TheLostColdplayer

Hi! Actually I'm rather new here, but I would be happy if you tell me the story behind the "Christmas Lights" video! I've always thought the boat was kind of improvised, I don't know why. By the way, "Christmas Lights" is one of my favourites songs, to me it's Coldplay at their best: beautiful melodies, experimental production, acoustic instruments, different sections...

Death Will Never Conquer (Will's version) vs The Goldrush Two songs from the Viva era where Will sings! 😍

Ok, here's a question for the old and wise coldplayers who know everything. What really happened to the mighty Oracle, to Roadie42 and to all those wonderful people that made Coldplay seem so close to us? Why did they disappear after the end of the GS era? This is a question I've been asking myself for a long time but didn't manage to find the answer. I discovered Coldplay during the GS era, so I came very late and did not experience the constant interaction that once existed between the band and the fans. Only recently I went searching for VLV stuff through the Timeline and discovered tons of articles, interviews, blogs and photos. It was amazing. Why did they put an end to all of that? So basically all I know about the Oracle is that it used to speak through Debs, that it started just before the Viva era and disappeared in 2017 after a couple of years on twitter. About Roadie42 I don't know much, but he was very active in the past and stopped writing some time in 2014. Where did they go? Nobody knows...

It's getting a bit difficult! Ok: "Death Will Never Conquer" vs "Death Will Never Conquer" (Will's version from LRLRL)

"Green Eyes", those of Jonny (according to the Oracle...)

Lost? vs Prospekt's March

Spies vs. Spies (alternative version)

Re-reading some of the messages in this thread I noticed multiple references to Guy investing on NFTs. I know nothing about it, so is there anyone that can update me on the issue?

Personally, I really love their BBC concert from 2008. To me it captures really well the spirit of Viva la Vida.

Exeter, where Chris was born.

Accordion. The one they wished to play on "Charlie Brown", but sadly ended up in a corner at the Beehive...

Ahh. This is getting harder! Lovers in Japan vs A Rush of Blood to the Head

Daylight vs The Goldrush

Hi Adaml ! I was looking for the topic in which we were discussing about Coldplay's musical journey and evolution and couldn't find it. Is there any possibility to unlock it (eventually as a closed discussion) so that we can re-read the posts? I remember some comments were really interesting and the thread was also a mirror of how our relationship with the band and its music has evolved over the years.

Hi guys, I see you hinted at three MOTS albums. How do we know about that? I thought there were at most two (then the musical and the last album to account for the three remaining albums).

That's really interesting! I have watched the film several times and somehow never paid attention to that list. For someone who is fond of the Viva era like me it's great!

"Lhuna", Chris had a dream about Kylie Minogue and David Bowie singing the song with him. Unfortunately Bowie did not like the song and turned it down.

Yeah, that's it. At present, they seem to have ignored the thing, waiting for people to forget everything in a few days. They probably think that it's something private that does not concern their music, ignoring all the intellectual honesty stuff that most of their fans expect after all. They could certainly turn this bad experience into something constructive, but what happened should be acknowledged. What you say about Coldplay's involvements with not-so-clean partners is true and has worsened a bit recently, but it's not that serious, as you also noted. Perhaps many problems emerge when famous people loose contact with reality, Coldplay's relationship with fans (especially in the past, with the Oracle and giveaway albums, etc) has kept them quite grounded, I think.

Yes, I also thought the same about Coldplay. They also have openly discussed their issues (addiction, family problems, youth mistakes, etc) in many interviews, even if that meant challenging the image we had of them, but that has become their strength, and I think that, despite some older Coldplayers (like me) sometimes criticise their music, we all love them as a band and as human beings. And we appreciate what they are doing. I got into AF only recently, last year, but had come to love their music (particularly Funeral and Neon Bible) and I had high hopes for the new era, which was a relief after EN. Last monday I had just subscribed to their site, looking forward to future tour dates, when the news hit on me like an icy rainfall. Now I don't know what to think. As I said, I still hope for some redeeming act, because I can't think such a beautiful story (I mean, Bowie, Gabriel, Coldplay and many others acclaimed them) should end up in this horrible way.

Yes, totally agree. I think that he clearly knew what he was doing, that it was bad for everybody -- including him -- , but continued doing it. Perhaps, the point here is that we are not talking about some drunk machist rockstar having affairs with groupies. We are talking about a guy who was widely perceived as honest, clean and family loving; and music publications contributed to this image (in this respect he was far more lucky than our Chris, who has always been criticised for the most diverse reasons). Win was considered a beautiful example of frontman, one who despised materialistic views and tried to go at the heart of things. And maybe he really was, until recently. Yes, I also felt some narcissism in his behaviour, but I thought it was part of his character, a trait many famous people develop, unfortunately. It did not prevent me from thinking he was a honest guy, who sincerely believed what he said in his songs. Also, it seems that the rumors had already been circulating for years before the Pitchfork article. Stories were told both in New Orleans and Montreal about him going to bars and sleeping with young women. But many who heard these accounts just thought they were fake. I would certainly have done the same. I still struggle to believe it. But I still have a tiny tiny bit of hope that he might try to redeem himself and the band in some way. Perhaps with a long conversation in which he discusses in details his actions, apologising, without trying to justify them. Perhaps with a charity single, a song about what happened, with proceedings going to some association dealing with abuse and its awareness. I don't know. I can't believe the story of such a beloved band could end in this disgusting and creepy way.

Yeah, I followed a path similar to yours. I am a big fan of VLV and MX (the "midplay" era, ahah) and when I discovered that Coldplay mentioned several times AF as an influence during that period, I started listening to them and fell in love with their first records. Their music is cathartic, as you said, and was about extracting the best from difficult experiences. After MOTS showed the most poppy side of Coldplay, I started searching for something more acoustic and organic and so I got into AF. And it changed so much my approach to music and what I like in a composition. Months ago I was even planning to go to their concert in Milan this September, but then decided to postpone it to focus more on other things. Now I feel that maybe that choice was the right one after all, I don't know how it might be to be going to one of their concerts after all of this. I mean, I also think that art and artist should be kept separate and I will continue to enjoy listening to their early records (they were not what they are today after all), but more recent stuff might be a different thing. For instance songs like "Porno" or the album EN sound different knowing that who wrote them ended up spending his evenings in bars where teenagers met searching for young women. And Reflektor, with its critique of the social media stuff and the artificiality of modern life. It all seems so unreal. I mean, why did he do it? Even if everything he did was entirely legal, nothing will change in my perception. It's so incoherent with what I thought and with the message of their music. Why?

Hi guys, I'm a bit shocked by the recent revelations about Arcade Fire... Those allegations about WB's behaviour kind of shuttered my love for that band, at least from a human point of view. I've read too many stories about him to be able to see them with the admiration and respect I felt until yesterday, when I read the Pitchfork article and the subsequent comments on fansites. Given that Coldplay have been close friends with AF in the VLV and MX eras, is there anyone out there who got into AF thanks to Coldplay and now is feeling a bit uncomfortable like me?

This is totally out of context, but I did not know about the recent accusations towards Arcade Fire's Win Butler until I read your messages. I must admit I'm pretty shocked as I held them in high esteem, together with Coldplay. I would never have expected something similar.

Speed of Sound vs. Mylo Xyloto (intro)

Midnight vs Chinese Sleep Chant