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With more than 200,000 votes cast, only 201 separated The Beatles' 1967 hit from Michael Jackson's Thriller in second place.   The nationwide survey of music fans was commissioned by BBC Radio to mark the 50th anniversary of the official UK album chart.   U2's Joshua Tree was third, with Rumours by Fleetwood Mac taking fourth place. The Fab Four managed five of the top 11 spots, with Revolver in sixth place, Abbey Road in eighth, the White Album at 10 and Rubber Soul in 11th. Mike Oldfield's hit

First night of their first UK tour in two years and Chris Martin had one thing on his mind. Well, it was actually more on his face. "I've got a spot the size of the Isle Of Wight," chirped the amiable singer at his piano on a stage extension. Appropriate then that he should tinkle into early gem Trouble.   Like said blemish, the quartet spread themselves well about the place at this sold out encounter – including strolling to the back of the venue to play an acoustic stint on a stairwell. Chasin

Fog and freezing temperatures proved no deterrent to the Coldplay legions, who were equally indifferent to the fact that Sheffield Arena is a feat of grim anti-design that makes your local Ikea look like York Minster. The band's three-year absence from British stages had made hearts grow fonder, and the crowd's enthusiastic singalongs were often stirring. "Holy s---, that was good," boggled Chris Martin, after the audience had displayed noteworthy zeal in Fix You.   Martin doesn't look quite rig

Long before he took to selling it on the TV, John Lydon used to take delight in smearing butter on his face to aid the growth of any emerging spots. On the first night of Coldplay’s British tour, Chris Martin had skincare issues of a different nature. Sitting at an upright piano while his band took a breather, the singer bemoaned the luck that brought “a spot the size of the Isle of Wight” in time for their grand homecoming.   Veterans of the punk wars – indeed, anyone who feels that pop music

During the nineties, Richard Ashcroft fronted the superb Britpop group The Verve, peaking in 1997 with the release of the Beatle-esque Urban Hymns. The band split at the apex of their success and since then Ashcroft has struggled to regain his past critical and popular acclaim. Following his high profile appearance with Coldplay at the Hyde Park Live 8 concert, Ashcroft has rejoined them as their opening act while he tours in support of his third solo release, Keys To The World.   While in town

During the nineties, Richard Ashcroft fronted the superb Britpop group The Verve, peaking in 1997 with the release of the Beatle-esque Urban Hymns. The band split at the apex of their success and since then Ashcroft has struggled to regain his past critical and popular acclaim. Following his high profile appearance with Coldplay at the Hyde Park Live 8 concert, Ashcroft has rejoined them as their opening act while he tours in support of his third solo release, Keys To The World.   While in town

Coldplay made their anticipated video return this month and unveil the ground-breaking new video to blissful summer lament, ‘Strawberry Swing’, exclusively on Babelgum. The Shynola-directed video sees Chris Martin play an animated superhero in a larger-than-life world drawn entirely in chalk.   Fans had the opportunity to see the video for the first time ever on Babelgum and on the iPhone application (featuring this video plus Coldplay’s video back catalogue, a news feed and game), on July 20th.

Coldplaying.com messageboarder Angie [Texasluvsjonny] was the lucky recipient of the US version of Coldplay 7" Singles boxset signed by Coldplay.   Click here to see all the signed boxset pictures. Her Coldplay shrine just got bigger, as you can see here      

On Feb. 1, hundreds of Los Angeles-area public school students will watch as eight-time GRAMMY® winner Natalie Cole and breakout singer-songwriter Josh Kelley become the final two signatures on the Hilton Harmony Piano.   The six-foot grand piano boasts more than 110 celebrity autographs, each one representing a $1,000 donation from Hilton to the music education programs of the GRAMMY Foundation®. The year-long tour earned more than $100,000 for the Foundation, touching the lives of hundreds of

Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb has said in a recent magazine interview that he wants to work with Chris Martin.   The last surviving Bee Gee spoke of his admiration of the Chris in a four-page interview in this week's Music Week magazine in which he also spoke about losing his brothers Robin and Maurice, and playing live again. More on this is at the Coldplay forum now [thanks Tash]   He won't have to wait long to ask Chris - Barry Gibb is in London this Friday (June 28th) to receive a lifetime ac

Hollywood couple CHRIS MARTIN and GWYNETH PALTROW have chosen comedian SIMON PEGG to be godfather to their three-year-old daughter APPLE.   But the Shaun Of The Dead star has no intention of providing moral guidance to the celebrity offspring - and insists he wants his young charge to have fun. He says, “I’d like to think I’m a really great, fun godfather. “It’s much more interesting than trying to be a good influence on her. I’m a comedian - it’s what they expect.”   Source: ContactMusic

Simon Pegg has been talking exclusively to the Mirror, in an interview in which he discusses his friendship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Below is the excerpt from the interview, which you can read in its entirity at the Mirror online website now, and discuss it at the Coldplay forums here [thanks mimixxx]   He is a lot more cool though about his A list friends Gwyneth and Chris ‘Coldplay’ Martin. Simon’s wife Maureen was a music PR when they met at a gig at the Dome. Chris had seen Simon

Simon Pegg has written a song with Chris Martin - the 'Hot Fuzz' actor and the Coldplay frontman penned the track, titled 'A+E' together, to poke fun at 'Talk' from Coldplay's album 'X+Y'. In the UK 'A+E' stands for Accident and Emergency the name given to the walk-in ward at hospitals.   Pegg jokingly said: "The song we wrote is called 'A+E'. It was written in chords of A and E, and its all about injuries, 'If you've got a broken finger or a broken toe, if you've got a crushed thorax, there's o

In a few short years, Simon Pegg has gone from jobbing stand-up to friend of the stars. The 37-year-old Shaun Of The Dead star is godfather to Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter Apple, report The Mirror.   You are now friends with the likes of Tom Cruise and Gwyneth Paltrow. Do you sometimes pinch yourself? It’s always surprising and I hope it continues. I am certainly very aware of how lucky I am and how much fun it is to work with these people. I dread the day when I am not impressed

Sinclair Broadcast Group has reached a distribution agreement with The Tube Music Network to broadcast the Tube's music channel to its markets.   The Tube bills itself as the first music network to be distributed through "digital multicasting." Viewers of Sinclair stations can get the network on their digital cable tier, or free over the air on television sets equipped with digital tuners. The network has no non-music programming, and viewers can buy the music they hear on the channel immediate

How EMI and the music industry learned to stop worrying and love the digital download   When Seagram bought Polygram in 1998 for $10.6 billion, the French-born ceo Alain Levy found himself out of a job. Not for bad performance: Levy had turned PolyGram into the world's largest music company by a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions at a time when CD sales were booming. After the company was sold, Levy, then aged 51, spent several years consulting and pondering the state of a

Three times a charm. And that charm has ensured Coldplay will receive a very warm welcome for their third performance in Singapore on Monday, reports The Jakarta Post.   Back in 2001, Coldplay, then an up-and-coming alternative rock group, paired up with Scottish quartet Travis for their first Singapore gig to promote their debut album Parachute. Playing to a modestly sized audience, the young band - Chris Martin on vocals, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion

Were you not entertained? Like Roman gladiators, Coldplay came to Singapore (again), played to almost 12,000 roaring fans and left the arena no doubt feeling like kings. If Chris Martin, Will Champion, Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman didn’t feel like they ruled the world already, I bet they did after the band’s concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Monday night, which was their third date in the island republic already.   It’s hard not to compare this concert with their second one in 2005

Expectations ran high among the more than 10,000 people who paid an equally high price to watch British superband Coldplay performed in Singapore on Monday. Ticket prices for the sold-out gig ranged from S$88 to $249 and, according to several Indonesians who flew in especially for the concert, it was time and money well spent.   Because Coldplay delivered on those expectations. With four successful albums under their belts, they had no problem delivering hit after hit during their two-hour show

Ethical shopping no longer means ditching the fox fur coat in favour of the hemp jacket.   The concept now is as much about protecting the rights of people as animals. It means drinking coffee with a conscience and tea with sympathy — all while being assured that the labourers who strained their backs to pick the tea leaves are getting their fair share of the profits.   "It's the old adage of teaching someone to fish rather than giving them a fish, that's what Fairtrade is about. It's fair trade

Ethical shopping no longer means ditching the fox fur coat in favour of the hemp jacket.   The concept now is as much about protecting the rights of people as animals. It means drinking coffee with a conscience and tea with sympathy — all while being assured that the labourers who strained their backs to pick the tea leaves are getting their fair share of the profits.   "It's the old adage of teaching someone to fish rather than giving them a fish, that's what Fairtrade is about. It's fair trade

Sir Paul McCartney last night admitted he had not decided if he would be performing in the city during the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.   The former Beatle, who was tipped to open the Kings Dock arena, said he had been approached by the Culture Company. But he confirmed no deal had so far been struck. He said: "I haven't got any plans yet. I have just finished a tour in America and I normally lay low for a while afterwards. I have not got any plans. We will see, it is obviously very ea

Trade magazine Home Media Retailing's Jessica Wolf this morning has a new report about HBO shows coming to DVD this Fall. Among them is a new "complete series" release of Six Feet Under. Here's what Wolf says about it:   Streeting Oct. 31 is Six Feet Under: The Complete Series ($279.99). The elaborately packaged set includes all five seasons of the Emmy Award-winning show, boxed in burial-plot-themed packaging.   The set also features new bonus footage, including “The Book of Obituaries”, whic

Sparta’s Jim Ward is currently finding success with the alt-country-ish Sleepercar, but did you know that the early plan for the band was to include Coldplay’s Guy Berryman?   Ward says during the early stages of their careers, he and Berryman bonded over their love of this particular sound and had discussed forming a band called The London Country Rebels. Things really took off for Coldplay, limiting Berryman’s availability, but that hasn’t stopped Ward from trying to keep the idea fresh in the

In case you missed it, don't forget to check out the hilarious video mashup of Viva La VIda by SMAP and Coldplay. SMAP is a Japanese "idol" group, formed by Johnny & Associates. Originally, there were six members in the group; current members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori. Their fanbase mostly consists of Japanese women.   In 2008, they will have a 6-day tour at the Tokyo Dome, becoming the Japanese artist(s) to have the most amount of t