| | Portishead Dummy CD Portishead Discography of CDs
 (11 Customer Reviews)
Named for a town near Bristol, England, Portishead is a British dance band that grabs ideas from all over the mod pop world (spaghetti Western guitars, turntable scratching, melancholy soul vocals, atmospheric organs, house beats) and stirs ... Full Descriptionthem into spacey, dub-like productions that sound like a dance club in the middle of a "Twin Peaks" dream. You could call it surreal hip-hop pop. But if the beats on the band's debut album achieve a kind of trance-like static, the songs themselves reach for something more rousing. With understated lyrics and overstated melodies, singer Beth Gibbons and bandleader Geoff Barrow write insinuatingly melancholy dance ballads that ebb and flow like waves through rustling waters. Organs quaver in quiet tremolos, guitars emit squiggles and turntables hiccup, while Gibbons, in a high, cutting voice that evokes a less breathy Sinead O'Connor, sings songs of longing and heartbreak with equally palpable emotion.
Recorded at State Of The Art and Coach House Studios, Bristol, England.
Portishead: Beth Gibbons (vocals); Adrian Utley (guitar, Hammond organ, bass, Theremin); Geoff Barrow (Fender Rhodes piano, drums, programming).
Additional personnel: Strings Unlimited (strings); Dave McDonald (nose flute); Andy Hague (trumpet); Neil Solman (Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond organ); Gary Baldwin (Hammond organ); Clive Deamer (drums); Richard Newell (programming).
Rolling Stone (5/13/99, pp.79-80) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's."
Rolling Stone (3/9/95, p.66) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...Assertive rhythms and quirky production save Portishead from languishing in any coy retro groove. Instead they manage yet another--very smart--rebirth of cool..."
Spin (p.134) - "[They] combined odd sample noises and instruments with haunted vocals....A perfect pop album."
Spin (9/99, p.140) - Ranked #42 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s."
Spin (3/03, p.118) - "...Turntable wicky-wicky, film-noir theremin, hammer dulcimers, and the tearful vocals of Beth Gibbons...
Entertainment Weekly (11/18/94, p.108) - "...mixes cocktail keyboards, spaghetti-western guitars, eerie tape loops, and dub-wise rhythms into what could be called `acid cabaret'....as musically compelling as it is emotionally chilling..." - Rating: A-
Q (12/99, p.82) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s."
Q (6/00, p.66) - Ranked #61 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums"
Q (10/94, p.125) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...perhaps this year's most stunning debut album..."
Alternative Press (7/95, p.116) - "...On their debut, instrumental wunderkid Geoff Barrow and torch vocalist Beth Gibbons draw on grooves from Isaac Hayes to the present to create dark, dense tracks that inspire gentle rocking instead of frantic pumping..."
Village Voice (2/28/95) - Ranked #14 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.
Mojo (Publisher) (p.62) - Ranked #35 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "[S]loping beats, inventive samples and freaky melodies create an unsettling emotional topography."
Mojo (Publisher) (1/95, p.50) - Included in Mojo's "25 Best Albums of 1994" - "...A stunning, stylish first album."
New York Times (Publisher) (1/5/95, p.C15) - Included on Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94 - "...The eeriest and most original dance-music album of the year."
NME (Magazine) (8/12/00, p.29) - Ranked #29 in The NME "Top 30 Heartbreak Albums" - "...An easily accessible, but still richly emotional new sound for the beginning of the '90s."
NME (Magazine) (12/24/94, p.22) - Ranked #6 in NME's list of the `Top 50 Albums Of 1994.' Hide Description Dummy Music | List Price | $13.95 (You save $2.06) | | Category | Rock Albums, R&B CDs, Electronica, Alternative, Rock/Pop, Dance, Trip Hop | | Label | Go! Discs | | Orig Year | 1994 | | All Time Sales Rank |  211   | | CD Universe Part number | 1056601 | | Catalog number | 828553 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Oct 17, 1994 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Portishead; Adrian Utley | | Engineer | Dave McDonald | | Recording Time | 49 minutes | | Personnel | Beth Gibbons - vocals
Adrian Utley - guitar, Hammond organ, bass, Theremin
Geoff Barrow - Fender Rhodes piano, drums, programming
Also: Clive Deamer, Andy Hague, Dave McDonald, Gary Baldwin, Neil Solman, Richard Newell, Strings Unlimited |
Dummy Music Review Average Rating: (4.6 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews I was mesmerized
I put this album on the other day after not hearing it for a while and for the entire thing I was mesmerized. It just goes to show the power of a truly amazing album. It captivates you. One of the best albums of all time.
Submitted by Go Flames Go! (Calgary, AB, Canada)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Unbelievable!
Honestly, I am just blown away. A friend gave me this album, and I can't believe I am only just now discovering the treasure trove that is Portishead! I can't recommend 'Dummy' highly enough. WOW!!!
Submitted by Shelly (Seattle, WA, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No A classic
This is a classic album a must for anyone that enjoys chilled out and varied music. In all honesty there isn't a bad song on the album and would reckomend to anyone.
A mixture of chilled beats, scrating, soft singing and heart felt vocals.
Check it out!
Submitted by a reviewer (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Real Review: Surpised!
YO!!! I ran into this CD by mistake, I was looking for the "NO MORE GLORY" CD from MJG and the ran into the song "Glory Box". I noticed that it had a familiar eerie sound that I haven't heard in a long time until I realized it was sampled by the Gravediggaz. Then I looked for the album where the song came from and found "DUMMY" and I couldn't believe how many good songs were on here. All of them. I love this type of sound and for some reason its hard for me to find., Cant believe this band has been out for so long and its only now that I'm hearing it. I actually liked every single song on here... great CD.
Submitted by Key2daUnderground (Miami, Fl)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Love this Cd - Inspired groups such as Wu-Tang and Waterlog
This album is by far one of the greatest albums to land on this planet. Truly timeless - You would think it was released yesterday. FYI - I also discovered it has inspired amazing groups such as Wu-Tang (Rza) and Waterlog, to mention a few. I would recommend to any and everyone - mind bending trip.
Submitted by marleykravitz (Los Angeles, CA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
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