Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by the English rock band Muse, released on 18 June 2001 through Taste Media. It was produced by John Leckie, who produced Muse's debut album, Showbiz (1999), and David Bottrill.

Origin of Symmetry reached number three on the UK Albums Chart[1] and was certified platinum.[2] Four singles were released: "Plug In Baby", "New Born", "Bliss", and "Hyper Music" / "Feeling Good". As of 2018, Origin of Symmetry had sold more than two million copies worldwide. It received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising its blend of rock and classical music. It has since been named one of the greatest rock albums of the 2000s by several publications.

For the album's 20th anniversary in 2021, Muse released a remixed and remastered version, Origin of Symmetry: XX Anniversary RemiXX.

Writing

Origin of Symmetry has been described as alternative rock,[3] progressive rock,[4] hard rock,[5] and space rock.[6] 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.[7]

The album title derives from the 1994 book Hyperspace by the theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, which suggests the title The Origin of Symmetry for a future book about the discovery of supersymmetry, a reference to On the Origin of Species. According to the Muse songwriter, Matt Bellamy: "Everyone's been writing about the origin of life so now they'll start looking at the origin of symmetry; there's a certain amount of stability in the universe and to find out where it originates from would be to find out if God exists."[8] Whereas the Showbiz lyrics had "wallowed in heartbroken angst", Bellamy's lyrics moved to "sci-fi surrealism".[9]

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.[9]

After Bottrill departed to work on the Tool album Lateralus, Muse enlisted John Leckie, who had produced Showbiz.[9] 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.[9] While they were working in Real World Studios, they went to a church in Bath to record a church organ for "Megalomania".[9]

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.[9] It was the first of many collaborations between Bellamy and Manson.[9]

Release

Origin of Symmetry was released on 18 June 2001.[10] It was originally scheduled for release in the United States through Maverick Records, which had also released Showbiz. However, Muse left Maverick when they demanded Bellamy rerecord the album with less falsetto, and it was not released in the US until 2005.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic

Muse ¦ Will Of The People

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