Portishead - 1994 - Dummy [TQMP] torrent

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| Portishead - 1994 - Dummy |::
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| Ripped w/EAC v1.0b2 (Secure) :: Encoded w/FLAC v1.2.1 -8 |::
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| No. of Files / Size _____ 21 files / 252.03MB (264,269,633 bytes) |
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| Type / Quantity _________ CD (Compact Disc) (* 1) |
| Date Released ___________ 18th of October, 1994 |
| User Rating _____________ 4.3/5 (664 ratings) |
| Genre(s) ________________ Trip-Hop |
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+------+ Review +--------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Trip-hop? Some of you may be wondering, so here\'s a little history. In |
| 1991, a group of people from Bristol, some previously members of a group |
| called The Wild Bunch, came together to form a band called Massive |
| Attack. The group was led by Robert Del Naja, known also as 3D. They |
| recorded and released an album called Blue Lines, which proved itself to |
| be a benchmark album of the 90s, and one of the greatest hip-hop albums |
| ever. But hip-hop was almost too narrow a definition for it - while it |
| was based in the hip-hop style of making music, it also incorporated |
| chillout, and a little psychedelica. The critics soon labelled it \'trip |
| -hop\' - a term referring to chill-out hip-hop that - sterotypically - is |
| listened to by stoners. With Massive Attack, Tricky, Sneaker Pimps, |
| Portishead, and DJ Shadow as its leading lights, it has proved itself to |
| be an incredibly fertile genre, with these acts and other, lesser-known |
| ones releasing many great albums. Crucially, there\'s been very little |
| rubbish released in the name of trip-hop, which is the precise reason |
| I\'d say it\'s my favourite genre of music. |
| |
| This album, released in 1994, has proven itself to be one of the pillars |
| of the genre. The band, essentially, is multi-instrumentalist Geoff |
| Barrow (the tape-op for Massive Attack when Blue Lines was made), and |
| singer Beth Gibbons. Yes, singer. This is an album steeped in hip-hop |
| that features NO rapping whatsoever. All the instruments are recorded |
| live, too, with the exception of the drums on It Could Be Sweet. So |
| leave the prejudice at home. |
| |
| At least, most people THINK it\'s just Beth Gibbons and Geoff Barrow. |
| Adrian Utley certianly deserves a mention though. Guitarist recently ran |
| a style file on him, and he once played with Art Blakey And The Jazz |
| Messengers, which should tell you something about his ability. The |
| guitar parts on this album (although he is not on every track) are |
| great. Subtle, and not exactly technically taxing, but great. There\'s |
| some great use of chord inversions throughout, too, which I understand |
| was partly down to his input. But I may be wrong there. He also plays |
| bass on Pedastel, possibly the best bassline on the album. And his |
| guitar work on Glory Box constitutes the album\'s high point. |
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| That\'s not to talk down Beth Gibbons or Geoff Barrow. Beth was the star |
| turn when this album was released; her voice was soon being called \'the |
| most beautiful ever\', and was drawing comparisons with Nina Simone, |
| Billie Holiday, Dusty Springfield, and just about any female soul singer |
| you\'d care to mention. I think that\'s a little too superlative, but |
| she\'s certainly got some voice on her - fragile, tender, and soulful. |
| Dusty Springfield is a fairly good comparison, as is - with hindsight - |
| Eva Cassidy. Her lyrics are a plus point, too. Geoff Barrow? Well, it\'s |
| hard to tell where his input starts or stops, to be honest, but the band |
| was his idea, and he has writer credits on every song, so he\'s not |
| exactly dispensable. |
| |
| The quality of this album, and its ability to crossover to fans of any |
| genre, is demonstrated by the fact that a live version of Glory Box, |
| from a later album, is played on Classic FM, and on their TV channel. In |
| fairness, Glory Box is the song that displays the least hip-hop |
| influences, but I heard them play an orchestral version of Mysterons |
| once, too, with the scratching left in. |
| |
| The album only has one flaw - it dips in the middle. Mysterons and Glory |
| Box are both amazing. Sour Times and It Could Be Sweet, also. But, while |
| there\'s nothing wrong with tracks 5 through 9, they don\'t stand up to |
| what\'s around them. That\'s not to say that they\'re bad, though. It may |
| be because Glory Box casts such a long shadow. Although, you\'ll find |
| these tracks sound great either in your headphones just as you\'re going |
| to sleep, or when you\'ve just had 2 or 3 glasses of red wine and are |
| feeling in a very laid back, poetic kind of mood. (Incidentally, I find |
| red wine always makes trip-hop better. :) ) |
| |
| This album comes thoroughly recommended to any fans of hip-hop (that\'s |
| hip-hop music, not rap vocals), female soul vocalists, or anybody |
| unfamiliar with trip-hop and who wants to experiment. It\'s not the best |
| trip-hop album ever, but it\'s as good an introduction as any. |
| |
| 4/5. [nick butler, sputnikmusic] |
| |
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+------+ Track List +----------------------------------------------------------+
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| No. | Title | Duration |
| ----+--------------------------------------------------------+---------- |
| 001 | Mysterons ............................................ | 00h05m07s |
| 002 | Sour Times ........................................... | 00h04m14s |
| 003 | Strangers ............................................ | 00h03m58s |
| 004 | It Could Be Sweet .................................... | 00h04m20s |
| 005 | Wandering Star ....................................... | 00h04m56s |
| 006 | It\'s a Fire .......................................... | 00h03m48s |
| 007 | Numb ................................................. | 00h03m58s |
| 008 | Roads ................................................ | 00h05m10s |
| 009 | Pedestal ............................................. | 00h03m41s |
| 010 | Biscuit .............................................. | 00h05m04s |
| 011 | Glory Box ............................................ | 00h05m09s |
| ----+--------------------------------------------------------+---------- |
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| Total Length ____________ 00h49m25s |
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+------+ Audio Rip +-----------------------------------------------------------+
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| Ripped with _____________ EAC v1.0b2 [http://www.exactaudiocopy.de] |
| Encoded with ____________ FLAC v1.2.1 [http://flac.sourceforge.net] |
| Encoding Stats __________ 1411kbps / 44.1kHz / CBR / 16-bit / Stereo |
| Tag(s) __________________ Vorbis |
| Includes Artwork? _______ Yes |
| Includes Rip .LOG? ______ Yes |
| Includes Rip .CUE? ______ Yes |
| Includes Playlist? ______ Yes |
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