Portishead thread...with a poll!!!

[upsidedownwalrus]

Ummm... interesting post....

How about Unfinished Symphony and Lately - they're classics....from Blue Lines...

Personally I don't prefer Protection to Blue Lines, I just find it a more brooding , and introspective record (introspective being fine imo) I especially rate weather storm, spying glass, and Better things

I think Mezannine is/was their peak ...

Yeah - I meant Unfinished Sympathy when I said 'the obvious'.

 

[Totoro303]

The third one is so much darker, slightly more geared towards the indie rather than trendy market. ...

This explains quite a bit.

Whilst I dont give a toss about whther something fits the criteria of 'trendy', the vague indie orientation may explain its slight lack of appeal to me....(possible lack of repetitive basslines/beats - damn will have to listen to the 3rd album again to confirm or deny this vague early morning speculation..)

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

It's definitely more indie or even metally at times...

 

[Divisive Cotton]

I actually picked up the folk influences... dark folk

 

[Totoro303]

Umm... especially Machine gun , if I remember rightly which sounded abrasive to these ears....

Although I do recall more wistful and more melancholy tunes on it... It just sounded uneven to these ears..

I think opinions towards the 3rd album may be partailly based on whether people orientate more to dance or indie, as Portishead appeal/have appealed to both audiences...

Unfortunately the Civil service/work calls, so I will have to defer informed judgement until this evening...(re the 3rd album)

 

[HobgoblinMan]

Tricky was the talent of Massive though.

 

[A Dashing Blade]

Caught them second on the bill down the LA2 on one of those 4 bands for a fiver nights
Counted 32 people in the audience of whom I reckon 31 were friends and family (seemed to be barbour jackets and green welly brigade)
Tbh, remember thinking at the time that they could be contenders.
3 months later the album came out and the rest is history

 

[ska invita]

They really suck.

The only thing I like is this twist.
Nobody loves you
Nobody loves you
Nobody loves you
Nobody loves you . . . . like I do

Shit song though.

]
I think it goes
nobody love me, its true, not like you do

Funnily enough i was singing this to myself yesterday thinking how clever it is - must be autumn for portishead to have come up in our collective subconscious.

My take is that its definitely not crap, but though i bought the first album i never listened to it -its just not where my head is at, especially across a whole album.

There is some really original production going on there, particularly across the drum tracks, which often sound incredible. I say original, I guess its based on a 50s aesthetic, but still, drums have never sounded quite that way before.

A truly british band too. But like Massive Attack the overall effect is just too drab for me. Oh, and DJ Andy Smith is a bit of a superstar isnt he?

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Tricky was the talent of Massive though.

Yeah - I think a lot of his solo stuff is quite underrated. Pre Millennium Tension sounded ropey at the time, but is actually top notch if you listen to it now. It's un-dated.

 

[HobgoblinMan]

Yeah - I think a lot of his solo stuff is quite underrated. Pre Millennium Tension sounded ropey at the time, but is actually top notch if you listen to it now. It's un-dated.

Yeah, that album is kick arse. He does get underated a bit, his more recent stuff is a bit patchy, but all his work up to and including Juxtapose is great.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

And Blowback is a great album too.

 

[El Jefe]

In the eyes the music press though Portishead were something that happened in the 90s so no matter what quality they produce now it will be ignored

not true, the music press were all over Third, it got fantastic reviews.

 

[stupid dogbot]

My ex-neighbour used to build the touring cases/stands for Geoff's Rhodes.

Not crap. Probably not very likely to get played at dogbot kennels these days, but not crap.

 

[HobgoblinMan]

not true, the music press were all over Third, it got fantastic reviews.

See post 41.

 

[HobgoblinMan]

And Blowback is a great album too.

Indeed it is, when I first heard it, I loved it, then went a bit off some of it. But I should go back to it, as it had some wicked tunes on it. So many random collaborations on it too.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Jefe's right there. I was in China and even I remember that.

 

[sim667]

Im a big portishead fan....... can listen to them anytime...... them and lamb

 

[Geri]

You've never been to portishead have you?

Its a yuppie hell hole.

It might be now, it wasn't always. As for the band, I find them a bit dull.

 

[blairsh]

Potishead are fucking good and Third IS a good album. Thats what i reckon anyway...

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

I wish Tricky would do more films. His part in Fifth Element was ace

 

[kittyP]

I voted not crap although I don't really care for them anymore.

They did some cool stuff but I am bit meh.