Couture Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Absolution! After hearing Hysteria and Time is Running Out on the radio a few times I decided to give Absolution a listen as a whole. I'm not sure if anything will ever quite hook me again as the clashing opening chords of Apocalypse Please did, or reel me in like the rest of the album. Along with hearing some of the best tracks on Absolution, you'll also hear their most consistent and dramatic album. The only side of Muse that isn't really represented is their experimental and electronic songs, but those hadn't been touched on yet (and you'll get plenty of it later on in Black Holes and Resistance.) While this isn't my ordering of their albums from favorite to least, I think listening to and appreciating what they've done in this order will keep everything different and fresh, and let you aquire a taste for some of their older and less digestible work: Absolution Black Holes and Revelations Origin of Symmetry The Resistance Showbiz Hullaballoo Soundtrack (circa 2002 b-side album) And don't be afraid to check out their live stuff! It's where they really shine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riveon Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Absolution Black Holes and Revelations Origin of Symmetry The Resistance Showbiz Hullaballoo Soundtrack (circa 2002 b-side album) And don't be afraid to check out their live stuff! It's where they really shine. That's actually pretty much the order I heard their albums in - (Uno, CTMEoY, Blackout, Newborn, Microcuts and Bliss) Absolution Black Holes and Revelations OOS + Showbiz Hullaballoo HAARP And the Resistance last of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moresbi Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I actually first heard them live Then HAARP but I'd say Absolution, though they're both great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I think my first album was BH&R After a few listens I decided to put a random album on my album, which happened to be Hullabaloo. I can safely say that it scared the crap out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum IV Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Absolution was my first album. Most Muse songs took a long time to really grow on me, but I loved Hysteria, TIRO and B&H the first time I heard them. Definitely a good place to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleBonilla422 Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 The song Shine is the best song in the Hullabaloo soundtrack. i like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearAndPanic Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 The song Shine is the best song in the Hullabaloo soundtrack. i like it. Don't thing I'd ever recommend Hullabaloo as an album for new / potential fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokamak Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I was absolutely thrilled when I bought Absolution during a school trip in Prague. I had no taste in music whatsoever. Absolution opened up the world of alternative and progressive rock to me (in the Netherlands it's used to be far more obscure than in the UK). That was an incredibly blissful time for me. Finally music made with creativity, talent and passion. Then moving on to Showbiz and Origin of Symmetry was amazing as well, but it never rivalled Absolution. Too bad Muse never continued this trend though. BH&R and Resistance are sell-outs. Good for them and making more accessible music, but that passion is gone and they know it. Muse is now the André Rieu of rock music. Oh well, bands like Porcupine Tree and Amplifier and many obscure bands like Gazpacho picked up where Muse left off. This song is similar to what I imagined the fourth album to be. It's easy to imagine Matt's voice doing the vocals. Granted, I didn't expect them to pick up a violin, but it does have the same symphonic quality Absolution has. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB1lhHJhVaE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawakangaroo Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I think my first album was BH&R After a few listens I decided to put a random album on my album, which happened to be Hullabaloo. I can safely say that it scared the crap out of me. Huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Huh? On my IPOD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riveon Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 On my IPOD. Took me several re-reads to work it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFan9876 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 On my IPOD. But I agree with Hullabaloo scaring the crap out of someone who doesn't know Muse, Showbiz of creeped me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emperorhand Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I'm not sure if anything will ever quite hook me again as the clashing opening chords of Apocalypse Please did, or reel me in like the rest of the album. Along with hearing some of the best tracks on Absolution, you'll also hear their most consistent and dramatic album. +1 Absolution was the album that brought me into Muse. I'd heard the singles from Origin of Symmetry and quite liked them, but it was one of those "Oh, I'll further check out the band when I have some time" moments. Then one day I heard Stockholm Syndrome on the internet before the album was released, and it was pure awe. I imported a copy of the album from the UK that fall and played the hell out of it over the next year. It was like nothing I'd heard before -- the combination of baroque and metal influences, having a technical piano solo in the middle of an epic guitar song, the bass opening to Hysteria...oh my god. I was hooked. That three-piece band put out so much noise it was unbelievable. Somewhere I read a review of Absolution that said "This is what you'll listen to as the world ends" and I think that's a fair summary. I've never found it difficult to listen to all of the way through; it has almost a perfect balance cohesion (Thoughts of a Dying Atheist the notable exception) and ends on a sublime note with Ruled by Secrecy. None of Muse's other albums have the same intensity or emotion that Absolution does, and it will always remain my favorite for that reason. Muse has since occasionally hearkened back to that era (Hoodoo springs to mind) but Absolution stands tall as their masterpiece. It's the album I always suggest first to new listeners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LyraSilvertongue Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 +1 Absolution was the album that brought me into Muse. I'd heard the singles from Origin of Symmetry and quite liked them, but it was one of those "Oh, I'll further check out the band when I have some time" moments. Then one day I heard Stockholm Syndrome on the internet before the album was released, and it was pure awe. I imported a copy of the album from the UK that fall and played the hell out of it over the next year. It was like nothing I'd heard before -- the combination of baroque and metal influences, having a technical piano solo in the middle of an epic guitar song, the bass opening to Hysteria...oh my god. I was hooked. That three-piece band put out so much noise it was unbelievable. Somewhere I read a review of Absolution that said "This is what you'll listen to as the world ends" and I think that's a fair summary. I've never found it difficult to listen to all of the way through; it has almost a perfect balance cohesion (Thoughts of a Dying Atheist the notable exception) and ends on a sublime note with Ruled by Secrecy. None of Muse's other albums have the same intensity or emotion that Absolution does, and it will always remain my favorite for that reason. Muse has since occasionally hearkened back to that era (Hoodoo springs to mind) but Absolution stands tall as their masterpiece. It's the album I always suggest first to new listeners. I agree with all of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFan9876 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I agree with all of this. +3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haze015 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 having a technical piano solo in the middle of an epic guitar song This never happens at any point in Absolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod Chizzlebrox Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 This never happens at any point in Absolution. They're probably thinking of Butterflies And Hurricanes with that...although it's only the live and single version that has guitar, if I remember... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawakangaroo Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 +1 Absolution was the album that brought me into Muse. I'd heard the singles from Origin of Symmetry and quite liked them, but it was one of those "Oh, I'll further check out the band when I have some time" moments. Then one day I heard Stockholm Syndrome on the internet before the album was released, and it was pure awe. I imported a copy of the album from the UK that fall and played the hell out of it over the next year. It was like nothing I'd heard before -- the combination of baroque and metal influences, having a technical piano solo in the middle of an epic guitar song, the bass opening to Hysteria...oh my god. I was hooked. That three-piece band put out so much noise it was unbelievable. Somewhere I read a review of Absolution that said "This is what you'll listen to as the world ends" and I think that's a fair summary. I've never found it difficult to listen to all of the way through; it has almost a perfect balance cohesion (Thoughts of a Dying Atheist the notable exception) and ends on a sublime note with Ruled by Secrecy. None of Muse's other albums have the same intensity or emotion that Absolution does, and it will always remain my favorite for that reason. Muse has since occasionally hearkened back to that era (Hoodoo springs to mind) but Absolution stands tall as their masterpiece. It's the album I always suggest first to new listeners. To each his own, I guess. Absolution didn't blow me away at all the first time I heard it. Took a while for me to appreciate it. And I still don't appreciate it as much as most people, though I like some songs on it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mizutsu Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Absolution. I literally heard Hysteria and Time is Running Out and got COMPLETELY addicted. Stockholm Syndrome got me obsessed. All of the songs on there are just so Muse and so beautiful. From start to finish, there isn't one track that I doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinSM Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Of any, I'd say either BH&R or The Resistance; there's so much variation on them there's bound to be something a new listener will like, whatever they're into. Of these two, Absolution is probably better for newcomers, it's more 'straightforward' and less weird and dark compared to OoS. I know personally Absolution did it for me. I heard the two most recent albums first and liked them, then when I head Absolution it changed everything and it's probably responsible for me liking them as much as I do. The newest albums draw them in, Absolution and OoS get them hooked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachdude42 Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Absolution is a little more accessible, I think. And it's brilliant, so I'd go for this one first. Then OOS. But they've changed a lot since then - just saying... I realize that they've changed a lot. I like all of their stuff, and I love how much variety their music has, but I think I prefer their older, more progressive stuff.I might actually like OoS better, but based on most people's advice, I'll try Absolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachdude42 Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Thanks so much to everyone for their opinions. Sorry I took so long to thank everyone for their help. Based on most people's advice, I think I'll start w/ Absolution, but I doubt I'll stop there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachdude42 Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 +1 Absolution was the album that brought me into Muse. I'd heard the singles from Origin of Symmetry and quite liked them, but it was one of those "Oh, I'll further check out the band when I have some time" moments. Then one day I heard Stockholm Syndrome on the internet before the album was released, and it was pure awe. I imported a copy of the album from the UK that fall and played the hell out of it over the next year. It was like nothing I'd heard before -- the combination of baroque and metal influences, having a technical piano solo in the middle of an epic guitar song, the bass opening to Hysteria...oh my god. I was hooked. That three-piece band put out so much noise it was unbelievable. Somewhere I read a review of Absolution that said "This is what you'll listen to as the world ends" and I think that's a fair summary. I've never found it difficult to listen to all of the way through; it has almost a perfect balance cohesion (Thoughts of a Dying Atheist the notable exception) and ends on a sublime note with Ruled by Secrecy. None of Muse's other albums have the same intensity or emotion that Absolution does, and it will always remain my favorite for that reason. Muse has since occasionally hearkened back to that era (Hoodoo springs to mind) but Absolution stands tall as their masterpiece. It's the album I always suggest first to new listeners. This review and the one before it are so passionate that I can't help but check out the rest of the album. Thanks once again to everyone for their passionate opinions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Soul Corrupted Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 When I play Muse for people that haven't heard them before, I always choose Black Holes And Revelations. To me, it's the easiest album to get people sucked in. So far, I've never had someone not be interested in the group after hearing it. A girl I worked with listen to nothing but Hip-Hop and when I played her "Super Massive Black Hole", she was really into it. At first she misunderstood me and thought I said the title was "Supermassive Black Hoe" . After hearing the correct title and rest of the album, she had me play the songs everyday before we started working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattcooper Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 the thing about OoS is it has songs like Space Dementia and Micro Cuts which you will only appreciate once you're hooked. Micro Cuts is a no no for a non-muse listener Funnily enough those were the two songs that got me hooked, especially Micro Cuts But I see what you mean - My brother heard Micro Cuts and just dismissed Muse instantly "but you can't even understand what he's saying" etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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