Dummy (album)
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| Dummy | |||||
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| Studio album by Portishead | |||||
| Released | 22 August 1994 | ||||
| Recorded | 1993–1994 | ||||
| Genre | Trip Hop | ||||
| Length | 45:29 (U.K) 48:45 (U.S., CA and A.U) |
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| Label | Go! Discs/London | ||||
| Producer | Portishead, Adrian Utley |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
| Portishead chronology | |||||
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Dummy, released in 1994, is the debut album of the Bristol-based group Portishead. It reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and #79 on the Billboard 200 chart, going gold in 1997.
Building on the promise of their earlier EP, "Numb", it helped to cement the reputation of Bristol as the capital of "Trip hop", a nascent genre which was then often referred to simply as "the Bristol sound".
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[edit] Album information
Now considered to be a classic of the genre, and regarded by many critics as one of the most influential albums of the 1990s,[citation needed] Dummy is arguably darker in tone than much of the music it later inspired.
In addition to the already released "Numb", the album spawned two further singles: the UK #13 hit (on re-release) "Glory Box" and "Sour Times", which reached the same position, also on re-release.
It won the 1995 Mercury Music Prize, beating stiff competition which included PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love, Oasis' Definitely Maybe, and Tricky's Maxinquaye.
The album has sold 2 million copies in Europe.[1]
[edit] Reception and influence
Professional reviews:
- Rolling Stone (5/13/99, pp.79-80) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's" - In 2003, the album was ranked number 419 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time..
- Spin (9/99, p.140) - Ranked #42 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s."
- Q (12/99, p.82) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s" - Q magazine (6/00, p.66) - Ranked #61 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums."
- The Village Voice (2/28/95) - Ranked #14 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.
- Mojo (p.62) - Ranked #35 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" - Mojo (1/95, p.50) - Included in Mojo's "25 Best Albums of 1994."
- The New York Times (1/5/95, p.C15) - Included on Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94.
- NME (8/12/00, p.29) - Ranked #29 in The NME "Top 30 Heartbreak Albums" - NME (12/24/94, p.22) - Ranked #6 in NME's list of the 'Top 50 Albums Of 1994.'
[edit] Track listing
- "Mysterons" – 5:02
- "Sour Times" – 4:11
- "Strangers" – 3:55
- "It Could Be Sweet" – 4:16
- "Wandering Star" – 4:51
- "Numb" – 3:54
- "Roads" – 5:02
- "Pedestal" – 3:39
- "Biscuit" – 5:01
- "Glory Box" – 5:06
- "It's a Fire" was included on North American editions of the album, in between "Wandering Star" and "Numb"
- In some Canadian editions, a bonus track, "Sour Sour Times," was added to the end of the album.[2]
[edit] Music and uses
- "Glory Box" samples the Isaac Hayes track, Ike's Rap II, from Hayes' 1971 double-album, Black Moses.
- The track "Glory Box" appears on the soundtrack to the Bernardo Bertolucci film Stealing Beauty and on the Andrew Niccol film Lord of War. It also appears in the Levi's ad celebrating the watch pocket.
- "Glory Box" was covered by singer and guitarist, John Martyn on his album, "The Church With One Bell" and also a live version by Faith No More in 1995.
- The track "Roads" appears on the soundtrack to the Lori Petty film Tank Girl. It is also used in the movies Cheaters, Little Criminals and The Watcher. In addition, it has appearance in the beginning of the Season 1 finale of the TV series The L Word. (1x13 - "Limb from Limb").
- "Roads" was re-released in chopped and screwed form in 2008 by the website Screw Rock 'n' Roll.
- In the UK the track "Numb" was used in a commercial for the TV series Lost and featured in a commercial for the Nissan Primera.
- "Roads" was covered by My Dying Bride on their Meisterwerk 2 album.
- In the UK the track "Sour Times" was used as the theme tune for the ITV series The Vice (1999–2003), starring British actor Ken Stott.
- The track "Wandering Star" was covered by beatboxer and live-looper, Kid Beyond, using strictly layers of vocal percussion sounds, on his Amplivate EP.
- The chorus and title of "Wandering Star" are taken from the Bible; "...wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." (Jude 1:13)
[edit] Samples
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"Sour Times" "Sour Times" by Portishead - Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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