An unreleased demo recorded by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin for the 1999 James Bond installment The World Is Not Enough is to be offered at auction by music journalist publication Wax Poetics. The acoustic recording, captured on cassette tape, was reportedly intended for submission to the film's producers but was never officially released. The actual title track for the Pierce Brosnan-fronted film was ultimately performed by Garbage. British producer Chris Allison, who worked extensively with the band during their nascent career, is overseeing the sale of this previously unheard material.
The auction encompasses a comprehensive archive of pre-breakthrough Coldplay recordings assembled by Allison. Central to the collection are master tapes from The Blue Room, the band's second EP released in October 1999, which marked their inaugural release under Parlophone after signing with the label in April of that year while the members were studying at University College London. Also included are previously unheard alternate versions of three tracks that subsequently appeared on their debut album Parachutes: Spies, We Never Change, and Shiver, alongside an unreleased version of the Blue Room track Bigger Stronger.
Coldplay have previously acknowledged their deep admiration for the James Bond franchise, stating in archived website communications that their composition Spies was written with acclaimed Bond composer John Barry as a stylistic reference. The broader auction extends beyond Coldplay to include recordings from other artists produced by Allison during his tenure at Parlophone, among them the Beta Band and Steve Mason's solo endeavor King Biscuit Time. Tapes documenting the recording of the Beta Band's early EPs and self-titled debut album are also included among the lots being offered.