Rock
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin's 'lost' James Bond demo among rare gems set to go under the hammer
A rare cache of early Coldplay recordings - including Chris Martin’s never‑released James Bond theme demo - is heading to auction this week.
A treasure trove of early Coldplay material is going under the hammer, offering fans an unprecedented glimpse into the band’s formative years - including what is believed to be never‑before‑heard James Bond theme demo recorded by frontman Chris Martin.
The archive, being sold through Wax Poetics, boasts studio tapes, alternate mixes and demos from the sessions that led to their 2000 debut album Parachutes.
Producer and engineer Chris Allison has offered up the collection, largely recorded at London’s Orinoco Studios, following the Grammy winning band's signing to Parlophone in 1999.
The standout piece is a stripped‑back recording Martin put together to audition for the theme song to The World Is Not Enough. The 1999 Bond film's theme ended up being recorded by Garbage.
Chris' demo has, "to the best of current knowledge", not been made public, making its inclusion in the sale particularly notable.
The auction opens this week, giving Coldplay devotees a rare chance to own a piece of the band’s earliest creative history.
Allison commented: “This is a window into the writing, recording, production and promotion of some uniquely celebrated music artists – pieces of music history that deserve to be in the hands of fans, not gathering dust in a storage unit."
A percentage of Chris Allison's proceeds from this collection will be donated to the charity Restore The Music, which "addresses systemic inequality in music education by providing capital grants to state schools in areas of high socio-economic deprivation."
Head to HERE to check out the auction.
