Maps of Music

X&Y (2005)

Where the lyrics of X&Y take you, and where it was really made.

The cover shows the album title in Baudot code, a telegraph code that Émile Baudot developed in the 1870s.

Key places

Parr Street Studios, Liverpool (2005)

Recording site Parr Street, Liverpool — The article's recording list names Parr Street as a place where X&Y was recorded. The pin uses the candidate's building-level coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sarm West Studios, London (2005)

Recording site Sarm Studios (London) — The article's recording list names Sarm West in London as a place where the album was recorded. The band also entered a London studio in January 2004. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Chicago Recording Company (2005)

Recording site Chicago Recording Company — The article's recording list names the Chicago Recording Company as a place tied to the album's recording. Demos were started in Chicago before the 2004 announcement. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Townhouse Studios, London (2005)

Recording site Townhouse Studios — The article's recording list names Townhouse Studios in London as a place where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Hit Factory, New York City (2005)

Recording site The Hit Factory — The article's recording list names The Hit Factory in New York City as a place where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• X&Y: third studio album by the British rock band Coldplay
• Released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone; Capitol issued it in the United States the next day
• Produced by Coldplay and producer Danton Supple
• Twelve tracks split into halves labeled X and Y, plus a hidden song, 'Til Kingdom Come
• Runtime of 62 minutes 30 seconds, the longest of Coldplay's studio albums
• Cover combines colours and blocks to represent the title in Baudot code
• Four main singles: Speed of Sound, Fix You, Talk and The Hardest Part

Background

• Recorded during a turbulent period for the band, when manager and creative director Phil Harvey briefly departed
• Ken Nelson was originally tasked with producing; many songs written during his sessions were discarded
• Coldplay announced details in March 2004 while the album was being recorded
• Martin, Jonny Buckland and Ken Nelson began recording demos in Chicago before the announcement
• The band entered a London studio in January 2004
• Johnny Cash was originally planned to record 'Til Kingdom Come with Chris Martin, but he died before doing so

Recording

• The band spent all of 2004 producing the album
• The released album is the third version the band produced during the sessions
• Sixty songs were written in the later sessions, and fifty-two of them were ditched
• The release date was first set for late 2004, later pushed back to January 2005
• Danton Supple was chosen to oversee production; he had mixed most of A Rush of Blood to the Head
• The band had no deadline at first, and a firm deadline made them more productive

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

• Metacritic: 72 out of 100, based on 33 reviews
• Blender: called it Coldplay's 'masterpiece'
• NME: described it as 'confident, bold, ambitious, bunged with singles and impossible to contain'
• Q: found it a 'substantially more visceral and emotionally rewarding experience than both its predecessors'
• The Village Voice (James Hunter): called it 'accomplished, fresh, and emotional'
• Uncut: called it 'an exceptional pop record'
• AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): called it 'a strong, accomplished album'
• Entertainment Weekly (David Browne): said the grander music works 'only part of the time'
• The Guardian (Alexis Petridis): said some songs are mostly beautifully turned but the lyrics lack personality
• Pitchfork (Joe Tangari): called it 'bland but never offensive'
• Mojo: said it is 'awash with cliches, non-sequiturs, and cheap existentialism'
• The Village Voice (Robert Christgau): gave it a B grade and named it dud of the month

Reappraisal

• Band members have said they were dissatisfied with the album over time
• Speed of Sound and Talk are singled out as songs members dislike
• Martin said he is proud of Fix You because it helped the band through a difficult period
• Martin said he wants to remake the album

Records

• Number one in 32 countries on release
• EMI shipped over 5 million copies in the first week worldwide
• Best-selling album of 2005 with 8.3 million copies
• UK Albums Chart number one with 464,471 copies, third-fastest seller in British history at the time
• Billboard 200 number one, three weeks at the top
• BPI certified 9x Platinum in July 2013
• RIAA certified 3x Platinum
• Canada debut at number one with 105,000 copies
• Japan Oricon Albums Chart number six with 32,347 copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's hidden track was originally planned as a duet with Johnny Cash, but Cash died before recording it.
• Billboard put 'Til Kingdom Come on its 40 Best Deep Cuts of 2005 list at number 25.
• Some critics pointed to similarities between Speed of Sound and Clocks, one of the band's most popular songs.
• Chris Martin performed an acoustic version of 'Til Kingdom Come at a 2015 funeral accompanied by a church organ.
• The band has said the album was too long and had too many songs.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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