Fix You

May 12, 2011 3:31 PM

Here's a quickie for this months challenge to record a song you hate. Fix You, by Coldplay recorded as a really slow, lo-fi, slightly out-of-tune and very out-of-rhythm bedroom song. A tiny preview of my new pump organ makes it's way into this recording (which you can check out here)

I actually think Coldplay is great, but this song is one of the creepiest songs ever written. "Fix you"? Seriously?

posted by Corduroy (12 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite

I'd like to put Coldplay in a blender but this is great. The pump organ is terrific, especially on the video. Where did you get it?
posted by unSane at 3:59 AM on May 13, 2011


I'd like to put Coldplay in a blender

On the crush ice setting. Ugh.

But yeah, this is creepy as all hell, awesome sound.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:35 AM on May 13, 2011


Thanks! The pump organ I got from a church a few blocks from my house via craigslist, which is amazingly awash in cheap, old organs. I'd have to take off the back to look at the serial # to be sure of the date, but it's definitely from the late 1800s (company closed in 1904, I believe). It's so old that it's actually not tuned to A-440 like modern pianos. The middle 'C' on it is actually somewhere in between a C and a Db. It had been a couple days since I'd tuned the guitar to the organ, so I think it's actually slightly off in this recording, which gives it kind of a pretty dissonance (in my opinion).
posted by Corduroy at 9:58 PM on May 13, 2011


I liked it so much I had a look on Kijiji and to my amazement found this 1950s Estey Chaplain's travel organ, which is a pump organ which folds up for transport. There are some clips of people playing them on youtube which sounded great so I called up a friend of mine who lives nearby (it's a couple of hours from me) and he went over last night and callled me up from the guy's place insisting that I buy it. So I did.

Apparently Coldplay use this exact model, which rather disturbingly brings us full circle.

What a fantastic sound, anyway. Thank you.
posted by unSane at 4:21 AM on May 14, 2011


Wow, I didn't know Coldplay had a guest spot on My Morning Jacket's The Tennessee Fire... This is gorgeous, and certainly a helluva lot better than the original.
posted by askmeaboutLOOM at 5:20 AM on May 14, 2011


That looks and sounds great, unSane! Please post something featuring it soon. I will need to keep an eye out for one, as they look perfect for playing shows (although even my relatively large pump organ [when compared to the travel organs] is pretty light, and two people carried it up three skinny staircases without tremendous difficutly [in case anyone else is reading this and needs encouragement to buy one!]).

Thanks very much for listening!
posted by Corduroy at 6:20 PM on May 15, 2011


This is better than the original. 'nuff said.
posted by MajorDundee at 11:58 AM on May 18, 2011


I don't like to swear, but that was awesome.
posted by jnrussell at 9:53 PM on May 18, 2011


Ah, this sounds great. It's whimsical and morose at the same time.

What is that percussion? It sounds like a 60-foot slinky going down a monastery stairwell.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:40 AM on May 19, 2011 [1 favorite]


Thanks everyone, again, for listening. Comments make my day. Karlos, the percussion is just me hissing loudly into the microphone with everything turned up. Listening again, I'm actually amazed at how metallic it sounds, like a crazy cymbal. Will have to do that again.
posted by Corduroy at 10:36 PM on May 19, 2011


the percussion is just me hissing loudly into the microphone with everything turned up.

Wow, I never would have guessed that in a hundred years.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 12:34 AM on May 20, 2011


I love this, man! Fantastic.
posted by MonsieurBon at 3:34 PM on June 13, 2011


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