Safety (EP)

Safety
Blurred black and white photograph of Chris Martin in front of a door marked "Safety".
EP by
Coldplay
Released25 May 1998 (1998-05-25)
Recorded1–2 February 1998
StudioSync City Studios, Tottenham
Genre
Length14:24
LabelSelf-released
Producer
  • Coldplay
  • Nikki Rosetti[1]
Coldplay chronology
Safety
(1998) 		The Blue Room
(1999)

Safety is the first extended play and public release by British rock band Coldplay. It was recorded at Tottenham's Sync City Studios with Nikki Rosetti between 1 and 2 February 1998, following their live debut at The Laurel Tree in London.[2] Phil Harvey funded the project for £1,500 and received a box with 500 copies on 19 May 1998.[2] Most of them were given away to record label executives, friends and family,[3] but around 150 were sold on the open market.[2] According to Harvey, it was his father and an Oxford roommate that helped him finance Safety.[3] The latter originally bought a copy of it for around £3.[2]

Packaging

The artwork is a photograph of lead singer Chris Martin taken by John Hilton, a friend of the band.[4] His long exposure shot captured Martin's moving head perfectly framed by a safety door sign at one of the band's gigs and inspired the extended play's title.[5]

Distribution

On 25 May 1998, Coldplay managed to sell 50 units of the extended play to their public at Dingwalls.[3] All three of the songs appeared unaltered on subsequent releases: "Bigger Stronger" and "Such a Rush" were featured on The Blue Room, while "No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground" became a B-side for their breakthrough hit "Yellow".[6] According to UNILAD, copies of the extended play can now go up to $2,500 on marketplaces across the internet.[7]

Track listing

All songs written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin.[8]

Safety track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Bigger Stronger"4:49
2."No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground"4:31
3."Such a Rush"4:57
Total length:14:24

Personnel

Coldplay
Technical personnel
  • Nikki Rosetti – production, engineering
  • Phil Harvey – management
  • John Hilton – photography
  • Kut & Payste Studios – sleeve design

References

  1. ^ "Entrevista com Nikki Rosetti, produtora dos EPs Safety e Blue Room" [Interview with Nikki Rosetti, producer of Safety and Blue Room EPs]. Viva Coldplay (in Portuguese). 17 January 2011. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Wild, Debs; Croft, Malcolm (2018). Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. ECW Press. pp. 17–20. ISBN 9781787391093.
  3. ^ a b c "We Interview Coldplay's Manager" (PDF). Coldplay E-Zine. 4 February 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Art History: Safety EP". Coldplay Timeline. 10 June 2010. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Safety EP – Part 2". Coldplay. 2000. Archived from the original on 27 October 2000. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Hi Oracle! Some of the early songs appear on two releases..." Coldplay. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  7. ^ "People Are Being Advised to Check Their Old CD Collections as Albums Could Be Worth Up to $10,000". UNILAD. 7 November 2024. Archived from the original on 7 November 2024. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  8. ^ Coldplay (1998). Safety EP (liner notes). United Kingdom: Self-published.