Muse have announced details of a deluxe box set reissue of their seminal 2003 album ‘Absolution’, to celebrate the record’s 20th anniversary.
Released 20 years ago today (September 15), the Devonshire rock trio’s third LP saw them land their first Number One album with the record that spawned the hit singles ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, ‘Time Is Running Out’ and ‘Hysteria’, alongside the fan favourite title track and ‘Butterflies And Hurricanes’.
With a more polished and direct sound and apocalypse-based concept, the Rich-Costey produced record also saw the band graduate to arena-level, and later headline Glastonbury for the first time in 2004.
Now, following on from the NME Award-winning ‘Origin Of Muse’ vinyl box set – which celebrated the era for their first two albums – and the remixed 20th anniversary reissue of 2001’s ‘Origin Of Symmetry‘, the band have now announced that the ‘Muse Absolution XX Anniversary’ deluxe box set will arrive on November 17, and is available to pre-order here.
The collection features remastered audio, never-before-released live versions, demos, photos and “an in-depth interview with the band where they discuss the ups and downs of the recording process as well as the social environment they found themselves in which influenced the album’s themes”, as well as an interview with producer Rich Costey.
The deluxe box set will be housed in a silver foiled slipcase and includes a four-page casebound book with de-bossed cover detailing, with the remastered ‘Absolution’ album on one CD and two 12” silver vinyl discs, while the bonus audio is featured on a second CD and a third clear 12” vinyl.
See the box set below.
The ‘Muse Absolution XX Anniversary’ tracklist is:
CD1 / LP1 & ‘Absolution’ Remastered:
Side A
1. ‘Intro’
2. ‘Apocalypse Please’
3. ‘Time Is Running Out’
4. ‘Sing For Absolution’
Side B
5. ‘Stockholm Syndrome’
6. ‘Falling Away With You’
7. ‘Interlude’
8. ‘Hysteria’
Side C
9. ‘Blackout’
10. ‘Butterflies & Hurricanes’
11. ‘The Small Print’
Side D
12. ‘Fury’
13. ‘Endlessly’
14. ‘Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist’
15. ‘Ruled By Secrecy’
CD2 / LP3: Bonus tracks:
Side A
1. ‘Apocalypse Please’ (vocals and keyboard only)
2. ‘Time Is Running Out’ (recorded live at The Wiltern Theater, 2004)
3. ‘Sing For Absolution’ (recorded live at The Antic Arena, Vienna, 2004)
4. ‘Falling Away With You’ (demo, 2002)
5. ‘Hysteria’ (demo, 2002)
6. ‘Hysteria’ (recorded live at Earl’s Court, 2004)
Side B
7. ‘Blackout’ (recorded live at The Antic Arena, Vienna, 2004)
8. ‘Butterflies & Hurricanes’ (vocal, keyboard and strings only)
9. ‘Endlessly’ (recorded live at The Columbiahalle, Berlin, 2003)
10. ‘Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist’ (recorded live at The Wiltern Theater, 2004)
11. ‘Ruled By Secrecy’ (vocals and keyboard only)
In 9/10 review back in 2003, NME‘s Dan Martin wrote: “Muse have widened the goalposts and re-established what rock is allowed to stand for. Next to ‘Absolution’, even something as majestic as [The White Stripes’] ‘Elephant’ sounds so painfully small. Which, of course, means that there’ll already be an army of dead-eyes queuing up to destroy it as pomp or prog or metal or bluster. But that’s its beauty.
“Like ‘Ulysses’ or ‘The Matrix Reloaded’, ‘Absolution’ makes as much sense as you decide it’s going to.”
While still touring in support of 2022’s ‘The Will Of The People‘, Muse return to the UK for a run of the below UK and Ireland dates later this month. Visit here for tickets and more information.
SEPTEMBER
27 – Dublin, 3Arena
29 – Manchester, AO Arena
OCTOBER
1 – London, The O2
2 – London, The O2
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