Maps of Music

Ghost Stories (2014)

Where the lyrics of Ghost Stories take you, and where it was really made.

Coldplay's most stripped-back album did not start in a big studio. It started in bassist Guy Berryman's house in London in early 2013.

Key places

The Bakery, North London studio (2014)

Recording site The Bakery — Coldplay recorded at The Bakery, one of their purpose-built studios in North London, during the sessions from 2013 to early 2014. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Beehive, North London studio (2014)

Recording site The Beehive — Coldplay also recorded at The Beehive, the second purpose-built studio in North London, during the same 2013 to early 2014 sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles, final stage of recording (2014)

Recording site Los Angeles — Recording moved to Los Angeles for the final process, and the source gives only the city, so this point marks the city centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Ghost Stories: sixth studio album by the British rock band Coldplay
• Released 19 May 2014 by Parlophone in the UK and Atlantic in the US
• Co-produced by the band with Paul Epworth, Dan Green and Rik Simpson
• First Coldplay album distributed by Atlantic in North America
• Band moved from Capitol after Universal Music bought EMI in 2012, which required selling Parlophone to Warner Music
• Described as featuring electronica and synth-pop throughout
• Guest producers Avicii, Timbaland and Madeon; frequent collaborator Jon Hopkins also contributed

Background

• Preceded by Mylo Xyloto, the fifth studio album, released in 2011
• Mylo Xyloto became one of the band's most experimental and pop-oriented records
• For the sixth album the band returned to the original idea of an acoustic-oriented, less produced record
• Will Champion said at the 2013 Brit Awards that the band would tread carefully to avoid becoming pompous
• Chris Martin described the album's themes as past actions, their effect on the future, and unconditional love
• Several media outlets reported that Martin said the album was inspired by his 2014 divorce from Gwyneth Paltrow

Recording

• Sessions ran from 2013 to early 2014 at The Bakery and The Beehive in North London
• Final work was completed in Los Angeles
• Work began at Guy Berryman's house in London in early 2013
• Martin asked the other members to contribute original songwriting, unlike earlier sessions built on his ideas
• Magic was built from a bass riff first conceived by Berryman in the studio
• Paul Epworth said the band recorded the album mostly on their own

Cover

• Artwork etched by British-based Czech etching artist Mila Fürstová
• Measures 100 by 100 cm; a pair of angel wings is set over a painting of a night ocean
• The wings resemble a broken heart, reflecting the album's melancholic breakup theme

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in 1997 by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Guy Berryman, who met at University College London.
• Will Champion joined in January 1998; the group first went by Big Fat Noises and Starfish before settling on Coldplay.
• Signed with Parlophone in 1999 after the EP Safety (1998) was financed by lifelong friend Phil Harvey.

Members

• Chris Martin: lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitars.
• Jonny Buckland: guitars, keyboards, backing vocals.
• Guy Berryman: bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals.
• Will Champion: drums, percussion, piano, backing vocals.
• Phil Harvey: manager, later creative director, often credited as a fifth member.

Career

• Debut Parachutes (2000) won a Brit Award and a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album; A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) and X&Y (2005) followed.
• Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008) won a Grammy for Best Rock Album and topped charts in over 30 countries.
• Music of the Spheres (2021) included My Universe with BTS, the first British group song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Over 170 million records sold worldwide; the Music of the Spheres World Tour became one of the highest-grossing tours of all time.

Reception

At release

• The album received generally positive reviews, with many critics praising the band's return to a more somber and melancholy style
• Some critics found the album repetitive and lacking direction
• Metacritic: average score of 61 from 31 mainstream critic reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• Billboard's Jason Lipshutz praised it as the band's most listenable album in years
• Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson said it will likely be remembered as a transitional album, feeling like a prequel to something better
• Pitchfork's Larry Fitzmaurice described a subdued work of mid-tempo soundscapes and fuzzy electronic touches
• The Independent's Nick Hasted said Martin accepts his loss too meekly for a great break-up album, but the step away from grand platitudes was the right direction
• Spin's Stephanie Benson described a deep sea of synth-encrusted pop under ambient touches
• USA Today's Jerry Shriver ranked it below memorable breakup albums and called it not even a particularly memorable Coldplay album
• Consequence of Sound's Josh Terry praised the scaled-back excess but said the songs suffer from a lack of direction
• The Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood said the songs cultivate a sense of intimacy and the band sets aside its trademark grandiosity

Reappraisal

• Critical opinion remained divided between praise for the restraint and complaints about weak direction

Records

• Reached number one in 30 countries
• Sold over 1 million copies in its first week worldwide
• UK: 168,048 copies in its first week, the band's sixth chart-topper and second-largest debut of 2014
• UK: highest first-semester sales in Britain, over 375,000 units
• US: opened with 382,665 copies and gave Coldplay their fourth Billboard 200 number one, staying two consecutive weeks
• Surpassed 853,500 units based on pure sales as of November 2015
• Canada: 49,000 copies in one week, 117,000 for the year
• Japan: debuted at number seven with 20,562 physical copies
• South Korea: all tracks entered the International Gaon Chart simultaneously
• Nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 57th Grammy Awards
• Named Top Rock Album at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Coldplay performed material from the album in its entirety for the first time in a TV special filmed in Los Angeles in March 2014.
• A scavenger hunt in April 2014 hid handwritten lyric sheets in ghost story books in libraries around the world, and one hidden envelope held a Golden Ticket for a London concert.
• The lyric sheets were found in libraries in cities including Mexico City, Singapore, Helsinki, Barcelona and New York City.
• Midnight contains a sample of The Fourth State II, written by Jon Hopkins.
• The band refused to let Spotify and other services stream the album until 22 September 2014, which it had allowed for Mylo Xyloto.
• The Ghost Story video was shot in black and white and shows the band performing the song on the Ghost Stories Tour.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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