Well, my copy of the new Muse album arrived today. I didn't think they could better Origin Of Symmetry. I was very very wrong. Buy it now. Now.

Now.

Maybe 'Download It Now' for me :D :lol:

The whole album? Blimey! Maybe suggest a couple of songs for me to download and if I like them (IF.... hahahaha!) then it'll be the first thing I buy when I have money to buy it with. :rolleyes:

sweet g 24 what are you thinking? britney spears told me it's the same as taking the cd from the shop!

(hahaha. not quite, britney dear.)

Nah, its not possible cos taking the CD from the shop will trigger the alarm plus prosecution!

But if you get away with it you get the inlay card & cover etc :D

Enough people obviously did it by 'conventional' means, because it's number one in the album charts...

I'm just gutted that The Darkness don't have the number one single. I mean, number 2 is an achievement, but this really HAD to be number one, and that song by Black Eyed Peas (which I must admit, I haven't even heard) is still there. Hmmph.

Well for a band/label chart positions are important especially if you sell out like Muse who are....................Hope Not.

I ignore it, cos it means bugger all. Its more about what does my music say to you etc not how high I can chart on Sundays at 7pm

Fair point. My record collection is definitely not based on what passes for chart success (we're all Silver Sun fans, aren't we?) But it does make some people sit up and take notice at least, where they might otherwise have been ignorant of what else goes on...

Don't think it's fair to call Muse sell-outs, though. Listen to 'Absolution' and tell me if you think anyone other than Matt Bellamy is calling the shots.

Muse have sold out cos there last UK tour in Nov 2001 concluded in London Docklands Arena thats a horrible shite venue with a capacity of 12,000

Now nearly 2 years on, Muse on are playing in Arenas & getting involved in commercial events etc

So long as the music is good I can't say it matters where they play or what they get involved in.

When it comes down to it, it's about making a living - if they can make more money at bigger arenas then they're bound to play them, I wouldn't say that makes them sell outs.

It's not like they've turned into a pop act and are miming cover versions of Unchained Melody on TOTP.

Um... surely playing in venues that are too small for demand puts people into the hands of touts?

Last time I saw them at Newport Centre, which I think carries about 2500, and it sold out way in advance. This time, anyone who wants a ticket can easily get one.

As for 'commercial events', what are you referring to? Festivals? Can't be adverts - Muse showed their principled side over that whole Nestle debacle.

PS. Anyone who doesn't know what I mean by the 'Nestle debacle' should take a look at www.babymilkaction.org for the politics and do a search on www.drownedinsound.com for where Muse fitted into all of this.

The thing is you gain new support & loose support on each LP.

Now I've yet to hear the LP, but when bands start playing 'Arenas' the whole image changes.

A good example is 'Foo Fighters' last year, there were huge up roars when the Arenas were announced & Grohl even isssued a statement about it.

Muse are on the fringes of loosing their panache tis all & I hate that.

I've been to a lot of gigs I know the way it goes etc

I've been to hundreds of gigs for years, and it's not size that matters, it's what you do with it in my opinion.

Basically, Muse always put on the biggest show they can. If there's one band I want to see in an arena, it's them. It might be different with some bands. Stereophonics, for instance, made a good album, then got progressively more boring, and all that larger venues meant was that they were further away from you.

I can't imagine seeing a band like U2 in anything other than a stadium - sometimes they get to the stage where the show is just too big for anything smaller.

Idle has a good point.

Also you must remember arists/bands play huge arenas to ease off playing a smaller venue 2/3 nites. Now also prices are raised. They can afford it?

I payed £13 to see Foo Fighters in ealry 1999, now its £20

Now at the end of the I don't call the shots, but you know how I feel.

The Phonics have been shite since 1999 when they sold out with an average 2nd LP. They are as dull as my X Girl Friends.

Give me my loan back... :D

You pay more to see the Foo Fighters now because lots more people want only a few more tickets- that's just economics. If they were still £13, they'd all be sold on the first day of release and you'd either go without or pay a tout £80 on the door.

The smaller venues are busy- they can't just have a big band play all week at the expense of exposure for smaller bands (like Silver Sun) who can't fill a bigger venue yet. Being better known leads to playing bigger venues- it's the only way the industry works.

And the Phonics got worse as time went on not because they were "selling out" but because their original songs were about a lifestyle that they couldn't lead anymore because everyone knew who they were.

It sucks, but some bands are just killed off by their own success.

Damn right. Sacking their only interesting member hasn't helped either.

i agree with the point about stereos. started high and dropped massivley since. but muse? rock opera would be crap on a small stage. ive seen them in cambridge with about 300 other people, then i saw them on a huge stage at leeds and the music was just asgood. now little matty bellamy looked a little lost on the big stage, but with the big sound they've got they blew everyone away. i actually prefered it on the larger stage cos there was a lot more presence.

and besides, the music is what you make of it. if u go to a gig thinking this will be crap, its a big stage blah blah blah, then it will be crap, why go. i went to see green day on one of their arena tours and it was good (there were no 12 year olds). the sound was good the atmosphere was good and i really wanted to see them so it made it an awesome night. so what if i saw them with 4000 others instead of 400.

chill guys, just wait for the intimacy of camden barfly, oh yeah.

alex

I agree - I think Muse are capable of doing it both ways, but if any band are suited to big arenas, it's them. I saw them headlining V2001 and they ruled on the big stage. Equally, I saw them at Bristol's Fleece and Firkin (capacity: 275) early on and it was one of the best shows I had ever seen. The bloke who does the sound there says that it was his favourite show in 15 years of doing it. A few months before that, I saw them do an instore acoustic set at HMV in Bristol (which is tiny) to about 20 people. I got 'Showbiz' signed. Matt seemed extremely shy, in fact you could almost have said he looked scared. I remember the exchange:

Me: 'Cracking album.'
Matt: 'What?' (barely audible)
Me: 'I said it's a cracking album.'
Matt: 'Oh, thanks.' (only slightly more audible)

As those are probably the only words we'll ever exchange, I thought I'd share that with you. He wrote his signature with about 10 squiggles underneath - the way you do at school when you're practising your autograph!

I've gone slightly off topic now but never mind.

I got the Muse LP last week, so far it sounds like Muse, though Matts voice don't change too much?

Mind you look at Liams whining from Oasis?

don't get me started on liam...though noels ok (see Britpop Documentary? thread)

alex

Noel is a good N!

yeah he seemed with it. but liam.......

i'm not gonna go there, i'm really not. not at this time in the morning (yes occasionally i do make it to 9am lectures!)

alex