Alison Stewart: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. It's October 1st, and it's time to announce our October Get Lit with All Of It book club selection. We will be reading King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby. The story follows a man named Roman Carruthers. He's left his small hometown of Jefferson Run, Virginia, to go to Atlanta. There, he's become a successful financial advisor to B-list celebrities.

Roman finds himself back home after he learns of a tragic accident involving his father, which might not have been an accident at all. Dun dun dun. In fact, it might have been an act of a retribution from a local gang, and Roman's siblings have found themselves in the crosshairs. Can Roman save his family from this gang? At what cost?

S.A. Cosby will be joining us for an in-person event at the New York Public Library. It'll be virtual as well, on Tuesday, October 28th, along with a very special musical guest. We'll be joined by Yaya Bey.

[MUSIC - Yaya Bey: Chrysanthemums]

Rain clouds are here

Oh, rain clouds are here

Alison Stewart: The Brooklyn-based R&B musician Yaya Bey has a new album out titled Do It Afraid. Clash Magazine calls it a wholehearted celebration of joy and love and the soothing remedy we need right now. Bey will play a special acoustic set for us live at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. To find out how to get your free tickets and to borrow your e-copy, thanks to our partners at the New York Public Library, you should head to wnyc.org/getlit. That's wnyc.org/getlit. Again, that is all happening on Tuesday, October 28th, at 6:00 PM, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library. We can't wait to see you there. Head to wnyc.org/getlit for tickets and information. Until then, happy reading.

Now, let's get this hour started with a 25th anniversary celebration.

[MUSIC - Coldplay: Yellow]

Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you

And everything you do

Yeah, they were all yellow

I came along

I wrote a song for you

And all the things you do

And it was called "Yellow"

So then I took my turn

Oh, what a thing to have done

And it was all yellow

Your skin, oh yeah, your skin, and bones

Alison Stewart: Coldplay released its debut album, Parachutes, in the UK in July of 2000 and in the US, November of that year. The album won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music and went on to go double platinum. 25 years later, Coldplay's most recent tour set multiple records, surpassing $1 billion and becoming the best-selling rock tour in history. The band has won hundreds of awards, 34 Grammy nominations, 7 wins. They played all over the world, sold out more than 100 million albums. Of course, they were responsible for the summer's most famous fun scandal, when a workplace affair was broadcast at their concert.

Back in the late '90s, they were just a bunch of university kids playing in pubs and small venues, and that's where my next guest discovered them. Debs Wild was a scout for Universal Records at the time. She's now a music industry consultant who continues to work with the band and is also the author of Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay, which comes out in a new edition tomorrow. She joins me now for another installment of our 25th album series, Silver Liner Notes. Hey, Debs.

Debs Wild: Hey. Good afternoon. How are you?

Alison Stewart: We're doing great. Thank you for joining us. You discovered the band in 1998 at a music convention called In the City. What do you remember about the first time that you saw them?

Debs Wild: It doesn't feel like it's that long ago, and this makes me feel very, very old, but I remember it so clearly. It was Manchester, which is renowned for terrible weather, and it was raining, and I walked into this very small venue. It wasn't really a music venue, per se. It was used for Cuba Cafe. It was like Cuban dancing and things like that, but it was doubled up as a venue for this conference. I walked in, I think the band were probably midway through their first song, and it was very quiet. I just remember creeping in and thinking, "Wow, what's this?" It was just so atmospheric, beautiful vocals. They won't mind me saying they looked dreadful, but-

Alison Stewart: [laughs]

Debs Wild: -it was basically four students who hadn't quite worked on the image part of their combo. It was something that just had me rooted to the spot for the rest of that performance. That was a rarity in those days because you had to go from one venue to the other and see as many bands as possible. Clearly, there was something that made me want to stay, and clearly, I've stayed around for the next 27 years. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: What were they called at the time?

Debs Wild: They were called The Coldplay, but they hadn't been called that for very long. They'd been called Starfish for a little while and then The Coldplay, and they dropped "the" shortly after I saw them.

Alison Stewart: That same year, you encountered Coldplay in 1998. They recorded and released an EP called Safety. Tell me a little bit about Safety.

Debs Wild: Well, the Safety EP, I hadn't actually heard it before I went to see the band, which, again, was quite unusual to-- It was like a cold call, if you like. I just turned up to see what they were all about because I hadn't heard any music. I quickly got the number that was handily pinned to a board on my way out of the venue of their manager, Phil, and I called him and said, "I saw the band and I thought they were great. Please can you send me some music?" He sent me the Safety EP.

Honestly, this is so vivid, I remember pressing play and immediately thinking, "Yes, whatever I saw in that room, I'm hearing it now, that band, it's amazing." It was just properly goosebump-inducing, and I just thought it was incredible. Still do. Sounds amazing.

Alison Stewart: We have a clip of the song Bigger Stronger, the first track from the EP. Let's listen.

[MUSIC - Coldplay: Bigger Stronger]

I want to be bigger stronger drive a faster car

To take me anywhere in seconds

To take me anywhere I want to go

And drive around a faster car

I will settle for nothing less

I will settle for nothing less

I want to be bigger stronger drive a faster car

At the touch of a button

I can go anywhere I want to go

And drive around my faster car

I will settle for nothing less

I will settle for nothing less

Alison Stewart: You can hear it right there. There's something definitely there.

Debs Wild: [laughs] I am literally sitting here with goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck going, "This still sounds so fantastic all these years later."

Alison Stewart: That EP was shared around, it was sold at concerts, it was sent to A&R people. How did things progress from that EP to Coldplay getting signed and starting to work on their debut album?

Debs Wild: To be fair, it got passed around, but then it got passed on because nobody took any notice of that EP, which is crazy when you listen to it. It was basically when I got it, I was absolutely-- That was me, hook, line, and sinker. I was in. I sent it to a friend of mine who wasn't in competition because she was working for a music publisher. I just said, "Please, can you listen to this? Because I think I might be going a bit mad, because no one seems to be talking about this band, and I think they're incredible." Luckily, she said, "Yes, I agree, they're great."

I introduced them to a music lawyer as well. The music lawyer then played it to one of his clients, who happened to run a small indie label, which is Fierce Panda Simon Williams. He put out an EP as well. Also, at this point, my friend at the publishing company played it to Dan Keeling at Parlophone, who'd actually already passed on the band from a different demo he'd heard that he didn't like, and then thought, "Oh, I think I've got some stuff to make up here." That's kind of what happened.

It almost was just that small, little circle there of dominoes dropping. As soon as Dan was involved, from Parlophone, the band were just kind of like, "Yes, we want to sign to that label." My label was kind of dragging their heels. My boss was not-- He liked it, but unfortunately, he was also one of the ones that passed on it. I didn't get to work with them immediately. Luckily, I still kept in touch and went to all the gigs and stuff. We've kept together a long time despite not actually signing the band, so it's great.

Alison Stewart: I'm speaking to Debs Wild. She's the author of Life In Tech Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. She's also a former A&R person who helped discover the band and land them their first record deal. We're talking about the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Parachutes, and we're taking your calls for another edition of Silver Liner Notes. Listeners, we want to hear from you. Have you ever seen Coldplay live? Do you have a favorite song, especially from that first album, Parachute? Do you have a question for Deb's Wild about the band? Give us a call. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

We've got Craig, who's calling in from Morganville, New Jersey. Craig, thanks for being with us. You're on the air.

Craig: Recently, we were on vacation in London, and as a last-minute thing, we went to Wembley Stadium to see Coldplay. I was never a huge fan, but it was something that everyone in the family liked. I've seen it all. I've seen Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Wall. I've never seen a more interactive concert in my life. Not the hit songs, every song, everybody sang every word. There were lit-up wristbands. There was a computer program that spelled out words. It was amazing. They even busted themselves about that kiss cam thing, and the audience was laughing hysterically.

The other amazing thing was, after the show, there's a big ramp that goes to the underground that was packed. Nobody could move. What was everybody doing? They were singing, "Stars in the sky." It was insane. I've never seen anything like that. It was absolutely amazing. It was wild. Thank you.

Alison Stewart: I like that first-person report. Let me get your response to that, Deb, when you hear that.

Debs Wild: It's so wonderful to hear that, because even though I work with the band, I have the exact same feelings when you go to a show. It's so inclusive. It is such a place of joy. I think I said this recently that for those two hours, it's the most present I am. I don't think about anything else because it's just so much to take in. It's absolutely amazing for every single sort of sensory that you have. It's incredible. That was a good review there, too. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: In your book, though, you do write about the tensions that happen within the band for Parachutes. It even led Chris Martin to ask drummer Will Champion to leave. You quote Chris as saying, "For a week, Coldplay didn't exist." What was the tension coming from the band, and how did it play out?

Debs Wild: It was a really tricky time. If I remember, Chris was very much feeling the pressure of getting this right because it was the first album, and it was kind of the producer that they had at the time, who was not happy with some of the results. I think that fed into what Chris was thinking. I don't know if it was so much that he didn't think Will was competent or should be in the band, but the pressure to fix a problem resulted in Will being fired momentarily.

Then there was talk of replacements, and other people were not auditioning, but they were being spoken to. It just says a lot that even back then, they knew that they couldn't be Coldplay without Will. There couldn't be any other four. It had to be those four. As soon as they realized that, Chris obviously went back to Will and begged him to come back, which didn't take too long, to be fair. It's been just beautiful ever since, because Will is such an anchor and such a force in the band that that dynamic just wouldn't work without him.

Alison Stewart: How do you think they came out stronger from that difficult situation?

Debs Wild: I think exactly the fact that it was so awful and that realization of, "Look, we're in this together, or else it isn't a thing." That is literally how they've been ever since. They're so close. They genuinely love each other and like being around each other, and they support each other and lift each other up, that I think that bond is unbreakable. I think that lesson to be learned so fast and early was probably, in hindsight, a good thing. Yes, that's definitely been for the better.

Alison Stewart: Let's talk to Deborah from Westchester. Deborah, thanks for making the time to call All Of It. You're on the air.

Deborah: Oh, wonderful. My husband knows that Billy Joel is my all-time favorite artist and had gotten tickets for us to see him at the Albany Knickerbocker arena about 14 years ago. We were going to have a whole special weekend of it, and Billy Joel canceled his concert on us. Something happened in his personal life. He canceled the concert. We had this great hotel booked. We said, "What else can we do in the capital region? What else is going on?"

We saw Coldplay was playing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. We had never heard of them. We kind of listened to a couple songs that we googled, and we're like, "Okay, they sound okay." We went. We fell in love with them that night. They are our favorite band. At that concert, they actually handed out CDs to all of the audience members. We still play that every year on our anniversary. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: Aw, that's a sweet story. We love hearing that. Thanks for calling, Deborah. My guest is Debs Wild. She's the author of the book Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. She's joining us for another edition of Silver Liner Notes. Their debut album, Parachutes, was released 25 years ago. Deb, hey, let's listen to another song. I'm going to play an early demo of the song Trouble, when it was originally went by Spiderwebs, and then we'll hear the final version. First of all, here's Spiderwebs.

[MUSIC - Coldplay: Spiderwebs]

They built a web for me

And they spun a web for me.

Alison Stewart: Here's Trouble.

[MUSIC - Coldplay: Trouble]

So I turned to run

The thought of all the stupid things I've done

I never meant to cause you trouble

I never meant to do you wrong

Well, if I ever caused you trouble

Alison Stewart: Debs, what do you think it is about the songwriting that makes it hit so hard and makes it stick around? We saw how it went from one iteration to another.

Debs Wild: It's funny because it's always fun to listen to those distant relations, isn't it? I mean, that's quite a different song, but you can see which bits remain. I think that is something that's really happened their entire musical career because I've heard so many different songs and thought, "Oh, that's from there, and that's from there." I guess it's one of those things that until it actually works or fits, they just kind of-- Chris describes it as songs arriving. I think they have to park some things until other elements also arrive, if you like.

With all of this first album and a lot of what's come, I think it's all about the connection. People can really relate to Coldplay songs. I feel they're timeless as well as ageless. They're classic, but they reach so many people because I think the sentiment of most of those songs that we love and we cry to, or we do fall in love to-- There's so many things, as humans, that we go through, and if you can capture that in a song or a melody or lyric, then, obviously, it's going to gel. I think that's what it is.

Alison Stewart: Go back in time 25 years ago, how did the album do in the UK, and how did it do in the US?

Debs Wild: Oh, the whole thing about the album in the UK was unbelievable because their record label thought it might sell 75,000 copies over the first week, and it sold that in its first day. Everyone was so surprised because they'd had Yellow as a hit, had gone in at number 4 before Shiver had just barely scraped the top 40. No one was expecting it to go as stratospheric and global as it did so quickly. There was no doubt that album was brilliant. I'm not even sure they'd have pressed enough copies. Otherwise, it probably would have done better.

In the US, of course, it took a little bit longer, but the band was so determined and willing to put the time in that they obviously went to America and toured extensively and did club tours, and they were very lucky that American radio stations also fell in love with it. It was relatively easier than some bands have it. Again, I think it's because their music was so universal. It didn't necessarily fit into a pigeonhole or a box. I think timing's everything. It just felt like the right band for the right time, if that makes sense.

Alison Stewart: You really like the song Shiver. It's one of your favorite tracks from the album Parachutes. What do you love about it? We'll listen to it.

Debs Wild: It's not so much that it's my favorite, but I'll tell you what it is about Shiver. It was the first song that was delivered as a single to go out to the masses. By this point, I'd heard demos, I've heard unreleased songs. I hadn't heard something that was going to potentially go to radio, and when I heard that song, I was actually quite surprised that I didn't know they were going to be a band that would necessarily get played on the radio so quickly.

That song now, when I hear it, it just throws me such-- I can't even describe-- I get so emotional because I forget how good it is, because at the time, we were too busy thinking about charts and positioning. I do remember the first time I heard it live, and it did make me almost cry because I was just so, so proud and so moved. The whole journey, at that point, just came to that moment of, "Yes, this band can do it." You can't predict these things. When I heard Shiver, I knew they had it in them to go far.

Alison Stewart: Here's Coldplay with Shiver.

[MUSIC - Coldplay: Shiver]

So I look in your direction

But you pay me no attention, do you?

I know you don't listen to me

'Cause you say you see straight through me, don't you?

But on and on, from the moment I wake

To the moment I sleep

I'll be there by your side

Just you try and stop me

I'll be waiting in line

Just to see if you care

Alison Stewart: It's another edition of our Silver Liner Notes. We are celebrating the album Parachutes. It's turning 25 this year. It's from the band Coldplay. I'm speaking to Debs Wild. She's the author of Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay, and she is partially responsible for them existing.

All right, I have to ask you this. I have to bring up the Astronomer CEO scandal. Chris does this bit in concerts where he puts somebody on the Jumbotron and he improvises a song about them. It sounds really great. In this case, the couple, they turned out to be co-workers and they were engaged, shall we say. The Internet went wild. It was interesting because his response was very natural in that situation. Is he a person who can still be surprised?

Debs Wild: I don't think he's surprised. I tell you what it is. I think there's more surprise in the reaction after, because this is a segment that had been around for about a year, and in that particular show, someone had already been on the screen before them. In a way, I think if you see it in context, you're kind of thinking, maybe if they'd have reacted differently, it would have been a different outcome. Maybe if they'd have seen the person on screen before and thought, "Oh, maybe now is a good time to not be engaged," as you say, and then it would have been completely different.

Obviously, Chris is a very natural person, and obviously, he couldn't have known what was going on. What was lovely was afterwards, every time there was a show, of course, there's no way-- why would they drop that segment? It felt like maybe we should say something to diffuse it and make sure it doesn't happen again. I've never seen anything quite so incredible as the reaction online with the memes and the skits that were taking place. It blew up. It was quite a phenomenon, really, which, for a band to just have a jumbotron segment in their show to go to that is-- It's still talked about now. It's still on the news, isn't it? It's completely crazy.

Alison Stewart: Saturday Night Live debuts this weekend. I plan to see. I bet it's going to be on there. Before we let you go, tell us about your book, Life in Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay.

Debs Wild: It's honestly so strange to write a book about people that you've known for so long and worked with, that have become so culturally important. I sometimes forget. Doing something like this, and as well as it being an amazing scrapbook of my 25 years as well, not to mention theirs, it's just fascinating to put the jigsaw together of talking to friends and family and colleagues and crew about what they remember from those early days. That was definitely my favorite part of writing it. The first chapter is actually called Chapter Zero because I felt like we can't start with what people know. Let's go backwards and fill in the gaps.

If you think about it, the band were around before we could necessarily hit Google, so it felt like a really nice thing to be able to present lots of-- I mean, people probably don't realize that a lot of the images in the first chapter, which Chapter Zero, from Chris's personal archives, it's like he kept things, the flyers and the set lists and track listings. It was really nice.

The hardest part was really to work out what to leave out. Otherwise, it could have literally been about 200,000 words instead of-- The initial one was 40,000, and this is probably 55 or something. It's hard to condense into such a small space, really. It's been incredible to revisit things. It's been an honor as well, because the fans are just so incredible that I love them all, and they're so supportive that it feels like a lovely gift to give back to them. Yes, it's been wonderful.

Alison Stewart: Debs Wild has been my guest. She's author of Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. She joined us for an edition of our Silver Liner Notes to celebrate their album Parachutes. Thanks for joining us, Debs.

Debs Wild: Thanks for having me.