyone wants the first ever limited release of Coldplay's Blue Room EP on Parlophone make me an offer! It's been in my portfolio for some time, so it's pretty mint.

 

Do you tell people about your role in Coldplay's career?

It's always been a useful door opener when it came to working for other labels & design companies, but it's nearly ten years ago now so I don't tend to bring it up that often. I am still proud to have been involved though.

 

Have you designed many covers since?

I have designed quite a few, but mainly for independent labels as on the whole that's where I find a lot of the music I love. I designed the Nigeria Special series for Soundway records & created designs for other releases on that label.

 

 

Tim's Nigeria Special covers

 

I Art Direct the House music label Prime Numbers out of Manchester, I also designed much of the early firecracker records releases & I am currently working on a new label for Electronic Sound records.

 

 

One of Tim's Firecracker designs

 

Are you still designing? What do you work on these days?

As Art director of Nth Creative I get to design lots of different things which is how we like it, although we make sure thats it's for things we like which sometimes reduces the big fees but keeps us inspired & engaged.

 

I design logos for companies such as Canongate books, websites for Galleries & a lot of work for the music industry. I am currently designing my brother's new record label, I have just finished the cover for my new record which is out now… It's a track called Shake Your Body Down by Discreet Unit on Prime Numbers. I am also trying to get time to design our new website as the current site is about 3 years out of date.

 

 

Shake Your Body Down by Discreet Unit

 

I am a visiting lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art, although since moving to Cornwall the visits have become less frequent. And when I get the time beyond all that I am doing up an old barn in Cornwall which I hope to turn into a studio in the very near future.

 

And do you still keep an eye on Coldplay's progress?

I listen to a wide spectrum of music, but to be honest Coldplay's sound is not regularly on my system. I did like the last album & could certainly hear the effect Brian Eno had in terms of the production, it's great that they have been so successful & I hope it all stays positive for them.

 

Big thanks to Tim for taking the time to answer our questions.

 

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-- October 15 - Coldplay win two ASCAP awards -- [ Here

 

Band win Songwriters of the Year and Song of the Year

 

Good afternoon. We're pleased to report that, this week, Coldplay were double winners at the annual awards ceremony held in London by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). The band won Songwriters of the Year and Song of the Year (for Viva La Vida) - the 10th and 11th ASCAP awards they've bagged.

 

Although the band didn't go to the ceremony (too busy working on the new album...), they did send a video message. The awards were collected on the night by Caroline Elleray, Coldplay's long-standing publisher and friend.

 

Anchorman

 

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-- October 15 - Coldplay in Top 1000 Songs book -- [ Here ]

 

Band feature heavily in new Xfm publication

 

Good afternoon. Twelve years after Coldplay lost a demo tape competition on London radio station Xfm, the band are now featured in the station's new book listing the Top 1000 Songs of All Time. In fact, an amazing 13 Coldplay songs are included in the entertaining book, which is based on Xfm listener votes over the years.

 

If you'd like to get hold of a copy, Amazon UK currently have the book on offer for £12  - click here to check it out. You can also look at some preview pages at that link.

 

Anchorman

 

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-- October 21 - Guy-produced Pierces EP out now - [ Here ]

 

Buy the duo's four-track EP, produced by Guy and Rik Simpson

 

Good afternoon. You might remember that, a few weeks ago, we interviewed The Pierces, whose new music was co-produced and performed on by our very own Guy Berryman, alongside Coldplay producer Rik Simpson.

 

Well, their terrific 4-track Love You More EP is out now to download in the UK. You can also pre-order the CD single, ahead of its release on Monday (Oct 25th). Click the links below to get hold of your copy (and to hear samples of all four tracks):

 

- Download from Amazon.co.uk MP3 (for £1.69)

- Download from iTunes UK (for £1.99)

- Pre-order CD from Amazon.co.uk (for £2.99, inc delivery)

 

We'll let you know as and when the EP is released outside the UK. Until then, check out the band's performance of the EP's title track on the BBC's Later with Jools Holland this week:

 

 

 

Anchorman

 

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-- October 27 - Coldplay's Music Most Likely To Help You Fall Asleep --

 

A serie of articles was published during the last week of October dealing with a poll which points Coldplay out like the first band to help people to fall asleep. here there's an one of those articles :)

 

In a recent survery done by Travelodge in Britain, Coldplay have topped the polls as the music most likely to help you fall asleep-- in a good way of course.

According to the census, after Coldplay came Canadian singer, Michael Buble and Snow Patrol.

"In today's hectic fast-paced world, stress is the number one trigger for keeping 75 per cent of Britons awake at night," Leigh MacCarron Travelodge  sleep director said. "Therefore it's no surprise that eight out of ten Britons rely on music to help them nod off."

The study found that 84 per cent claimed that listening to music helped aid a well rested sleep, while 15 percent said they had a better sleep if they listened to tunes as they drifted off.

Here is the list in order:

1. Coldplay

2. Michael Buble

3. Snow Patrol

4. Alicia Keys

5. Jack Johnson

6. Taylor Swift

7. Mozart

8. Barry White

9. Leona Lewis

10. Radiohead

 

 

 

---> What do you think about it? :) Is it your case? In a good way, of course ;)

 

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-- October 29 - Simon Pegg Q&A: "If I don't get recognised, I say I'm in Coldplay" -- [ ]

 

We caught up with the actor, comedian writer and honorary Coldplay member

 

The world might know Simon Pegg as the star of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Star Trek and Mission Impossible III, but we know him as an honorary member of Coldplay. With his terrific new autobiography, Nerd Do Well, just released, we thought now was a good time to ask him some questions. Happily, he was kind enough to answer them.

 

Hello Simon, how are you?

Very well, thank you. A little frazzled but still smiling.

 

It's just over ten years since you met Coldplay. What do you remember about that night at London's Millennium Dome?

I didn't want to go. My wife was looking after the band Toploader for Sony and I wasn't really a fan. In the end I decided to tag along just to see Chris and the boys having watched them play the NME stage at V2000. I had no idea that a year later I'd be playing alongside them on the main stage. Chris came up to me after the Dome show and said he was a fan of the sketch show Big Train which saved me having to go up to him to say I was a fan of Yellow. Eight years later I played with them on a slightly bigger stage at the same venue.

 

 

Simon performs with Coldplay at London's O2 in December 2008

 

And you've been friends with them ever since?

Yeah, he introduced me to the band and the rest is history. It was immediately apparent that they were destined for greatness. Not just because they stole the show but because they seemed possessed of this quiet determination. The sort of concentrated professionalism you see in older, more successful bands, the band they were to become. They had it from the beginning. This wasn't a game or a doss or a way to meet girls for them. You could tell they were serious. They've never lost that. It's why they're still around whilst everyone else on that bill has disappeared and why they will still be around 10 years from now.

 

Did you always think they'd reach the heights that they have?

I had faith in them, but it's hard to have faith in the industry because it's so fickle. It was clear they had what it takes though. There was passion and an almost studious resolve not to rest on their laurels. Chris has always had this tendency towards self effacement. He was apologising for Yellow back in 2000 because he was worried they'd played it too much. Ten years later people still go crazy when they hear those first few chords. I don't think he's stopped apologising for it though.

 

Of course, you've gone on to become a floating member of the band. Is it fun being in Coldplay?

I love it. Chris will ring up and say, 'Come and play tonight' and I will get nervous and tetchy and insist on some rehearsal which we'll do at the sound check. The boys will be incredibly amiable and laid back as though playing in front of tens of thousands of people is an everyday thing. Of course for them, it is. I am always amazed at how in the zone they are before the show. They never seem nervous and yet they are anything but laid back on stage. They seem perpetually at 100%. That makes me even more nervous when I blow into that harmonica. I have a lot to live up to.

 

Have you ever introduced yourself to a stranger by telling them you're in Coldplay?

All the time. If I don't get recognised for my own work and get asked about what I do for a living, I say I'm in Coldplay. It's always good to have something to fall back on.

 

You've appeared live with the band quite a few times over the years - at the Astoria, the O2, V Festival and even Wembley Stadium. Which was your best gig?

I loved doing the O2 Arena. It was a huge venue but still managed to be intimate, particularly as I appeared on the C stage for the 'up close and personal' section. I played the middle eight on Green Eyes and then we did Jingle Bells and wore silly hats because it was Christmas. I got my own Viva La Vida outfit and really felt like an honorary member. They've had a sense of looking like a band for a long time, the first time I played with them, at V2001, they asked me to wear a black shirt to remain in keeping with the band aesthetic. On the third night at the O2, I announced my decision to leave the band to the crowd and mentioned there was a helpline for anyone who found my actions distressing.

 

 

 

And what's the best Coldplay show you've ever watched from the crowd?

I have seen so many. I've lost count of the times I have seen them live. I guess my favourite would have to be when they did a gig in the corner of my local pub to raise money for the Whittington Hospital baby unit. Guy was poorly that night so it was just Chris, Jonny and Will, all on guitars. It was post Rush of Blood so they were already a global phenomenon. To see them banging out an acoustic version of Livin' on a Prayer in the corner of a little North London boozer was a real treat.

 

You've also appeared on a Coldplay recording - supplying backing vocals to Scientist B-side 1' 36". How did that come about? And are you proud of it?

I think I was just hanging out at the studio and Chris roped me in to shout 'YEAH!' at the end of the song. I am inordinately proud of it.

 

Legend has it you also came up with the name for another B-side, I Bloom Blaum? If so, please explain.

No, the song already existed and was named by Chris. The title is Icelandic for 'the blue people'. It was something Chris would sing when he picked up the guitar he keeps at my house. He played it one night and I fell in love with it straight away, so that on subsequent occasions I would insist he play it. When the band were putting the Rush of Blood singles together I suggested they include I Bloom Blaum as a B-side somewhere. Lo and behold, they did.

 

And you've even written songs with Chris. Is A+E a lost Coldplay classic?

In my opinion it's their best song ever. It's a sort of public information song about the benefits of going to the casualty department when you have an accident. The genius of it is that it is written entirely in the keys A and E.

 

Chris also made you Godfather to his first child. Speaking from several years of experience, what makes a good Godparent?

Chris is a great godfather to my daughter. It's about being a good influence and a fun presence. I conferred those duties upon Chris because I thought he would be inspirational as a person and a musician. He bought her a beautiful vintage 1968 Epiphone guitar for her first Christmas. He's doing well so far.

 

With the band currently locked away in the studio, can you give us any clues about how album #5 is sounding?

I haven't heard anything yet and I as much as I'd love to, I respect the creative process they have developed over the years. When Rush of Blood and X&Y was being recorded I heard a lot of stuff as it was being written. Me and Ian McCulloch were the first people outside the band to hear Clocks and I will never forget Chris bouncing around his living room to Politik, the first time he played it to my wife and I. Nowadays the process is less communal, they hole up in the Bakery and keep their cards close to their chest. I'm sure if I asked Chris he'd play me something, but I figure when he's ready he'll turn up at my house with a CD and his jazz shoes. I actually have a bunch of rare stuff he gave me in the early days. Live performances, demos and early versions of well known songs. I'm hanging onto those.

 

Meanwhile, your new autobiography, Nerd Do Well, has just been published. Are you pleased with it?

Yes, I think it turned out great. Chris was one of the first people to read it, actually. He features in it so I thought it was only fair. It also features a fiction story which has me as a rugged, sexually adventurous superhero, just in case my real life gets boring.

 

And what else are you busy with?

John Landis's Burke & Hare is in cinemas now. I'm playing Reepicheep the mouse in the new Narnia film which comes out in December and on Feb 18th, 2011, prepare to meet Paul, written by myself and Nick Frost and starring Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver and Chris's mother-in-law, Blythe Danner.

 

 

 

Finally, we always ask our interviewees what their favourite Coldplay song is. What's yours?

That's a really tough one. It changes all the time. At the moment I love Glass of Water from the Prospekt's March EP because it's banging.

 

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October - and Autumn in general, I think - was a time for Coldplayers meet-up with the band. You can find a serie of lovely stories in the Behhive thread.

 

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I hope you liked it :):shy:

[nancyk58]

Thanks for an awesome review, Léa. :clap: :thumbsup:

[BerrymanGirl1]

Nice review Lea!!!:kiss:Thank you!

[Raphaele]

thank you Léa:)

[Chloe_Martin]

:D Thank you Lea