More questions answered by The Oracle... (circa. 5000! questions now answered - submit yours now. Also via Twitter!)
October 31, 2013 - submitted by Anna, United States of America
Q. Greetings mighty Oracle, Can you tell me why the Don't Panic single was never... popular I guess? Eg. it's not on the website. Can you tell me about Without Parachutes? Is Harmless the only new song on it? When was it released? All that.
The Oracle replies:
Don't Panic was not a single; it was released in a few territories only so it doesn't count on our discography. There are a few other select releases missing in that respect. Without Parachutes isn't on our discography either because it's unofficial, unauthorized - call it what you will - and has no rights to have an unreleased song on it at all. Harmless is not "new", it was a demo that was leaked from recording sessions around 2001/2. It was discarded and never released on any album, single, E.P etc.
October 31, 2013 - submitted by German , Mexico
Q. Let me tell you that Mexicans are ones of the most intense fans of worldwide bands. Simply, Metallica and Muse had been here for long periods giving sold-out concerts. So, do you still think that coming here is worthless?
The Oracle replies:
Woah! Hang on, German we have NEVER said that and have NEVER thought that so not sure why you're under that impression. The band love Mexico and always have a great show there. They have played the country several times and have been not only to Mexico City but Guadalajara and Monterrey too. They will be back I'm sure.
October 30, 2013 - submitted by Arianna, Italy
Q. Hi Oracle :) Who is Dave the cat? Where does he live?
The Oracle replies:
Dave is the cat belonging to Rik Simpson so she (yes, she is a female) lives with him but does accompany him to the studio sometimes - he lives pretty close.
October 30, 2013 - submitted by Em, Great Britain
Q. Hi, Pleeeaseee, can you tell me where could I see a video of Chris in a top hat? And as I remember he was playing accordion/harmonica.
The Oracle replies:
At first I thought you meant
October 30, 2013 - submitted by Kerry, United States of America
Q. Dear Oracle, As much as I hate people who ask questions that aren't about the band, I feel the need to become one of them. How do you tell your girlfriend that you hate her perfume? I don't consider this issue big enough for a break up, but I can't keep smelling that awful stuff every time I'm with her. Even if you don't choose to answer this, I at least hope I made you smile with my ridiculous problem.
The Oracle replies:
I have to confess my initial reaction was to laugh! However, now I'm thinking how terrible that situation would be. I have three suggestions: 1. Tell her. Obviously don't hurt her feelings but gently explain how you feel. I don't think she'd want to wear something you hate; 2. Sneeze a lot and claim you're allergic to it; 3. Buy her a new scent that you like & think she will too. If you decide to tell her why, that's up to you. Have a think, if this was the other way around, how would you like her to approach the subject. Don't assume she will be happy about it though - it's all about your delivery of this news. p.s No need to hate people who ask non-band related questions - we encourage that.
October 29, 2013 - submitted by Matt P, United Kingdom
Q. Hello Mighty Oracle, I know it's been mentioned on here before that Coldplay only played a handful of shows before they were signed, but how many completed songs did they have at that point, and did any of them make it onto an album? Thank you so much!
The Oracle replies:
The total number of songs depends on whether the band were counting discarded songs. Their set list was short and as you may know, they had so few songs to perform live at their first shows that they would sometimes play a song twice. The Safety EP consisted of 3 songs and they followed that up with a tape of 2 (Ode to Deodorant and Brothers & Sisters) but there was another cassette before these demos existed that contained about 5 other tracks. They didn't play all of these live but of those 10, only 2 made it on to an album; Don't Panic and High Speed were both on Parachutes. There may have been more songs that were never recorded but to my knowledge, this is their repertoire circa 1998.
October 29, 2013 - submitted by Anna, United States of America
Q. Greetings, Oracle :) In the liner notes for the A Rush of Blood to the Head CD, on the copyright page, it says "The scientist is Dan." Can you explain this to me? Who is he, why, etc.?
The Oracle replies:
This has cropped up before: here and here. I do recall at the time Dan was going through a painful break-up (as was I) and that was somewhat the inspiration behind the song.
October 28, 2013 - submitted by ColdplayFeels, twitter
Q. Hi dear Oracle. Have the boys ever considered making another Acoustic album, perhaps longer? Can you or Anchorman sing?
The Oracle replies:
Another? Coldplay haven't ever released an official acoustic album. There was a free giveaway known as Acoustic. It was a promo E.P (extended player), not an L.P (long player). Yes, Anchorman and myself can both sing though there haven't been any duets as yet.
October 28, 2013 - submitted by Margaret, United States of America
Q. This is probably a stupid question, but: Sometimes you said you ask the band or Phil for answers to questions. Besides that and work, do you guys ever just hang out and chat? Go places together? Or is it always business?
The Oracle replies:
It's not a stupid question. Sometimes we do, sometimes it may not be all of us at the same time. I suppose like other people who work together, we sometimes play together. There may be parties or occasions where we find ourselves together and obviously there are work social occasions too. We once had a paintballing day out - that was just an excuse to hang out away from work as there aren't all that many opportunities. Everyone has their own stuff going on outside of work of course - family, friends etc. so one of the best ways to hang out is during a tour. For example, I may hop on board a day trip to France to see their show. It means you can catch up at the airport or on the plane. It's not uncommon to have a friend or family member along for the ride - it's always a great way to spend a day.
October 28, 2013 - submitted by Phil, twitter
Q. Did Chris have a guide as to what Atlas had to sound like due to it being for a film? Phil.
The Oracle replies:
The band don't write to order but obviously being familiar with the book and films in general helps when writing for a soundtrack. It's not necessary to explain how a song should be or what's expected. That may be true for ad agencies and clients who do request jingles or soundbeds to be a certain way but personally, I think it'd be pretty insulting to ask that of a band with an impressive back catalogue when inviting them to create a soundtrack. That's the key - like most "jobs", you wouldn't ask someone to do something if you didn't think they could deliver.
New photos of Chris Martin on Santa Monica pier with fans (27th October 2013):
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