Portishead (album)

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Portishead
File:Portishead - Portishead.png
Studio album by Portishead
Released 30 September 1997
Recorded 1996–1997
Genre Trip hop, alternative rock
Length 50:30
Language English
Label Go!/London
Producer Portishead
Portishead chronology
Dummy
(1994)Dummy1994		 Portishead
(1997)		 Third
(2008)Third2008
Singles from Portishead
  1. "All Mine"
    Released: 8 September 1997
  2. "Over"
    Released: 10 November 1997
  3. "Only You"
    Released: 2 March 1998

Portishead is the second album by English band Portishead, released in 1997. The album reached No. 2 on the UK Album Chart[1] and No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2]

On 3 December 2008, Universal Music Japan re-released Dummy and Portishead as a limited SHM-CD version.[citation needed]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[3]
Entertainment Weekly (A)[4]
Robert Christgau (B-)[5]
Pitchfork Media (8.2/10)[6]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[7]
Slant Magazine 4.5/5 stars[8]
Melody Maker (positive)[9]
Vibe (positive)[10]
NME 8/10 stars[11]
Spin 9/10 stars[12]

Portishead received critical acclaim upon its release. Spin praised the record and noted that the band created a "gothic", "deadly" and "trippy" atmosphere.[12] Commenting the textures of the music, music journalist Barry Walters observed that the group got "darker, deeper and more disturbing" in comparison to their previous effort Dummy.[12]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
Melody Maker Albums of the Year 1997 18[7]
NME 1997 Critics' Poll 1997 32[7]
Q 50 Best Albums of 1997 1997 (*)[7]
Spin Top 20 Albums of the Year 1997 6[7]
Village Voice 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll 1997 14[7]

(*) designates unordered lists.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley, except where noted. 

No. Title Length
1. "Cowboys" (Barrow, Gibbons) 4:38
2. "All Mine"   3:59
3. "Undenied" (Barrow, Gibbons) 4:18
4. "Half Day Closing"   3:49
5. "Over"   4:00
6. "Humming"   6:02
7. "Mourning Air"   4:11
8. "Seven Months"   4:15
9. "Only You"   4:59
10. "Elysium"   5:54
11. "Western Eyes"   3:57

Details

  • "Only You" samples Ken Thorne from "Inspector Clouseau" and The Pharcyde from "She Said".[13]
  • "Western Eyes" is listed as sampling "Hookers & Gin" by the "Sean Atkins Experience" in the album's liner notes. In reality, this band does not exist; the sample was created by the band like most of the others on the album.[14]

Credits

All songs produced by Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons and Dave McDonald.

Portishead
Additional Musicians
  • Clive Deamer – Drums
  • Sean Atkins – Additional vocals
  • John Baggot – Organ, piano
  • Andy Hague, Ben Waghorn, John Cornick – Horns
  • S. Cooper – Violin

Sales chart performance

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[15] 2
Austrian Album Chart[citation needed] 6
Belgian Album Chart (FL)[citation needed] 9
Belgian Album Chart (WA)[citation needed] 23
Danish Album Chart[16] 6
Dutch Album Chart[citation needed] 31
Finnish Album Chart[citation needed] 14
French Album Chart[citation needed] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 1
Norwegian Album Chart[18] 7
Swedish Album Chart[citation needed] 6
Swiss Album Chart[citation needed] 11
US Billboard 200[2] 21

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r316382
  4. ↑ (10/03/97, p.84)
  5. ↑ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1092&name=Portishead
  6. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20090113175346/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/20994-portishead
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A1006.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1187
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ (11/97, p.152)
  11. ↑ NME (Magazine) (9/27/97, p.57) – 8 (out of 10) – "...if DUMMY was smoky film noir material, this is a choking Hammer Horror ho-ho-free hoedown....wavering, painfully sensitive choruses, desperately distorted soundscapes and good old-fashioned tunes..."
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Walters, Barry. Portishead - review. Spin (November 1997, p.142) – 9 (out of 10) – "...Like every brilliantly dismal act from Screamin' Jay Hawkins to the Wu-Tang Clan, Portishead tiptope across a ledge where utter seriousness is one false move away from tragic self-parody. They manage the high-wire act with brittle grace, bitter poise. And they sound as if they could break at any second..."
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Facts about Western Eyes
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Portishead – Portishead". Hung Medien.
  18. ↑ Portishead at VG.no

External links

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