Track Listing

1. Sunburn
2. Muscle Museum
3. Filip
4. Cave
5. Showbiz
6. Unintended
7. Uno
8. Sober
9. Escape
10. Overdue
11. Hate This And I'll Love You

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25088 in Music
• Published on: 2000-02-28
• Released on: 2006-11-06
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's practically impossible to mention Muse without also bringing up Radiohead. Listening to Muse's debut, it's easy to see why. Showbiz was produced by John Leckie, the producer of The Bends, and features the frightfully Yorke-esque choiral falsetto of front-man Matthew Bellamy, running the whole emotional gamut of unhappiness from sincere upset to outright dysfunction. New ground, it's fair to say, remains distinctly unbroken. To Muse's credit, though, they do this angst thing pretty well. "Cave" is a wonderful, terrible epic, replete with rank after rank of bludgeoning guitars, "Muscle Museum" builds up swathes of complex baroque noise, and "Escape"--well, it's a surrogate "No Surprises" with a firework finale, and should keep us ticking over until the next Radiohead album, thank you very much. See? You can't escape the comparison. But at least Showbiz wears it well.--Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

No biz like "Showbiz"
Despite the recent explosion of dancerock from the UK, Muse is perhaps the most powerful Britpop band to emerge in years. If you want comparisons, they're equal parts Radiohead and Led Zeppelin, with a unique sound that is both melodic and raw. Few debuts are as intense as Muse's "Showbiz."

A steady piano melody ripples by, followed by some steady drumming. That, in turn, segues into the expansive bombastic rock'n'roll of "Sunburn." Matt Bellamy sits in the middle of the song, singing in a trembly voice, "I'll feel/A guilty conscience grow/And I'll feel/A guilty conscience grow." Then he bursts into an anguished howl: "And I'll hide from the world/Behind a broken frame/And I'll run forever/I can't face the shame..." The music crests with it, a panoramic blend of guitar, bass and piano.

And that's only the first song.

The songs that follow are just as powerful, if a bit lower-key. Muse dabbles first in some truly ominous guitar pop, followed by acoustic ballads, and an angsty lament or two. Then, about halfway through the album, things get loud again -- songs like the title track have a wall-of-sound guitar'n'bass melody. In these songs, Muse sounds eerily like a British version of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Good as their debut was, Muse wasn't at their peak with "Showbiz" -- they hadn't quite perfected the epic-guitar thing, and the production isn't at its best. But they are still a compelling listen -- the climax of "Uno" is the sonic equivalent of being hit with a tsunami. For a band that was still defining their sound, it's remarkable.

Chris Wolstenholme does an exceptional job with the driving bass, while Bellamy pulls double, triple and sometimes quadruple duty, playing everything from Hammond to piano. His roiling guitar riffs are absolutely stunning. It takes a special drummer to have an impact with all of that going on, and fortunately Dominic Howard is up to the task.

Bellamy also is the vocalist, and here he shines. Too often comparisons are made to Radiohead's frontman Thom Yorke. However, Bellamy's vocals are more versatile -- he starts off in a sort of trembly voice, sounding sad and vulnerable. Then he lets rip with anguished howls, purrs, murmurs and much more. And he does it in perfect harmony to the music.

With their epic sound and excellent musicianship, Muse have the makings of a rock'n'roll legend. "Showbiz" was their first album and it shows, but even with its flaws, it's a stunning piece of work.

One of the best debuts i have ever heard!
Although i own this album since it was first released it still leaves me stunned and wide-eyed. For it is one of the most original and most jaw-droppingly good CD Muse have made after Origin of Symmetry. Forget about these stupid Radiohead comparisons. This is good music that shouldnt be underestimated. For it is filled with an unlimited amount of beauty and anger that not even Absolution[Muse's 4th Album] has topped.Sunburn , Cave and Showbiz are songs of epic preportions but none as good as Muscle Museum witch is one of Muse's Best songs untill today.The rest of the tracks are equally good with speacial highlights the songs i have mentioned.

2 versions
ummm, some questions! Why are there 2 versions of this album on Amazon (one released in 1999 and one in 2004) and why is the song 'Falling Down' on neither of these albums and why are the different prices when they appear to be the same!