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Album Savings: £1.41 compared to buying all songs
- Original Release Date: 18 Jun 1999
- Format - Music: MP3
- Compatible with MP3 Players (including with iPod®), iTunes, Windows Media Player
- Also available in CD Format
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| Song Title | Time | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play | 1. Mysterons | 5:07 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 2. Sour Times | 4:13 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 3. Strangers | 3:59 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 4. It Could Be Sweet | 4:17 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 5. Wandering Star | 4:56 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 6. Numb | 3:59 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 7. Roads | 5:06 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 8. Pedestal | 3:45 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 9. Biscuit | 5:03 | £0.89 | ||
| Play | 10. Glory Box | 5:10 | £0.89 |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Trip-hop was never so dark and magnificently despairing as it is here. Portishead draws listeners into a velvety abyss in debut album "Dummy," a glorious blend of jazzy instrumentation, subtle electronica, and Beth Gibbons' sweet moaning vocals.
"Mysterons" opens with an chilly, ghostly air, followed by the exotic despair of "Sour Times" and the jazzy, eerie "Strangers" and "Wandering Star." Portishead delves into pure trip-hop in the pulsing "It Could Be Sweet" and "Numb," then synthesizes strings and stately organ in "It's A Fire," before wrapping things up with the steady lament "Glory Box," with its undulating riffs.
A noir feel permeates "Dummy," giving a grounded feel to the spacier edges of the music. It's easy to imagine trenchcoats, smoky offices, rainy days and femme fatales set to this music. It's soaked in melancholy and dreamy depression, set to music.
The blend of lounge music and trip-hop could have been awkward, but it blends seamlessly. The Rhodes and magnificent Hammond organ are the core of the silky unearthly sound, adding an epic feel to many of the songs. At the same time, the flexible guitar riffs and jazzy percussion bring it down to earth. And the Hammond does double-time as a jazz instrument as well, even when paired with strings.
Beth Gibbons's vocals are outstanding: high and clear and sweet, except in "Strangers," where she sounds like her voice is being filtered through an old radio. She pours plenty of emotion into the despairing lyrics. The songs themselves are simple and evocative, with loneliness and regret dripping from them. ("The salvation I desire/Keeps getting me down")
Jazz and trip-hop blend seamlessly into the beautiful haunting whole that is "Dummy." A beautiful experience, and one of the best albums of the 1990s.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This beautifully haunting record is one of those indispensables that any serious music fan has in their collection. I remember being completely blown away by the originality the first time I heard it. The punchy, nuerotic beats and the cold distant voice of Beth Gibbons. I guess if you could refer to trip-hop as a genre, this has to be it´s signature album.
"Mysterons," sounds like a martian landing, Gibbon´s distinctive voice unfurls the track with a steely brittleness. This music sounds purposefully distant and edgy. I like the curling beat on the second track,"Sour times." My personal favourite has to be the intro to the pulsating beat on,"strangers."
"It´s a fire," is the only track that sounds slightly out of place. It is the only track on the album that sounds like something you may have heard before.
The ranging,"Roads," is another extremely inventive track that preludes the classic,"glory box." Gibbons sounds like a battered, wounded woman on this song. Her lyrical approach is totally unique.
What more can I say about this? It´s engaging, strangely distant but at the same time thoroughly seductive. A must buy.
"Mysterons," sounds like a martian landing, Gibbon´s distinctive voice unfurls the track with a steely brittleness. This music sounds purposefully distant and edgy. I like the curling beat on the second track,"Sour times." My personal favourite has to be the intro to the pulsating beat on,"strangers."
"It´s a fire," is the only track that sounds slightly out of place. It is the only track on the album that sounds like something you may have heard before.
The ranging,"Roads," is another extremely inventive track that preludes the classic,"glory box." Gibbons sounds like a battered, wounded woman on this song. Her lyrical approach is totally unique.
What more can I say about this? It´s engaging, strangely distant but at the same time thoroughly seductive. A must buy.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Quite simply this is one of the finest cds of the 1990s. The mood, arrangements and performances are quite astonishing.
Beth Gibbons sings the blues, backed up by a blending of sampled loops, hip-hop doodles and live instruments.
It defined the sub genre of Trip Hop. It contains elements of 60s soundtrack, jazz and goodness knows what else.
In Sour Times and Glory Box it also boasts amongst the finest songwriting of its generation. As has been proved by artistes like John Martyn (who covered Glory Box) this stuff does not need its classy fururistic arrangement to stand. These songs would shine with just an acoustic guitar backing.
Mind-bogglingly good, and a must-have.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Portishead 'Dummy' Album
This album is brilliant - I would recommend it to anyone - definitely music to chill out to. I also bought one to send to a friend.
Published 3 months ago by Katie Cow
Best electronic album ever made
My title says it all really - I just can't believe it's taken me 15 years to get hold of a copy! I never thought I'd be the sort of person who would be listening to jazz-infused,... Read more
Published 17 months ago by T. Spencer
Just fantastic!
Dark, groovy, creepy, psychedelic, Jazzy, soul searching, refreshing...such a diverse range of styles are incorporated in to this talented group's unique take of trip-hop. Read more
Published 19 months ago by AG
Pioneers of trip-hop
Portishead, formed by producer Geoff Barrow, vocalist Beth Gibbons, sound engineer Dave McDonald and guitarist Adrian Utley, were the ultimate creation of Bristol's fertile scene. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Daniel Margrain
sort of old & new ?
when this album came out there was nothing quite like it . a completely new sound dark,evocative,imaginative,and for some reason it wouldn't sound out of place if it was comming... Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2009 by D. S. Sample
Dummy
red wine, nice home cooked food, candle lit meal for the wife and this in the back ground. magic!!!!
Published on 8 Jun 2009 by peter Thompson
An Original
This is a highly original album and one which you will listen to again and again. Every single one of the 10 tracks on this album are superb but the ones which stand out have to be... Read more
Published on 22 April 2009 by I. M. Knight
Never off the playlist
If you like your music a little dark - this needs to be in your collection.
Published on 29 Mar 2009 by D. I. Gray
Style Over Substance
The reference points are obvious: King Tubby, Cocteau Twins, Massive Attack and film noir soundtracks. Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2008 by A. Mee
90's Trip hop at it's best
I had heard the name 'Portishead' floating around electronica forums on the net but had never acted on the actions of other people's critic of their music. Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2008 by L. Roberts
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