Parachutes
From WikiColdplay
Parachutes is the debut album by Coldplay, released on July 10, 2000 in the UK and on November 7 in the U.S., making it the only Coldplay album to have a delayed release in America. Parachutes quickly shot to number one in the United Kingdom, staying in the top ten for thirty-three weeks.
The album produced four hit singles: "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble", and "Don't Panic". In the United States, the album peaked at fifty-one on the Billboard 200, eventually selling over two million copies.
Parachutes was placed #14 in Channel 4's 100 greatest albums of all time. In 2006 the album was placed #33 in NME's 100 greatest British albums. Still, Chris Martin said in 2006 that Coldplay looks beyond Parachutes: "We know that's terrible music," he said, "and we always try to think about what we can do next.[1]
Contents |
Musical style
Parachutes was recognized to have an alternative rock sound similar to alt-rock band Radiohead in their The Bends-OK Computer era. In fact, it has been suggested that the album's commercial success was due in part to a portion of Radiohead's audience being alienated by the band's experimental and more electronic-influenced Kid A album.[2][3]
Lush and often quiet, the music in Parachutes is quite removed from the pop/rock anthems that would dominate Coldplay's later works, especially X&Y. The folksy, easy listening feel of the album is the only one of its kind in the band's discography, and most songs here, such as "High Speed", "We Never Change" and the title track, are driven by acoustic guitars, subtly layered electric parts, and delicate piano melodies. More upbeat tracks like "Shiver" and "Yellow" employ louder guitar riffs, albeit never entering the genre of 'hard rock'. This proved to be rather unique at its time, as the British music scene was just emerging from the 90's, wherein the crunching guitar songs of bands such as Oasis reigned. However, the highest selling UK album of the previous year had been The Man Who, by the Scottish rock band Travis. Coldplay was seen to benefit from the path Travis had paved, subsequently eclipsing the band in popularity.
The album's third track "Spies" drew some attention from the Chinese government, who interpreted it as an anti-Communist song. This led to the album being banned in the country. Guitarist Jon Buckland comments, "We've been banned in China because of the song 'Spies'. Very strange.[4]
Just as distinguishing as the instrumental compositions is lead singer Chris Martin's vocals, often reaching falsetto. This is most prominent in the last track, "Everything's Not Lost", which begins as a piano ballad leading to a climax of harmonious falsetto singing. A hidden track, "Life is for Living", follows soon after.
Trivia
- Most of the album was recorded at Liverpool's Parr Street Studios, with a total of nine to ten weeks of actual recording, interrupted by two mini-tours. However, "High Speed" was recorded with interim producer Chris Allison over Summer 1999 at Orinoco Studios, London.[5]
- The album cover for Parachutes contains a photograph of a globe personally taken by the band with a disposable Kodak camera. The globe had been purchased from WH Smith for £10; it was featured in the "Shiver" and "Don't Panic" music videos, and also accompanied the band on their tours.
Track listing
All songs written by Berryman/Buckland/Champion/Martin.
- "Don't Panic" – 2:17
- "Shiver" – 4:59
- "Spies" – 5:18
- "Sparks" – 3:47
- "Yellow" – 4:29
- "Trouble" – 4:30
- "Parachutes" – 0:46
- "High Speed" – 4:14
- "We Never Change" - 4:09
- "Everything's Not Lost" / * "Life Is for Living" – 7:15
- † "Careful Where You Stand" – 4:45
- † "For You" – 5:42
* Hidden track contained within "Everything's Not Lost" from 5:39.
† Japanese version only.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Q Awards | Best Album |
| 2001 | Brit Awards | Best British Album |
| 2002 | Grammy Awards | Best Alternative Music Album |
Singles
| Cover | |
|---|---|
| "Shiver"
|
| "Yellow"
|
| "Trouble"
|
| "Don't Panic"
|
Release details
The album was released in various countries.
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
| United Kingdom | July 10]] 2000 | Parlophone | CD | 7241 5 27783 2 4 |
| United Kingdom | July 10 2000 | Parlophone | 12" limited edition | 7243 5277831 |
| Japan | August 9 2000 | Toshiba-EMI | CD | TOCP 65472 |
| Canada | September 19 2000 | Parlophone | CD | 7241 5 27783 2 4 |
| United States | November 7 2000 | Capitol Records, Nettwerk | CD | 0 6700 30162 2 3 |
| United States | November 7 2000 | Capitol Records, Nettwerk | Cassette | 0 6700 30162 |
| Taiwan | 2000 | EMI | CD | 7243 52778324 |
