Timbaland + Coldplay = Discussion

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>> from drownedinsound

Maverick hip hop producer Timbaland has grown tired of the genre that he's done so much for, and has gone on record as saying that the only band he wants to work with is... wait for it... Coldplay!
The super-sized knob-twiddler, best known for his work with Missy Elliott, told a popular music television channel: "Hip hop is the same ol', same ol'. I can do a beat and keep doing it, but it's not the same. The only musician I'd like to do a song with is Coldplay. That's the only one I really want to work with now."

Exactly how such a collaboration would work is a little mystifying - Coldplay are hardly ones to think outside of the box at the best of times. The two parties have already met however, although nothing has been finalised as yet. Maybe Timbaland's sweet on Gwyneth? Or maybe he thought they were actually dropping science on 'The Scientist'? Whatever; the mind, it boggles.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Thursday, 20 November 2003 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

The only musician I'd like to do a song with is Coldplay.

This is phrased like 'Coldplay' is a person, which makes me wonder about the alternate universe where there is a MC called Coldplay.

I posted some story on one of the Jay-Z threads about how Martin liked hanging out with Jay-Z.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 20 November 2003 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, didn't Jay-Z say he was sick of hip-hop (as part of the whole "I'm retiring" gimmick) and now he was into Coldplay and John Mayer?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

tim's doing that "white flag" dido remix, too.

coupled with recent jay admissions, it seems that hiphop's got a rough equivalent of the 7 year itch..

do we know yet what comes after 'typewriter funk'?

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Does Cold still have the hi-top fade? I wonder what Play's been up to since House Party 3.

― Andy K (Andy K), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

(Play's real name, unless I'm mistaken: Chris Martin)

― Andy K (Andy K), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't mind me

― Andy K (Andy K), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Timbaland & Geir Hongro love the same band = 3rd horseman.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

From this last week's issue of Entertainment Weekly (in the mini-magazine insert Listen2This):

Timbaland: "Clocks" from Coldplay - I just like it. Puts me in the mood. Puts me in a happy mood. I love Coldplay. When I go to the gym, it's my workout music.

Magoo: Yeah, it's just off the hook. I went to the MTV Awards and saw everyone perform. By far, the best was Coldplay. I was captivated by (singer Chris Martin's) words. He was just sitting at the piano, but his words and music were mesmerizing. I couldn't believe how I felt when I heard ("The Scientist"). Even though it's not R&B, it was my personality. It's vibe stuff, it makes you feel good.

I think it's really interesting that so many pop/hip hop/R&B people like/respect/love Coldplay. I'm thinking back to the last Video Music Awards, and a lot of semi-unlikely people were falling all over themselves to praise them. In a weird way, it makes a lot of sense. Don't ask me to explain that, though. It just seems...right.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

the new Phil Collins???

― Ronan (Ronan), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Isn't Justin Timberlake working with Coldplay on something or other? I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere recently.

I think Coldplay = the new U2, really.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I love Coldplay. When I go to the gym,
it's my workout music.

I can see how listening to them would psych you up to hit someone...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Does this mean I may have to stop thinking of Coldplay as a 2nd-rate Radiohead? (I've heard maybe a song and a half of theirs, although I did once have an obsessive fan flip out on me for saying that)

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

haha another one ned another one

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Coldplay only sound like Radiohead if the only Radiohead songs you know are "High & Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees." If you listen to half of Coldplay's last album and tune out the vocals, it sounds amazingly like U2. "Clocks" and "Daylight" in particular. I think the singer guy sounds a little like Dave Matthews.

I resisted Coldplay for a long time, but I eventually came around to liking about seven of their songs, mostly the singles. I think they are okay, and judging by the enormous leap in quality from their boring first record to their second album, I think they may keep improving for a while. Coldplay are way better than most guitar/rock music that's currently popular in the US, so I welcome them. I'd rather hear U2/Radiohead Lite than an army of angry tattoo metal jocks any day of the week.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

just marveling at the geiresque display of dislike and wit

― amateur!st (amateurist), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

The general response to Tim's comment is starting to remind me of all those "How can my favorite indie rocker like Green Day!?!" crises of the mid-90s.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Coldplay are way better than most guitar/rock music that's currently popular in the US, so I welcome them. I'd rather hear U2/Radiohead Lite than an army of angry tattoo metal jocks any day of the week.

Me too! Give me Coldplay over all that nu-metal shit ANY day of the week!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

just marveling at the geiresque display of dislike and wit

*shrug* I'm happy you're happy, I guess.

The general response to Tim's comment is starting to remind me of all those "How can my favorite indie rocker like Green Day!?!" crises of the mid-90s.

Actually in reverse it reminds me of any number of hip-hop fanatics' comments complaining about how people could like one act/MC instead of another that was 'clearly superior' or whatever language you would care to use.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Mark me down as one more person who totally doesn't get the Coldplay hate thing. I like both their albums; saw 'em live, liked that too. And the thing is, I've always loathed the "indie" music praised by Lynskey in the big hate-Coldplay thread, so why a (supposedly) watered-down version would work for me where the "good," "real" stuff makes me feel like shoving a brick through the forehead of a) the band and b) the person who recommended I check them out, I don't know.

Possibly illustrative story: it took me two, maybe three years to buy OK Computer (the first Radiohead album I ever heard) because the same people that were swearing up and down that it was the best thing ever had previously attempted to sell me Pavement, who I think are the worst thing to happen to music in the last 15 years, easy.

I don't think a Timbaland/Coldplay collaboration would be all that fruitful. The sound of Martin's almost Glassianly repetitive piano over Timbaland's beats might be momentarily diverting, but I can't honestly see them being improved by his presence/input.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Give me Coldplay over all that nu-metal shit ANY day of the week!

You have considered turning off the radio, right?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't think there's anything odd or wrong with timbaland's coldplay appreciation, but it'd be nice if hiphop didnt have to be positioned oppositionally to whatever coldplay's supposedly doing that isn't "same old, same old". but i mean tim's been saying stuff like this for years now, i remember a 2001 interview where he said the only thing exciting him at the moment were stankonia and the things "rock people" are doing.

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Pavement, who I think are the worst thing to happen to music in the last 15 years, easy.

Phil, let's never meet, okay?

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Thursday, 20 November 2003 20:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Could be an interesting combination to say the least :-)

Anyway, the one and only match made in heaven is Coldplay being produced by Nigel Godrich.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 20 November 2003 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Obviously both Timbaland and Jay-Z think they're the best at their respective crafts within black pop; checking for Coldplay is their way of saying, "yeah well I'm so fantastic that any music even remotely like me is boring". Coldplay is about as far away from hip hop as it's possible to get while still talking about popular music. In a funny way I think it's a sign of hip hop's success that people like Timbaland, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake want to act as "patrons" for this rock band, as if they were fostering a struggling artist. It's a neat inversion of hip rock bands checking for obscure (to their audience) electronic and hip hop artists.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 20 November 2003 22:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry Tim, when did Justin Timberlake become hip-hop?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 20 November 2003 22:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently he didn't want to be Michael Jackson anymore, so.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 November 2003 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

somewhere between "girlfriend" and "senorita", give or take a black eyed peas single or two

― mitch lastnamewithheld (mitchlnw), Thursday, 20 November 2003 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

i remember reading an interview with timbaland a while ago and he said the two people he'd really be interested in collaborating with were metallica and sheryl crow
there's no accounting for taste i suppose

― robin (robin), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I think in part here there's a perception that 'we' (whoever we are) would like our various musical heroes to share our own taste and get disappointed when they don't.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Didn't Pharrell give mad props to Linkin Park?

― man, Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

He might well have done - he really likes Puddle of Mudd, and Timbaland said Linkin Park were his favourite rock band.

If Nigel Godrich were to produce Coldplay, I would make sure a restraining order would be issued against him to stay 1000 miles away from Radiohead at any given time in the future.

― Schwingung (Damian), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yup. I remember that almost the first thing I saw when I turned on the MTV Awards this year was Beyonce giving them props, and it just snowballed from there...

Another unlikely fan: The Streets!

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Thursday, 20 November 2003 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Coldplay being produced by Nigel Godrich

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

*ZHONK*

― david day (winslow), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I still see Nigel Godrich as sort of the perfect guy for them, he'd be able to make them sound even more like Travis which would definitely be a good thing.

But anyway, Timbaland sounds like an interesting match. It's not like he is a bad producer, he has done some truly fascinating stuff with sound. And when combined with Coldplay's knack for writing good melodic tunes, the result may be quite good.

I just hope it doesn't end up something like when William Orbit produced Blur's "13", ending up with an album that sounded nothing like Blur nor William Orbit at all.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you really think Travis are more exciting production-wise than Timbaland's work?

― man, Friday, 21 November 2003 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

he has done some truly fascinating stuff with sound

(rolls over, dies)

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:24 (twenty-one years ago)

There's this gloopiness in Coldplay's music, certainly on the last album, that made me think they didn't need Nigel Godrich. I'm not always convinced Radiohead need him.

― Schwingung (Damian), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:28 (twenty-one years ago)

They need him more as referee than producer, apparently.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I often forget this.

― Schwingung (Damian), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm still in shock that Phil Freeman likes Coldplay! (I do too, a little bit, actually.) Sorry to be all stereotyping....

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you really think Travis are more exciting production-wise than Timbaland's work?

No, but they are in the same genre as Coldplay, sounding very alike. And I feel that those echo effects are exactly what Coldplay would need to sound better.

Working with Timbaland might work out, if Coldplay's best sides are being kept (the melodicness, I mean), but it is hard to tell because it hasn't really been tried much, mixing hip-hop with melodic indie/pop. I think the only one who has tried it (and succeeded IMO) is Beck.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Rap artists have lousy taste when it comes to rock music shockah?

Seriously, Coldplay aren't THAT bad, but um,... they're basically non-threatening, tame, light, accessible, soothing AOR. And they seem somewhat exotic to someone not really acquainted with British muzak or dream pop. So it should come as no surprise, really...

Brandy has also mentioned recently that Coldplay are her favorite band.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Coldplay are not AOR. AOR had pathetic elements of metal vocals in it (otherwise it would have been good). Coldplay doesn't

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Coldplay are MOR.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:19 (twenty-one years ago)

No, Coldplay are quality pop. Like Crowded House and Jellyfish before them.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:22 (twenty-one years ago)

They were also MOR.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought Coldplay were shoegaze, but really bad.

― Schwingung (Damian), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Shoegaze was often MOR too.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought Coldplay were shoegaze, but really bad.

Precisely! (Also really bad Echo and really bad Verve, at parts.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Coldplay but I don't give a shit about them. In fact, I think it's a shame when people do give a shit about them. Also, their new single is kind of a let down.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Also really bad Echo and really bad Verve, at parts

but you repeat yourself...

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

All these bands are MOR.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread is too repetitive. Where's the melody?

― man, Friday, 21 November 2003 01:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Boomshakalahshakalahchikaboom.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i brought up the dulcet tones of super-vanilla singer/songwriter michael franks on the steely dan thread, and funnily enough the only people i knew in philly who shared my love for him were hardcore hip hop headz and hipster deejays. king britt was a huge fan. we also shared a love for the cocteau twins. it doesn't really mean much though. all deejays own like 50 million records. their tastes are all over the place.i'd still like to send timbaland some talk talk records just in case though.

― scott seward, Friday, 21 November 2003 01:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Timbaland's not a DJ though. Producers tend to have more insular tastes from what I can tell.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:35 (twenty-one years ago)

If all music that has a verse-chorus-based melody, and not a lot of guitar noise or screaming vocals, counts as MOR, then MOR is the only decent genre there is.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Only if you are a gigantic wuss, maybe.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 01:55 (twenty-one years ago)

The basic difference here
Producers=professional musicians
DJ`s=fans

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 21 November 2003 02:02 (twenty-one years ago)

(ffffff..)

I just felt like farting here

― Patrick Kinghorn, Friday, 21 November 2003 02:04 (twenty-one years ago)

If I ever have to hear Coldplay again, I hope it's something produced by Timbaland. With Missy doing vocals. And Snoop on the remix.

― spittle, Friday, 21 November 2003 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember Aaliyah was a big Nine Inch Nails fan. I saw her before the MTV awards when they performed for the Fragile and she told one of the red carpet people that they were only artists performing she was interested in.

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 21 November 2003 04:10 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.realgoodmovies.com/stills/queen3.jpg

― spittle, Friday, 21 November 2003 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I think in part here there's a perception that 'we' (whoever we are) would like our various musical heroes to share our own taste and get disappointed when they don't.

Of course, the fact that they don't share our taste makes perfect sense. Coldplay are kind of like the blanding out of all the neat weird stuff in my rock collection, the textbook definition of 'average rock band'. There's nothing new or interesting about their sound to someone who's spent most of their life listening to rock. I like Timbaland because his music comes from a different place than things I've heard before, so why would I expect that he listens to the same music as I do?

― Dave M. (rotten03), Friday, 21 November 2003 05:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Can we assume that Timbaland hasn't "spent most of [his] life listening to rock"? Not trying to be cute--he's been pretty coy in the past about what he he does and doesn't listen to, right? Anybody know his previous comments on rock bands?

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Friday, 21 November 2003 05:51 (twenty-one years ago)

It's an assumption, but not that unlikely since he identifies as a hip-hop/r&b producer. He's never produced a rock record, and I don't know of any collaborations he's done with rock people (despite what he says in interviews). I'm not saying he couldn't be a huge rock fan, but unlike Pharrell, rock doesn't seem to be one of his main influences.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Friday, 21 November 2003 06:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, when I said Tim was coming from a "different place", I didn't mean "he doesn't listen to much rock", I meant that the overlap between his record collection and mine is most likely much smaller than, say, mine and Chris Martin.

Though I bet Chris Martin's got a lot more Prefab Sprout.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Friday, 21 November 2003 06:57 (twenty-one years ago)

he did that diamond dogs song with beck

― minna (minna), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:03 (twenty-one years ago)

The basic difference here
Producers=professional musicians
DJ`s=fans

Tell that to djs who've produced tons of tracks, like Mark the 45 King...

oh wait, you're Geir, you have no idea who I'm talking about. Nevermind.

― hstencil, Friday, 21 November 2003 07:10 (twenty-one years ago)

DJ MARK THE 45 KING!!!!!

hstencil, come do the Ed Lover dance with me!

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:11 (twenty-one years ago)

huh?

― hstencil, Friday, 21 November 2003 07:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm actually amazed Geir knows who Timbaland is.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I think he's just playing along.

― hstencil, Friday, 21 November 2003 07:28 (twenty-one years ago)

*uncomfortable silence*

um....Ed Lover used to host MTV Raps and did a dance where they would play that that 45 King beat (1-900 Number I think it was called) and he would do this funny little dance....nevermind I'm kinda punchy.

*slinks away*

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:30 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah I know what it is, Matt. Not really sure why mentioning 45 King made you mention it, but whatever's cool.

― hstencil, Friday, 21 November 2003 07:37 (twenty-one years ago)

It seems totally logical to me.

45 King -> 45 King's beat -> Ed Lover Dances to It -> Let's All Dance like Ed Lover when 45 King is mentioned.

See!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:38 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah well I guess I was thinking of "Hard Knock Life." Sorry.

― hstencil, Friday, 21 November 2003 07:39 (twenty-one years ago)

let us never speak of Ed Lover again.

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I think of Rip Taylor when that song is mentioned.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 21 November 2003 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Nelly Furtado: Chris Martin from Coldplay and I bumped into each other in Miami at the VMAs. I was recording with Timbaland. It's kind of ironic, because just the week before, all Tim would play in the studio was [Coldplay's album] X&Y — Tim actually listens to a lot of rock music — so I got [Martin] to come to the studio. At first he was nervous, because Tim kept calling Chris "Coldplay," like, "Hey, Coldplay!" and "Coldplay's here!"

― Alex in Baltimore (Alex in Baltimore), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 15:22 (nineteen years ago)

lol.

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

Hahaha that is awesome!

― Jesus Dan (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

The first thing that makes me think of is that story of Scott Stapp getting royally punked.

― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Wednesday, 21 June 2006 17:31 (nineteen years ago)

Coldplay had a baby with Gwyneth Paltrow!

― It's Rodney, pimp! (R. J. Greene), Thursday, 22 June 2006 02:55 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, didn't Jay-Z say he was sick of hip-hop (as part of the whole "I'm retiring" gimmick) and now he was into Coldplay and John Mayer?

This kind of reminds me of Dylan (allegedly) saying that Smokey Robinson was the greatest living songwriter -- it might be half true but it's also one of those curveball statements that's supposed to make the artist who says it seem more mystifying and cool.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 22 June 2006 03:04 (nineteen years ago)

well comparing "coldplay" (the person) and smokey robinson is a bit crazy !

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 22 June 2006 11:38 (nineteen years ago)

For some reason Tim's love for Coldplay is rendered a lot more acceptable to my tastes with this revelation. Either that or calling some dude "coldplay" reminds me of awesome high school nicknames.

― mike h. (mike h.), Thursday, 22 June 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

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