Dummy

Day 6 of Albums you must hear before you die.. I was initially disappointed because I looked at the name of the album and it says “Dummy” by Portishead... I thought, damn, what in the hell is a Portishead first and secondly, I thought, I wish it had been something I’m more familiar with. I look at the genre and it’s titled trip-hop, and although I don’t typically like the idea of “genres” when I listed I understood. Man... As soon as I clicked the play button on the first song, I was taken on a beautiful, sexy, smokey, spooky and one of the most sonically pleasing trips that I have ever been on.. Without tripping on acid, of course. (I’ve Never taken acid before by the way, I just could never find any). All jokes aside, this is one of those things that when I first start listening to it and start to let it sink in, I automatically want to know who in the hell produced this!? It’s AMAZING! It’s like 80’s and early 90’s hip-hop/boom bap music had a baby in a film with James Bond played by Isaac Hayes, directed by Martin Scorsese. It’s a cinematic experience that gives you chills. It’s also SO hip-hop that I almost expected Nasir or Andre 3000 to start spitting witty lyrics at certain parts of the songs. They are all crafted so well! All the samples, sound effects, record scratching, the soundtrack to this trip-hop era is so damned satisfying. The arrangements in these songs are so superbly laid out and even though the girl that seems like she’s singing in an old jazz club filled with cigarette smoke with the sweetest voice, that when certain hooks and bridges come in and out that you can only focus on the sounds. Dummy is so well produced, engineered, performed and presented on a platter of gold. Better yet, platinum. Actually four times platinum. Winner of some of the most prestigious awards in music. There’s a saying, you only need two turntables and a microphone, and that is TRUE! But.. If you’re in 1994 in England with access to so many great rhythm and blues albums and jazz records to dig through in the crates, and then be able to use the technology of the time to sample them, and THEN have the obscenely talented singer Beth Gibbons on that side of the fore mentioned microphone, crooning to the notes played from the weeping guitar of Adrian Utley.. Really, it’s a perfect blend of music that makes this album my favorite of them so far at day 6. It caught me by surprise.. Now to give you my favorite songs. I never wanted to skip a single song on all three listens that I had today. If you don’t like this album from the very start it’s not for you. Don’t like the first song? Listen to the very last one, Glory Box. It’s my favorite song and it samples black 007 Isaac Hayes (RIP KING) Now if you don’t like THAT song, we can’t be friends. CANNOT. I also like Mysterons, Numb.. Shit I like them all! I need someone to shame me for not knowing about this group for all these years!! Come at me bro! Last but not least, that producer that I wanted to know so much about, but still don’t because I just learned of Portishead (still a dumb name) yesterday, well, his name is Geoff Barrow, the DJ that you hear creating all these amazing backing tracks for this album that Beth could lyrically mold with her voice like creative hands molding wet clay. I don’t know shit about either of them as people and I want to keep it what way. I prefer the mystique I get from this record. What’s magic without mystery? Music is magic. I’m still excited to gush over some of the great music that I already know so well, after this album, a record that will stay in my rotation from here on out. I’m more excited for the rest of the 1001 albums to hear before you die that I don’t know at all. ✌️

Cities have this ever present dull roar. After having always lived in the country or the suburbs, I remember my first few nights living in an apartment in the city. Getting used to that roar took some time. The city is a living thing. So many people and vehicles and things going on. And yet among it all its easy to feel isolated and alienated from it. People people everywhere, but no one to connect to. This album has an ever present bass and sub bass component. That dull roar*. On top of it, the mid range and high end are very sparsely populated. Anything that lives in that space is delicate and vulnerable. The vocalist isn't singing along to chords. There is no accompaniment. The vocals stand completely on their own. And it really sells the feeling of loneliness, the kind of loneliness borne of a desire to make new connections, and the creeping doubt as to whether that's even possible anymore. The sense conveyed is that I used to have relationships, and I used to understand my surroundings, and it used to be so easy to make friends. The nostalgic elements to the music sell this too. The dirty vinyl sounds, the cimbalom, the theramin, all evoke the past. While the delicate vocals represent the present. Why can't it be easy like it used to be? I'm surrounded by all these people. Is something wrong with me? Or is something wrong with everything else? How can it feel, this wrong From this moment How can it feel, this wrong 'Cause a child, roses light Tried to reveal, what I could feel I can't understand myself Anymore 'Cause, I'm still feelin' lonely Feelin' so unholy Who am I, what and why 'Cause all I have left is my memories of yesterday Oh these sour times 'Cause nobody loves me, it's true Not like you do I don't believe its sad or mournful. This isn't a funeral. It hasn't given up. Not yet. There's just this desire for something, and the question as to whether its even a valid desire anymore. "Did you really want?" On the path toward alienation, but not quite there yet. "Give me a reason to love you." Prove my desires are worth having. Please. Because I've about given up on them. * I just wanted to point out how much the bass of Wandering Star sounds just like distant air brakes from a truck, something you'd hear lying in your bed in the city, but I have no idea how to fit it in.

There's not much else out there that sounds like Portishead. I come back to this album all of the time and never seem to get tired of it. Plus, how is it possible that Portishead was never used for a Bond movie??

This album is SO good! This is the first album I got to the end and immediately started listening from the beginning again. I’ve never actually listened to Portishead, so this is a revelation. Her voice, the ambience, the emotion, it’s all so good. Favourite track: “It’s a Fire.”

I’ve tried a few times over the years to understand what makes this such a beloved record and it just won’t click. In fact, it seems like every time I give this record a shot, I end up liking it less than I did the previous time I heard it. Its a very monotone record to me, with songs that don’t do much to differentiate themselves from each other. This one’s just not for me.

Classic alert! They have a pretty unique sound as a band, only problem I have with them is they never really stray from this sound. IMO this is the only portishead album you really need to listen to, the others all sound the same but worse

J'ai appris grâce à cet album que je n'aimais pas du tout le trip-hop, ce genre musical ayant émergé au début des années 1990, dans la région de Bristol. Pourtant, vous savez probablement que lors d'une kermesse s'étant tenue dans mon école primaire en 2005, j'avais représenté la ville de Bristol à la toute fin du passage de ma classe avec deux amis moins talentueux. Nous étions le clou du spectacle. À la fin du numéro, j'étais censé déchirer mon T-Shirt noir préalablement découpé et maladroitement scotché à cet effet et le lancer dans la foule. Seulement au moment où la musique s'arrêta, le T-Shirt ne se déchira pas malgré mes nombreuses tentatives. Je dus l'enlever de la façon la plus standard qui soit, avant de le jeter dans une foule qui criait au scandale. Depuis ce jour, je hais la ville de Bristol ainsi que la plupart des courants musicaux qui y ont émergé.

Great album. Beth Gibbon's voice is sublime.

Wandering Star is the first song by Portishead I listened to and the song that hooked me. Listening to this album took me back and reminded me what I was so into their sound.

a masterpiece. easily in my top ten albums of all time i listen to this album as uch as any other album i can think of.

Can't recall too many households in the late 90s that didn't have a copy of this album in them. I mean, there's a reason why Glory Box was a smash. Whole album is so classy. Impeccable production. Beth Gibbons (whom I confused with Beth Orton) being a total weapon also helps.

I love trip hop, and this is the grandaddy of all trip hop albums. Great vocals, even better sampling and sound design, just a masterpiece.

This has always been the defining trip hop album to me, though I may be slightly biased, because the 1st streaming service I ever listened to in the 90s had a chill channel that may as well have been called the Portishead channel. The production is elegant and creative (some of the samples are way out there), they never stray too far from their moody, haunting sound, but the song writing is great so they don’t need to, and I never tire of Beth Gibbon's voice.

Dark, moody, understated. Lovingly arranged, wonderful restrain. Just enough negative space to allow songs to breathe. This album has outsized influence on 90s downbeat sound. If there's one criticism it's that incorporating the scratching record sounds definitely dates the record.

Wow, talk about being stuck under a rock. I’ve seen this album several times, usually on lists of best/popular albums. And I don’t know why but I never really looked into this album and that was a major mistake this album is great, it’s haunting and beautiful. The instrumentation is wonderful and of its time but in a pleasant way. Honestly I go on and on about this album. Go give it a listen.

God if this album had been out 10 years earlier when me and my mates were smoking quite a lot I’d of never got out of the house!! It’s so chilled and chilling I can just drift off while it plays away in the background. Love the tunes, love the voice, it’s dark but light at the same time, I think?! Anyway a pearl amongst swine!

Their second album is better, but this is the one that seemed to haunt everywhere for a while in the mid-90's, and distinguished its aesthetic so strikingly that it felt almost its own cliché on arrival. These songs manage to be delicate and juggernaut at the same time. They knew what to do with this aesthetic: the songs are strong. The only song on the album that drops below the bar is It's A Fire. Analogue production, digital quality control! I am startled by how far Glory Box's popularity on Spotify outstrips the rest of the album. The guitar riff is stunning, channeling Cream-era Clapton after a few pints of brandy. I remember Tricky moaning about how Dummy was basically his song Aftermath, and that was it. I both hear what he's saying - Aftermath is stellar - and think he's very, very wrong. The aesthetics are different, and whereas Tricky went for linear, minimalist stretches which flaunted his digital lifts, Portishead were more obviously analogue, defacing their vinyls and using weirdo, UFO instrumentation, and had time for more formal song structures - robots versus cyborgs. Returning to this album, I rate it above Massive Attack's efforts, and think it might be the zenith of that Bristolian spree. Will wait for Maxinquaye to appear on the list, as I haven't heard that in decades.

This is what music is supposed to be. Beautifully composed, edited and sung. I can see how this was the springboard for trip-hop and I thoroughly enjoyed the sampling. Overall, this is nearly a perfect album.

No. 240/1001 Mysterons 3/5 Sour Times 3/5 Strangers 3/5 It Could Be Sweet 3/5 Wandering Star 2/5 It's A Fire 4/5 Numb 2/5 Roads 3/5 Pedestal 2/5 Biscuit 3/5 Glory Box 3/5 Average: 2,82 Kinda felt neutral about this.

Not as good as the later album but still impressive.

Bad

01) Mysterons - 9,0 02) Sour Times - 10,0 03) Strangers - 9,0 04) It Could Be Sweet - 9,0 05) Wandering Star - 10,0 06) It's a Fire - 9,0 07) Numb - 9,0 08) Roads - 9,0 09) Pedestal - 9,0 10) Biscuit - 9,0 11) Glory Box - 10,0 TOTAL: 9,27 (93/100) Current ranking: 19/371 I knew the singles, but I never heard the rest of the album. And the rest of the album is the reason why this is one of the most praised albums of the nineties. Apart from "Glory Box", which is one of my favorite songs of all time, I would like to single out "Wandering Star" and "Sour Times" as highlights of this excellent album.

Mysterious, cinematic, unsettling, cool, strong, oppresive, delicate, original, light, dark, beautiful, enigmatic, surprising, edgy, sad, fragile, desolate, inventive, hypnotic, absorbing, elegant, uncomfortable, seductive, intimate, unique.

Every song's a beauty.

Another favorite from my time as a music biz hanger-on in the early '90s. Go! Discs goes trendy; I attended the "world premiere" of the associated (and pointless) To Kill A Dead Man at the Prince Charles Cinema, oh so glamorous! One of the first of its kind, still sounds fresh and arresting, don't blame this for the subsequent trip-hop tedium. Made any spotty, nervous student oik feel instantly sophisticated. Great voice, clever samples including the first (?) use of the soon-to-be-ubiquitous Isaac Hayes motif on the fabulous Glory Box. Mysterons, Sour Times, Roads, not a dud here even if some tracks are less instantly memorable Nostalgic 5*

My initial thoughts are, "It's Dummy by Portishead, of course it's an automatic five, are you crazy?" But then I started to think a little (and I haven't pressed play yet). Outside the singles 'Numb', 'Sour Times' and of course 'Glory Box' is anything about the rest of the album memorable at all? Are the good songs that good, that it doesn't even matter about the rest? We shall see... 'Mysterons' is such a good opening song, sets the mood immediately. Not much to add about 'Sour Times', great song. I love the throbbing, pulsating drive of the bass and the trippy backwards snare in this song, 'Strangers' is definitely one to remember. 'It Could Be Sweet' is the first song I'm not a fan of on the album, the beat in particular feels off with the rest of the instrumentation and sampling on the track. It's not bad by any means, but doesn't do it for me. 'Wandering Star' picks things back up with a great beat and bass line and some good turntable work. Nice organy opening, I don't really remember this song at all. Hmm, a bit nondescript this one sadly, and I'm rather cold for 'It's On Fire'. Dark and brooding and what a fucking bass line, 'Numb' is fantastic. The processing on the drums creates a great atmosphere too. This song is like heartbreak and despair and sadness distilled and compressed into a single outpouring of grief. The guitar swells and then the orchestra are just perfect. 'Roads' is a fantastic song, probably my favourite on the album. Another great bass line in 'Pedestal' and trumpet solo! (Sounds like a trumpet to me!) The organ sounds good in 'Biscuit' and some more sub-bass is always good. The scratching and slowed down vocal sample sounds great with the organ over the top. 'Glory Box' is a very good song. Debut album, hugely influential, the best song wasn't even a single. 5 / 5 stars.

liked it. pornographic vibes

I hate trip hop - but really like Portishead. Great vocals, non-repetitive beats and an ethereal vibe.

Really enjoyed this album

I vibe with it! Good beats, chill songs. Favorite track: "Wandering Star."

is it pronounced "portis head" or "porti-shed"?

Like someone put 90's hip-hop and alt-rock into a blender. The gloomy mood makes it perfect rainy day music but the record scratches and samples keep the music from becoming too downbeat or melancholy. It’s a cool, druggy vibe. Favorite tracks: “Sour Times” (one of those songs I didn’t even know that I knew until it came on), “It Could Be Sweet” (that bass line!) and “Wandering Star” (love the record scratches and background layers).

Fantastic background music with the occasional ear-catcher track, or at least part. Glory Box also really stands out to me. Not a fan of electronica, but this one is a 3.5/5

Eerie and dreamy and totally cool, but also static, almost posing. It could do with some tunefulness. It’s all moods, with little flow and next to no harmony. Trip-hop is not aging all that well; here, the over-reliance on the same little scratchy sound-effect speaks to a passing (now long past) moment of coolness; these songs are equally transitory, if still cool, which lands them somewhere between triviality and ephemerality. 3

The bells on Sour Times sounds like the Taskmaster TV show. And is also a cool groove! It's A Fire is another groove. Glory Box is a nice closer, though I personally feel this album as a whole is lacking.

I want to like this but there’s not enough variation in tempo throughout the album. I could listen to maybe one of these songs at a time but a whole album is just boring, no matter how well the beats are constructed. 5/10

Like the voice and the music is not my style but not offensive then after 10 minutes my ears got bored and stopped listening as every track sounded the same.

Brilliant. Trip Hop is an interesting genre for me, and this album is arguably its finest example. Hesitated between 4 and 5*, but listening to it on CD with a proper sound system puts it to 5 for me. Sounded absolutely incredible.

Oh boy, an all time favorite.

Damn, chuffed to listen to this.

Sour times one of the greatest singles of my youth. It had such a unique sound and sparked for me an interest in that trip hop sound. Morcheeba. Massive Attack. Tricky. Blonde Redhead.

I agree with Ben. I think I would like it better without the record scratching.

CLASSIC

Lurve

Trip-hop at its best, great atmosphere

I liked this Portishead album a lot more than the ?newer one (Third?). It's still not for me and actually I never liked their single Glory Box very much but as a whole this album is excellent and stands out from the crowd. Rating: 5

Gave me lofi music vibes, really solid music

Super album! Masterpiece! It is one of my favorite albums! Music and vocal are perfect. The best album of experimental electronic music ever made for now!

🔥

Crazy Was ging da am drumcomputer

Eye opening! Portishead has a new fan. While I can't point to a single track that grabbed me, I was pulled on through the whole thing. I'll be checking out the rest of their catalog.

Not only the best trip hop album of all time, but one of the best albums, period.

What a wonderful treat after a long and painful streak of 1s and 2s.

A top 5 trip-hop album to me. Perfection.

This is the best trip-hop album. I have no further thoughts.

Had only heard sour times before getting this album of the day. Holy shit that was so much better than I would have thought. Not often do I give a second listen immediately but this was definitely one of those times.

This album gives me an instant erection. Too bad the girl who had this CD in her purse at all times and insisted on me putting it on every time we fucked turned out to be an absolute nutter. Good while it lasted, though. Six stars, really.

Awesome

I have this on repeat for a few days now

Where did this come from???

I'm ever so lost I can't find my way Been searching but I have never seen A turning a turning from deceit Cause a child roses light Tried to reveal what I could feel I can't understand myself Anymore Cause, I'm still feeling lonely Feeling so unholy Cause a child roses light Tried to reveal what I could feel I'm lonely It just won't leave me alone Oh no I'm fooling somebody A faithless path I roam Deceiving to breathe this secretly The silence, the silence, I can't bear Cause a child roses light Tries to reveal what I could feel And this loneliness It just won't leave me alone Oh no And this loneliness It just won't leave me alone A lady of war Yeah, its pretty good. 5/5

very good

This album is just so good. There is such a strong cohesion in character from song to song, with each song having it's own distinct persona. I have been listening to and loving songs like Sour Times and Glory Box for years, but this time I was able to put titles to songs that I recognized but didn't know I knew like Roads and Mysterons. I also heard at least one for the first time (It's A Fire) and it may have been the highlight of the listening experience. I'm having a hard time deciding between a 4 and a 5, which I think means I should just give it a 5.

Amazing album.

An absolutely phenomenal album to spend the morning f****** too

Love it

Great vibe.

Incredible album that I've listened to many times.

Gorgeous, interesting, unique, sad. Loved it.

Heard it before, multiple times. One of the best trip hop albums ever, the vibe is unmatched. Period. 5/5

loved it !!!!!

First time hearing the whole album front to back. So ahead of its time. 4.6/5

Most excellent!

Incredible album

2/10

This is #day148 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... this is what you call a debut album. Released almost 31 years ago, it has not only stood the test of time but still sounds awe-inspiring, no matter how many times you've heard or will hear it. Innovative, cinematic, poignant—how many descriptors can you use to capture it? I have a nice memory of hosting a lecture/listening event about trip-hop as an anti-genre of the '90s at a local record store a couple of years back, with Dummy and Blue Lines as case studies, playing a 2016 reissue and the original 1994 copy, respectively. That's when I dove into both records and learned a lot. You might also want to check out an episode of my former radio show NightWave, dedicated to the story of Bristol Sound (Episode 28; look up NightWave with John Nate on Mixcloud). Yes, this is one of those albums you must hear before you die, so it’s a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day149.

great

Very good album. Vibes are on throughout Will I listen to again: 100%

Revolutionäres Album, Rated 5 of 6

As a kid, I always saw this record on the shelf but always chalked it up to electronic music (not my style) and never bothered to listen to it. 30 years later, and wow, this is some good stuff. Electronic, yes, but also some jazz, cabaret, classical, and more. Singer's got a good voice, too. I'll be coming back to this one.

Quel grand album! Retour nostalgique dans mon adolescence avec ce disque d’une grand force tranquille avec des chansons parfaites comme « Mysterons » et Glory Box ». La voix chaleureuse de Beth Gibbons, les rythmes et arrangements trip hop et les samplings sont tout simplement parfaits. 5 étoiles sans questionnement.

Superbe. Un 5 assuré. C’est un album que j’ai écouté, réécoute, réréécouter toute mon adolescence. L’album n’a rien perdu de son charme.

Excellent - still sounds as good today as ever

Have the LP, trip hop gold

Nice. Eerie, chill. I enjoyed the instrumentals and ethereal vocal work was excellent. Something about it just works, and I'm here for it. Absolutely would revisit again! 'Sour Times' was my pick for a fave.

not even the best of their three albums, but the other is the best on this entire list. still incredible 9/10

Haven't heard this for a while, I usually default to putting on Third because I think that's their masterpiece. This deserves all the accolades it gets though. Great mix of styles and Beth's iconic voice over the top, then ends with the sexiest song ever written.

Fuck yeah.

Awesome album, great songs great vibes. Never heard of Portishead before, a nice discovery. The music also accompanied studying nicely.

Brilliant album from a brilliant time.

I don’t like how I’ve gotten 2 of my top 10 albums ever this early into this thing ngl

Great album to listen to with your gf, spouse or whatever. Love making music

So good. Roads one of my all-time faves. 5/5

Maybe some of this rating can be chalked up to nostalgia. This album came out when I was 15 and played heavily into my high school years. But regardless... fucking Portishead.

I never used to think I liked Portishead. But I was wrong. This is great.

i can’t believe i’d never heard this album until now. incredibly unique, never heard anything quite like this. the production is moody and atmospheric; elements of hip hop and jazz scattered throughout. Beth Gibbons’ vocals are beautifully depressing, the perfect pairing for this kind of production. will be revisiting this a ton

This is another example of a gem I found on this list. I have never listened to this band before and was very impressed with this record. Moody and atmospheric beats with Beth Gibbons' dreamy vocals make for an amazing listening experience. I will listen to their other releases. Highly recommended!!

Sorti en 1994, le premier album de Portishead "Dummy" est une expérience sonore unique et immersive. Avec ses paysages sonores étranges, son électronique troublante et la voix obsédante de Beth Gibbons, l'album vient de fêter ses 30 ans. Malgré sa nature non conventionnelle, "Dummy" a connu un succès commercial et a été acclamé par la critique. Il reste une oeuvre déterminante du genre trip hop et continue de captiver les auditeurs par son originalité et sa profondeur émotionnelle. Grâce à "Dummy", Portishead est devenu l'un des groupes les plus innovants et influents des années 1990. Un beau 5/5 pour album novateur.

The fucking best. Five stars forevah

So goddamn good