nathondetroit

He may not be ripping away at guitar solos, but Jonny is busy on every track. I was actually really happy to see Guy lead Magic, and have a mini "solo" on ASFOS. This is the most equally balanced album by far.

The band should play the Ghost Busters theme before they get onstage. Just like they did with Back To The Future on the last tour!

To be fair, I think there are two distinctions here: In the context of lyrics, the “ghosts” are realized through “things that happen in the past”. Events or "Stories" of the past. Awesome, thanks Zane Lowe! Secondly, this thread was an attempt to link the ambient vocal effects to those “Ghost Stories”. I’m happy to admit there isn’t necessarily a complete answer here. The music and sounds of the album can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Having that said… [On the choral sounds at the start of Always In My Head] “Our sound engineer Dan makes synth sounds… and then my daughter is singing a little bit in there as well. The whole idea of that was just a sort of idea of togetherness through life’s challenges.” I still think there’s plenty of room to argue that these voices are connected to real people (of the past and present). Again, Another’s Arms seems to be a vivid example of a woman's voice just lingering on as a memory.

This song should be sweet. I'm guessing Chris will keep the "G" tattoo for all the Ghost Stories shows, then ink over it eventually. A tribute to her before moving on...

Anyone who hasn't heard the live version, go do so: I don't know how the engineers got such a perfect mix, but they did. To me this version is so much better. We hear Will switching between electronic and acoustic drums, we hear Guy's solo bass line in the 2nd verse, and best of all Jonny's guitar solo actually sounds like guitar! It's more band and less computer.

Just back from class... is there a place to watch the Jools Holland version?

Because we all have stressful lives, and its easiest to let that anger out on Coldplay.

Any claims that this track is mainstream pop and over-produced are accurate. You know what the difference is though? Coldplay warm us up with 7 vividly emotional tracks, and then calm things down with the delicate, sentimental "O". A Sky Full of Stars is simply the climax. For some artists the "wall of sound" is their only trick, but Coldplay make us wait for it. Love it, hate it, either way: Coldplay do the explosive pop hits better than anyone else. And its not the only card up their sleeve:)

Haha fair enough. Haters be hate'n, the life of a thug...

For anyone doubting the similarities... (Spoilers)(Cover not the leak) [video=youtube;8l73L5VsD7w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l73L5VsD7w&feature=youtu.be

http://youtu.be/PYHD4g04zQQ?t=9s Come on boys, at least change the key!

Boom!

Nice! Haha yeah I actually got into an email bout with Debs over this. I called her out on her answer to this question: Q. Do Coldplay have any backing vocals playing in their sample tracks when they perform live? If so, which songs? Not vocals but there are obviously studio recorded parts to enhance the live performances - like the MX intro for example. There are plenty of places where we hear the boys miming over pre-recorded vocals... I suppose if you want to compare it to the keyboard thing, they technically are singing, but in many cases the track of Chris is much louder!

Exactly. Will or Miller cue the instrumental backing track (or "click" track), and the keyboards onstage have their own separate (MIDI) sounds that change for each song. The key distinction here is that the main riff you're hearing isn't necessarily the sound they're playing. But the answer in no, nobody is faking anything onstage.

Whenever Jonny and Guy play keyboards, it is an extra layer on top—much like Chris' "tack piano" sound that he intermittently plays during Viva. The reality is that the synth parts during Paradise and Teardrop change way too often to be loops. Its a nice touch, which shows that the full band can play the full parts for each song, but sadly there's still a backing track.

Honestly, I'm not sure if we'll ever know Chris' true intentions behind the religious material in Coldplay's songs. From "God is in the houses and God is in my head", to "Lord lead me not into temptation", to "Devil talking with those angel's eyes", to "Lord I don't know which way I am going", to "Bleed from thorns"... the list just goes on and on. Like you I'm not particularly religious, and I don't think it matters if the band is or not, but its definitely a reoccurring theme in Coldplay's music. As for Ghost Stories, I think you're right; there are general themes of spiritually and mortality that can apply to any person or culture.

While I wish there were more lyrics, I think the song will work perfect as a "send off" after the first 7 depressing songs. Afterwards, O will be like UWTB—grandeur & resolution for the yearning soul.

"Coldplay has always been about bringing people together and celebrating life. I think this positive, inclusive message should trump all anger that might bubble up in forum threads. We all love Coldplay, and although there are different opinions on leaks, it shouldn't drive us apart. " —President Barack Obama

Interpreting and understanding MX was definitely frustrating. The album went from full-on film to a regular album release, and we essentially ended up with a loose version of the would-be story. 18 months later we got some closure through the comic books. I'm not expecting a distinct plot on GS, but hopefully the tracks will fit together like different phases of life.

So I was thinking… Another’s Arms has that haunting female voice pop in and out. Oddly, its not much of a duet, but more of a vocal effect. On the Zane Lowe preview clip, we hear the studio version of Always in My Head, which also has ethereal “voices” sliding around in the background. Lastly, Midnight—among others—carries on the choral vibe with a slew of Chris’ harmonies batched together. Do any of you guys think that these vocal effects are alluding to different “Ghosts” or souls? And I’m not suggesting that it goes any deeper than that. Perhaps the sounds are just there to resemble different people, and how their essence lingers on. Even months or years after you’ve loved or lost someone, they’re still a part of your inner being. Those memories and feelings remain—changing our hearts forever. “Those who are dead are not dead, they’re just living in my head.”

At least its not like the POC fiasco. They played the song ONCE on June 3, 2011, and then we didn’t hear it again until the October album release. There was only one complete video of it, and it sounded worse than this recording. We didn't even know about the Rihanna part for a while!

I think the reality here is that every musician puts pieces of their life into their songs. In the case of Coldplay, this has always been indirect and abstract. What's happening now is that we're going to get something slightly more transparent and focused. I don't think there's anything wrong with acknowledging this connection. None of us would ever wish misfortune on the band; this is just us as fans carefully grasping the complexity of the new material. So far, my respect for boys has never been higher. This album is powerful.

Good Catch. I definitely didn't pick up the "pages" reference. This is a great example of Coldplay's abstract lyrics that are open to interpretation. In the context of the album, "pages" could refer to personal notes, the bible, anything. If you dig a little deeper though, its obvious that your explanation fits perfect.

This thread is awesome! When I'm listening at home, I think these tracks fit the Ghost Stories vibe perfect: Such a Rush Amsterdam The Scientist (Of Course) Square One ("Colors bleeding into one") What If The Hardest Part Lost? Yes 42 Us Against the World Don't Let it Break Your Heart/Up With the Birds (back to back) A Ghost Stories deluxe album of sorts:)

Think about it this way: After more than a decade of albums and marriage, there hasn't been a deliberate Gwyneth love song. In a similar way, Ghost Stories won't contain any deliberate Gwyneth break up songs. But to quote Chris himself, "She's in there".