Description

Equally influenced by the artier rock of the 1990s (Radiohead, Jeff Buckley) and the '70s (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), Muse emerged as one of the more grandiose progenitors of latter-day Britpop. Their 1999 debut album SHOWBIZ, produced by John Leckie (who worked with both Floyd and Radiohead), made them stars, and subsequent releases proved the British trio's staying power.

Biography

This UK rock trio, not to be confused with the Florida-based US band of the same name, grew up in the sleepy small-town backwater of Teignmouth, Devon. School friends Matthew Bellamy (guitar/vocals), Chris Wolstenhome (bass) and Dominic Howard (drums) first formed a band as teenagers, struggling on the local pub circuit as Gothic Plague, Fixed Penalty and Rocket Baby Dolls. They eventually settled on Muse, a name far more in sync with a rapidly developing style clearly influenced by Radiohead and Nirvana. A well-received appearance at 1998's In The City showcase failed to land the trio a record deal. Two independent releases on Dangerous Records, the four-track Muse (May 1998) and six-track Muscle Museum (January 1999), garnered strong praise for the band's grandiose art rock. In the meantime, an appearance at CMJ in New York led to a high profile deal with Madonna's Maverick Records. Shortly afterwards, the band were snapped up by Mushroom Records in the UK. A strong set at 1999's Glastonbury Festival failed to push their debut single "Uno" higher than number 73 in the UK charts, but the band were consoled by positive reviews for their John Leckie-produced debut, Showbiz. The explosive atmosphere of tracks such as "Sunburn", "Cave" and "Sober" stood out on a record that failed to rise above the sum of its influences. The follow-up, Origin Of Symmetry, was an equally bombastic but far superior collection.
DISCOGRAPHY: Showbiz (Mushroom/Maverick 1999)***, Origin Of Symmetry (Mushroom 2001)***, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (Mushroom 2002)**, Absolution (Taste Media/EastWest 2003)***.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Hullabaloo: Live At Le Zenith, Paris (Mushroom 2002).
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Muse: Inside The Muscle Museum, Ben Myers.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 2004