Coldplay Information Continued
Coldplay's early material was reminiscent of artists such as Radiohead, Oasis, Jeff Buckley, Travis and Kate Bush. Martin has stated that he has been hugely influenced
by U2.
Coldplay released their first full-length album, Parachutes, in July
2000, which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and received wide
critical acclaim. The singles "Yellow" and "Trouble" earned regular
airplay on radio on both sides of the Atlantic. Parachutes was a success
in the United States and was certified with Gold status. The album was
also critically well-received, earning Best Alternative Music Album
honours at the 2002 Grammy Awards.
Coldplay released their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, in
August 2002. The album was generally considered to be a more
sophisticated effort than Parachutes. For example, the charged opening
track "Politik" was written days after the September 11 terrorist
attacks. A Rush of Blood to the Head became a best-seller and earned Coldplay more critical accolades. The album spawned many popular singles,
notably "In My Place", "The Scientist" and "Clocks". A Rush of Blood to
the Head won two trophies at the 2003 Grammy Awards. At the 2004 Grammy
Awards, Coldplay earned Record of the Year honours for "Clocks".
Coldplay's third album, X&Y, was released on 6 June 2005 in the UK,
and was soon to become the best selling album for 2005 (with 8.4 million
copies sold worldwide), beating Mariah Carey and 50 Cent. The lead single
was the highly acclaimed "Speed of Sound". The album debuted at #1 in 28
countries worldwide and is the second fastest selling album in UK chart
history (behind the 1997 Oasis album Be Here Now). The two other singles
were released that year by the Brit quartet were "Fix You" and
"Talk".
In February 2006, Coldplay
earned Best Album and Best Single honours at the Brit Awards.
