Chris Martin and co. seem to have mastered the art of the generic pop-rock song when they wrote the title track for their last album Viva La Vida. Why else would the British alt-rockers keep finding themselves under scrutiny from other musicians accusing Coldplay of ripping them off? First it was Joe Satriani, claiming the foursome stole the melody for “Viva la Vida” from his song “If I Could Fly”, but now Cat Stevens has joined in on the drama, claiming the band actually ripped off the melody from his song, “Foreigner Suite”.

Unlike Satriani, Stevens has not said he will take legal action against the group, but the musician told The Sun that he is the real inspiration behind Coldplay’s music. Though this claim might seem a bit more plausible than the Satriani case, (can’t you envision Chris Martin rocking out to Cat Stevens over Joe Satriani any day?) we have to say, it is probably one more instance in pop song writing, where a generic melody takes the shape and sound of some other melody that was already written. It is the risk you run when in pursuit of writing a three-chord hit, too bad Coldplay just found a bit more success than their accusers while doing so.

This is not the first time Stevens has been a victim of song writing copy cats. In 2003, Stevens and The Flaming Lips agreed to split the royalties from the Lips’ song, “Fight Test” after it was said to be too similar to Stevens’ 1970 song, “Father and Son”. Even though Stevens doesn’t seem interested in pushing legal action against Coldplay, let this be a note to Chris Martin while in the studio: Just let Jon Hopkins and Brian Eno write all of your songs.

Back in February we told you Chris Martin and his Coldplay pals were planning to give fans a ‘thank you’ present for still buying tickets to shows, despite the state of the economy. The blueprints were drawn and the plans are now solidified, as Coldplay confirmed they will be giving away a live album to fans at their upcoming tour dates and as a free download from their website.

The nine-track live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, will be given to all fans that attend any of the dates on their Viva La Vida tour, and fans will also be able to download the album for free off of the band’s website, starting on May 15. In a statement, the band said “Playing live is what we love. This album is a thank you to our fans — the people who give us a reason to do it and make it happen.”

LeftRightLeftRightLeft track listing
01. Glass Of Water
02. 42
03. Clocks
04. Strawberry Swing
05. The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away
06. Viva La Vida
07. Death Will Never Conquer
08. Fix You
09. Death And All His Friends

As we reported just about a week ago, Coldplay and producer Brian Eno are at it again; taking some time off to record new material, after the combo’s success on 2008’s Viva La Vida. Front man Chris Martin will not be part of the equation though; at least not for another few weeks.

Martin announced during a solo, acoustic performance for the London based radio station Absolute Radio today that Eno encouraged the band to step into the studio without Martin, saying in a letter that “Viva la Vida was good. But I know that you can do better.”

The band will be in the studio sans Martin for the next two weeks, working on material with Eno. For the time being, Martin will have to hang solo, saying “This should be interesting… I’ve never tried this before.”

We’ll have to wait and see how Coldplay makes out at the Grammy Awards next week, where the group is up for seven nominations for their work with Eno.

40 Year Old Virgin called them gay and the BBC said they induce narcolepsy, but Coldplay’s triumphant “Viva la Vida” is a current testament to their monstrous fame. From the insistent string section that opens the track to the anthemic “wo-ho-ah-ho!” harmonies that end it, “Viva la Vida” refuses to let go of our attention for even a second. Chris Martin sings loud and firm, better than ever before, telling a story of royalty that might well be his own: “I used to rule the world,” but like all royalty, his Kingdom fell. Not about rebuilding it, the song is about moving away from it. Say what you will about Coldplay or their perpetual mediocre albums, but to deny this song’s prowess is to deny deserving music based on foolish preconceived notions of what is cool, and what isn’t. Oh, and they didn’t steal it from Joe Satriani.

Coldplay – “Viva la Vida”