Portishead (album)
Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox album
Portishead is the second studio album by the English electronic music group Portishead, released on 29 September 1997 by Go! Discs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Music
With Portishead, the band chose to eschew sampling other records, which had been a defining feature of their debut album Dummy. Instead, they created original pieces which they wove into the songs, resulting in a more textured sound. The only song to employ samples was "Only You", which incorporates elements of Ken Thorne's Inspector Clouseau score and The Pharcyde's "She Said".<ref name = "Portishead at coverinfo.de">Template:Cite web</ref> "Western Eyes" is listed as sampling "Hookers & Gin" by the Sean Atkins Experience in the album's liner notes. In reality, this song does not exist; like most of the samples on the album, it was created by the band.<ref>Facts about Western Eyes Template:Webarchive</ref>
Artwork
The album cover is a still image from the music video of the song "All Mine".
Release
Released in September 1997, the album reached Template:Abbr 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 21 on the Billboard 200.<ref name="uk"/><ref name="bb200"/>
On 3 December 2008, Universal Music Japan re-released Dummy and Portishead as a limited SHM-CD version.Template:Citation needed
Reception
Portishead received critical acclaim upon its release. In a rave review for Q, Andrew Harrison said that the album showed Portishead sounding "less and less like a conflation of influences, and more and more like themselves", finding the music "almost cinematic" and the lyrics "more rounded" in perspective than on Dummy.<ref name="q"/> Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian credited the band for rendering their debut album's sound "even more haunting" on Portishead.<ref name="guardian"/> Commenting on the textures of the music, Barry Walters wrote in Spin that the group had created a "gothic", "deadly" and "trippy" atmosphere and gotten "darker, deeper, and more disturbing."<ref name="spin"/> AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that while "on the surface, Portishead isn't all that dissimilar from Dummy", the "darker and more adventurous" quality of the music becomes apparent over repeated listens, adding that "the sonicsTemplate:Nbsp... would make it an impressive follow-up, but what seals its success is the remarkable songwriting."<ref name="allmusic"/>
Year-end lists
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melody Maker | Albums of the Year | 1997 | 18<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| NME | 1997 Critics' Poll | 1997 | 32<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| Q | 50 Best Albums of 1997 | 1997 | (*)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| Spin | Top 20 Albums of the Year | 1997 | 6<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
| The Village Voice | 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll | 1997 | 14<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Track listing
Credits
All songs produced by Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley, Beth Gibbons and Dave McDonald.
Portishead
- Beth Gibbons – vocals
- Adrian Utley – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7–10), bass (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9), synthesizer (tracks 4, 6), Rhodes piano (track 9), piano (track 11)
- Geoff Barrow – drums (tracks 4, 5, 9), turntables, programming, samples
Additional musicians
- Clive Deamer – drums (tracks 1, 6, 7, 11), additional drums (track 3)
- Shaun Atkins – additional vocals (tracks 1, 11)
- John Baggot – organ (track 9), piano (track 10)
- Andy Hague – horns (track 2)
- Ben Waghorn – horns (track 2)
- John Cornick – horns (track 2), trombone (track 7)
- S. Cooper – violin (track 4)
Charts
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
Weekly charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref name="MM-1997-10-25">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 |
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 4 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 5 |
| Irish Albums (IFPI)<ref name="MM-1997-10-25"/> | 3 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref name="MM-1997-10-25"/> | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 45 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 43 |
| UK Albums (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 69 |
| Chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 32 |
Certifications and sales
Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Summary Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom