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.

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.

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.”

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.

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

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.

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.

Bad

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Not as good as the later album but still impressive.

I play this when I get home too drunk and feeling dizzy

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.

One of my top love making album’s.

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

Dummy sounds as beautiful and innovative today as it did when it was released (and I still remember the first time I heard it: waiting tables at a late-night candlelit bar in SoHo where the bartender played it on cassette). Beth Gibbons’ voice conveys hauntingly rich emotion, while the production reinforces the inner gloom with chilling cinematic flair, sparse instrumentation, some turntable wizardry, and perfectly curated and executed hip-hop beats. I can’t not be utterly captivated listening to it; the saddest, slowest-tempo dance party imaginable.

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

Front to back this album is perfect. This was one of my go to records when I was in dating mode and I knew a make out session was coming. Many, many, many sexy times to this record.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Excellent. Atmospheric. Delicate voice.

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

This is a sexy album. I feel like everyone has been subjected to at least one song on this album - either during sex, or in a sultry film scene. And it fits. Dummy is moody, hypnotic, and drenched in trip-hop atmosphere. Beth Gibbons’ vocals float like smoke over beats that feel pulled from noir soundtracks and dusty jazz samples, creating something both intimate and cinematic. When it was released in 1994, it practically defined the sound of trip-hop and became the template for countless imitators. It’s dark, but it grooves, and it’s impossible not to sink into it.

This was a great record, I can see where all the praise comes from. I can barely believe this is considered "electronic" since it's so sparse on instruments; these songs feel more like morose bedroom indie. Very enjoyable.

Solid album

Fairly good

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."

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).

If 3 AM had a sound.

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.

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

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.

Zzzzzzzzz

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

Trop langoureux, lent pour moi.

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

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

another album that i wasnt expecting to like much. it wasnt bad. I like atlantic city i saved that song

Ähnlich wie RATM eines der besten Debütalben aller Zeiten und auch generell eines der besten Alben aller Zeiten. Traumhafte Kombination von Beths zarter Stimme und diesen fetten Trip-Hop-Beats. Größter Fehler meines Lebens, dass ich beim Southside 2013 stattdessen bei Rammstein war (obwohl die auch sehr gut waren).

Ich kann nicht unbedingt behaupten, dass das zu 100% meins ist. Allerdings muss ich mit dem Versuch des objektiven Blicks schon sagen, dass das alles innovativ, technisch gut gelungen und durchaus auch spannend war. Vielleicht höre ich doch nochmal wieder rein. Also ne 4 kann ich angesichts meiner tendenziell wohlmeinenden Bewertungen hier nicht rechtfertigen, deswegen: Schwache 5.

i've listened to this more times than i can count over the years. i consider it their best album by far (skipped rating for It's a Fire since it's not part of the original tracklist) Mysterons - 5/5 Sour Times - 5/5 Strangers - 5/5 It Could Be Sweet - 4/5 Wandering Star - 5/5 Numb - 5/5 Roads - 5/5 Pedestal - 4/5 Biscuit - 5/5 Glory Box - 5/5 Average score: 4.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The beats, the voice, the music, all perfection. '90s never had it so good

Genre defining trip-hop album, the coolest spy movie soundtrack, and an update of space age bachelor pad music for the modern era. From the opening theremin in Mysterions to the Isaac Hayes sample in Glory Box this record does not stop. Downtempo beats, DJ scratching, spooky guitars all create the mood, but it’s Beth Gibbon’s voice that separates this from the pack. A breath of fresh air in 1994, does not sound dated in 2025. 5⭐️

Before: My first thought is it's a 5. I'm very familiar with the album already. I know there are a few 5 star tracks, and some 4's. I don't have a formal essential albums list yet, on paper, so to speak, but this one's definately in my mental list. Even if I don't absolutely love every track, this is without a doubt the best example of trip hop and is essential for that reason alone. During: So for this one, I've decided to rate each track: Mysterons - 5 Sour Times - 5 Strangers - 5 It Could Be Sweet - 3 Wandering Star - 4 It's A Fire - 3 Numb - 5 Roads - 4 Pedestal - 3 Biscuit - 4 Glory Box - 5 Avg = 4.5 After: Easily 5 stars.

portishead ist eh geil, beste

BEST SONGS: - Glory Box - Biscuit - Roads - Strangers - Sour Times

Like this one sm, i had listened to most songs upon receiving this album, fav might be “Roads” but idk

Really great. Establishes a mood with complex, layered sound that all fits together well and is lead by her voice with great instincts. Especially good listening for gray, rainy days.

This is a worldie. Talk about albums that evoke such unique moods, doing so in ways which would've felt groundbreaking at the time - Dummy is absolutely one of those. Atmospheric, smokey, sexual soundscapes, entwined with Beth Gibbons' heavenly vocals, a gentle low-end, wobbly bass that ebbs, flows and pulsates, and a sort of James Bond-vibe running through the album; Dummy sounds like it's from another dimension, yet it somehow retains more than a thread of relatability and humanity through Gibbons' soulful, but often anguished vocal expressions, with lyrical themes ranging from social isolation, navigating difficulties in relationships, separation/loss and the resulting insecurities that those issues bring. The whole album feels like an agonistic release and a cry for warmth, affection and and connection. Is this the ultimate "lazy day in bed" album to make love to? It's certainly up there.

Amazing, such a vibe, kinda mysterious

Love it

I find it hard to review this record objectively, because for several weeks in 1994, it was my world and listening to it again now, I’m 21 again, making music with friends and exploring a whole new world of music that this album referenced. I was first aware of Portishead through James Lavelle’s Straight No Chaser columns, and their name (misspelled as “Portashed”) appeared on a Mo Wax advert in the same magazine. The beats scene that Lavelle, Gilles Peterson and others were leading was opening our minds up to other genres, shaping a UK sound that was informed by hip hop’s spirit but was relentlessly tracking down new sounds from anywhere we could find them. “Dummy” is probably one of the great expressions of that scene and era, along with DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing” and the relentless experimentation coming from Goldie’s Metalheadz label. So, why is it great and why should you care? For me, it’s one of the most gloriously realised albums of that period; they brought a fully-formed world with them. Beth Gibbons’ vocal delivery sweeps across such a range of personas and emotions without ever feeling like a novelty or that she’s showing off. The production is clearly informed by what was happening in NY hip hop at that time without ever being derivative, and the musical arrangements make gold from only very few elements. The tempos might be lower, but there’s no sense of this being a “mellow” (I hate that term) record; tracks like “Strangers" and "Wandering Star" move urgently forward, whilst “Pedestal” makes great use of pitched down beats and samples (an approach that was relentlessly copied by others) to create a disorienting, almost threatening mood. Although “Dummy" spawned a legion of dinner party trip-hop copycats who missed the original’s sense of grand drama, there are many more who took inspiration its cinematic vision; so whilst we might have to suffer Morcheeba, it’s tempered by Radiohead’s “Climbing up the Walls” and wonderful artists like Flying Lotus. In my opinion, it’s a wonderful record, one of the best of the 1990s, and certainly deserves to be considered amongst the greatest debut albums of any genre. I hope you love it too.

Excellent album. Alluring and mysterious vocals set to glacial beats. 5 stars for the theremin.

This is an amazing album. Emily introduced me to Portishead at Rosso years ago and very 5 years or so after I hear it and think wow. This is chilling and it slowly engulfs me..

Some of this album is on my getting ready playlist :) so sensual and dramatic

An absolute masterpiece. I've listened to this album countless times over the years and it never gets old. It's bright and gloomy, sweet and bitter, comforting and unnerving at the same time, like a moody black sun radiating hope and melancholy. The instrumentation and samples are plainer and soberer than in most trip-hop productions of the same era ; it's a masterclass in efficiency, with simple yet haunting loops, hypnotic basslines and impressionist scratches. Beth Gibbons' otherwordly voice shines all through the album like a beacon in the mist, and there's not a single filler track, everything is right where it's supposed to be. Not only the best trip-hop album ever in my opinion, but also one of my favorite pieces of music from the 90s in general. 10/10

another british empire classic

Triphop perfected.

Excelente disco! Vocais doces e impactantes. Muito rico musicalmente. QoA Cloudscape.

Incredible album, it’s so unique and has such a cool sound. Beth gibbons has such an ethereal voice. Sour times is one of my absolute faves.

💜💜

peak female experience

Superb, atmospheric album with great vocals, sampling, drum beats and instrumentation. Sounds even better on vinyl.

I can’t say enough about this album. It’s genre-defining, so much so that if you heard “trip-hop” for the first time and then listened to this album you’d immediately know it was that genre. Yet, in my opinion, it also stands above all of the other members of the genre. There is a purity to the music, thanks to Beth’s stunning voice, that pierces through the thick, trippy veil of the beats. Incredible musical contrast that gives it that otherworldly feel, like an angels voice piercing through the depths of hell, or a sliver of hope seen in the darkest of times. 1 of 1 and one of the easiest 5 star reviews I’ll give on this list

This is my first time listening to Portishead. Everything about this album was great. Turns out I love trip-hop. I love the jazz-meets-hip-hop rhythm section and I love her voice. 5 stars.

Loved it. 10/10

wow! haunting and melancholy. 5/5

9.5/10 - A masterpiece that is definitely an album you should listen to before you die.

One of my favorite albums of all time. This is the trip hop album and nothing compares to it. Great beats and vocals, perfect. 10/10

Just great. Interesting hearing some of bands trying to do similar things that are on this list. Very few get anywhere close to this.

Thought this was the coolest album ever when I first heard it. Must have listened 100 times more over the years and still feel the same way. If I ever open a smokey underground cocktail bar expect this to be on heavy rotation.

Really enjoyed this album. I hadn't listened to it in full for a while and forgot how many good songs there were on it. The album flows well and I think its an amazing trip hop album

Ending this ear fuck of an album on a song like Glory Box?? Insane