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View Full Version : Album Club Week 83: 05.03.2013 - Portishead - Dummy (1994)



Album Club
05-03-2013, 22:01
Submitted by Martin (MartinT)

http://www.amiright.com/album-covers/images/album-Portishead-Dummy.jpg

One of the early bands of the Bristol trip-hop movement, this is Portishead's debut album. The combination of trippy widescreen cinematic themes and Beth Gibbon's amazingly flexible voice gives them a unique sound, mixing atmospheric guitars with scratching and all manner of sampled effects. Perhaps the ultimate anti hi-fi album, because of all the deliberate injected samples and noise, it is still well worth hearing on a big system but is equally effective on headphones or in the car.

Don't underestimate the power of this album, it gets right under your skin after a few plays and stays there, having never been far from my playlist in almost 20 years in my collection.

The track Sour Times was used as the theme for the TV series The Vice while Roads and Glory Box are standouts for me.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dummy-Portishead/dp/B000001FI7/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1361956431&sr=1-3

Spotify
spotify:album:3gxOtUSRzweDWBKlpj7cG6

YouTube: Roads Live
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Further listening: their second album Portishead is as intriguing, perhaps even more so. Gibbons really flexes her emotive vocal cords in this one, from witch-like to imploring, and the sounds are even more trippy and cinematic. Massive Attack's Mezzanine is another trip-hop must, offering a different but equally alluring slant compared with Portishead's style.

myles
05-03-2013, 22:02
Brilliant choice, one of the greats from the decade.

MartinT
05-03-2013, 22:09
Thank you, Myles. I'll go right ahead and vote with a 9/10. It only doesn't get a 10/10 as it's not a completely perfect album, but then few get that score from me.

.mus
05-03-2013, 22:23
Ooh, a stone cold classic!

My sister and I discovered Portishead in December 1994 after various tracks from Dummy were used by BBC2 as music for 'Weird Night' - an evening on which they screened a series of programs on the paranormal; I guess that, at the time, Portishead's sound was deemed suitably weird.

'Numb' is probably my favourite track - Gibbons' voice during the verses is so alien.

I don't revisit the trip-hop thing much - although I still have Dummy in my library (and playing now!) - but, at the time, Portishead, Lamb, Morcheeba, and Sneaker Pimps, got a lot of airplay in our house.

Onto 'Sour Times' now - ah, memories! :)

MartinT
05-03-2013, 22:26
'Dummy' is probably my favourite track

:scratch:

.mus
05-03-2013, 22:27
Gah! I mean 'Numb' - it's late here :/ Fixing...

MartinT
05-03-2013, 22:28
:)

myles
06-03-2013, 21:01
I think that although it is categorised as trip-hop, that really doesn't cover it at all. As a piece of work it is so much more, to my ears in any case. I am moved to hunt it down on vinyl tonight!

Bazil
06-03-2013, 21:08
I was bought the live concert album Roseland by Portishead for Xmas many years ago.
I never listened to it until a couple of years ago because it seemed drawn out and I wanted the tunes to hurry up and hit me. I have more time these days and I can really appreciate it.
Back to Dummy, its now good to hear studio versions of some of those songs .
Yep its good and I will get round to buying it , 8/10.

sparrow
06-03-2013, 21:22
I was a late comer to Portishead..I bought their four albums in the HMV two for a tenner offer. My personal fave is the live album but all their albums are very good. Dummy is an excellent album and a great album club choice. I would give it an 6 but if I can find my copy will have a listen before voting. Their last album was very different to what came before but I love it too.

John
07-03-2013, 19:16
A really good choice Martin
Its a album I mostly enjoy and agree about the stand out tracks

Alex_UK
07-03-2013, 20:15
One of the albums that introduced me to the whole "downtempo" scene - can't believe it's nearly 20 years old! Glory Box is my fave, but I must confess that overall I prefer their second self-titled album for some reason. Still, a very solid 8 and I've very much enjoyed playing it on the "big rig" as well as in the office and on 'phones. :) Thanks Martin - great choice! :thumbsup:

Audioman
09-03-2013, 16:20
Had this on vinyl since it came out. Gave it 8/10. 75% great but a few tracks are a bit too trip hoppy for me. Actually prefer the orchestrated versions of some of these songs on 'Roseland NYC live'. Portishead must rival 'The Blue Nile' for gaps between releases.

synsei
09-03-2013, 16:33
Not an everyday listen for me but when I am in the right mood it can really hit the spot... 7/10

Mothman
09-03-2013, 18:22
Got the CD of this about a year ago at a boot sale, played it once but didn't get on with it.

Just given it a second go and haven't faired much better, though did like tracks 'Roads' and 'Glory Box'. Probably not enough melody for my taste, perhaps it's something you have to perservere with 5/10.

sparrow
09-03-2013, 21:38
Cant for the life of me find my copy....

The Grand Wazoo
19-03-2013, 00:24
I had a cassette of this for years and years. I quite liked to play it in the car every now & then on a long journey. The tape was lost in a house move & I never felt motivated enough to replace it, but I did wonder if playing it again for Album Club might make me want to.
It was quite nice to hear it again after all this time, but I won't be making a special effort in seeking it out. If I see it in a charity shop, I suppose I might give it another go.
5/10 from me.

keiths
20-03-2013, 17:14
I bought this shortly after it came out after hearing 'Glory Box', but haven't played it in ages. I must say I really enjoyed listening to it again. 'Roads' and 'Glory Box' are very much the stand-out tracks, but there are no real duffers here.

A solid 7/10 from me and will be checking out their other releases.

Barry
20-03-2013, 20:39
I find this sort of atmospheric, sluggish treacle-like, mesmeric singing to be intially enjoyable, but after a few tracks starts to pall very quickly.

Bought a copy of Dummy out of parochial loyalty, but rarely play it these days.

5/10 from me.

Tim
22-03-2013, 17:15
Well this one is easy for me as I have it - which means I have no need for Shitify this time round :lol: I also have Portishead and Third

Anyway, without doubt my favourite Portishead album and it gets 8/10 from me without even playing it, but I will despite knowing it well.

RichB
23-03-2013, 01:07
No need to listen to this one either.... When this one came out i was 21, living in my first flat with a mattress on the floor and my stereo and not much else. Being a normally shy and retiring chap I really came out of my shell at this time and my mattress saw lots of action as I made the most of my new found freedom:eyebrows:

Suffice to say, this album along with massive attack's protection was the soundtrack for these carnal adventures so on that basis I give it a firm (Fnnnnr, fnnnnr :lol:) 10 out of 10.

Glory box indeed.:lol:

pjdowns
09-09-2013, 22:17
Excellent album :)