The band

Coldplay is a British rock band that was formed in London in 1996. Vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion began playing music together from 1996 to 1998, first calling themselves Pectoralz and then Starfish, before finally changing their name to Coldplay.

My album

Parachutes (2000). First album of the London-based band. I remember listening to it and thinking this must be one of the best first albums for any band.

My song

Everything's not lost (Parachutes, 2000). Why? Just Chris Martin at the piano singing before the other instruments come in to play and deliver a melancholic singalong. Listen to it here in a live version.

Did you know?

Despite Parachutes' critical and commercial success, lead singer Chris Martin said that Coldplay didn't like the album. He also commented that they look beyond Parachutes: "We know that's terrible music and we always try to think about what we can do next."