Dummy (album)
Encyclopedia
Dummy is the debut album of the Bristol
-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the 1990s. Although it achieved modest chart success overseas, it peaked at #2 on the UK Album Chart and saw two of its three singles reach #13. The album was certified gold in 1997 and has sold two million copies in Europe.
, it helped to cement the reputation of Bristol as the capital of Trip hop
, a nascent genre which was then often referred to simply as "the Bristol sound". The cover is a still of vocalist Beth Gibbons from the short film that the band created—To Kill a Dead Man
—which originally got them signed due to their self composed soundtrack.
In addition to the already released "Numb", the album spawned two further singles: the UK #13 hit "Glory Box
" and "Sour Times
", which reached the same position, on re-release in 1995. On 3 December 2008, Universal Music Japan released Dummy and Portishead
as limited SHM-CD versions.
's To Bring You My Love
, Oasis
' Definitely Maybe
, and Tricky
's Maxinquaye
.
The album is the subject of a title in Continuum's 33⅓ series of books, to be published in October 2011.
. All tracks produced
by Portishead with Adrian Utley
and engineered
by Dave McDonald.
"Mysterons"
"Sour Times"
"Strangers"
"It Could Be Sweet"
"Wandering Star"
"It's a Fire"
"Numb"
"Roads"
"Pedestal"
"Biscuit"
"Glory Box"
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the 1990s. Although it achieved modest chart success overseas, it peaked at #2 on the UK Album Chart and saw two of its three singles reach #13. The album was certified gold in 1997 and has sold two million copies in Europe.
Album information
Building on the promise of their earlier EP, NumbNumb (Portishead song)
"Numb" is a song from the album Dummy by the English band Portishead, and was released as a single in 1994. In 2005, the song was used in a series of promotional trailers for the television series Lost.-Track listing:#"Numb" – 3:57...
, it helped to cement the reputation of Bristol as the capital of Trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, a nascent genre which was then often referred to simply as "the Bristol sound". The cover is a still of vocalist Beth Gibbons from the short film that the band created—To Kill a Dead Man
To Kill a Dead Man
To Kill a Dead Man is a short film made in 1994 by the trip hop group Portishead. The film is a spy movie which revolves around an assassination and what happens afterwards....
—which originally got them signed due to their self composed soundtrack.
In addition to the already released "Numb", the album spawned two further singles: the UK #13 hit "Glory Box
Glory Box (Portishead song)
"Glory Box" is a single by Portishead, released in 1995. The title song samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes. The music video features lead singer Beth Gibbons dressed as a man....
" and "Sour Times
Sour Times
"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, released as their second-ever single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy...
", which reached the same position, on re-release in 1995. On 3 December 2008, Universal Music Japan released Dummy and Portishead
Portishead (album)
Portishead is the second album of the Bristol-based group Portishead, released in 1997. The album reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and #21 on the Billboard 200 chart....
as limited SHM-CD versions.
Reception
It won the 1995 Mercury Music Prize, beating stiff competition which included PJ HarveyPJ Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer and occasional artist. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments including piano, organ, bass, saxophone, and most recently, the autoharp.Harvey began her career in...
's To Bring You My Love
To Bring You My Love
To Bring You My Love is the third studio album by British musician and singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. It was released by Island Records in February 1995. Recorded after the break-up of the PJ Harvey trio it stands as her first proper solo album...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
' Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe
Definitely Maybe is the debut album by English rock band Oasis, released in August 1994. It was an immediate commercial and critical success in the UK, having followed on the heels of singles "Supersonic", "Shakermaker" and "Live Forever"....
, and Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
's Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye
Maxinquaye is the debut album of the English musician and actor Tricky, released in 1995. Expanding on the sonic template of fellow Bristolians Massive Attack, and featuring then-girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird on vocals, Maxinquaye is a dark, mysterious album featuring a combination of hip-hop,...
.
- MojoMojo (magazine)MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
(p. 62) - Ranked #35 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics." - MojoMojo (magazine)MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
(1/95, p. 50) - Included in Mojo's "25 Best Albums of 1994." - The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
(1/5/95, p. C15) - Included on Neil StraussNeil StraussNeil Darrow Strauss , also known by the pen names Style and Chris Powles, is an American and Kittitian author, journalist and ghostwriter...
' list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94. - NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(8/12/00, p. 29) - Ranked #29 in The NME "Top 30 Heartbreak Albums." - NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(12/24/94, p. 22) - Ranked #6 in NMEs list of the 'Top 50 Albums Of 1994.' - QQ (magazine)Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
(12/99, p. 82) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." - Q (6/00, p. 66) - Ranked #61 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums."
- Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(5/13/99, pp. 79–80) - Included in Rolling Stones "Essential Recordings of the 90's." - In 2003, the album was ranked number 419 on Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all timeThe 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
. - SpinSpin (magazine)Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
(9/99, p. 140) - Ranked #42 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s." - The Village VoiceThe Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
(2/28/95) - Ranked #14 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll.
The album is the subject of a title in Continuum's 33⅓ series of books, to be published in October 2011.
Track listing
- "Mysterons" – 5:02
- "Sour TimesSour Times"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, released as their second-ever single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy...
" – 4:11 - "Strangers" – 3:55
- "It Could Be Sweet" – 4:16
- "Wandering Star" – 4:51
- "It's a Fire" – 3:49
- "NumbNumb (Portishead song)"Numb" is a song from the album Dummy by the English band Portishead, and was released as a single in 1994. In 2005, the song was used in a series of promotional trailers for the television series Lost.-Track listing:#"Numb" – 3:57...
" – 3:54 - "Roads" – 5:02
- "Pedestal" – 3:39
- "Biscuit" – 5:01
- "Glory BoxGlory Box"Glory Box" is a single by Portishead, released in 1995. The title song samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes. The music video features lead singer Beth Gibbons dressed as a man....
" – 5:06
- "It's a Fire" was included on North American and Australian editions of the album, in between "Wandering Star" and "Numb"
- In some Canadian editions, a bonus track, "Sour Sour Times," was added to the end of the album.
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Album Chart Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
23 |
| Belgian Album Chart Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... (FL Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) |
18 |
| Belgian Album Chart Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... (WA) |
12 |
| Dutch Album Chart Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
15 |
| New Zealand Album Chart New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
21 |
| Norwegian Album Chart Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
29 |
| Swedish Album Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
20 |
| Swiss Album Chart Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
26 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
2 |
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
79 |
Credits
All vocals by Beth GibbonsBeth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist for the iconic British band Portishead.-Early life:...
. All tracks produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Portishead with Adrian Utley
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley is an English musician and a member of the band Portishead.-Biography:Utley is self-taught on guitar, bass and keyboards, and played professionally from the age of 18 in working men's clubs, night clubs, holiday camps, and in cabaret, backing soul artists...
and engineered
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
by Dave McDonald.
"Mysterons"
- Geoff BarrowGeoff BarrowGeoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer, disc jockey, and instrumentalist for Portishead.Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol where Barrow grew up...
– Rhodes pianoRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS.... - Clive Deamer – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Adrian UtleyAdrian UtleyAdrian Francis Utley is an English musician and a member of the band Portishead.-Biography:Utley is self-taught on guitar, bass and keyboards, and played professionally from the age of 18 in working men's clubs, night clubs, holiday camps, and in cabaret, backing soul artists...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and thereminThereminThe theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
"Sour Times"
- Geoff Barrow – programmerProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
- Neil Solman – Rhodes piano and Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
- Adrian Utley – guitar
- "Sour TimesSour Times"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, released as their second-ever single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy...
" samples Lalo SchifrinLalo SchifrinLalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
's "The Danube Incident" (Schifrin) and Smokey Brooks' "Spin It Jig" (Henry Brooks, Otis Turner).
"Strangers"
- Geoff Barrow – Rhodes piano
- Clive Deamer – drums
- Adrian Utley – guitar
- "Strangers" samples Weather ReportWeather ReportWeather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...
's "Elegant People" (Wayne ShorterWayne ShorterWayne Shorter is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.He is generally acknowledged to be jazz's greatest living composer, and many of his compositions have become standards...
).
"It Could Be Sweet"
- Geoff Barrow – Rhodes piano
- Richard Newell – drum programmer
"Wandering Star"
- Gary Baldwin – Hammond organ
- Geoff Barrow – programmer
- Clive Deamer – drums
- Adrian Utley – guitar
- "Wandering Star" contains portions of "Magic Mountain" (Papa Dee Allen, Harold Ray Brown, Eric BurdonEric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
, B. B. Dickerson, Gerald GoldsteinJerry Goldstein (record producer, musician)Jerry Goldstein is an American producer, singer songwriter and musician. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" , the producer and dubiously credited songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly and the Family Stone...
, Lonnie JordanLonnie JordanLeroy "Lonnie" Jordan was a founding member of War, an American funk band in the 1970s and 1980s. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion...
, Charles MillerCharles Miller (musician)Charles Miller was an American musician best known as the saxophonist and flutist for multicultural Californian funk band War.-Biography:...
, Lee OskarLee OskarLee Oskar is a Danish harmonica player, notable for his contributions to the sound of the rock-funk fusion group War, which he formed with Eric Burdon, his solo work, and as a harmonica manufacturer...
, Howard ScottHoward E. ScottHoward E. Scott is an American funk/rock guitarist and founding member of the successful 1970s funk band War.-Biography:...
) as performed by Eric BurdonEric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
and WARWar (band)War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
.
"It's a Fire"
- Gary Baldwin – Hammond organ
- Geoff Barrow – drums
- Adrian Utley – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
"Numb"
- Gary Baldwin – Hammond organ
- Geoff Barrow – programmer and drums
- Clive Deamer – drums
- Adrian Utley – bass guitar
"Roads"
- Geoff Barrow – programmer and stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - Clive Deamer – drums
- Dave McDonald – nose fluteNose fluteThe nose flute is a popular musical instrument played in Polynesia and the Pacific Rim countries. Other versions are found in Africa, China, and India.- Hawaii :In the North Pacific, in the Hawaiian islands the nose flute was a common courting instrument...
- Neil Solman – Rhodes piano
- Strings Unlimited – strings
- Adrian Utley – guitar, bass guitar, and strings arrangement
"Pedestal"
- Geoff Barrow – programmer
- Clive Deamer – drums
- Andy Hague – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Adrian Utley – bass guitar
"Biscuit"
- Geoff Barrow – Rhodes piano
- Clive Deamer – drums
- "Biscuit" samples Johnnie RayJohnnie RayJohnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
from "I'll Never Fall in Love AgainI'll Never Fall in Love Again"I'll Never Fall In Love Again" is a popular song by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. Originally written for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises, it soon became one of Bacharach and David's most enduring songs. It was nominated for Song of the Year in the 1969 Grammy awards...
" (Johnnie RayJohnnie RayJohnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
).
"Glory Box"
- Geoff Barrow – programmer
- Adrian Utley – guitar and Hammond organ
- "Glory BoxGlory Box"Glory Box" is a single by Portishead, released in 1995. The title song samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes. The music video features lead singer Beth Gibbons dressed as a man....
" samples Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
from "Ike's Rap II" from Black MosesBlack Moses (album)Black Moses is a double album by Isaac Hayes, released on Stax Records' Enterprise label in 1971. The follow-up to Hayes' successful soundtrack for Shaft , Black Moses features Hayes' version of The Jackson 5's hit single "Never Can Say Goodbye"...
.