[.ca] Muse: Hullabaloo Live at Le Zenith, Paris

If you like live music and muse....:
If you're seriously considering buying this album, your main question should be "Is it worth the 30-some dollars HMV is asking?" The answer is both yes and no. Disc one is Muse's B-sides, some of which deserve to be album tracks, or in the case of Hyper Chondriac Music, singles. Besides that song, the best on here are Map of Your Head, Shrinking Universe (another potential single) and Forced In. Disc two, however, is where things get interesting. Most likely, you've heard/bought Absolution, and perhaps stolen a few mp3s of previous Muse albums(especially Origin of Symmetry). However difficult it may seem, the studio is NOT Muse's best part (although amazing). THAT, is reserved for their live show. I mean, earlier in the year, Matt (lead vocals/guitar) accidentlly hit himself in the face while playing in Canada for one of the first times. At times like Dead Star and Agitated (which open and close the album respectively) you can practically hear this man rocking out like no other. This concert was wayyyyyy before Absolution, so there is no "Time is Running Out". However, Muse do a large portion of Origin of Symmetry, with a few oldies thrown in, plus 2 new tracks (which were the singles off this album), Dead Star and In Your World. Overall, I recommend this if you're a hardcore Muse fan...but if you ARE a hardcore Muse fan, just search online and buy a DVD of this concert, and watch Muse show you why they put out a live album in the first place! and, because amazon/hmv haven't done this... DISC ONE TRACKLISTING (B-Sides) Forced In Shrinking Universe Recess Yes Please Map Of Your Head Nature_1 Shine Acoustic Ashamed The Gallery Hyper Chondriac Music DISC TWO TRACKLISTING (Live Concert) Dead Star Micro Cuts Citizen Erased Showbiz Megalomania Dark Shines Screenager Space Dementia In Your World Muscle Museum Agitated

What's the noise about?:
British band Muse broke out in the US with their third album "Absolution," and establishing them as a remarkable new rock band. They're epic, intensedark, and majestic in a proggy-Pink-Floyd-meets-Led-Zeppelin kind of way, and so it's hardly a surprise that "Hullabaloo" is a remarkably strong collection. No, it's not a new album. Rather, it's a collection of B-sides, rarities, and a 2001 live concert. Most bands don't sound too great in either case, but Muse does. The first disc is made up of their B-sides and rarities, which tend to be quite good actually. It doesn't start off promising, with the schizophrenic prog-rocker "Forced In," which would be fine if it weren't for the endlessly cycling synth that obscures everything else. But things get stronger after that, with the explosive downward spiral that is "Shrinking Universe" ("There's nothing left to die for!"), the softer poppy "Recess," and the surprisingly gentle acoustic ballad "Map Of your Head." Most of the other songs follow those examples, either being epic and bombastic or quieter and more intimate. With, of course, some eerier songs thrown in, like the rippling sweetness of "Shine Acoustic." Are they as good as Muse's proper albums, especially since a few B-sides sound like the lost soundtrack of the X-Files? Not really, but they are remarkably good, and still better than average. Which brings us to the live performance, which took place in October of 2001, in Paris's "Le Zenith." Well, to put it simply, these guys rock. It opens with a cheering crowd, right before they kick off into a tornado of bass, drums and guitar. Unlike many rock bands, these guys lose none of their power or musical richness in live performances. The inevitable flaw? Well, that would probably be Matt Bellamy -- he doesn't sound too different from in the albums, but it's sometimes hard to hear him above the drums, explosive synth and spiralling bass. However, the guys lose none of their intensity musically, and it's hard to find a single flaw in their playing. If Muse are known for their prowess in live performances, then it's easy to see why. The B-sides are a minor treasure trove, while the live album is a gem in itself, bringing their concert to life as nothing -- except a DVD -- could. A must-have for Muse fans.