Portishead: Whatever Happened To The Band Behind 'Roads' & The Album 'Dummy?'
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- čas přidán 12. 02. 2023
- Whatever happened to the band Portishead?
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#portishead
I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos.
The history of Portishead began with a ponytailer teenager named Geoff Barrow who originally planned on doing graphic arts, but after seeing he wasn’t a good student decided to give music a try. Taking inspiration from rap records and film soundtracks he began to stitch together musical samples in his bedroom. At the age of 18 wanting to break into the music industry he called a local Bristol producer asking for a job. Bristol would emerge from the 90’s as the home of late-night, hazy and moody music that was dubbed trip-hop.
The producer promised to give him a job provided he would help him build a new studio, which he did. That studio would become the Coach House, which became a hot spot for local Bristol artists, most notably Massive Attack. As Barrow worked his way up the pecking order he was given more responsibilities while at the same time working on his own sonic collages using popular hip-hop techniques of of looping and sampling,
Barrow would lay the groundwork for Portishead which was put together in piecemeal fashion over the coming months. Barrow would meet his partner in crime Beth Gibbons while atending the Enterprise Allowance Course in early 1991. The course was setup by the British government as a way to encourage unemployed youth to become entrepreneurs. Gibbons would be seven years senior to Barrow who told the Guardian “she was grown up in my eyes.”
Gibbons for her part at the time was singing Janis Joplin songs in pubs around Bristol.They would call themselves portishead, which is name of the town where Gibbons grew up, a nondescript suburban village near the city of Bristol. But don’t think they were in love with the village because Barrow would tell Spin “I really don’t like the place. It’s a place where you can go and die” with Gibbons adding ‘and that’s why we named ourselves after it.’
While Barrow had already assembled some recordings by this point he wasn’t happy with what he had produced so far, but things took a turn for the better when Gibbons who became the band’s lyricist and main melody writer wrote a track called Sour Times (which sampled the mission impossible theme song) with Barrow telling the LA Times "[That song] saved it all, really," The pair soon enlisted guitarist Adrian Utley who was also working at Coach House studios. Utley, who was 34 at the time was barely making a living being a jazz guitarist and had just finished another session downstairs. He would tell the Guardian meeting Barrow and Gibbons for the first time “ I remember somebody opening the door upstairs and me hearing It Could Be Sweet [one of the first tracks written for Dummy]. I was all, ‘Fuck me, what is that?’ Just hearing the sub-bass and Beth’s voice - it was unbelievable. Like a whole new world that was really exciting and vital.” The musicians despite their age differences hit it off and started to learn from one another. Utley was blown by Barrow’s knowledge of sampling, while Utley had an extensive collection of Spy films that gave Barrow access to new sounds he hadn’t heard before.
Barrow and Gibbons’s first ideas for songs had been recorded in Neneh Cherry’s kitchen in London (Barrow had been hired by Cherry’s husband and manager, Cameron McVey, to work on her second album, Homebrew, on which he co-wrote and co-produced the song Somedays; McVey spotted Barrow’s talent when he worked as a trainee tape operator on Massive Attack’s groundbreaking 1991 album Blue Lines).. Barrow’s mental health had also declined. “I was in a terrible place. Through the Gulf war, I was really quite sick, physically and mentally. Mental stuff. I thought the war was the end of the world. I’d never had a breakdown before - I think it was just the pressure of the Portisheadstuff - I didn’t know I was having it. And no one ever talked to me about mental health in any way.” “You’re able to hide mental health issues within the music industry,”
Massive Attack would soon hear about his music and put him on retainer paying him $48 a week as a trainee tape operator on their 1991 album Blue Lines.. Upon hearing about Barrow’s work with massive attack the manager o - Hudba
For those who missed it. Here’s our look at The Verve’s Volatile history czcams.com/video/SPPhAFKVDnY/video.html
@@sstaners1234 please use the request form in the description box as it’s easier to track suggestions that way
That's a great video.
I hated this band with a passion, I thought they were the most overrated media supported band while genius bands like Super Furry Animals, Supergrass and Mansun were almost rejected. Portishead, Pulp, Elastica and many more bands were just utter shite and sadly the bands I liked were lumped in with shit Oasis and Blur. These bands could barely play their intrusments were as the top 3 that I menitoned had that genius thread going through their bands. Media whores who knew how to use the meida to sell recores is all Oasis and Blur were.
Sir, as you will undoubtedly know........THE BRIGHTEST FLAMES BURN FOR THE SHORTEST TIME
Portishead were superb.......DUMMY is a unique record and stole the show of the 90's really
i thank you for your investigation which shows the truth about raw talent........they never really wanted
to be famous.
Prior to PH they already had a heavy & healthy interest in music for many years
i remember work friends listening to Dummy.........even my boss listened , who was senior......
it made me realise how cool Portishead were. They had a very very wide fan base.
They really were superb. True Artists of musical talent.
One for the books indeed.
PORTISHEAD
ps. Bristol is a lovely place.......i have visited it along the AVON river.
It does not surprise me that it spurned a whole musical genre called trip hop........
i LOVE discovering what happened to HUGE TALENTS that just evaporated into thin air
SMOKE CITY........for example.
@@breevwhyman2985 The were a James Bond tribute act and nothing more. Mansun, SFA, and Supergrass were by far the best bands around. They made brilliant music whereas the Portishead were nothing more than media darlings.
I don't understand how you didn't mention their live album in Roseland NYC. This was a massive success and they were probably one of the first electronic/trip-hop band to play live with an orchestra!
Yep I was surprised that wasn’t mentioned, it was an amazing performance.
Agree. I have the DVD of this, and it's brilliant.
Easily my favorite live album of all time!
I generally felt indifferent about Portishead until I rented the video of the Roseland NYC concert. It brought out this whole latent energy that the first album only hinted at for me. Consider me converted.
Great live album
Portishead completely reinvented and outdid themselves with Third. In my opinion it's a perfect record and a hell of an achievement. I don't think it's ever gotten the attention it deserves.
I completely agree. Fantastic and underrated album.
Best Portishead album . A lot of experimentation/ variation
It’s a good record but the first two are masterpieces
Thanks for reminding me to download that.
agree, while it's not my fav album it was the only decent next move they could make....put their vibes on other rythyms. For me, the first time in put op their second album in the store....i always relive that moment whenever or where-ever i am.
you didn't mention their live album in Roseland NYC,
I remember someone saying that these kind of bands could never play live because they were trip hop or electronic,
and they did it and with an orchestra,
the world stopped and we have this masterpiece, thank you Beth for your amazing voice and the band for everything.
Dummy had such a huge impact on my teenage self. Still one of my favourite albums, never get tired of it.
This band got me through some sour times.
I see what you did there :)
Hey man love your channel!
mad that you're here
I would like this comment but it's at 69 so I'll leave this reply instead. XD
I hope you didn't need to carry a Machine Gun with you to enter the Roads into Elysium.
I was just in Portishead UK because of Portishead! They are one of my favorite groups and Live At Roseland is a great live album. I grew up in the 90’s and their songs helped me get through depression and my low self. 💐 love Portishead Portishead!
How is it there? Is it really a place that in passing generally you can say 'it's a place to die?' Or things have changed after a few years?
@@marllram it's pretty soulless, try Clevedon just down the coast, loads nicer with a brilliant swimming lake and no stupid yachts 👍
@@marllram England is a cesspool full stop.
dont think they ever played in Portishead --- they are are a Bristol based band.
Portishead is now a Surrey slurry outlet. Overpriced and soulless
Man what an incredible band. Just beautiful melancholy.
Beth Gibbons' album with Rustin Man (Out of Season) is also terrific, and totally worth checking out if you've never heard it❤
so terrific. Drake is one of saddest most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard
ha, listened to it yesterday again after listening to Beth's new single. Funny time of year is one of the best songs ever
I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Portishead. The world stood still.
Hello
For me it was around 3am during summer break when I was in middle school. I loved staying up late watching MTV and Much Music when the video for Only You came on. It was like you said, the world stood still, and shivers ran through my body. I've been a fan since that night.
Same. 1994 and I heard “Roads” on the Tank Girl soundtrack. Immediately captivated
For me too. Rainy cold night as I'm driving and a cool DJ played them on the radio mid 90s. I was never the same music wise. Dummy was implanted in my brain then...
always.
same
Dummy is a great album!!
one of the greatest albums of all time
@@RafitoOoO It's solid
Third is even better in my opinion.
Live in new Yorks good
In my all-time top 10
I find myself liking Portishead more and more lately. That sort of jazzy downbeat thing that they do is definitely not typical of what I listen to, but there's just something so right about the way they do it.
Check out the band men I trust
Yeah I’ve been loving that kind of sound recently also.
Anyone have additional artists they would recommend?
@@h-dawg969 still corners are a great band for a long road trip drive
@@billchief397 I’ll check them out.
My dog & I spend about half the time as van lifers so plenty of long drives. Cheers
@@h-dawg969 The Marias- Superclean vol1 and 2
Cannons
Chromatics
Hooverphonic- (Live 2012)
Beth Gibbons And Rustin Man
Lovage (Music To Make Love to Your Old Lady By) Album
Emily Haines And The Soft Skeleton
Mazzy Star/ Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions
Cigarettes After Sex
Johnathan Bree- In The Sunshine
Puma Blue
Lhasa- Rising
Michelle Gurevich
Zero 7
Dummy is an album that could’ve come out today, it did come out in the 90s and it also could’ve come out like back in the 40s….Beth’s smoky lounge jazz style of singing is timeless
It couldn’t have come out in the 40s.
It’s a brilliant album and band… there was nothing like them before or since.. yet they sound timeless and definitely have that 40s dark smoky jazz bar vibe.. but beyond that to a new sound ..
@@philosophie8744 couldn’t have said it better, I realize there have have been innovations and evolution in music since(like record scratching) that you wouldn’t hear back then, but you feel me….her vocal Melodies and a lot of the brass instrumentals would have fit the 40’s like a glove
@@jeremysiron9622 yes definitely. Jazz of the 40s was the best… free improvisation and hunting singers who used their voice like an instrument… I would love to have been in one of those dark Smokey bars listening to Billie Holiday or miles or coltraine or any of them from that era
@@wildersparks9161 her album with Rustin Man could have done, i guess its [mostly] meant to be the older jazz elements...although perhaps has some occasional modern fx, its mostly in keeping
I watched this whole thing to understand what happened to them after Third and why they haven't released anything since, and I learned absolutely nothing
same 😂
"Some people have told me I'm a good singer, I don't think I am really, I suppose they are just being nice, I think I could possibly be a good singer but that would mean I would have to take lessons and quit smoking" Beth Gibbons. Thanks for doing this video, All Mine was the first song of theirs I heard and Beth Gibbons was a huge inspiration
Listening to her singing Gorecki symphony no.3 you can hear the contradiction, the rawness of her voice is beautiful but not conventionally good.
Beth is a WONDERFUL singer.
@ericcoleman288
that quote is amazing, so much to admire, i can really see how you are a fan
What a great band, Beth was the perfect voice for Trip Hop, that debut album was unbelievable ❤
Hello
I cannot stop listening to them. Roads....man
Being from the US this is one of my favourite British artists of all time.
The really got me into trip hop and other Bristol (UK) music from the likes of
Massive Attack, Tricky, Smith and Mighty, Roni Size, Kosheen, Krust, Allflaws
Check out Bowery Electric, their album "Beat" should be right up your alley.
You have great tastes!
3rd is a goddamn masterpiece and criminally underrated album, my favorite PH album for sure.
Accurate
Live in NYC is amazing. Beth has the most haunting voice ever 👻
Third is a stunning album.
Like, all 3 albums are great, but Third really needs a popular re-evaluation. It's one of my favourite records of the 2000s.
Imo, it's the best of three solid albums.
My first exposure to Portishead was from Thom and Jonny's cover of The Rip here on YT, which led me to Third. That album is terrific.
It is , that year when it came out was my fav as well
I Agree. I've probably listend to Third and Portishead the most although Dummy was great too.
Thanx for tip , I love Dummy , not so much Portiehead which I feel is a pale imitation , but had it been some other band I’d like it . Not heard any of a third but that will change soon . PS. If it’s half as good as Soft Machines Third then should be excellent
I know I know, Roads is one of their popular hits but it never gets old.
Portishead popularized (if not launched) a genre. Their problem wasn't that people copied them, it's that nobody could even come close. "Listening to trip-hop" is listening to Portishead and a few songs from Massive Attack, or Goldfrap. I wish more people could have contributed to the genre, but Portishead is basically it's own mood to me.
Nop, Portishead were after Massive Attack. They added lots of their own elements, but Massive Attack are the ones that created the sound.
@@AK-74K they could have been a hundred years after Massive Attack. Massive attack didn't make very much good trip hop, imo. A few songs is a few songs, Portishead committed to the genre and their sound pretty completely. Massive attack was more upbeat, and often just sounded like other UK dance/electronica to me. Which is fine, but it means there wasnt enough good music made in the genre, imo.
@@CapnSnackbeard You said they 'popularized if not launched' a genre. Which they did neither, Blue Lines was a really big album, 3 years before Portishead. If you said, 'they took a genre to a new level' that's a matter of opinion and I wouldn't have debated that. You like Portishead more than Massive Attack - we can't all have the same music tastes, so that's totally cool. For me, I don't see your Massive Attack argument, I love many of their tracks especially from the first 3 albums. And what I do enjoy is how much they vary in mood from each other, whilst Portishead are always on that melancholic, sombre trip, every single track. I still like Portishead and enjoyed this video.
@@CapnSnackbeardI bet you think Sneaker Pimps are original too, "imo"... LOL.
@@Backpackfiles I bet you don't think much at all.
Dummy is one of the greatest albums ever. One of the albums that made the 90’s the best decade in music.
Dummy was my first intro to Portishead in my 40s mid 90s driving on a rainy cold night and listening to a cool alt station. Thank you Mr DJ bc it was a night I've always remembered. Portishead was magic. Awesome band!!
Maybe the only band that got better with each new album. Third is just on another level. So inspiring!
I think it goes to opposite direction. Probably why they folded
@@christopherpederson1021 You gunning for the stupidest youtube comment ever award or something, dude???
I thought long and hard and I realized that there is one other mainstream band that got better with every album I'm aware off - Tool. But that's perhaps debatable and they never produced anything close to the brilliance of 3rd
I think the first two and the live album was just amazing, however beyond they didn't really have the same passion as the early stuff
I've seen them live in '98 on Pukkelpop (Belgium) main stage. Never have been closer to my self in a big crowd. Infinitely great performance on stage. What a live sound they produced. Mesmerizing it was.
Let’s not forget Geoff Barrow’s scoring career with Ben Salisbury. Their work on DEVS, Annihilation and Ex Machina was profound, stirring, scary. I love it. Why don’t you do a piece on them?
I didn't know he was involved in the Devs soundtrack, loved that
Third is such a good album. Underrated.
The first Portishead album was definitely a monumental masterpiece
IMO all three are.
I’ve listened to Dummy the most, but whenever I listen to the second album or Third, I always have the same thought: holy shit this is way better than I remembered.
Really cool that this bands been covered on this channel!
Several people requested them
@@rnrtruestories Way to go for covering something outside of what is considered Rock
Agreed. Well played Rock N' Roll True Stories.
@@sophiafortyfourhello
I've seen them twice here in Belgium, once at Rock Werchter during mid day in open air, they were so miscasted that day....they are better in the evening in a darker place, much more intimed, then Portishead is on there best. The second time was in a big festival tent in the evening and was a fantastic concert.....really love to see them once again....love the band.....
Hello
I always listen to Dummy when it starts to get spooky outside and the leaves start to fall (I used to live in San Diego so listening to this was a way to really get in the spirit despite the weather almost never changing) Hearing that orchestra on a rainy day and her timeless voice in a place you 'can't vibe no matter what' is something these kids today will never understand.
That's when I heard Dummy for the first time. Rainy cold night in the Fall mid 90s I'm driving home and a DJ played Dummy. It was magic and I associate the season w them as well.
everyone’s mentioning dummy and third but my favorite has always been the 2nd album
I bought Third completely on a whim without even knowing who the band were (it was part of a 3 for £15 HMV deal haha). It was like nothing I'd heard before, soothing and haunting but also with a lot of memorable riffs/melodies. Even when I listen to it now it sounds timeless + the music video for The Rip is still incredible.
Dummy was the first album where i felt it was ok to dance while crying.
I never liked emo, depressed stuff, but the sound of that album was infectious. I had to listen to it, my head bopping HARD as that sad voice raked my soul.
Portishead isn't emo. It's trip hop. All three of their studio albums are great, each better than the last.
@@HadrianRex I know it's not emo, but the sad lyrics and dance beats fit an emo aesthetic.
@@MegaRudeBoy69 To me, emo is a completely different, whiny genre. Portishead is just melancholy. Radiohead and the Cure tend towards melancholy, as well.
@@HadrianRex I never said they were, just that the lyrics were pretty emo AKA emotional/depressing, which is not a direction i would normally go for.
Dummy was one of the most important (probably top-5) albums for me personally, in my musical development.
I was a grunge/britpop kid in the early/mid 90s, aged 14 or so. Portishead's Dummy was my access-point into 'dance' music.
It was soon followed up with the likes of Chemical Brothers (Exit Planet Dust) Orbital (Snivilisation), Prodigy (Jilted), Aphex Twin (Ambient Works 2 & RDJ album) and DJ Shadow (Endtroducing). And I never looked back from there.
This video was a nostalgic trip for me! Really enjoyed it, thanks for sharing. 👍
Nice choice of music there👍
I'm a big metalhead and know next to nothing about trip hop and what not, but I know what I like. Portishead and Massive Attack are pretty much the only ones I know, but damn, they sound fantastic! Hookers and Gin, lol.
@@catjudo1 and Tricky too
@@catjudo1 the ex drummer for the band unearth Derek Kerswell put me on to Portishead
@@kkrsnn5632 Tricky was part of Massive Attack before going solo. Love his music.
I got to see the tour for self-titled album in SF, and it was just amazing. Everyone walked out almost slack-jawed. Still one of my top 5 shows ever.
Thanks for this report. Portishead is one of my favourite bands since their beginnings. Greetings from Austria
Thanks
Extremely talented group of people with a unique sound, I love the Dummy album but can't listen too long as I find it too depressing but quite often come back for a listen and am always blown away.
Great band. Since I discovered them back in 2008 with Third I have been completely obsessed with the nostalgic feel of their songs.
Saw Portishead play in Glastonbury, probably the most powerful live experience of my life
Hello
Third is amazing. They went in a new direction and just blew my mind with that album. Hoping and wait8ng for 4th.
Everything they’ve done is incredible. Their live album Roseland NYC is really special though.
What happened to Portishead? they broke through the 3rd wall and became one of the most iconic bands of the 90s with absolutely mind blowing originality and beauty... Portishead will forever be in my top 5 bands of all time... Everything they touched turned to gold...
i agree with all of the sentiments here - they are still completely amazing and those records sound as fresh and hauntingly beautiful as anything.. i mean - they covered SOS and it's so unbelievably amazing.
So cool that Dummy was reissued on vinyl! Essential 90's release!
The "first" time I heard Portishead was at work when a colleague put the second album in the box. My first response to Beth's voice was to start in with "Go-o-odfi-i-inger!" and I liked what I heard. Bought the CD. After buying Dummy I realized I'd heard them on college radio, having heard Sour Times a few times but never connecting it to the band. Great stuff!
I love all their albums, but the third album is outstanding and my favorite.
Thank you for this.
Portishead was a fantastic band..
We had the Doctors play them during our sons delivery.
The docs and nurses loved it.
Great video, Such a unique collage of inspiration from this group that created great music together!
Now I understand better why the band, and especially Beth Gibbons where so positively overwhelmed when they performed at the Corona Capital festival in Mexico back in 2011 (their very fist presentation in the country). They had a whole stadium at their feet, they had no idea about the massive following they built in Mexico. As shy as Beth is, she came down the stage and spend minutes greeting the fans in the front lines. They opened their set with "Silence", and everyone went nuts when she started her vocals with that amazing tension and anguish she delivers. It was unreal. Portishead is one of those few bands that sounds even better live. To be honest, getting them to play live in Mexico for such a high profile festival (at least here in the country) was quite the feat.
Fun fact: The Strokes (very popular at the time) played after Portishead as the closing act. As soon as Portishead finished, many people left the venue leaving The Strokes with a small audience!
This was one fantastic video and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Thank you for all the goodness and I hope you can just be awesome in the future. You really rock. ❣️😄
I have the now defunct Borders store to thank my discovery of Portishead. The store had random headphones around the store that would feature an album. Dummy was one of them. Before that, radio was the only way to discover music before buying it and none of the radio stations near me would ever play music like this. I think I stood in that store just listening to that album for a few hours before my parents came and picked me up (oh the bygone times you could leave a 12 year old alone in a store as a form of babysitting haha). I ended up buying it before I left. While it wasn't the first CD I ever bought (that honor goes to Nirvana Unplugged), it was certainly one of the earliest and I still have it to this day. And much more recently on vinyl now that I've gotten into that form of music collection.
Such a wonderful band . Way above the average band. Smart and delicious sounding.
Their music is timeless. I desperately want them to tour so I can see them live just once. I had a cocktail hour during photos at my wedding last year and the music was Portishead and other triphop artists, but pretty much Portishead every other song.
Beth's voice really suffered, probably because she was a smoker and it didn't help as time went on
I Met Geoff in a record shop once and we got chatting about funk and soul. I didn't realise it was him when we were chatting, even though I've loved Portishead since the first album released. The guy behind the counter told me it was Geoff Barrow and then I twigged.
He's a nice fella. I've met him a few times over the years. He runs his Invader label in Bristol.
Dummy changed my life when I first heard it. I was mesmerized and enchanted. It swallowed me whole.
I remember being a freshman in high school in the mid 90s and discovering Portishead. It's one of those rare albums where every song is great. Their biggest radio hits were actually my least favorite songs. The good ones I never heard on the radio. I still listen to that album ❤️
Wandering star... great lyrics
Hello
Glory Hole...sour times...
...wandering star...evthing
Portishead's Sour Times was the inspiration for the iconic Silent Hill theme from 1999.
Hope to still see them live one day. All of their 3 albums are unique and beautiful. Less is more I think. There are so many other artists whose much wider discographies I don't find nearly as interesting. But what comes to Portishead, I've loved every album they've produced so far.
Does no one here know Beth Gibbon's Solo Album?
It's pure beauty and magic.
To me it is a true GOAT album.
Like, it just does not get any better than this, seriously listen to it! ❤
One if the most creative bands ever😎 Live in NYC is epic.
My first time hearing Portishead was as a young teenager around 1994/1995, while watching a random BBC documentary (about which, I cannot now remember), wherein, they used a sound clip from "Mysterons" in the background of certain scenes. The music used was the theramin-esque synth part of the track. My ears pricked up and I was instantly intrigued by what I heard and knew I had to find out where that unique sound mixture of hiphop beats and old sci-fi movie soundscape was from.
How I managed to discover it was Portishead (who at the time were virtually unknown), I can't remember. But I'm glad I did. I bought their debut album shortly after this and have never looked back. I think their follow album was even better, imho and I have grown to love and appreciate their third album over the years. Great (and one of my all time favourite) bands.
Ah i miss those days, Portishead, Tricky, Massive Attack, etc. Still listen to them and it takes me back.
By far, one of the greatest, underrated bands of all time.
Awesome video! I absolutely love Portishead and everything Beth and Geoff do. Her album Out of Season with Rustin Man is absolutely beautiful. And Geoff’s Beak is sick! The last time they toured in LA I went to both of their shows back to back because they’re that good and it’s rare that they tour. Had to take advantage.
thank you for this video, I really wanted to know about Portishead but I was surprised by how little information we have here on youtube about them, so I thank you for shading the nology
To me, a monumental band. Thank you for the vid and hard work putting it all together.
Thank you so much for this video. Portishead is one of those bands that I've meant to check-out over the years but just haven't yet. I did look them up on Wikipedia at least a few years ago but I really do need to check out their videos. They're obviously a very interesting and unique band.
I'm not sure what impact Portishead has for someone listening to it today, especially the Dummy album.
But at the time, for someone who likes to discover new music, it was outstanding.
At the time, I think we were all a bit tired of the saturation of grunge.
The movement of British rock bands towards a more dance atmosphere, such as Happy Mondays or Primal Scream, influenced by the House music boom a few years earlier, was also fading.
The first album from the influential Massive Attack still didn't seem to be adding any effect on the music scene.
Drum'n'bass was taking shape, but it wasn't a thing yet...
When I first heard Dummy it was like a revelation.
It was a trip to my subconscious mind.
I had everything that had been getting at me for the past few decades.
The scratch of the DJs, the beats of the dance music, the cinematographic atmosphere and samples of the music and movies that I was already on my way to discover.
Also with an original and engaging song construction. A precise and careful sampling work. Some recognizable but at the same time original instrumentals. And a unique, mysterious and fascinating voice.
After this, alternative music has grown a lot and the influence of that album was enormous.
Although the impact will never be the same, I imagine listening to it today can still be an eye-opening experience.
Certainly the musical influences and the tastes of each one will influence on how it sounds.
Give it a try and leave us your opinion on how it sounds to you today...
I’m in the same boat as you. I’m old enough to have been around in the era Portishead’s debut had dropped (I turned 18 in ‘94). I’ve heard their name a good bit back then as well as over the decades but for some reason I’ve never taken the time to listen to their albums. I’ve always felt that I will someday do that once I remember to do so.
Portishead has been one of my favorites for years. Listened to since I was 16 or 17 in 97, but when I got older is when I really understood the songs and appreciated their music even more. Recently bought each album on vinyl to listen to at the house. They aren't every day albums, but when I'm in a burned out mood and I want to relax, those albums are superb!! Their music is such an exquisite example of the definition of timeless..... Just beautiful.
Hey, I just wanna say thank you for this channel.
I was super lucky to be visiting Bristol for Astral Festival in 2022 and the War Child show was announced right after I booked my trip. It was my extra free night in Bristol, with the venue just 2 blocks (and Banksy’s Well Hung Lover) away from my hotel. Best music weekend of my life. The Portishead set had everyone in tears, just astonishing, amazing experience. Everyone in the venue knew how special that night was both for the music and the charitable cause that spurred it.
How lucky and magical for you
thankyou! I loved Portishead back in the day
Will never forget the first time hearing Glory Box on community radio. It was like nothing I had ever heard before, it wasn't till a few months later someone was playing the album at a party and I was completely transfixed from then on.
I remember hearing this album when it first came out in the 90's. This was the music that everyone imagine in their heads and had a huge impact on everything after that.
Portisheads music is the most depressing and the equally the most beautiful music I came across! Thanks for the video 🙏🏻
Very unique sound and her voice, just wow.
I don't tend to listen to many female artists, just a preference. But Beth Gibbons voice is sexy, intelligent, morose and sublime all at the same time. She has such a unique sound. Love it.
I've got all their albums on vinyl. Phenomenal band!
Beth Gibbons released a great album with ex Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb under the name Beth Gibbons and Rustin' Man.
Third is one of my favortite albums. They went to this new direction and it sounds like they've been playing that way their whole life.
Thank you for this vid. Dummy is still best album to me. And i loved beth's out of season album too. I had waited their new album so long time, but now i know they won't. I just want they produce one single song someday.
They might return. They’re still on good terms and enjoy working together. Much less pressure on them now too.
Portishead's Dummy and Massive Attack's Blue Lines are not just the best two albums of the 90s, they are two of the best albums of all time.
I bought 'dummy' on cassette tape when it came out, & then got the CD years later. Never once skipped a track.
Hello from the UK, love your videos. Maybe I have an idea for one. There is a Spinal Tap song called "Break Like the Wind" (title track)and features guitar solos by SLASH,JEFF BECK,STEVE LUTHEKER,JOE SANTRIANI and Nigel Tufnell all on one song and I've always wanted to know the story of how and when it was recorded and anything else a man of your talents could find out. I've never heard anyone talk about it. Anyone that likes guitar music should hear it.
Portishead are one of the most important groups in uk history, along with Massive attack and Goldfrapp in my opinion
Earl Sweatshirt credits them as a big influence, a teacher he had used to play Portishead during class and he loved how dark it sounded. Probably why I like his stuff too.
There was a trip hop band that I liked even more than Portishead: Sunday Munich. One of the founding member would later form Saltillo, which is just as good, but Sunday Munich remains the best of he best in the style. More people need to know about it.
Geoff's film soundtrack work is sublime.
I absolutely love Portishead I have all three of their albums and I never knew any of this stuff cuz I never really looked into them at all I just love their music hearing this stuff about them makes me like them even more
First and Third are absolutely brilliant. Too bad they're not around anymore.
Who says they aren't around anymore? They just take long stretches between albums. The members also take part in other projects. Beth is active on Instagram. There will probably be another album when they get around to it. Dummy came out in 1994. Portishead came out in 1997, and Third came out in 2008. None of them seem the types to rush into the studio just to do it.
Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky are not only the standards of “Trip Hop” but 3 of the most original and creative artists of the entire 90’s. And yes, Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack is Banksy. He is the leader and creator of the collective that works under that name. Prove me wrong.
Just spoke to someone from Bristol a few days ago and he said he's definitely NOT Banksy.
@@ranica47 They are from the same crew "the wild bunch" but it's not him, Rob did an interview in the local paper the Bristol post just a few days ago like he said he's a mature visual artist now any common threads between him and banksy's work would be obvious.
Have you done a video on Teenage Fanclub and the Scottish music scene from the 90s? There was Creation records, band such as TFC, BMX Bandits, Vaselines, Soup Dragons, to name a few. There's plenty to go off. Cheers! 👍
Teenage Fanclub definitely deserves a vid.
If you haven’t done do we have a request form in the description box so i can track requests more easily
@@rnrtruestories sure thing, will do! Thanks for responding. 👍
@@5amH45lam thanks
Check out the Bandsplain podcast, they have a long episode on Teenage Fanclub.
I remember my friend playing Sour Times for the first time. When Beth´s voice set in, I felt like a shimmering, translucent angel touched my ears. I fell in love with that voice immediately.
Absolutely breathtaking, new and wonderful!
If Dummy is a pilar for 90s alternative music, 3 did the same thing for the 2000s. Just an incredible band, very underrated nowadays
Gah I love Trip Hop... Portishead was probably my first Trip Hop album I bought but I was also into Sneaker Pimps and Cibo Matto abit before. I came into music after Dummy's impact, it was their follow up album that made its impact on me with the song "All Mine" that shook me so much.
Have you done spaceman 3/spiritualized? I'd watch that and Jason's still going strong
Beth Gibbons was such a cutie back in the day, with a soul filled with heartache. I have nothing but sweet memories from my few incursions into Trip Hop, and for a little while Portishead was the soundtrack of my confused mid to late 20s, before I switched gears and moved to Barcelona, where I’ve been living for the last 14 years. My soundtracks have shifted in those years, almost always sticking to music from prior decades with sparkles of the contemporary, but I always go back to those sweet, sad, Trip Hop memories.
Their self titled album I have and got when it came out is sooo good, still listen to it!