Showbiz is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released in the United Kingdom on 4 October 1999 through Mushroom Records.[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".
[edit] Critical reception and legacy
Upon its release, many critics were quick to dismiss the album as promising yet derivative of other alternative rock bands of the 90s, with many critics drawing comparisons to Radiohead, some even pointing out that this album is produced by John Leckie, who also worked on said band's The Bends album. Brent DiCrescenzo of Pitchfork Media said in his review of the album that "Muse expertly boil down Radiohead into punkish radio nuggets.", but went on to question that "despite this promise, where can they go from here?", which resulted in a rating of 6.7 of a possible 10.[7] In a similar review, NME said that "'Showbiz' is not as clever as they think it is ... 'Unintended' and the title track are overwrought, prone to excruciatingly bad pseudo poetry", which ended in a 6 out of 10 score from the publication.[6] On the other hand, a more positive view came from Andrew Hartwig of Sputnik Music, who called Showbiz "an excellent record" and awarded it 4 out of 5.[4]
The album seems to have drawn something of a following since its release however, as in 2009 the album was placed in the top 20 British albums of the last 20 years by the UK edition of MSN. As well as this, several songs from the album appear to have had lasting appeal among fans, such as the title track, which was one of the band's most requested songs during The Resistance Tour in 2010, when the band staged a fan vote for songs to be played during that tour's stadium leg.[9] The song was not played; however, Unintended and Cave were played several times throughout the tour, with Sunburn being introduced during later performances of the tour.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written and composed by Matthew Bellamy.
| 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 |
| 10. |
"Spiral Static" |
4:44 |
| 11. |
"Escape" |
3:31 |
| 12. |
"Overdue" |
2:26 |
| 13. |
"Hate This and I'll Love You" |
4:57 |
| 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 |
[edit] Charts and certifications
[edit] 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 |
[edit] Personnel
- Muse
- Matthew Bellamy – vocals; lead and rhythm guitars; piano; Hammond organ on "Falling Down", "Unintended" and "Escape"; mellotron on "Muscle Museum" and "Unintended", Wurlitzer electric piano on "Fillip" and "Hate This & I'll Love You"; synthesizers on "Cave", guitar synthesizer on "Sober"; harmonium on "Escape"; string arrangements on "Showbiz"; production and mixing on "Muscle Museum", "Unintended", "Uno" and "Sober"; artwork
- Christopher Wolstenholme – bass; backing vocals; double bass on "Falling Down" and "Unintended"; production and mixing on "Muscle Museum", "Unintended", "Uno" and "Sober"
- Dominic Howard – drums; percussion on "Showbiz", "Uno" and "Hate This & I'll Love You"; synthesizer on "Muscle Museum"; production and mixing on "Muscle Museum", "Unintended", "Uno" and "Sober"
|
- 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
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
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