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Album Review: Showbiz
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Showbiz

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  • Artist: Muse
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: September 28, 1999
  • Genre: Rock

Review

The musical touchstone for the British trio Muse is obviously Radiohead and that fact is crystal clear from the smoldering opening cut, "Sunburn." Their John Leckie-produced debut, Showbiz, is strong on angst-filled vocals, esoteric lyrics, and dramatic shifts in sonic dynamics. Hailing from rural England, singer/guitarist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer Dominic Howard average 20 years of age, so there's plenty of potential for them to grow into a sound that is more of their own. In the meantime, Bellamy does an impressive job of aping the quirky, nervous vocal tic of Thom Yorke on songs like the mid-tempo, Mellotron-driven "Muscle Museum," and he cuts loose vocally on the soaring "Cave" and on the lovely, mournful ballad "Unintended." Showbiz hints at the potential in this young band, and it should be of interest to many Radiohead fans. ~ Tom Demalon, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Sunburn Matthew Bellamy Muse (3:53)
Muscle Museum Matthew Bellamy Muse (4:22)
Fillip Matthew Bellamy Muse (4:01)
Falling Down Matthew Bellamy Muse (4:33)
Cave Matthew Bellamy Muse (4:45)
Showbiz Matthew Bellamy Muse (5:17)
Unintended Matthew Bellamy Muse (3:57)
Uno Matthew Bellamy Muse (3:38)
Sober Matthew Bellamy Muse (4:04)
Escape Matthew Bellamy Muse (3:31)
Overdue Matthew Bellamy Muse (2:26)
Hate This and I'll Love You Matthew Bellamy Muse (5:09)

Credits

Paul Reeve (Producer), Muse (Mixing), Chris Wolstenholme (?), John Leckie (Engineer), Chris Wolstenholme (Bass), Matthew Bellamy (Keyboards), Paul Reeve (Producer), Paul Reeve (Engineer), Paul Reeve (Mixing), Matthew Bellamy (Guitar), Matthew Bellamy (Artwork), John Leckie (Producer), Ralf Strathmann (Photography), Dominic Howard (Drums), Dominic Howard (?), John Leckie (Mixing), Muse (Producer), Matthew Bellamy (Vocals)
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Wikipedia: Showbiz (album)
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Showbiz
Studio album by Muse
Released 4 October 1999
(release history)
Recorded April–May 1999 at RAK Studios, London and Sawmills Studio, Cornwall
Genre Alternative rock
Length 49:36
Label Taste/Mushroom
Producer John Leckie, Paul Reeve, Muse
Professional reviews
Muse chronology
Showbiz
(1999)		 Origin of Symmetry
(2001)
Singles from Showbiz
  1. "Uno"
    Released: 14 June 1999
  2. "Cave"
    Released: 6 September 1999
  3. "Muscle Museum"
    Released: 22 November 1999
  4. "Sunburn"
    Released: 21 February 2000
  5. "Unintended"
    Released: 30 May 2000

Showbiz is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released in the United Kingdom on 4 October 1999.[1] Recorded between April and May at RAK Studios and Sawmills Studio, respectively,[2] the album was produced by John Leckie and Paul Reeve in conjunction with the band. Showbiz was a minor commercial success, reaching number 29 on the UK Albums Chart.[3]

Showbiz was released in various regions around the world through the band's different regional labels: Naïve in France; Motor in Germany, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine; Maverick in the United States; Play It Again Sam (PIAS) in Benelux; and Avex Trax in Japan.[1] The album was also released earlier by some labels; in France it was released on 6 September, the Motor edition was sold from 20 September and the album entered American stores on 28 September.[1] A bonus CD was released in Benelux, which contained the same content as the Random 1-8 extended play, without the hidden remixes of "Sunburn".

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Matthew Bellamy.

Original editions
  1. "Sunburn" – 3:54
  2. "Muscle Museum" – 4:23
  3. "Fillip" – 4:01
  4. "Falling Down" – 4:33
  5. "Cave" – 4:46
  6. "Showbiz" – 5:16
  7. "Unintended" – 3:57
  8. "Uno" – 3:37
  9. "Sober" – 4:04
  10. "Escape" – 3:31
  11. "Overdue" – 2:26
  12. "Hate This and I'll Love You" – 5:09
muse.mu mp3 edition[4]
  1. "Spiral Static" – 4:44
Japanese edition
  1. "Spiral Static" – 4:44
  2. "Escape" – 3:31
  3. "Overdue" – 2:26
  4. "Hate This and I'll Love You" – 5:09
Benelux edition bonus CD
  1. "Host" – 4:17
  2. "Coma" – 3:35
  3. "Pink Ego Box" – 3:32
  4. "Forced In" – 5:10
  5. "Agitated" – 2:23
  6. "Yes Please" – 3:05
  7. "Fillip" (live) – 3:46
  8. "Do We Need This?" (live) – 4:12

Critical reception

Upon its release, many critics were quick to dismiss the album for sounding too similar to the band Radiohead. However, in 2009, the album was placed in the top 20 albums of the last 20 years by MSN Music Editor James Hurley; describing the album as: "Despite the obvious Radiohead comparisons which even attracted criticism from Thom Yorke himself, Muse announced themselves as formidable, if not yet entirely original, talents with this album." [5]

Charts and certifications

Chart (2000) Peak
position		 Certification
UK Albums Chart[3] 29 BPI: Gold[6]
Australian Albums Chart[7] 28 ARIA: Gold[8]
Dutch Albums Chart[9] 53
French Albums Chart[10] 59
Irish Albums Chart[11] 46
Norwegian Albums Chart[12] 38

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
France 6 September 1999 Naïve CD NV 3211-1
Germany 20 September 1999 Motor CD 547 979-4
Russia
Turkey
Ukraine
United States 28 September 1999 Maverick CD 0 9362-47382-2 0
United Kingdom 4 October 1999 Taste/Mushroom CD MUSH59CD
LP MUSH59LP
CS MUSH59MC
MD MUSH59MD
Benelux 4 October 1999 PIAS CD 481.2001.20
Japan 4 October 1999 Avex Trax CD AVCM-65057

Personnel

Muse
Additional personnel
  • John Leckie – production and mixing on "Sunburn", "Fillip", "Falling Down", "Cave", "Escape", "Overdue" and "Hate This & I'll Love You"
  • Paul Reeve – production and mixing on "Muscle Museum", "Unintended", "Uno" and "Sober"; backing vocals on "Unintended", "Uno", "Overdue" and "Hate This & I'll Love You"
  • Tanya Andrew – artwork
  • Craig Gentle – design
  • Ralf Strathmann – photography
  • Frederic Gresse – photography

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Beaumont 2008, p. 81
  2. ^ Beaumont 2008, p. 61
  3. ^ a b "Chart Stats – Muse". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=137. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  4. ^ "Showbiz". Muse. http://muse.mu/shop/product/74/showbiz/menu/3/albums/. Retrieved September 13, 2009. 
  5. ^ http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/music/galleries/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=148990177&imageindex=11
  6. ^ "Platinum Awards Content". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=28989. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  7. ^ "Muse - Showbiz". australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=9709&cat=a. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  8. ^ "Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2008Albums.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-13. 
  9. ^ "Muse - Showbiz" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?key=9709&cat=a. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  10. ^ "Muse - Showbiz" (in French). lescharts.com. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?key=9709&cat=a. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  11. ^ "Discography Muse". irish-charts.com. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Muse. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  12. ^ "Muse - Showbiz". norwegiancharts.com. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?key=9709&cat=a. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 

External links

v • d • e
Muse
Matthew Bellamy · Christopher Wolstenholme · Dominic Howard
Touring members: Morgan Nicholls · Dan Newell · Alessandro Cortini
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Extended plays
Videos
Singles
Other songs
Concert tours
Showbiz Tour · Origin of Symmetry Tour · Absolution Tour · US Campus Invasion Tour 2005 · Black Holes and Revelations Tour · A Seaside Rendezvous · The Resistance Tour
Related articles

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