Track Listing

1. Cowboys - Geoff Barrow, Portishead, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons, Nick Ingman, Dave McDonald, Orchestra
2. All Mine - Geoff Barrow, Portishead, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons, Nick Ingman, Dave McDonald, Orchestra
3. Undenied - Geoff Barrow, Portishead, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons, Nick Ingman, Dave McDonald, Orchestra
4. Half Day Closing - Portishead, Geoff Barrow, Nick Ingman, Orchestra
5. Over - Portishead, Geoff Barrow, Nick Ingman, Orchestra
6. Humming - Geoff Barrow, Portishead, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons, Nick Ingman, Dave McDonald, Orchestra
7. Mourning Air - Portishead, Geoff Barrow, Nick Ingman, Orchestra
8. Seven Months - Portishead, Geoff Barrow, Nick Ingman, Orchestra
9. Only You - Geoff Barrow, Portishead, Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utley, Dave McDonald, Nick Ingman
10. Elysium - Portishead, Geoff Barrow, Nick Ingman, Orchestra
11. Western Eyes - Portishead, Geoff Barrow, Nick Ingman, Orchestra

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3790 in Music
• Released on: 1999-06-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 50 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
With Dummy, their 1994 debut, Portishead not only created a classic of turntable-derived soul, but defined their sound so exhaustively as to spawn a host of imitators. So what to do for a follow-up? As it happened, the answer was simple--refine the template. This self-titled album simply ups the ante on everything that made their debut so special: the brooding sense of menace, that deep streak of romantic fatalism. Much is made of the cinematic quality of Portishead's music--and indeed, many of these tracks sound like they should be accompanying some existentialist spy flick from the mid-1960s. But ultimately, it's singer Beth Gibbons that's their greatest asset: her vocals gliding effortlessly from the furious ("Cowboys") to the forlorn ("Mourning Air"); from the exuberant ("All Mine") to the exhausted ("Only You")--and all set to the group's most ambitious and expansive arrangements to date. A majestic, damaged and frequently terrifying masterpiece. --Andrew McGuire

CD Description
Like Soul II Soul a few years before them, Portishead spearheaded a revolution in both pop and dance music by introducing a distinctive new groove. Portishead was at the vanguard of the '90s trip-hop onslaught, and after a three-year respite, they return with a self-titled second album to reclaim the trip-hop crown. Beth Gibbons is on her way to becoming the Billie Holiday of electronica, retaining a stoic, laconic tone while recounting tales of despair and emotional upheaval.
The lazy, spacious beats that are the band's trademarkprovide just the right combination of urgency and tranquility to underscore the emotional contradictions at the core ofPortishead's music. Adrian Utley's delightfully creepy guitar and keyboard work adorns the proceedings tastefully and effectively. On tunes like "Cowboys" and "All Mine" Portishead makes it plain that when it comes to arresting, unsettlingelectronic dance-pop, nobody does it better.

Customer Reviews

Trip-hop noir
Portishead created a unique sound in their debut "Dummy," combining smoky jazz and trip-hop. So an equally good follow-up was a pretty tall order. Enter the self-titled "Portishead," which ups the eerie noir feel while not abandoning the cool electronic edge. In the months before their return, it seems appropriate to revisit their older material.

"Did you feed us tales of deceit,/Conceal the tongues who need to speak?/Subtle lies and a soiled coin,/The truth is sold, the deal is done," Beth Gibbons intones, sounding like a slightly gleeful robot. That sets the tone for "Portishead," giving it a darker tone than its predecessor -- darker songs, darker vocals, darker music.

The jazz overtones are still there, bubbling up in songs like the distant "Over" and "Seven Months," which sounds strangely like fellow trip-hop artist Emiliana Torrini. Only the downtempo "Over" and softly poppy "Western Eyes" break from this cooler sound, sounding warm and unaltered. The rest of the album is a different story.

Somehow it adds to the noir atmosphere to have darker, colder sounds woven in with the jazzy trip-hop. "Humming" includes a strange background beat that sounds exactly as you would imagine a UFO. This dark, experimental edge makes it a bit harder to get into than their debut album, but when you do get into it, it's almost frighteningly intense.

The jazzy percussion is one of the first things you notice about this, paired with horns and thick synth. It's surprisingly heady to listen to. Also cold and distant -- which seems appropriate, since the simple lyrics focus on loneliness, melancholy, sadness and loss ("Why should I forgive you,/After all that I've seen,/Quietly whisper,/When my heart wants to scream?").

Beth Gibbons plays around with her vocals this time around -- while Gibbons's voice is normally very pretty, in a few songs she twists it into creepy monotones. It's a bit jarring at first, compared to her usual melodic singing, but it suits the darker songs here. The filtered, eerie intonations in "Cowboys" are downright spine-chilling.

Portishead, presently working on their long-awaited third album, made a triumphant second album. While not as easily accessible as their debut, it's definitely an entrancing experience.

Second album blues...
If this had been Portishead's first album, everyone would be raving that it was the greatest thing that ever happened in early nineties music. It wasn't and people aren't. And while there aren't quite the high points of Dummy - Like Sour Times, Roads and Glory Box, I think this second offering is more consistent than the debut. All Mine, Over, Only You are all fine songs. It's claustrophobic and classy, it's blue and brooding. I wish Beth Gibbon would sing more, she has quite an amazing voice. Portishead rock. Please can they release something again soon?

Soooooooooo Good
As much as I love 'Dummy', I think this one out-does it by quite a way. It's a much darker and more distorted side of Portishead, but also more beautiful and extravagant. This album is stunningly orchestrated and impeccably well written, and while it's not as good for trendy background dinner-party type music as 'Dummy' had become for some, musically it pushes the boundaries of the 'Trip-hop' sound which they practically invented to awesome effect. Get 'Dummy', be amazed then get this and be doubly amazed.