Dummy

Played it a lot back in the day, excellent album. Comes to life especially in the evenings/nights.

"Third" is quite a bit better, but this is such an iconic trip hop album, hard to give anything other than 5 stars. for comparison: Dummy 9/10 Third 10/10

Excellent album from start to finish.

Strangely desolate album, yet with a warm heart. It won't get much better than this.

- 1 scary funky - 2 jazzy stroll - 3 meandering - 4 jazz dream - 5 bebop background music - 6 no.

some songs cool

I genuinely hated this album. I found Beth Gibbons' vocals became really winey after a while and the identity of the album felt really confused. Am I a soundtrack for a film? Am I hip-hop? Am I having a breakdown so I'm going to throw it all together and hope it sounds good. Yeah, that, that one. It did not sound good.

Slowpace, downer

Five stars. Just one of those albums where every sound is so carefully crafted the whole thing appears hewn from a single block of marble. And textures is exactly the right word - the metallic dragging that haunts Sour Times, the theramin that recurs, and the glorious film music samples that litter the album. All to provide a compelling soundscape for Beth Gibbons voice. Great though Glory Box and Sour Times are, it's Roads that is the 10/5 track - a better idea of the contemporary torch song you will not find anywhere.

Not the biggest trip-hop fella out there, but Dummy really captured my attention. Maybe not enough ti get me on the trip-hop-train, but at least enough to get me to watch it leave the station. The seductive power of Beth Gibbon’s voice, combined with the steady electronic beat seemed to invite a certain kind of energy: Kind of like what androids would play before making love. An overall pleasant experience.

Fantastic record!

This is the record that I learned about down-tempo trip/hop. It changed the way I listened to music and I will forever love this record.

Once again, Wikipedia dropping knowledge bombs on me here: "The cover features a still from the band's own short film To Kill a Dead Man", how cool is that?! Almost as cool as the covert art for tool albums coming from guitarist Adam Jones' own art, cinema, and claymation. I listened to this entire album cover to cover without a hiccup and loved every second of it. Incredible focus music, the vibe is top tier.

Trip hop's Straight Outta Compton.

INT

This is probably a light four, but still a four. There's a reason this has a better score than a lot of the other 90's electronica albums. These are actual songs and not just noise. They may be a bit repetitive, but that's just the way electronica is, I guess. I liked the downer tone. I felt like I should have been depressed and smoking a cigarette while listening to this. I also liked the quality of the singer's voice. My favourite song was Sour Times.

3.5 really enjoyed it!

90s UK trip hop has never really been my thing and generally sounds quite dated now. This is a good example of that dated and underwhelming genre, and is about as good as it gets. Glory Box is the highlight by a long distance. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Glory Box Date listened: 15/02/23

Ikke deres sterkeste, men like fullt veldig bra.

mid

Brilliant, wonderful, hypnotic, genius. Pretty much invented a genre (along with massive attack) An all time classic

masterpiece that helped define a genre

already listened to it, it's dark, it's good

This band made some of my favorite songs, yet I never put on this record. This album encapsulates a lot of different moods, bleakness, fragility, despair, but also beauty. The sampling of all kinds of instruments and making their own sounds is brilliant It's got a lot of eerie/haunting soundscapes and moody passages. But the vocals of Beth have this almost angelic ring to it and it balances it nicely. Favorite lyrics: - Did you realise no one can see inside your view? Did you realise for why this sight belongs to you? - 'Cause the child rose as life. Tried to reveal what I could feel. Key tracks: Mysterons, Sour Times, Strangers, It Could Be Sweet, Wandering Star, It's A Fire, Numb, Roads, 9 out of 10

In a break from my routine I waited until the evening to listen to this. If you're listening to Portishead in the morning, you're probably still stoned. The little sample breaks are what give the album much of its charm, and save it from being too of its time. Strangers is a particular example of this. Lalo Schiffrin in Sour Times. Biscuit. Glory Box is obviously an absolute cracker. It's a Fire. Don't know this. It's not on the album. Very nice though. Unquestionably the best Portishead album, this is strongest for me when Beth is not overwhelmed by the trip hop beats. That said, Wandering Star pretty much marries these two elements most perfectly. Pedestal a close second. Anyone who enjoys her voice absolutely must listen to the later, absurdly good album she did with Rustin Man. Strong examples here though, It Could Be Sweet, Roads. Man. Roads. What. a. song. That's the song that doesn't immediately take me back to the years and evenings at uni where this album was ever present, because above any other song here I've carried it with me. One of my favourite ever songs. Just absolute bliss. Album probably getting a nostalgia 5.

Great album, loved it when it came out. Like all trip-hop I've revisited while doing this, not sure it stands up so well today. That snare on 'Mysterons' is abrasive and dates it somewhat. 'Roads' is still lovely though. Also, nice that b-side 'It's A Fire' has been included in the album - good wonky chords.

Never heard of Portishead before, though I realised while listening that I knew their song “Glory Box” from somewhere - I think it was used in an ad or something. Definitely a weird album, I’m not usually into stuff this experimental-sounding. Fav tracks: Sour Times, It’s A Fire, Glory Box Least fav tracks: Numb, Roads, Pedestal While I liked some tracks, most didn’t do it for me.

This slapped! I don't know how they managed to make it so eerie and yet so sexy and mellow, it was like an album of bond films. I loved it, especially glorybox.

This was my introduction to portishead

Quite possibly the best-produced album of all time. The beats are crisp as all heck but with a ghostly murkiness and the vocals are enchanting

Highlight Tracks: Sour Times, It’s a Fire Weird. Really weird Probably never going to listen to it again 2/5

I was familiar with a few of the songs, but had never listen to the album in its entirety. Favorite songs: Roads, Glory Box. Very trippy vibe. I could imagine listening to this album while driving while it's raining or snowing on the highway at night.

This is definitely my jam, and it really is a classic album. There's a lot of big hits in here, but the whole album is solid. Lots of interesting jams and production. Definitely one of the big trip-hop albums / touchpoints. 'Roads' takes the best song award - what an emotional punch that has.

all around great album, stylistically consistent throughout, without becoming repetitive, beautiful vocals, killer production.

Portishead is the right kind of weird. It's unusual, but still melodic and interesting. Mysterons and Sour Times are very good. I really like this album. More than when I was in high school.

One of the best records of the 90s. I got a reputation at halls in university as that twat who played this album too loud every night. But I was right too, people should have been grateful. Sour Times best song, just.

No es mi genero favorito, sin embargo tampoco es un album que aburre, todas las canciones son diferentes y cada una tiene algo que la destaca 6/10

Have known about this album for years, but never got into it. Still not totally into it but it's growing on me. 3 stars.

I haven’t listened to Portishead for a while, good music.

Aww hell yeah. Almost 200 albums ago (203) I got my first Portishead album and wrote how much I loved it. I said I would be going through their other albums and I did so I was already familiar with this album. I've really come to love this band a lot. I love me some trip hop.

I listened to this album a lotttt in college, and I credit it for pulling me out of my black metal purist phase. Vocals are almost too ASMRy at times for me, but when she gets bold and Winehousian with it, GIIIRL. Beats, samples, and instrumentals, all very entrancing 🌀〰️🌀

I’m conflicted on this album because I didn’t particularly like it but I understood it’s merit. Had a cool haunting jazz vibe but I just don’t think it’s something I’d ever consistently want to jam.

I’ve listened to this album several times since discovering it in college. Love the gothic atmosphere and Beth Gibbons eerie vocals. I’m gonna steal Bailey’s line about Radiohead… because this album is also “HaUntiNgLy BeAutIFuL”. Excited for the other 2 Portishead albums to inevitably come up in this list

Great album

i was happy when it ended. brutal to get through.

First time listening to Portishead, it’s my kinda music! Very chill, low key, but beautiful.

I have not anticipated an album appearing on this list more than this one and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. I want to take a bath in Beth Gibbons’ voice. This is the soundtrack to the Twin Peaks cocktail party I never knew I wanted to have.

Well I came to triphop late, but did I fall for Bristol scene hate, and nothing hit me in the feels more than this album. Roads still hits me in the chops within seconds. Absolute classic.

Vel viðeigandi bömmer-hlustun

Heard so much good about this one Hmmm I expected indierock for some reason. Wth. This is boring af "Roads" kind of turns it around though. Yeea the strings are so needed on the other tracks. 3 That and "Glorybox" were the only good songs.

slusala prije

Wonderful.

Masterpiece, unlike anything else of its time

Not really for me

Cool slick nighttime music

Good plinky plonky background music. Always been aware of this album, don't know why I've never listened to it, I definitely listened to similar and certainly recognise a couple of tracks.

brilliant

A friend, an early Dummy proselytiser, listened to my copy of the album once. I'd bought it on CD in 1996 or 97, I guess, from the cheap CD shop across the way from Reckless Records. I always assumed there was something slightly dodge about their sources. They were cheap. Not as cheap as Cheapo Records up the road, but, you know, they had new stuff. And I didn't peel the skin off my cuticles while rifling through their stacks. And I didn't leave covered in dust and sneezing. I did love Cheapo Records by the way, I must say. Anyway, my suspicions were confirmed when my friend, who had been tootling about with a spliff and a kebab and only God knows what else, very almost had a heart attack when the "It's A Fire" loop kicked in. Turns out I had (and still have) a Japanese import – for some unfathomable reason, the UK pressings didn't, include this absolute epic. God, I'm old. First encounter with Portishead was when Multitrack 3 on BBC World Service played the hell out of "Sour Times" *before* it won the (ahem) Mercury Communications Music Prize. (Anyone remember Mercury mobiles? Free calls all evening and weekend? My cousin had won. Used to go all the way to deepest Sarf London to rinse that thing...) Is it me or was the Mercury Prize much earlier in the year then? Have a vague recollection of it being in February. Must check. That, I think, was (at least in the years that I actively paid attention) the strongest shortlist – and thus the most deserving winner.

After all of the hip-hop albums I've gotten that incorporate and/or straight up are trip-hop, it's crazy that it was pioneered by in English electronic band. The vibes of this album were immaculate and it's a fire and glory box were the most immaculate songs. Loved this album.

Meh

Great vibe. I love it.

i want to rate this 4, but the upbeat not dark trip hop stuff just isnt good. it isnt good okay? i dont like it. but, boyo, does the dark stuff slap like a dude slapping the side of a dog. good boy! anyway, i get why youd like it. i like it. the dark shit. strongest thee song opening in a minute, yo.

This felt like background music to me. Not bad but not very engaging.

The classic trip-hop album. Headphones are a must for this one.

Beautiful. If I was on the fence before about liking trip hop, this sealed the deal.

One of my all time favourite album!! Just perfect in every sense

This album has pretty sick beats.

Trip hop that still holds up nearly 30 years later

OK - little bit 'background' but might possibly listen again...

Eu realmente realmente amei

Progrock aktig med litt hiphop insp Ingen bangers men Biscuit er litt kul Ingen sanger jeg hadde hørt før

Not my cup of tea.

The first time I heard this was late night watching the 1995 movie Tank Girl which features the song "Roads" in a truly magnificent shower scene. I have no idea how the movie holds up today, but the Portishead song stayed with me as one of the best timed songs with great keyboard, spare beats, and a singular voice. I immediately bought the album and loved it. it Could be Sweet is a solid track as well. Wandering Star. There are quite a few nice ones and they are cohesive and flow well together. Portishead is no longer a sound I long to hear often, but there were a couple years when I certainly played and heard this album a lot. The talent is obvious.

The title and cover art on this is just haunting, isn't it? I get a perfect illustration of what the music will sound like visually. Dummy is tied to the times. If I had heard this for the first time today, I don't think I'd understand it as well. However, I spent the better part of six months listening to this CD on repeat in the early 90's and it is amazing.

One of my favorite albums of all time. I think it's pretty perfect. Somehow I left this off my VP essential album recommendations list, an error I will now rectify. I used to think I liked trip-hop. Then, over the course of 430 albums, we've listened to Röyksopp, Massive Attack, Tricky, and a handful of things that dabbled into the genre briefly but without consistency. It turns out maybe I don't like trip-hop, I just like Portishead. Or maybe Portishead, and "Dummy" in particular, just nailed the genre so well that everything else pales in comparison. The album flows sublimely from one track to the next, creating one of the most enveloping, haunting, sultry, and mesmerizing musical experiences I've had.

The whole album is a vibe best enjoyed after dark. It’s lonely and yet makes me feel like I am not alone. It’s hauntingly, achingly ethereal but also tinged with a sour regret you can’t quite stop thinking about. Glory Box is a standout for me but the whole album is perfection.

This album, or really Portishead, is one of a kind. I have never heard anything else like them. The bands that are listed as being similar and/or adjacent don’t come close to them. And this album started it all. I don’t know what I like better, the music or Beth Gibbons’s vocals. Mysterons is of particular musical note between the militaristic drumming and the scratching. Her voice is ethereal. This album reminds me of Twin Peaks: The Return. TPTR had scenes throughout at The Roadhouse, a bar on the southern side of town where bands often play. As is the case with everything in Twin Falls, Washington, mystery and oddity are the backdrop to the goings on at The Roadhouse. The album would fit right in as a performance at The Roadhouse…in a great way. Side bar alert!!! I discovered Chromatics through their performance of Shadow at the end of Part 2. Great song, check out the video https://youtu.be/IGUboLZx3Tk. Check out Chromatics too (Kill For Love is a great place to start). You know who else performed in TPTR? Of course not, but I’ll tell you anyway. I didn’t realize they were on the show until today. I found them separately after watching the show. The answer? Au Revoir Simone, also a great listen (Move In Spectrums is a great place to start).

Finalmente estou em condições de aproveitar a potência da sonoridade das camadas do vocal, samples e guitarras.

Beth Gibbons is one of the most iconic vocalists in music. Powerful and spooky, chilling the audience to the spine with her range and intensity. All of Portishead's albums are fantastic with unique and memorable tracks that blow you away, but their debut has their most recognizable tracks, including "Roads" and "Glory Box". All tracks are remarkable, characterized by perfect mixing, a creative use of samples, and production techniques that contribute to a complete and coherent listen. We start off with the industrial synth-heavy "Mysterons" that sounds like a stroll through a haunted factory. "Sour Times" is a favorite, with a catchy chorus, strong R&B influences and incorporating 70s spy music samples (resembling surf rock), feeling intense and disarrayed. "Strangers" sounds like vocal jazz layered underneath heavy industrial drones and filters. There are so many production techniques and introduced samples that are added exactly once or twice (like the Disney-sounding classical sample or that chamber echo) that add to the completeness of diversity of the song. There's so much happening in each song that it encourages replayability and makes each second valuable. "Biscuit" is another samplepaedic song, with a million things to focus on, from the slowed down (almost vaporwave-esque) vocal sample, the staticy background, the record scratches, the lifeless hollow drum beats, and what sounds like a distant parade recording at the end. "It Could Be Sweet" is one of the most aesthetically pleasing songs. I love the cool vibe of the samples, and it has possibly my favorite of Gibbons's soothing vocals. "It's a Fire" also provides a nice break with its gospel-sounding organ and relaxing vocals. "Wandering Star" moves us back into the gothic vibes, surely an inspiration to the likes of Evanescence. This is the first song I've heard where record scratches actually contribute to the spooky imagery rather than for its own sake. Absolutely love the instrumental finish, especially that closing organ sample. What I love about the album is that they rarely reuse their tricks. A similar feeling song, "Numb" is instead characterized by its eery vibrato and frantic lyrics. Meanwhile, "Roads" is somber and nostalgic. I find "Glory Box" to be a fitting closer, with a memorable and enticing hook sending shivers, and a catchy and powerful chorus. Her vocals are strong and sexy here. There's so much I love about this song. The hazy bluesy guitar gets its solo but continues despite Gibbons singing again, then disappears without warning only to start up randomly again later, fizzling in and out, screeching one more time with Gibbons's echo. The next 20 seconds absolutely blow me away, abruptly shifting to a super psychedelic and unsettling segment of abrasive beats and echoey vocals, before moving back to the core song and ending the album. I so wish it could just go on longer.

Really enjoyed

Not my thing, listened but didn't pay attention. Well made, good sounding however.

meh

vibey and interesting

Very slow very meh. Everything sounded fine until she started singing-“D.R.”

Some amazing songs but overall the sound isn’t really what a typically enjoy. I can see why it’s considered a classic in the genre, though. Standout tracks: Strangers, Wandering Star, It’s a Fire

Pretty great album for a rainy day. Pretty unique for its time.

It’s like the gorillaz mixed with radio head

I know this album well. It's majestic.

Excellent album.

Still a beautiful album, a really nice musical moment and movement and well worth a listen.

4/5. A great collection of tracks but some sound too similar to feel like they stand out.

Decent, a bit weird in a direction I enjoy.

Stand-outs: "It's A Fire," "Roads"

Spy movie sad ambience. It was cool for one song, and it dragged for an album.

One of the 50 most beautiful albums ever and absolutely the best trip hop record of all time (this is not an opinion). Such a wonderful experience!

Foggy night in UK

#1 track sets the stage, bem nice the whole thing bateu

Not sure what to make of this one

Background music 2.5

From Mary Oliver: "(In my sleep I dreamed this poem) Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift."

trip hop >>> house

This is one of those albums that I think is good, but I also don't think is as good as its reputation. I feel like they rely on Beth Gibbon's voice for a lot, and her voice is excellent, so that makes the album work. However, because they rely on her voice so much, it feels like they don't bother to make the music all that interesting a lot of time. This just feels like it could be a lot better if they brought more to it in terms of musical complexity. Compared to the other albums on the Mt. Rushmore of Trip-Hop, this feels like a step behind albums like Mezzanine and Endtroducing. 4/5

Love this album. Such a great sound and atmosphere to this album up there with my all time’s favourites. Absolute masterpiece up there with the greatest debut albums.

it was okay, will probably not revisit again, very haunting vocals

First album... interesting but kind of boring track 1 - 3/10 (not a good intro) track 2 - 6/10 (cool) track 3 - 3.5/10 (the intro of it was really good - might even sample it at some point, but it started to get weird after that; not a fan) track 4 - 3/10 (the production is so weak holy... vocals are ok) track 5 - 4/10 (nothing stands out in the album so far; synth in the outro is beautiful. sad it's only right at the end) track 6 - 3.5/10 (meh) track 7 - 2/10 (I hate these beats) track 8 - 6.5/10 (finally! this could go into the playlist only if the vocals weren't so dry) track 9 - 5/10 (not bad) track 10 - 2/10 track 11 - 4.5/10 (nothing special about the outro but it's listenable) total - 43/110 = 3.91/10

Trip Hop, beautiful female voice

This shit slap song

This album took a while to grow on me honestly, but now I can't imagine why there was any reason I had mixed feelings. It's a bit depressing, but those beats just freakin' KICK. And great lyrics. Yup, love this one.

Second song had James Bond vibes. Very chill and old school electronica. I could vibe with this music for hours.

Good for some quintessential flowy/electronic music that feels like belongs in a 90s movie soundtrack. Ultimately though I was wavering between 2 and 3 stars because while it wasn't bad, it very easily just fell into the background and was super similar song to song so I got bored about halfway through. Nothing wow-ed me so I'm rounding down

This was pretty middle-of-the-road for me. It wasn't bad but I'm not sure what situation I'd want to listen to this album again. There were parts that I really enjoyed the feel but as a whole, it was just kinda there.

This was tolerable to a point but I’d never listen to it again. This album tries to have that Indie beat vibe but suffers from repetitive melodies and a mediocre at best singer.

Sounded like I was listening to a chill James Bond soundtrack. Really enjoyed the lofi nature of this, definitely had a lot of "Massive Attack" influence.

5/10

Dark and brooding

Relaxte jams

Sublime. Must check out Beak> properly.

A moody and atmospheric delight. I found the Bristol-born, trio-hop scene fairly late in the day and hadn’t actually listen to this as a full LP in one sitting. It achieves a rare thing of being able to l ignite some nostalgia wallowing and encapsulate the sound of when it was realised, whilst also sounding timeless and not out of place with the current vibe of 2022.

An album i've listened to plenty before now, it's a goody. Listening again, I find 'it's a fire' the most affecting track, previously overlooked it for the other bigger hits.

One of the best albums of the 90s for me. Relentlessly brilliant track after track and sounds like it could have been made now.

Wonderfully evocative album. Reminiscent of after club "back to mine's" in the early to mid 90s. Absolute classic.

This album holds a special place in my heart, and I'm immediately transported back to 16 years old and all the yearning and heart aches of that time. I could basically list the whole album as standout tracks, but I'm going to restrain myself: - Mysterons - Glory Box - Roads Honestly I don't think this sounds aged at all...or maybe it because Bristol bands are reigniting these sounds at the moment as part of the 90's and Y2K revival. either way, I'M HERE FOR IT.

I love it. This album is a Gem!!

Unexpectedly, this album holds a special place in my heart after all these years. They effectively came out of nowhere for me. I didn't have a lot of influencer friends or radio hyping them up before this dropped. I never saw Portishead live. I don't think I even bought this record until 10 years after hearing it. And yet, this album was such a soundtrack to our college lives at the time. Even for someone like myself who, then, identified as a quasi straight-edged punk and post-punk enthusiast drenched in Northwest Grunge and Washington DC DIY. DUMMY takes me places now that are more than the sum of its parts and greater than what's on wax, and yet this recording is cognitively sticky and resilient. Instant feels from within the source as well as all this external evocation.

Ethereal, driving, brilliant, haunting.

so concentrated but also a total bummer

Blue masterpiece.

Great album. Probably my favourite from this genre (which isn't exactly my forte). Just really solid overall, great vibes all around. It's groovy, it's melodic, it's simply very good.

Glory Box is still a legend! The rest of the album has its specific mystical atmosphere. By listening to Dummy from alpha to omega it clearly reveales some lengths.

Amazing album, absolutely love it. For me, one of the very best so far out of these 1001. Even though I usually dislike both hip-hop and the majority of electronica, mellow trip-hop just hits a lot of my sweet spots. This album is fantastic at everything it sets out to be. It's mellow, dark, sad, interesting, beautiful, adventurous, relaxing, touching, stimulating and more. Roads in particular has long been on my 'liked songs' list.

Stórkostleg plata, mikil mystique, seiðandi rödd, nostalgía.

Banger

The album that got me into Trip Hop. A sublime, complex, chilled out collection of atmospheric songs with haunting vocals Stand out tracks - Mysterons - Sour Times - Roads - Glory Box

massa os fadinho

HL: “Sour Times”, “Roads”, “It Could Be Sweet” October 30, 2022

Great time. Loved the mood, a high four. A great record.

Love this album. Sultry, moody music that makes me feel like I’m sitting in the corner booth in a darkened bar with live music playing and dim lighting reflecting off of dark red curtains hung around the bar.

Too simple. Would be cool to listen to it as background music

Doesnt sound bad but its not something ill consider listning to again

Electrónica.

- Heard this album once before, years ago - Grown on me a lot - Not a genre I've heard much of but still really good - Fav songs: Glory Box, Sour Times, Wandering Star

Ah, more bog UK techno. You know those Sunday mid-mornings after a night on the ecstasy, when you start to get drowsy but you're also still in party mode? That's when bullshit like Portishead gets put on. It's not good, you're just coming down. 2/5.

The album sounds original. probably because it is.

Not bad, but yet another 90s electronic-type album. Not sure why there are so many

Not familiar with this group or album, so going in completely blind. Initial thoughts, this was from 1994? It was ahead of its time. First track is kind of equal parts creepy and chill. Really good mastering! I like the fuzz. What genre is this? Danger Mouse comes to mind. Track three gives me Zombie Girl. There's a big depth to the sound, I think Michael may really like this album. There was a track like Portishead on Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory. Ooooh and Gorillaz, Gravity. And yeah, I HAVE heard this last one, Glory Box, it was in The Craft.

This album was a breath of fresh air when it came out

Put this on and hardly noticed or paid attention to it. Trip-hop I just think is not for me. I know this is supposedly to be the best of the era/genre and it seems pleasant enough.

It’s different, and some good tunes, but wears a bit thin after a while

They hit something pretty special with this one.

Strong

It's ok I guess. 3*

Great, especially when Gibbons does her weird Bjork impression

One of THE great albums. Loved it at the time and I still love it now,. The voice, the sparse arrangements, the mood. There is a lot in here, from the heavy dub of Numb to the lounge stylings of It Could Be Sweet, but it is all so well put together, and no element overstays its welcome to keep the listener on their toes. Wonderful.

I'm not sure which I love the most here - the sparse, atmospheric beats, or Beth Gibbons' haunted vocals. I could listen t both in isolation; put them together and you have a really, really great album. It sounds like autumn with the swirling moog building up in the background. One of the great debuts.

Oh, este disco es una maravilla. 10/10. 5 estrellas. Un 7.

very good sound, hidden gem that I enjoyed.

Classic, one of my favorites

Over het algemeen goed, met een paar uitschieters. Bij vlagen lekkere rock/grunge achtig, maar wel traag. 4*

Brilliant from start to finish. What an incredible atmosphere the band creates…

I really liked this album, experimental at the time it was released.

Feels like a fever dream.

Great mellow album

Brilliantl

Top notch

Great album. Perfect from beginning to end.

How have I never heard this before? It's great. Very atmospheric. I really like it.

Already listened to this lol

issa mastahpeez

Seminal trip hop album. Bought it not really knowing what to expect and what a pleasant surprise it was!

Wanted to give it a 2.5. I liked it but it was slow and kinda not exciting. VERY catchy beats and rhythms and singing. Great songs and they were all unqiue, not some overplayed simular elements or nuthin. It was cool and I always respect the artists that start new trends or that popularize new ideas, just didnt completly catch me like I wanted it to but ALMOST

I’m a fan of this album anyway but this is the first time I’ve really thought about why that might be. I’m in my early days with this challenge but I’m already recognising that I like music that makes me feel something. Dummy makes me feel thoughtful and introspective, it’s like an atmosphere that takes me somewhere mentally and I adore it for that

There are a lot of bits here that I should like, but this album doesn't work for me. Much of it struck me as pretentious (particularly the first half) - like someone trying to craft an album specifically to make it on "you've got to hear these albums" list while critics all nod sagely and say how excitingly experimental it is. I made it through, but unlikely to ever play it again.

Like it. Always liked Portishead

Cheating a bit by saying I have this one, as what I own is actually the Live at Rosemount (?) recording. One of the few live albums that I love, and might even be better than this one, from what I hear. Regardless, phenomenal vocal performance and hypnotic bass beats make Portishead un incontournable du movement and an instant time machine to adolescence. I HAVE THIS ON VINYL!

notes - half secret agent, half alien vibes - big influence on bands like radiohead - used to have this in my library years ago but unliked it bc i wasnt going back to it - definitely “mood music” fav - sour times - cool hammered instrument, great chorus melody - least fav - strangers - repeating dial-tone type sound that got grating by the end, less harmonically interesting than other songs 3.5/5

I liked a few of the tracks but could not get behind the whole project. Going to have to give it another listen.

Loved it, great to hear it again

Very smooth very soothing. Can be a bit repetitive though. It's slightly below a 4 but I'll round up.

Pretty good it's got a very unique sound which is cool. Strong vibe and feeling to the album. Some really cool moments but it can also get a bit repetitive and boring at points. Overall still a very competently done album with some particularly strong moments.

Slow, downbeat. Pretty good for sitting back and chilling.

Kinda oldish music, seems to have a cool dready vibe too, perfect for doing anything

Cool.

Not my type

Calm and trippy one, not my favorite type of music but still enjoyed it

Kinda a crazy listen with headphones Great production Definitely took a couple listens to grow on me Kinda like Throbbing Gristle but everything is a little nicer

Very dark and brooding album. Somehow super relaxing too. Was not expecting a girl singer on this one. Although some of the songs are pretty long and go a little out there, I think the majority of this album is pretty damn good. 7/10

Dark and trippy

Very good

meh, it's okay.

Listening to and reading about this album taught me that I was a fan of trip hop without even knowing what trip hop was. I already knew quite a few of the tracks, and after I got through all of them, Spotify's album radio was like 75% songs I know and love. Needless to say, this was a good experience.

Wel zin in paddo's gekregen, maar geen fan geworden

Melangolisch, rustig Heb de helft geluusterd Niet voor mij

Well it's just lovely. Unlike everything since, it has a grounding in old soul melody, which gives everything a wintry pop feel. It's gorgeous. Don't get me wrong, it's still very depressing in all the best ways. It's just misery you can sing along to - something which, despite two more great albums, they never achieve again. The best tracks are the obvious ones (Numb, Sour Times, Glory Box) but everything in between is solid too. Lovely broken beats, swooping orchestras and gorgeous vocals.

3/5 I really enjoyed the first few songs on the album, it got off to a great start and then felt like it didn’t really go anywhere after that.

creepy...

good for background music while working

Not my cup of tea

Listened before: no Enjoyed: yes Listened: 4 times Excellent vibe, introduced me to a whole world of trip hop I look forward to delving in to

4.25

Some good songs such as It Could Be Sweet and Glory Box. Others were a bit depressing and dark. Not the best but some good songs

Listened before: no Enjoyed: yes Listened: 4 times Excellent vibe, introduced me to a whole world of trip hop I look forward to delving in to

Very spacey and haunting synths with soft vocals

Chill, trip hoppy

Sleepy navel gaze. “Sour Times” and “It could be sweet” were ok.

Cooler atmospheric electronic than I was expecting. Probably a 2.5/3 musically (a few standout tracks like Sour Times, Wandering Star, and Roads) but feels like a 3.5 because of the interesting style and influence. Definitely something I wouldn't have found without the list.

Weird in the best way. I was expecting nothing less.

Awesome album, perfect late-night listening!

Kinda boring but not terrible. - a metalhead

Good album really different from the usual music I listen to. A few iconic songs, "Roads" is underrated. 7/10, will be listening to again.

Sure? Farmhouse, work annoying, lease stress.

Now we're cooking. Quite simply one of the greatest albums ever produced. Transports you to another world and leaves you there. Totally unique when it was released (was it really that long ago?) I have never stopped playing this album. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Fine. I mean, I could chill back and listen to this but I’m not going to _listen_ to it.

Never heard of the performer before... Really enjoyed and would listen to again

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.

28 years later and this album still holds up. Fantastically atmospheric and moody, with an ever present throbbing running through the whole album. 90s electronica is such a fantastic treasure trove

Weird in the best way. I was expecting nothing less.

I did a list of my top 10 albums of all time. This was not on it. What an oversight. Dummy has always taken me somewhere special. I think it always will.

Wow that is some quality sound construction right there. Quite an amazing album. Big memories of first year uni.

I liked this album, good vibe.

I didn’t care much for the other portishead album but this one has a much different feel. The singers voice is a little eerie but also melancholic and relaxed. The production between the beats and instrumentals is pretty good. It definitely fits in its own sub genre of music. Overall though it’s good. 6.1/10

I tried. I really did. But it’s so boring

Much easier listening than the other Portishead album.

Here's the thing about Portishead - they're the first artists I ever heard of who recorded their music and then sampled it to turn it into the songs on the album. Maybe I don't have that exactly right, but I seriously dig that worth ethic. But anyway, the first two songs are GREAT. The third is good. Then the fourth one is kinda like "uh-oh, are they going for Sade, here? Because I like Sade, but I don't want that from Portishead." But then it clicks back in with Wandering Star and builds up to Glory Box which is a GREAT closer. This is a good album. I like Portishead.

I can be brief - I bought this album on the basis of what others told me. This subsequently served to reinforce the notion that I should trust my own instincts. A yawn-a-thon, lingering in the speakers like a drab, wet Sunday afternoon.

I don't always trip the hop, but when I do I choose Portishead. I think I like that live dilly of theirs better than this, but I still enjoy the overall listening experience here. Is it the cup of tea I want every day? No. No it is not. But compared to the other stuff we've been subjected to in this space I think this band is head and shoulders above the rest, due primarily to the voice of Beth Gibbons. She is good. She makes this work. I had the "Sour Times" single/EP and a Dr. No shirt back in high school. It was a good combo. I was only a few gadgets and a tuxedo away from starting my own cinematic universe.

It is an album. People on it made sounds in a facsimile of music. It sucks and I hated it.

What a lazy and cynical exercise in a valueless genre with a stupid name. “Maybe if we take our lack of musicality and 1 octave-range breathy vocals, and throw in a few turntable scratches, people will think we are avant-garde”

I only made it through half of the album. I didn't care for it. Just not for me.

Aight

Great sound

amazing best ever

Wandering Star 7/10 Overall 7/10

This album is no1 in my list.

Easy.

Never really gave Portishead the time of day when first getting into music.. even after attending uni in Bristol..Tbh, not the greatest fan of their slow tempo beat sounds but will definitely save the album for future listening. I think I can see myself grow to appreciating them.

I couldn’t finish it because it was just boring to me

Quiet chaos, soul reaching repetition, effortless passion, nonchalant pathos. I’ve had several songs from this album on my regular listening rotation for years, and yet, I’ve never listened to the whole album. I enjoyed every single song.

Original sound. Have known of Portishead for many years, but only started listening to them a few months ago. Love what they produced on Dummy and the self titled album. I laughed hard when this was the first album that was recommended, because I listen to it like twice a week.

Really enjoyed the mellow vibes

This will never be my thing. But I appreciate it more all these years later.

Disco sabrosón y melancólico. Se disfruta mucho la voz de Beth Gibbons y toda la música es muy buena. Es un 3.5 para mi que voy a subir a 4 por Ropes y porque ha envejecido muy bien.

Y otro de esos discos que aunque no son parte de mi rotación constante sé reconocer como una chulada. Para escuchar trip hop se necesita cierto mood (que de hecho en el trabajo puede funcionar) pero cuando no es el mood correcto, puede cansar. Dejando eso de lado, este disco además de la histórica importancia en el género, está lleno de buenos detalles, especialmetne la voz.

+++

Cool album with one of the great closing tracks.

If this is electronic music, then I guess I'm starting to admire it. Portishead is definitely tops in this genre. What makes it great is the combination of electronic beats and authentic instrumentation. Plus the lead vocals are haunting and captivating. Sour Times is my jam, but Glory Box is permanently in the rotation now!

A solid gold epic of an album

I liked the mix of styles in this album. There was some soul, lounge, and Electronica, and it all sounded a little haunting and trippy. Loved the vocals. Favorite songs were Mysterons and Wandering Star.

I heard this album before and I really like Portishead exectly. I like how everyday sounds integrate into music and make beautiful album. 5\5

I had never listened to Portishead, so I wasn't sure what to expect and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. Termed as "trip-hop", I thought it would be more electronic and heavier and I wasn't expecting female vocals (Beth Gibbons). The music was nice and her vocals were beautiful, and at some point I thought I was listening to Sade. Not a bad listen, I'll have to listen again to fully appreciate it.

Dark and moody, Portishead utilized subtlety to bring us an excellent trip hop album that loves it's jazz influences. Their excellence is twofold: the first being Adrian Utley's production that sets the mood for Dummy along with some of the best sampling at that time. Geoff Barrow is also worth crediting for introducing Utely to sampling and production work, while Barrow does the programming and a few other things on Dummy. The second great element of Portishead is Beth Gibbons and her smooth vocals. Her ambiance is unmatched and is a perfect fit for the smokey instrumentals. Dummy is purposeful, methodical, and impressive in it's execution. It's like a long cigarette break on the graveyard shift.

Aiiiiiii, dakle ovo je vrh trip-hopa, ako nikad ovaj album nisi slušao u mračnoj atmosferi...ne znam šta čekaš? Ili onako općenito...Toliko dobrih, odličnih stvari, iako mnogim ljudima nije u top 3 ma skoro ni u top 5 sa albuma, meni je It Could Be Sweet najdražće. Nije mi savršen album, ne mog reć, ali je blizu i stoga ovoliko zvjezdica.

Haahaaaa neki dan slušo, live su bolesno dobri molim vas samo poslušajte ovo iako vam se ne svidi album. https://youtu.be/CZ_Z0Zfvsj0

Really enjoyed it, except for a couple of tracks.

Dummy is good for a dreary wet day, which it is when I'm listening, there's an introspective to it and a pain in the vocals, which will always grab me. Fine, it wanders aimlessly for a while, but you can get away with it in an album like this, and Glory Box is a smashing closer. Easy 3/5.

Liked this a lot - it's a bit miserable and definitely not an album for all times and moods, but it's done really well and consistently good all the way through. Not often that an album ends with its best song, but this one did. Just falls shy of a 4, but not by much.

Not really a fan of trip-hop... most of the songs are just boring and lifeless. A few are actually pretty good (like Glory Box and Roads) but they don't make up for the rest of the album.

The early notes of Portishead magic are here, but they're much too dated and buried underneath abstruse arrangements to make much of an impact. I'll always be a "Third" fan (likely a function of my age, but who knows), and to me that LP works because it has the perfect mix of dynamic contrast and emotion – this one doesn't hit the right balance between loud and soft, emotional and out-there to really leave a favorable impact

Wow, loved the lofi jazz feel here. You can see this band influenced phantogram a lot which is one of my faves.

I could listen to this album everyday. This puts in in this super chill mood and every track is magical.

I won't pretend to be a trip-hop expert but this was really underwhelming. Bland background noise that all mushed together.

9.5/10

I first listened to this album probably ten years ago or so from a friend who gave me a burned a copy of this cd. I really like the instrumentation and her vocal style. Triphop is a genre that I am interested in checking out more. Glory box and wandering star are my favorite two songs.

Era defining eerie sounding big breaking music from Portishead near Bristol. Sounds retro and modern in tandem. Beth Gibbons kills it in the vocals, like a glamorous 60s chanteuse in Doc Martens.

Incredible debut and easily a favourite. Long time listener, first time reviewer.

great!

2.5

very mellow

Excellent album, définitivement à réécouter. Nice vibe smooth, très sensuel mais dark à la fois. Je comprends pourquoi c'est un critical acclaim

Eerie loveliness

- this truly deserves to be in 1001 albums - it gently creeps, it's very inconspicuous - cant stop thinking about Wandering stars....would love to see deconstructed

classique

The chill factor here is undeniable, the hiphop grooves and melodies are nothing to scoff at here. In fact, they are very much a good thing on this album. Perfect rhythm to write to, or do office work. The real weakness here is the vocals. It is an interruption to the aforementioned enjoyable grooves. The lyrics do not take control as they should, nor do they add enough to the songs to justify their presence, and this is a problem for most of the album because if this is triphop, let the listener be on the trip. Notable exception is the final track "Glory Box" where tonally the singer and the music found their harmony. Lounge-sound, some well done crooning, was a well-taken trip. It is a shame that the rest of the album did not match this energy.

I enjoyed this much more than expected.

There was a wider than usual range of how much I liked the songs on this album (wasn't paying close enough attention to write down the ones I liked, though). Interesting style, glad to have heard it.

In my opinion, this album is the very definition of trip hop. I love the noir atmosphere that this album gives, I love Beth Gibbons's hypnotic vocals, I love the texture of the drums and the guitars and the beats, it's just a perfect album for me through and through.

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

One of my all time favorites. Album generator really hitting me with peaks and valleys. Genius album here. Music, mood, lyrics. Perfect.

I’ve always liked this album. My ex girlfriend played it a lot -1 star

I love this album. Perfectly sad and awesome at the same time

4.1 - Fantastic mixture of hip hop, blues and soul. Hauntingly chill tracks that are a perfect listen for so many times.

Classic

Couple of belters, but6 overall meh

FIVE STARS An all-time classic and a personal favorite of mine. As is usually the case with those five-stars albums, I won't write a full-blown review about this particular record, because others have already written wonderful stuff about it and there's not much I can add that I feel could be relevant and interesting. It's just a gem. Go and listen to it a.s.a.p. Number of albums left to review or just listen to:  more than 900, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens:  approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter

Meh. Not a terrible album by any means, but not something I would listen to again.

Классный альбом. Качает шикарно. Люблю рэперские штучки, типа виниловых закручиваний. Офигенно. И девушка поёт здорово.

Game-changer. Had never heard anything like this when it first came out. The musical equivalent of what I imagine drinking too much cough syrup feels like. Puts the "trip" in trip-hop. Haunting and sad but also sexy AF.

Glad for an excuse to listen to some Portishead, been loving Glory Box on YT for a while now. Roads and Wandering Star were excellent. Beth Gibbons with the stellar vocals as usual.

I had heard of them but never heard them. Cool sound, very unique. Fun listen.

Listened to on 4/11/22 3/5 Favorite song: Wandering Star Heavy emphasis on the beats - good vibes all around but some weird breathy lyrics. Background music for sure

Very moody music. Sounds like it influenced a lot of chill/trip hop today. My favorite song (and the only one I think I’d heard before) is Glory Box.

4/11/22 Background music. Should be in a spy movie. All songs blur together. Favorite song: Glory Box

Highlights: Wandering Star. Another album that was totally new to me, and I enjoyed it.

Brilliant album. Hauntingly atmospheric and truly unique. Easy five stars but…. ….I couldn’t really tell you what any of the songs go like.

8/10

Entiendo que es bueno, pero aburre.

I liked it. Felt very cinematic. I had originally thought it sounded like a 90s teen TV show soundtrack, the part where that one couple finally get together, or can't get together, or break up after being together, but it's actually too good to make that comparison. Moody & broody, the kind of music for the evening (in my opinion) if that makes sense.

Nope

2.5/5 Not my music genre, still this was not bad. But after a while the songs all sound the same. It has a nice easy vibe and was not as bad as I thought it would be. Favourite song: - Wandering star

One of the greatest.

🔥