Ghost Stories, release date: 19 May 2014

[The Philosopher]

Chris is actually an expert in writing extremely good lyrics. I'm sensing what we hear on GS is intended to be simple.

 

I exactly thought the same. Chris has written excellent lyrics, so if now they are making lyrics that these ones, it's just because they want them to be that way. It's a thing Coldplay would do in my opinion. And another thing, I seriously think that from what we have seen about the lyrics, Ghost Stories is about someone who died.

[Durk]

I feel like it's one big love letter to Gwen- very personal but simple- so I'm okay with it. And yeah - I've never really listed to Coldplay- or any band for that matter- as much for the lyrics as I do the music.

[The Philosopher]

I don't know why but I think that, somehow, Ghost Stories is connected to Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.

[HowCouldIForget]

I exactly thought the same. Chris has written excellent lyrics, so if now they are making lyrics that these ones, it's just because they want them to be that way. It's a thing Coldplay would do in my opinion. And another thing, I seriously think that from what we have seen about the lyrics, Ghost Stories is about someone who died.

 

I feel that it's not 'meant to be that way' and here's why. Viva and MX were very strong lyrically, as contrasted with say Parachutes and X&Y which weren't (though they were still great albums). With this in mind, the lack of having Brian Eno and Markus Dravs on board is rather worrisome. I recall a story in the Viva era where Chris brought one of them lyrics for a song. Brian or Markus told him they definitely weren't good enough and to write something better, so later Chris came back with Cemeteries of London (rather good lyrically).

 

Listening to the GS songs (especially Another's Arms and Magic) I get the feeling no one is willing to challenge/stand up to Chris the way Brian/Markus did or more importantly, push him to his full potential. Will is known for deciding on whether a song is good enough or not but I get the feeling that's almost strictly on a musical basis. After all, it's my understanding Chris alone writes the lyrics so what legitimate criticism could Will really offer if he's not a lyricist?

 

This is my gripe with concept albums, you have to write 4/5 of the songs about the exact same subject, otherwise it doesn't 'work.' You lose so much quality that way. Atlas is much better than anything from GS so far, Moving to Mars and Christmas Lights were better than anything on MX (save maybe UATW) but incredible and amazing songs must be left off because they don't 'fit' and that's an honest tragedy. It's not about making the best songs and thinking outside the box anymore, it's about fencing in a concept and running a rail through 10 songs so that they line up nose-to-tail, regardless of if they're truly the best of what the band can make (as we saw with Paradise and PoC on MX for example). :disappointed:

[gai]

I recall a story in the Viva era where Chris brought him lyrics for a song. Brian told him they definitely weren't good enough and to write something better, so later Chris came back with Cemeteries of London (rather good lyrically).

 

Actually, if i remember correctly, it was markus dravs that told chris that the death and all his friends demo wasn't good enough. he mentioned that specifically as an anecdote to show how dravs kicked their butts. and chris didn't mention what aspects of the song dravs didn't like (lyrics as you mention)

 

Listening to the GS songs (especially Another's Arms and Magic) I get the feeling no one is willing to challenge/stand up to Chris the way Brian did or more importantly, push him to his full potential. Will is known for deciding on whether a song is good enough or not but I get the feeling that's almost strictly on a musical basis. After all, it's my understanding Chris alone writes the lyrics so what legitimate criticism could Will really offer if he's not a lyricist?

 

the band have said again and again that everything on the songs and the songs themselves have to get the approval of every band member. and i remember in a kroq interview, the interviewers asking whether the other members have a say in the lyrics and chris said absolutely. since even though they may not sing, they play on the songs. and i remember chris saying that name dropping is prohibited in coldplay songs and getting the words china and japan were hard enough. this is a will's rule. so i wouldn't say chris has total and final say on the lyrics, even though he is the primary writer.

 

but overall i agree with you that the lyrics feel uninspired. that's my problem. it's ok to be simplistic. we'll have to just wait and see, but lyrically, this may not be on par with their best.

on the concept idea, we have to understand that it is their artistic vision. since x&y, they have been very careful on this. i am still not over not including moving to mars in mx, but it is their work after all.

all the same the atmosphere of the songs have me very excited. what we've heard so far give me a lot of hope. not essentially lyrically.

[HowCouldIForget]

Actually, if i remember correctly, it was markus dravs that told chris that the death and all his friends demo wasn't good enough. he mentioned that specifically as an anecdote to show how dravs kicked their butts. and chris didn't mention what aspects of the song dravs didn't like (lyrics as you mention)

 

the band have said again and again that everything on the songs and the songs themselves have to get the approval of every band member. and i remember in a kroq interview, the interviewers asking whether the other members have a say in the lyrics and chris said absolutely. since even though they may not sing, they play on the songs. and i remember chris saying that name dropping is prohibited in coldplay songs and getting the words china and japan were hard enough. this is a will's rule. so i wouldn't say chris has total and final say on the lyrics, even though he is the primary writer.

 

Thank you kindly, I didn't mean to spread any false information- just to reinforce an argument I had in mind. Clearly, you're more well read on the band than I am :) To be honest though, I think your explanation worries me even more. If it was just Brian and Markus not being there that'd be one thing, I don't want to try to imagine the rest of the band okaying Magic. :uneasy: And of course you're right, it's up to them and that's how it should be. But sometimes I wonder about their decisions on more recent albums. :inquisitive:

[Jaes]

I seriously think that from what we have seen about the lyrics, Ghost Stories is about someone who died.

 

Absolutely, I think the same.

[the_escapist]

Judging by the artwork and lyrics it is more about a love story.

[tyler21]

Of topic, but still wondering. Is there going to be a vinyl release? I found this webiste ( http://www.recordstore.co.uk/recordstore/recordstore/Ghost-Stories/37I50000000 ) taking pre-orders, but is it real or just that website guessing that there will be one?

[Jonny and the cake]

ehm, that's one of the most affidable records online shop in the world....

[chommy_16]

I would have have to kill myself if the release from recordstore wasn't real. :rolleyes:

[xmjenny]

:bliss::bliss::bliss::bliss:

[The Philosopher]

Judging by the artwork and lyrics it is more about a love story.

 

Well yes, in fact a mix of a love story and of someone who passed away.

[Nature]

Wherecan i read the whole Rolling Stone review about the show in LA.

[Tash]

Wherecan i read the whole Rolling Stone review about the show in LA.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rolling Stone review of yesterday's concert (21 March 2014) <a href="http://t.co/h0y8iujNXH">http://t.co/h0y8iujNXH</a> T</p>— Coldplay news (@coldplaying) <a href="https://twitter.com/coldplaying/statuses/447462089939226624">March 22, 2014</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[tom043]

Radom thought... The ''All your friends'' drawing looks a bit like a machine gun, maybe it's a song with a War Child kind of theme (all your friends, lost in war) ... could see them do something like that with a bonus track, helping a charity.

 

+ that would make for brilliant lyrics.

[johnpham2014]

Please read my blog on Ghost Stories : http://johnpham2014.wordpress.com/

[JillyBlue]

Have you noticed what coldplay.com has done on the home page? They've added a magnifying glass effect that lets you scan over the artwork and see it in closer detail. Some interesting images there. I see images for "Magic" and "Midnight," will have to continue to study it.

[Durk]

Wow just today I looked at the broken heart/wings and thought - I wish I could get tighter and see what symbolism is in the images there. Thx for heads up.

[Harondor]

Have you noticed what coldplay.com has done on the home page? They've added a magnifying glass effect that lets you scan over the artwork and see it in closer detail. Some interesting images there. I see images for "Magic" and "Midnight," will have to continue to study it.

 

It's not added, it's here since they launched their new website (3 march)

[jalapeno789]

,

[AJ123]

Any vinyl preorders in the US?

[The Philosopher]

So, I got this idea.

The US Target edition will have 3 bonus tracks.

What if there were separate editions for all major countries that all had different bonus tracks?)

In this way, no integrity would be lost (9 tracks, 45 mins, blah-blah-blah) aand we get to hear much more material)

 

not gonna happen though)

 

I don't think that this will happen this time but, for the future, this would be brilliant in my opinion.

[grabber]

Yeah.. these people are at xdjpop.org claiming to leak it somewhere fortnight before official release

 

http://xdjpop.org/coldplay-ghost-stories/

[HowCouldIForget]

I can't help but still wonder at the lyrics and their somewhat simplistic nature. I feel like maybe it's because 1. It fits with everything else being stripped down and not being "overdone" supposedly like on MX or 2. Chris is doing what he did after X&Y, he feels like he's getting all the attention and he wants the other members to shine so he made the lyrics purposely simple to draw attention away from them and towards the music.