Customer Reviews
Style Over Substance - By: A. Mee, 09 Oct 2008 
The reference points are obvious: King Tubby, Cocteau Twins, Massive Attack & film noir soundtracks. Back in the '90s Portishead were unfathomably cool & fashionable, & did much to popularise trip-hop. Portishead repackaged soul & jazz music, & sold it to critics who had no real interest in those genres. Tellingly, the album received the prestigious Mercury Music prize in 1995, confirming its status among indie rock critics as that years' most highly regarded novelty record.
For alll of Portishead's apparent cynicism, it would be easy to overlook if not for their irritatingly pretentious singer. Beth Gibbons is no Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, nor does her singing stand up to comparisons with Liz Fraser or Shara Nelson. She has a frail, wispy voice a fact which is not disguised by her ridiculous affected singing style. Gibbons makes the mistake of confusing unrelenting bleakness with emotional depth & Portishead's music only seems even more shalllow as a result.
As it stands Dummy is a textured, well produced album so to give it a one star rating would be churlish. However, it's also a shalllow, over-stylised album which has dated badly. The slo-mo hip hop beats & film noir pastiches that defined Portishead's sound became embarrassing clichés remarkably quickly. Indeed it was only the novelty of hearing two such disparate styles juxtaposed that made the album stand out at the time. In a word: forgettable.
90's Trip hop at it's best - By: L. Roberts, 25 Sep 2008 
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. However, I came onto amazon & found a nearly alll 5 star review from alll the reviews so I just had to buy as a vivid fan on trip hop style music.
From first glance, you can hear how much Massive Attach have been influenced by this gritty, smooth jazzy 90's trip hop feel, it feels like a 45 minute drug that intises you into a olbivion of funk & future feel.
Trip hop has never reallly sounded so innovative & fresh even in the new millenium. The more recent trip hop artists like tycho & bonobo take on more of an electronica influence on trip hop, & as much as I feel that style, this laid back jazzy, guitar influenced style reallly hits top marks.
The lyrical use is no exception, Again zero 7 taking major influences from the vocal use in the slow trip hop beat.
A stand out track for me is 9, it's sublime feel, or crackling beats & smalll samples that make you feel pretty much amazing, the use of builds etc. These are alll prime examples of exquisite trip hop/down tempo bliss.
You can kinda imagine listening to this when travelling through London on a rainy, dingy night - watching the crime & drugs, it's a beautiful sensation but with a grimey undertone.
As a huge fan of everything electronica, this is a fantastic representation of what trip hop IS & should BE.
I however, feel that people would also enjoy this if they just like to sit back & enjoy the smalll things in life in music.
I can pretty much see this album being a huge influence on me & my musical desire.
Hugely recommended.
Simply brilliant - By: RoboScorpion, 21 Jul 2008 Hmmm, how does one sum up this album in just a few words? Dark, mysterious, melodic, industrial, melancholic, desolate - any or alll of these apply. Others have already waxed lyrical about the 'feel' of the album, but I think you reallly have to listen to it - alll of it. Maybe even a few times, as it took a few listens for me to reallly 'get it'.
As soon as I did 'get it' I totallly loved it, & it remains one of the most frequently played albums in my collection even after nearly 15 years.
Never bettered or even equallled by Portishead since in my opinion.
Hauntingly beautiful album-I urge you to buy it! - By: Someone, 14 Jul 2008 This album is absolutely brilliant. Vocallly, it is pure genius, & musicallly it is perfectly timed. I have just bought this album, as a replacement for the one I lost in my mispent teenage times! It`s jst as great as I remember it being (unlike many of my music purchases of the 90`s)
end of the evening sheer pleasure. - By: mia farrow, 21 Apr 2008 put this on after you have got rid of alll the losers or u have made it home from the pub.
it oooooozes class.
