''Muse'' is the self-titled debut EP by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

. Recorded in 1997 at

Sawmills Studios Sawmills Studios, founded in 1974 by record producer Tony Cox, is a recording studio near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall. The studio building is located on its own tidal creek on the banks of the Fowey. Sawmills was one o ...

with producer Paul Reeve, it was released on 11 May 1998 by Dangerous Records, limited to 999 hand-numbered copies. The EP features four tracks, all of which were released again later – "Coma" was featured as the B-side to the band's second single "

Cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

", while the other three were re-recorded for the group's debut full-length album '' Showbiz''.

Recording and production

The self-titled debut EP by Muse was recorded over a period of five days "in the autumn of 1997" at

Golant Golant ( kw, Golnans) is a village in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is on the west bank of the River Fowey and in the civil parish of St Sampson. Golant is about two miles (3 km) north of Fowey and seven miles (11 km) east of ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...

, with studio owner and Dangerous Records founder Dennis Smith agreeing to fund and arrange the sessions in return for payment if the band were later signed as a result of the release. Paul Reeve was tasked by Smith with leading production of the EP, partly due to the fact that senior engineer

John Cornfield John Richard Cornfield (born 10 December 1958 in Epsom, Surrey) is a British record producer and sound engineer. He has been working from Sawmills Studios in Cornwall since 1982. Discography As sound engineer or sound assistant *The Dukes of S ...

was currently working with

Supergrass Supergrass are an English rock band formed in 1993 in Oxford. For the majority of the band's tenure, the line-up consisted of brothers Gaz (lead vocals, guitar) and Rob Coombes (keyboards), Mick Quinn (bass, backing vocals) and Danny Goffey ...

, and partly because Reeve and Muse frontman

Matt Bellamy Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his ecce ...

had "similar singing styles". The band recorded a total of ten songs during the sessions, later settling on "Overdue", "

", "Coma" and "Escape" for inclusion on the EP. "Cave" and "Coma" were also mixed by Reeve, while Cornfield mixed "Overdue" and "Escape".

Promotion and release

''Muse'' was released on Dennis Smith's own independent record label Dangerous Records on 11 May 1998. The retail version was limited to 999 hand-numbered copies, while an additional 251 non-numbered promotional copies were produced for distribution to media contacts. Smith commented about the release that "I wasn't interested in making money selling records. That release was a pure statement of intent to the music industry, a way of raising use'sprofile". It was sold in a number of local independent record shops in Devon (such as KMA in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

and Solo in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

), as well as made available by

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing ...

. The EP's artwork was created by the band's drummer

Dominic Howard Dominic James Howard (born 7 December 1977) is an English musician who is the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Muse. Early life Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with ...

, who arranged three photocopied sections of his face into a "wonky visage". For promotional purposes, another copy of the EP was pressed with the title ''Sawmills Promo'', featuring the same track listing (except for "Escape", which featured its original title of "Escape Your Meaningless").

Reception and legacy

According to journalist Mark Beaumont, the ''Muse'' EP "sold slowly at first, creeping out of shops as word gradually spread" of the band; ''Muse: Inside the Muscle Museum'' author

Ben Myers Benjamin Myers (born January 1976) is an English writer and journalist. Early life Myers grew up in Belmont, County Durham, and was a pupil at the estate's local comprehensive school where he become interested in reading and skateboarding. My ...

commented that it was met with "relative indifference". Writing in ''Out of This World: The Story of Muse'', Beaumont claimed that "While the vitality and verve of 'The Muse EP' was enough to win over the casual listener, in retrospect it sounds like a band awkwardly finding their way around the recording studio and its techniques". Beaumont also criticised Bellamy's lyrical content on the release, describing "Overdue" as "crude" and "Escape" as "rambling". Upon the EP's release,

's ''tdb'' magazine reported that the songs on ''Muse'' were "nothing short of awesome and unlike anything you've ever heard from a Westcountry band".

Track listing

Personnel

Muse *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Chris Wolstenholme Christopher Tony Wolstenholme (born 2 December 1978) is an English musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist for the rock band Muse. Early life Chris Wolstenholme grew up in the English town of Rotherham before moving to Teignmouth, D ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

, production *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

, production,

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

Additional personnel *Paul Reeve – production,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing (tracks 2 and 3) *

– mixing (tracks 1 and 4) *Chris Davison –

photography Photography is the visual art, art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It i ...

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

''Muse''
on the band's official website * {{Authority control 1998 debut EPs Muse (band) albums