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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Dummy

Portishead

1994

Dummy

Album Summary

Dummy is the debut studio album by English electronic music band Portishead, released on 22 August 1994 by Go! Beat Records.The album received critical acclaim and won the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularising the trip hop genre, and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the 1990s. Dummy was certified triple platinum in the UK in February 2019, and had sold 920,000 copies in the United Kingdom as of September 2020. Worldwide, the album had sold 3.6 million copies by 2008.

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Rating

3.71

Votes

21000

Reviews

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Jan 18 2021
5

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. ✌️

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Aug 03 2022
5

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.

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Jun 26 2023
3

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.

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Jan 26 2021
4

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??

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May 18 2021
5

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.”

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Aug 06 2021
2

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.

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Feb 17 2021
5

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

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May 17 2021
5

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.

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Mar 11 2021
5

Great album. Beth Gibbon's voice is sublime.

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Feb 23 2021
4

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.

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Oct 30 2024
1

Bad

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Dec 23 2021
5

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.

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Nov 16 2021
4

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.

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Feb 20 2021
4

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.

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Jun 22 2025
5

I've listened to this album many times. If you're in a work situation and you need some groovy and mellow music to help focus, this one is a banger. I enjoy the vocals being set in the music instead of out front. It's laid back and urgent at the same time. In my opinion it's an excellent album and has no skips. Put it on repeat and get on with your day.

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Nov 14 2021
5

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.

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Aug 24 2024
3

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.

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Jan 14 2025
5

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.

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Jan 11 2025
5

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!

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Nov 14 2023
5

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.

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Feb 02 2021
5

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.

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Jun 21 2025
4

Might be a "you had to be there" situation but this got a lot of airplay in my orbit back in the day. Using funky Isaac Hayes samples to get down wasn't new. What was new was using them to get down in the sense of getting depressed, not to get down as in dance your ass off.

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Aug 20 2023
4

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

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Jun 10 2021
3

Not as good as the later album but still impressive.

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Oct 01 2025
5

Trip hop perfection on every level. Best group and album in genre IMO. I once told a girlfriend that I wanted to have a baby with Beth Gibbon's voice. Sexy, smokey, sultry, sophisticated, emotive, perfect. That didn't go over well. Impossible and dumb she said. I said you know what's impossible and dumb? This relationship. I never told my now wife about my vocal parental fantasy. Best to let weird dogs lie sometimes, and I would hate to have to die on that hill twice.

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Aug 01 2025
5

This sounds so elegant and sleek. Like sitting in a richly appointed room of velvet blues and blacks. And that voice...sublime.

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Jul 01 2025
5

Not much to say about this album that hasn't been said yet. One of the definitive 90s records and for me the peak of trip hop, a genre they, alongside Massive Attack, have pushed into the mainstream, blending hip hop beats with bleak, introspective lyrics, sprinkled with jazzy guitars and organs, creating a cinematic noir atmosphere that no other band has been able to capture in the same way these two did. What's crazy is that this was their debut, and to come out with something like this, with such a mature and refined sound, is pretty crazy to me. + Sour Times, Roads, Glory Box, Mysterions = Strangers, Wandering Star, Biscuit - N/A

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Jun 21 2025
5

A nice treat from the collection, as I've owned this album for a long time, and have always enjoyed listening to it. It's also impressive hearing the difference between this much earlier album and recently getting their later "Third" album from after their long hiatus; "Dummy" is definitely more what I think of Portishead sounding like, but now I can appreciate both albums better I think. It's hard to pick just a few favorites from the album, as I enjoy nearly every track (although I'm quite partial to "Roads" as the highlight, and "It could be sweet" and "It's a fire" are probably the relative duds on the album), and I also enjoyed seeing the three videos, the well-produced Bond-like "Sour times" (apparently taken from a 10-minute film they created, "To Kill a Dead Man"), the somewhat disturbing home-movie-esque "Numb", and the final track's noir-nightclub "Glory box". I also really appreciate the almost steampunk-like/film-noir-like vibe to the entire album, and I'm really impressed to read that they created their distinctive sound by recording various instruments and sounds on vinyl, introduced a bunch of static/noise by walking all over the discs (and playing through a broken amplifier), and then recorded the samples on a record deck (in addition to their samples from vintage albums). I'm a bit torn between whether this is four or five stars-worthy, but I think the fact that this was their debut album, it earned all five stars.

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Jun 17 2025
5

I often forgot just how incredible this record is. Beth Gibbons has a voice like no other, and nowhere is that better exemplified than here. Tracks like Roads, Biscuit, Glory Box, It Could Be Sweet, Wandering Star, Mysterons, yeah im just naming the whole fucking album. It is that good. A must hear for all.

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Jun 10 2025
5

5/5 Already an all-time favourite of mine (Thanks Dad.) The best to come out of the Bristol trip-hop bands. It holds this haunting, grimy atmosphere through the beautiful, ethereal vocals floating over the top of the industrial sounding hip hop beats and creepy samples and synths. Top 3 Songs: Numb Glory Box Mysterons

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Feb 24 2025
5

Always loved Portishead's sound. Laid back interesting trip hop sound with melancholic lyrics and Beth Gibbons's voice drawing you in. Haven't listened in full in a long time so thanks for the opportunity.

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Feb 24 2025
5

Enjoyed listening to this for mainly nostalgic reasons. Reminded me of good times in the 90s after leaving university. Coincidentally was listening to the new Beth Gibbons album the day before this came up. Very relaxing and laid back grooves.

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Feb 24 2025
5

Excellent. Atmospheric. Delicate voice.

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Nov 19 2024
5

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.

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Jul 23 2024
5

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.

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Feb 10 2024
5

Every song's a beauty.

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Nov 14 2023
5

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*

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Mar 20 2023
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.

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Jan 19 2021
5

liked it. pornographic vibes

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Feb 24 2025
4

Solid album

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Feb 22 2025
4

Fairly good

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Jun 15 2024
4

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

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Jun 15 2024
4

Really enjoyed this album

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Feb 08 2024
4

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

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Mar 30 2022
4

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).

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Apr 14 2025
3

This music time warped me to my college days where my best friend was super into Bjork and this band. Nostalgia aside, they're still not for me.

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Feb 26 2025
3

главный вопрос: откуда в трип-хопе ХОП? трип вполне понимаю

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Aug 01 2024
3

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

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Apr 23 2022
3

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

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Nov 29 2021
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.

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Oct 09 2021
3

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

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Oct 07 2021
3

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.

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Jan 15 2021
2

I can imagine an era where this sounded cool and sexy and sad but now i just think of the music lame hotel bars play to force a vibe

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Aug 11 2025
1

Trop langoureux, lent pour moi.

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Mar 18 2025
1

הייתי רואה סרטון "איך להתקין פאוורפוינט" לפני שהייתי שומע את האלבום המשמים הזה שוב

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May 31 2021
1

Oczywiscie kolejny brytyjski album, bo jak inaczej, banda bristolska, co podobno ma znaczenie jesli chodzi o gatunek, bo wszedzie okreslana ta plyta jest jako trip hop, przed przesluchaniem mialem calkiem inny obraz tego podgatunku hopu, zadnego tripa tu nie bylo, hopu tym bardziej, bardzo depresyjny material, utrzymany zazwyczaj w tempie 80 stukow na minute, sporo dzwiekow tworzyonyc synthami, bo to raczej samplowanie nie jest, wiec efekty koscielnych organow sie znajda, tutaj znowu efekciarskie klawisze lat 80, a do tego dochodzi najgorsze co moze spotkac srednio ciekawy instrumental, jeszcze mniej ciekawy wokal, ktory snuje swoje depresyjne przeslanie, nie ma tutaj gdzie szukac pozytywow, wokal jest tak nijaki jak moze byc spiewany tekst, sluchasz i zapominasz jak brzmial zaraz po zatrzymaniu odtwarzania, moze to i dobrze, az musze stworzyc nowa plejke zeby wrzucic jakis dowod namacalny przesluchania tej plyty, a nigdzie nie moge tego sklasyfikowac, bity nawet to jakiegos lofi podziemnego rapersa by przeszly, ale ten wokal nie pasuje nigdzie plejlistowo, wiec powstaje specjalna plejka odpadow listowych, na ktora wyciskam esensje tego materialu jednym trakiem, czyli sour timesem

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Oct 06 2025
5

I could write a book on this album and how it effected and affected my life when it came out. It was a huge soundtrack for damn near two full years. I still put it on to listen to decades later. It is that damn good. It was always classified as trip-hop but we had people call it electric jazz or lounge. One guy I know called it, "Electric booty music " it's one of those albums that doesn't really fit a lot of labels. Her voice is almost haunting and fits with the music so well. You feel every lyric and note. You can assign various emotions to it depending on your mood. It is absolutely an amazing album.

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Oct 04 2025
5

Many late nights spent with this as the soundtrack. Haunting, beautiful and still fresh sounding.

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Oct 03 2025
5

The beauty of this record never ceases to amaze me. Homemade samples, scratches and Beth Gibbons’ immaculate voice.

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Oct 01 2025
5

My only exposure to Portishead was being 12-years-old and seeing them on SNL. It was most definitely not in my wheelhouse at the time as I was firmly lodged in my Korn/Limp Bizkit/The Offspring fandom. Looks like I have been missing out on something amazing. Beth Gibbons' voice is so entrancing. Their samples are otherworldly and produce such a haunting effect. Not a weak track in the bunch. Highlights: It Could Be Sweet, Numb

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Oct 01 2025
5

Loved it

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Sep 30 2025
5

9.5/10

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Sep 30 2025
5

Absolute banger! De Trip-Hop vibes zijn geweldig met hemelse vocalen. Ik ga hier echt heel lekker op.

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Sep 29 2025
5

Bello, bello, bello

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Sep 29 2025
5

Premier 5 étoiles de mes écoutes et il le mérite.

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Sep 28 2025
5

This is an easy one to rate and one of my favorite ever. I can't think of many other albums that sound so cool and yet so beautiful at the same time. 23rd perfect album, 818 albums in. Rating: 5.0

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Sep 27 2025
5

I am lucky to have been at just the right age to appreciate this when it came out. The trip hop sound with Portishead, massive attack, and tricky was really influential. So many great tracks on this but you can't go past Roads.

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Sep 27 2025
5

One of my favourite albums. Such a fantastic album

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Sep 26 2025
5

An exceptional album, not much else to say

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Sep 24 2025
5

Lovely

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Sep 23 2025
5

Wow. I don't know what I expected when I saw that this was a more ambient album, but I was completely blindsided by what is one of my favourite albums to date. It's hauntingly beautiful, unsettling and intimate. One of my common criticisms of albums on here is that things sound boring or samey, but this has a simplicity that somehow defies that idea that simple or repetitive equals boring. It's so rich and full, even though a lot of the music involves just exploring one loop or idea. I cannot give this anything other than a 5, which it has earned completely.

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Sep 23 2025
5

Another no-skip, big trip-hop vibes

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Sep 23 2025
5

One of my top 100!

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Sep 22 2025
5

Great album. Listened to it more times than I can count as a teenager. Still slaps.

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Sep 20 2025
5

Impeccable. For a 90s metal kid this was mindblowing - dusty jazz samples, boom bap, and the most haunting, elegant voice. Sour Times and Glory Box are perfect, and there are no "bad" tracks. The only possible downside is that it deserves to be listened to properly, not as background music.

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Sep 20 2025
5

Damn, invisible ninjas be chopping onions again... Before talking about the record, I want to give a bit of personal background. About three years ago, I decided to check out 'Mezzanine' by Massive Attack, as I was getting into the trip hop scene. Once I got familiar with that album, I moved on to 'Dummy', as they are both regarded as the primal examples of Trip Hop. Nevertheless, I felt quite dissappointed with this one. What I love about 'Mezzanine' is how insanely good the production is. Listening to that album is a similar feeling to touching the smoothest material of the world. Meanwhile, Dummy's sound is more stripped back and rough when it comes to the beats. This is the reason why I've never really got into the album... until not so long ago. About a year ago, I started to listen to some of the songs of the album again, and its sound started to grow on me little by little, but still haven't returned to listen to the full project. Now, this list gave me the opportunity to give this album another try that I was waiting for. Conclusion? Absolutely worth it. This record may be one of the darkest, saddest and more emotional albums ever. I don't think I've ever heard this level of pain and sorrow being portrayed in a human voice. Makes me consider Beth Gibbons as one of, if not the greatest singer of all time. But is not all about her. The beats are also a crucial element to creat the dark atmosphere of the record. They can sound a bit rough at times, but they always do a great job accompanying the voice and adding a lot of character. So yes, this album may not be perfect, but it is incredible. My favourite songs are 'Sour Times', 'Wandering Star' and 'Roads', but every song here shines in their own way.

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Sep 19 2025
5

Classic

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Sep 19 2025
5

One of my favourite albums of all time

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Sep 19 2025
5

Favorite Track: Sour Times

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Sep 19 2025
5

One of my favorite albums of all time.

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Sep 16 2025
5

upea

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Sep 16 2025
5

Has grown into a low 5 for me over the years

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Sep 15 2025
5

Awesome. No skip album.

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Sep 15 2025
5

Super groovy, super clean production, and just overall a really interesting listen. I wasn’t really hooked until i listened to Roads early in the morning at an empty office and felt some kind of something.

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Sep 15 2025
5

I love this album. It's interesting musically, moody, & sexy.

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Sep 14 2025
5

First album i tested my new car subwoofer with; uses low frequencies so well, really making them one of the main musical elements rather than just an afterthought

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Sep 13 2025
5

It was good

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Sep 12 2025
5

a foundational album that everyone needs to listen to at some point in their lives.

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Sep 12 2025
5

There are particular tracks that I really love on this, but its a great example of how to do an album.The entire sound and presence of it takes me in, and I'm never bored.

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Sep 12 2025
5

One of my favourite albums of all time. It's nice and chill and interesting, always a nice listen. I don't have all of the songs already but I'm still happy listening to even the ones I don't have liked on Spotify. It's a very nice trip-hop album. It's also one of my go-to jogging albums so I might be a little biased. I especially like Roads - it's definitely one of my favourite songs of all time. 5/5 stars.

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Sep 12 2025
5

Absolutely adore this one.

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Sep 10 2025
5

93/100. Dummy by Portishead is not only one of the best trip-hop albums ever made, but truly one of the best albums of all time. The atmosphere and tone are absolutely spectacular, drenched in moody textures and haunting vocals. It flows with a hypnotic consistency, pulling you into its world from the very first track.

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Sep 10 2025
5

An moody and atmospheric trip hop masterpiece

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Sep 09 2025
5

Dummy might be my #1 album from this entire list. It's just so amazing. The mix of tortured vocals, strings, brass, interesting percussion, record scratching and other electronic stuff, bluesy guitar, everything. It really changed music for me when I first heard it, and it still holds up. Incredible album.

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Sep 09 2025
5

If this album doesn't remind you of the time you drew Santa named, from life, you are doing something wrong.

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Sep 08 2025
5

Confession: with that name I always envision screaming metal music. I was wrong. This was very good.

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Sep 08 2025
5

The quintessential trip-hop album? Goddamn these beats mixed with the vocals...this thing fucks.

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Sep 06 2025
5

Best Trip Hop Album out there!

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Sep 06 2025
5

Great work. I was hungover this day, so very happy to see this album instead of something like The Cure (still can't get over the 2-day streak of that). AI helped me plan the full Irish breakfast for the lads and Portishead got me into the groove to execute.

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Sep 06 2025
5

Wandering Star is so GOATed it isnt even funny

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