The Famous Old Painters Mystique

 

I wonder sometimes about the mystery that surrounds this song and the intrigue that it holds for us Coldplay fanatics. Without question there are a large number of songs that have been written and recorded throughout the various album sessions that will never see the light of day. Yet this song seems to have a special appeal that goes beyond those other lost tracks such as Lukas, This Hollow Frame, or In Isolation.

 

Even as a new album approaches this track, presumably now over three years old, continues to capture our interest. Is this due to the lack of news regarding the fifth album or is it something more?

 

It could be because by having a small description via Prospekt during the Viva sessions that it became more “real” then a song where only the title was known therefore making it seem more attainable. Like we were missing something from a band that had already given us so much. It could be because those who love the Viva era sound are desperate to hear more from that time. It could be because some people just really dig the title.

 

Now having heard the instrumental leak the desire for a complete recording seems to have grown even more. There was a suspicion (based almost entirely on the song’s title alone) that Famous Old Painters would be a fantastic song and when the instrumental leaked that suspicion turned out to be true… Famous Old Painters had lived up to it’s somewhat anonymous hype. We all thought that the brass band entering the final act of the song would sound amazing and when we finally heard it we were right. I have not witnessed this much fervor for a recording since the days when people were watching each single’s track listing for that ever elusive studio cut of Ladder to the Sun.

 

Now Famous Old Painters has taken it’s place as the great lost Coldplay track… granted that it may not be as lost as it once was. Something that Coldplay fans can speculate about on message boards… the one we might hear someday. The song that we all know without really knowing it.

 

In the end the decision to release or not release a song rests entirely on the shoulders of the band who created it and this is as it should be. One can’t help but be curious though (and maybe even just a tad frustrated) on how a song this beautiful, this quintessentially Coldplay, could go unreleased in any form. For now we have a satisfying albeit teasing instrumental… and our ears wait impatiently for a Chris Martin vocal that may never enter the mix.

 

There may be no one real reason why this song gets the kind of attention that so many other unreleased tracks may not have but one thing is for certain… it just goes to show how dedicated Coldplay fans truly are. They are just as passionate about the songs they have never heard as they are about the classics. But as for this potential would be classic… the Viva la Vida 10 year anniversary re-release with obligatory bonus tracks is only seven years away right?

 

JH

Very nice!!! I felt like I was reading a beautiful news article from a music writer.:)

I couldn't agree more with the sentiments of this new leaked song, if only Chris and the guy's could read what you wrote, maybe they would get the hint:D

I honestly think the only reason I ever was obsessed with it was the brilliance of the name.

I would die if Coldplay released all or some of their discarded material from the Viva era, well from any era, I think i pretty much have everything that they have released, everything that has leaked, all the 1 time live performances like wedding bells and sweet marianne,

 

Coldplay are great, Just great!

Coldplay are great, Just great!

 

I couldn't agree more. Listening to the "Famous Old Painters" instrumental makes me wonder if the music of theirs that we're all familiar with, from Parachutes through Prospekt's March, isn't just the tip of the iceberg and there's so much more underneath that we may never see. In a way it's sad, but in another way it just makes me more proud of this extremely talented band. My appetite is definitely whetted for more.