Known as much for their personal integrity as for their dramatically original sound, Coldplay has skyrocketed to superstar status since the release of their stunning debut album, Parachutes. Their follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head, which went multiplatinum like the first, was still selling 40,000 copies a week even a year after it first topped the charts, and the band sells out the world's largest arenas.
But life wasn't always so glorious for these boys from Britain. Plagued during their early years by self-doubt, the foursome has broken up, backed out of high-profile gigs, even choked onstage in front of a roomful of industry types. Now, for the first time, the highs and lows of their life on the road to superstardom are revealed. This is the story behind the angst and despair that nearly ripped the band apart just as they were perched on the brink of galactic success. It is a chronicle of Coldplay's transformation from a flailing, insecure band into the two-time winners of the Grammy Award for Alternative Album of the Year and one of the most powerful international rock acts around.
Penned by an industry insider who has toured extensively with the band -- and including never-before-seen photos and exclusive quotes from the group -- Coldplay: Look at the Stars puts you on the tour bus, in the studio, and backstage with four men who've won over the hearts of millions of music fans worldwide.
Customer Review: Pleasant "Quickie" Read of How Coldplay Broke the US
I'm a big Coldplay fan, and when I saw this book at my local library, I just picked it up out of curiosity. The author, Gary Spivack, was a record label executive at Capitol (he's since then departed) and responsible for marketing/supporting Coldplay in the US. "Coldplay: Look At the Stars" is Spivack's personal take on how Coldplay broke the US market, and in that it succeeds. He obviously had a lot of contact with the band, and that is where the book succeeds. My favorite part of the book is Gary's recollections on Coldplay's first American tour in February, 2001, for no other reason than I happened to see Coldplay in Portland, OR (the second stop in the US). You could just feel the magic in the air, a band that was about to make it really big. The author doesn't spend a lot of time on how the band actually formed and where it found its musical origins, and that is the major failing of this book. Nevertheless, this is a quick and pleasant read. Spivack recounts his sacking from Capitol in early 2003, and how quick Chris Martin was there to console him (by phone). But for the definitive Coldplay story, we will have to wait another day and another book.
Customer Review: "Look at the record exec."
I'm a musician and a big Coldplay fan, so I should have loved this book, but it fell short. This book read more like a tour book you'd buy at a concert put together by their marketing people than an insider's story. The main problem I had is it was written by a record executive who claims to be "insider", but has nothing new to offer. I suppose Gary's perspective would be interesting to fellow record executives and the like, but the book falls short in revealing any real insight on the band that you couldn't read in a magazine interview with the band. One of Gary's "insights" is how humble Chris Martin is...he quotes Chris in a conversation early in the book where Chris asks Gary "how can I make your job easier" and Gary beams. WHO CARES. Chris Martin is humble and selfless to a fault; no insight here. The problem is most of Gary's interactions with the band are interactions between a record exec. and the band...and it reads that way. The fact is, Gary had very little to do with Coldplay's success and it's obvious he is not much of an insider. Gary admits himself Coldplay was "lightning in a bottle", signed only after a fierce bidding war between labels. I think Chris Martin is just a really nice guy, who saw someone (Gary Spivack) down on his luck and wanted to help the poor guy out by letting him write this book (Gary had been fired by Columbia just before penning the book). The author seems to blame his lack of an insightful story on Coldplay's middleclass upbringing and that they're all around good kids (this isn't a drugs, sex and rock and roll type band). I don't agree that an interesting story couldn't be written by the right person. My biggest problem is this book is written by a record company exec. who approached the project like you would a tour guide sold at a concert venue, only longer. Gary didn't grow up with the band (to the point they were signed), didn't discover the band (they were signed by a sister co. in England), doesn't manage the band (where he'd be touring every night seeing all sides of the members), or produce the band (where he's in the studio witnessing the creavtive process)...he just booked tours and showed up occasionally for concerts and "meet and greets". How does that qualify you to write a band biography? Coldplay should have their manager, producer or the members themselves write this story...with a side of the story to tell that we don't already know.
Guitar and Rock music are inseparable and probably one of the main reasons for this is that most rock numbers or compositions have short or prolonger lead guitar solos. The lead guitar solos can be mastered by using different scales and guitar improvisation techniques like hybrid picking and legato technique.
There is such a huge variety of guitar improvisation techniques available that you can practice solos all your life and yet not find the end. It is infinite! One such guitar improvisation technique is called hybrid picking. Hybrid picking can add an absolutely new dimension to the sound that is rendered by your lead guitar. This is a type of guitar improvisation technique that is most commonly used by guitarists in music genres or styles like blues, rock, country, bluegrass, and even jazz. One of guitar legends who has used hybrid picking very effectively is Stevie Ray Vaughan. He used it for rendering a solo in Lenny Here's a small exercise in hybrid picking that you can try:
e-0--0--0--0--0--0-
b--1--1--1--1--1---
g------------------
d------------------
a------------------
E-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
You can increase the speed as you become comfortable with the above and move on to this:
e-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-
b----------------------
g----------------------
d-2-3-0-0-0-2-3-/5-5-0-
a----------------------
E----------------------
Hybrid picking is a guitar improvisation technique where you pick the guitar strings or chords using the fingers as well as the pick at the same time. The advantage is that you will be able to use your plectrum to play lead guitar that normally requires the fingerstyle mode of playing.
You will also be able to make wide string leaps like you can leap from the 5th string right to the 1st string, which can be quite a difficult exercise otherwise. To effectively use the hybrid picking guitar improvisation technique, you will need to your pick between your forefinger and thumb.
Legato Technique
The legato technique is another effective guitar improvisation technique that renders slurred notes quite similar to the notes rendered through hammer-on's and pull-offs. Here is a small exercise that includes some kick ass legato licks:
e-----------5--7--8--7--5----------
b---------------------------8------
g----------------------------------
d----------------------------------
a----------------------------------
e----------------------------------
Legato guitar improvisation technique has been effectively used for solo performance by the likes of Joe Satriani, Alan Holdsworth, and Steve Vai. The above notes that form the legato technique will require you to hammer the notes without picking. You should ideally play this at 60bpm.
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Eugene is the founder of Planet of Rock Music Studios.
He is a professional guitar teacher and an ex band member of Black November which has toured and performed in Australia and Asia since 1997. He has contributed to publications as Guitar Player, Guitar World Acoustic, Maximum Guitar and dozens of magazines and websites worldwide.
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Jam with your favourite bands at the comfort of your own home or studio with backing tracks for guitar. It has also been used heavily in live performances by customers across United States since its inception.
Play like you have the entire band backing you up!
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