Thanks to everybody who managed to give this a listen: it's a long album and thanks also for getting your votes in early.
8 hardy souls managed to rise to the challenge of listening to a piano-fest, giving Bruce Hornsby's
Spirit Trail an average of
6.56. Just behind
Purple Rain in the table, so he's in good company.
Next up is
@GornikDaze, so whenever you are ready, sir.
Cheers Rob - enjoy your break!
Firstly, apologies to those who enjoy the suspense of the guessing aspect of the thread. I’ve never mastered posting pics on here and my grasp of cryptic crosswords is poor at best. With respect therefore, I will just dive straight in.
Muse don’t seem to get much air time on this thread. I’m expecting this to be a controversial choice so I’ll put my cards on the table and say I’m not
now a huge fan. Their general popularity is without question with seven consecutive releases topping the UK album charts.
I think it’s a sign that age is creeping up on you when you utter the words - I used to like them back in the day but I don’t like their new stuff.
I used to love Muse back in the day. Their first two studio albums are immense. For me Absolution is the pinnacle of their output. It showcases some amazing musicianship and the wide range of their creativity.
Love him or hate him Matt Bellamy is musical genius. His guitar playing is incredible and his sound unique. He’s not too bad on the piano, and in Jaded Hearts Club he plays bass.
I first saw them touring this album at Earls Court following their iconic performance on the pyramid stage in the summer of 2004 - which in itself is worthy of a watch on YouTube. Their energy and connection with the audience was amazing and it remains one of the best gigs I’ve experienced.
Absolution is a very varied, emotional roller coaster of a listen. The highs for me are Hysteria, Time Is Running Out and Stockholm Syndrome on the heavier side and the amazing Butterflies and Hurricanes which highlights Bellamy’s musical capabilities.
The follow up to Absolution was the more popular Black Holes and Revelations which had a few more ‘popular’ hits. We were at the Wembley gig which was released as the HAARP album but as good as that was it highlighted (for me) a shift to the more popular stuff that they went on to put out which quite frankly IMHO is shit. Give me heavy, give me Plug In Baby, Muscle Museum and all the old stuff any day of the week.
Interestingly given Rob’s piano heavy pick, Absolution has its fair share of ivory tinkling - he likes a bit of Rachmaninov! I hope this generates some chat - love it or hate it.
Muse - Absolution