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Showbiz (Muse album)

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Showbiz
Studio album by
Muse
Released7 September 1999 (1999-09-07)
RecordedApril–May 1999
Studio
Genre
Length49:36
LabelTaste[a]
Producer
Muse chronology
Muscle Museum
(1999) 		Showbiz
(1999) 		Random 1–8
(2000)
Muse studio album chronology
Showbiz
(1999) 		Origin of Symmetry
(2001)
Singles from Showbiz
  1. "Uno"
    Released: 1999
  2. "Cave"
    Released: 1999
  3. "Muscle Museum"
    Released: 1999
  4. "Sunburn"
    Released: 2000
  5. "Unintended"
    Released: 2000

Showbiz is the debut studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 7 September 1999 through Taste Media.[3] It was released in various other regions around the world through the band's different regional labels such as; 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.[3]

Recorded between April and May 1999 at RAK Studios and Sawmills Studio, respectively,[4] the album was produced by John Leckie and Paul Reeve in conjunction with the band. Five singles were released from the album; "Uno", "Cave", "Muscle Museum", "Sunburn", and "Unintended."

Despite receiving generally mixed reviews from critics, Showbiz was a moderate commercial success, reaching number 29 on the UK Albums Chart.[5] As of 2018, Showbiz has sold more than 1.2 million copies worldwide.

Background and recording

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Showbiz was recorded between April 1999 and May 1999. However, the album included some older songs in Muse's repertoire, many of which can date as far back as 1996. Most of the songs on Showbiz had already been written at least by 1997. The songs featured on the album were among the "fifty or so" that Matt Bellamy had written before entering the studio. The band selected the songs which they deemed to be the more conventional and "straight-forward" to make up Showbiz. While the songs contain an eclectic and diverse sound featuring subtle classical, jazz, blues, Latin, and world music influences, they have a distinct and cohesive alternative rock aesthetic. The more experimental material was left out of the album to be included as B-sides in the single releases. A few of those songs were later featured on the compilation album Hullabaloo Soundtrack.

John Leckie, the producer of the album, started attending Muse's concerts in the latter half of 1998. Leckie was based at Sawmills recording studio, where the owner Dennis Smith had given the band free recording time the previous year, from which the Muse EP had resulted in 1998. He built up a relationship with the band during this time, coming to say that he'd "want to work with the band if ever they could afford him". Leckie had not worked with many bands for quite some time prior to doing so with Muse. The recording was finished by 15 May 1999.

Artwork

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The sleeve design was criticised by Muse biographer Ben Myers, who wrote that it was "just plain strange. Ill-advised. Tacky, even" and "recalled the sort of artwork that Eighties prog-rock revivalists like Marillion used or, worse still, the doodlings of a sci-fi obsessed A-Level art student" instead of "the work of an exciting, new, distinctly modern band."[6]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
NME6/10[8]
Pitchfork6.7/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
USA Today[11]

Showbiz drew mainly positive reviews. Several critics drew comparisons to Radiohead. Leckie, who also produced Radiohead's 1995 album The Bends, dismissed the comparisons, saying: "In the late 90s, any British band that sang passionately and played guitar was going to get compared to Radiohead."[12] He said he chose to produce Muse after Radiohead because he had "intentionally looked for something different".[12]

Neva Chonin of Rolling Stone wrote that Showbiz "matches Thom Yorke's penchant for majestic agony – screams and the word self-destruction pepper the title track – but with an edge that's quirkier and decidedly more ragged than their elders".[10] Brent DiCrescenzo of Pitchfork said in his review that "Muse expertly boil down Radiohead into punkish radio nuggets", but asked: "Despite this promise, where can they go from here?"[9] In a less favourable 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".[8] Edna Gundersen of USA Today wrote that the album "offers smart, seductive rock that's sophisticated but not stuffy, fun but not frilly", and that the songs "get a boost from the handsome voice of Matthew Bellamy, who builds tension by vocally snowballing from a hushed intensity to full-throttle wails".[13]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Matt Bellamy[14]

Showbiz – Standard edition
No.TitleLength
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
Total length:49:36

Personnel

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Personnel adapted from Showbiz CD liner notes[14]

Charts and certifications

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Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalog
France 7 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

References

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  1. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (20 May 2014). "The 50 best second albums of all time". Gigwise. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  2. ^ Raper, Dan (19 July 2006). "Muse: Black Holes & Revelations". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Beaumont 2008, p. 81
  4. ^ Beaumont 2008, p. 61
  5. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  6. ^ Ben Myers (2007). Muse: Inside the Muscle Museum. Independent Music Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0955282256.
  7. ^ Demalon, Tom. Muse: Showbiz at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Showbiz". NME. United Kingdom. 1 October 1999. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  9. ^ a b DiCrescenzo, Brent (28 September 1999). "Muse: Showbiz". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  10. ^ a b Chonin, Neva (14 October 1999). "Muse: Showbiz". Rolling Stone. New York: Straight Arrow. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  11. ^ Gundersen, Edna (26 October 1999). "Muse, Showbiz". USA Today. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  12. ^ a b Marchese, David (September 2009). "Pomp and Circumstance". Spin. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  13. ^ "Master P judges next generation; Parton picks bluegrass". USA TODAY. 26 October 1999.
  14. ^ a b Muse (1999). Showbiz (album liner notes). Taste Media.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Muse – Showbiz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Muse – Showbiz" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Muse – Showbiz" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Muse – Showbiz" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  19. ^ "Muse: Showbiz" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Muse – Showbiz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Discography Muse". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  22. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Muse – Showbiz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  23. ^ "ミューズのCDアルバムランキング、ミューズのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  24. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Muse – Showbiz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  26. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  28. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2002". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Muse – Showbiz" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Showbiz in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2002 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  30. ^ "Muse's biggest singles and albums on the Official Chart". officialcharts.com.
  31. ^ "British album certifications – Muse – Showbiz". British Phonographic Industry.

Notes

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  1. ^ Also released through Mushroom Records in the United Kingdom and Oceania, Maverick Records in the United States, PIAS Recordings in Benelux, Motor Music in Germany, Naïve Records in France, and maximum10 in Japan.

Additional reading

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