Origin of Symmetry

Origin of Symmetry was described as alternative rock, progressive rock, space rock and hard rock. Muse developed it during their tour for their debut album, Showbiz. "Feeling Good", a cover, was written for Broadway by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse in 1964, and first recorded by Nina Simone for her 1965 album I Put a Spell on You. Whereas the Showbiz lyrics had "wallowed in heartbroken angst", Matt Bellamy's lyrics moved to "sci-fi surrealism". ==Recording==

After completing the Showbiz tour, Muse recorded "Plug In Baby", "Bliss", "New Born" and "Darkshines" with the producer David Bottrill, forming the "backbone" of Origin of Symmetry. To capture their live energy, Muse recorded together as a band, with some overdubs. After Bottrill departed to work on the Tool album Lateralus, Muse enlisted John Leckie, who had produced Showbiz. They recorded in Sawmills in Fowey, Cornwall; Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey; Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire; and David Gilmour's Astoria houseboat studio on the Thames. While they were working in Real World Studios, they went to a church in Bath to record a church organ for "Megalomania". Having mainly recorded Showbiz with a Gibson Les Paul guitar, Bellamy recorded Origin of Symmetry using a custom Manson guitar equipped with a built-in Fuzz Factory, a fuzz distortion effect. It was the first of many collaborations between Bellamy and Manson. ==Release==

Origin of Symmetry was released on 18 June 2001. ==Critical reception==

Origin of Symmetry received mainly positive reviews. Roy Wilkinson of Q praised it as an "astonishing record... where extra-terrestrial fascinations meet the classical world's more unhinged impulses", adding that "comparisons with Radiohead that dogged Muse's early career now seem all but obsolete". while Kerrang! named it the ninth-best. The Guardians Betty Clarke panned Origin of Symmetry as "unbelievably overblown, self-important and horrible". The Stylus critic Tyler Martin felt that Muse were "very good at their craft", but that "the constant overplaying of everything waters it all down immensely". == Legacy ==

In 2006, Q named Origin of Symmetry the 74th-greatest album. In 2008, Q readers voted it the 28th-best British album. Kerrang! named it the 20th-best British rock album and the 13th-best album of the 21st century. For its 10th anniversary, Muse performed Origin of Symmetry in its entirety at the Reading and Leeds Festivals on 26 August and 28 August 2011. In a retrospective review, Natalie Shaw of BBC Music wrote that Origin of Symmetry "shows a band with the drive and unfettered ambition to create a standalone marvel which not only awakens the ghosts and clichés from prog's pompous past, but entirely adds its own voice". She said many elements of later Muse albums, such as Black Holes and Revelations (2006), could be traced back to the album. The author Amy Britton argued that Origin of Symmetry made Bellamy "this generation's guitar hero", highlighting "Plug In Baby" and "New Born". In a 2021 review, the Pitchfork critic Jazz Monroe wrote: "Muse were playing melodrama as teenage realism, an extremely, ridiculously honest noise ... By combining goth vulnerability with sci-fi scale and hard-rock drama, [Origin of Symmetry] captures a paradox of young romance: on one hand, Bellamy sounds wracked with despair, but he proclaims his heartbreak with the glee of an ecstatic preacher." On 18 June 2021, the album's 20th anniversary, Muse released a remixed and remastered version, Origin of Symmetry: XX Anniversary RemiXX. A collaboration with the producer Rich Costey, who worked on several later Muse albums, it features a "more open, dynamic and less crushed sound". The new mixes also restore elements that were originally muted or obscured, such as string sections on "Space Dementia", "Citizen Erased" and "Megalomania", and a harpsichord on "Micro Cuts". The album features new cover artwork by Sujin Kim. Monroe described the reissue as "definitive ... even more colossal and timeless". ==Track listing==

Personnel adapted from Origin of Symmetry liner notes. Muse • Matthew Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards; string arrangement, production, mixing • Chris Wolstenholme – basses, backing vocals, vibraphone; production, mixing • Dominic Howard – drums, percussion; production, mixing Guest musicians • Jacqueline Norrie – violin • Sara Herbert – violin • Clare Finnimore – viola • Caroline Lavelle – cello Artwork • Blue Source – art direction • William Eagar – cover image • Darrell Gibbs – artwork • Austin – artwork • Leo Marcantonio – artwork • Tomi Oladipo – artwork • Butch Gordon – artwork • Tim Berry – artwork • Adam Cruickshank – artwork • Marilyn Petridean – artwork • Simon Earith – artwork • David Foldvari – artwork Technical personnel • David Bottrill – production and engineering (tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9) • John Leckie – production and engineering (tracks 3, 4, 6–8, 10 and 11) • Ric Peet – engineering (tracks 3, 4, 6–8, 10 and 11) • Steve Cooper – additional engineering (tracks 1, 2, 5 and 9) • Chris Brown – additional engineering and programming (tracks 3, 4, 6–8, 10 and 11) • Mark Thomas – assistant engineering (tracks 2, 4, 5 and 7) • Claire Lewis – assistant engineering (tracks 3, 4, 6–8, 10 and 11) • Damon Iddins – assistant engineering • Mirek Styles – assistant engineering • John Cornfield – mixing • Ray Staff – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==

Notes References ==External links==