Mezzanine (album)
| Mezzanine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Massive Attack | ||||
| Released | 20 April 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–1998 | |||
| Genre | Trip hop, electronica, downtempo | |||
| Length | 63:29 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Neil Davidge, Massive Attack | |||
| Massive Attack chronology | ||||
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Mezzanine is the third studio album by English trip hop group Massive Attack, released on 20 April 1998. It was produced by Neil Davidge along with the group. The album was released on Virgin Records.
The entire album was provided on their website for legal download many months before the physical release was announced. It was one of the first major uses of the MP3 format by a commercial organization.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Sound
Musically, Mezzanine is a major departure from the jazzy and laidback sound of the first two albums (Blue Lines and Protection), invoking the dark undercurrents which had always been present in the collective's music. The album's textured and deep tone relies heavily on abstract and ambient sounds, as demonstrated in the song "Mezzanine" among others.
Similar to their previous albums, the majority of the songs consists of one or more samples, ranging from Isaac Hayes to Led Zeppelin. In 1998 Manfred Mann sued Massive Attack for unauthorised use of a sample of the song "Tribute" from Manfred Mann's Earth Band's eponymous 1972 album, used in "Black Milk".[2] The song has subsequently appeared as "Black Melt" on later releases and at live performances, with the sample removed.
Mezzanine marked the parting of band member Andrew Vowles, due to creative conflicts. Horace Andy, a well-known reggae artist, also performed several spots on the album.[3]
[edit] Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-)[5] |
| Stylus Magazine | (B) [6] |
| Robert Christgau |  [7] |
| Ultimate Guitar | (9.2/10) [8] |
| Rolling Stone |   [9] |
| Drowned in Sound |  [10] |
Mezzanine was released to universal acclaim worldwide, and was a huge success in the UK and other parts of Europe. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at #1,[11] and was certified Platinum (marking sales of 300,000) by the BPI on 1 May 1998.[12] It failed to share the same success in the United States, peaking at number 60 on the Billboard 200.[13]
The album was well received by critics, who praised the collective's new sound. Rolling Stone's Barney Hoskyns, although praising the album, pointed to its flaws: "[Sometimes] rhythm and texture are explored at the expense of memorable tunes, and the absence of the bizarre Tricky (who appeared on Blue Lines and Protection) only highlights the flat, monotonous rapping of the group's 3-D."[14]
John Bush of Allmusic also had positive words for the album's song "Inertia Creeps", saying it "could well be the highlight, another feature for just the core threesome. With eerie atmospherics, fuzz-tone guitars, and a wealth of effects, the song could well be the best production from the best team of producers the electronic world had ever seen."[4]
Years after the album was released, it was placed on many "Best Of" lists in the UK, and even in the United States. In 2000, Q magazine placed Mezzanine at number 15 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 412 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[15]
[edit] Use in popular media
"Angel" appeared in the films Go (1999), Snatch (2000), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), and Stay (2005). An extended version of "Angel" was prominently used in the 2003 West Wing episode "Commencement" as Zoey Bartlet is kidnapped, and an instrumental version is used in the 2004 video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. "Angel" was featured in a 2010 Hugo Boss fragrance advert, and in the 2011 pilot episode of the television series Person of Interest. A part of "Angel" was also used briefly in the third episode of the HBO series Luck which uses the Massive Attack song Splitting the Atom for it's opening theme.
"Risingson" appeared in the 1997 Spanish film Abre los ojos.
"Teardrop" is used as the theme of the television series House. It has also appeared in the TV series Prison Break and CSI: Miami, as well as for TV commercials for the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed.
"Inertia Creeps" was used in the 1999 film Stigmata, the TV series Peep Show (series 1) and CSI: New York (season 3), and a 2002 Victoria's Secret television ad featuring model Giselle Bundchen.
"Dissolved Girl" was used in the films The Jackal (1997) and The Matrix (1999).
The Japanese bonus track "Superpredators" was chosen as the theme song for the character Zaraki Kenpachi from the manga Bleach.
[edit] Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Hinds | 6:18 |
| 2. | "Risingson" (sampled "I Found a Reason" by The Velvet Underground) | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Reed, Seeger | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Teardrop" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Fraser | 5:29 |
| 4. | "Inertia Creeps" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles | 5:56 |
| 5. | "Exchange" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Hilliard, Garson | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Dissolved Girl" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Sarah Jay Hawley, Matt Schwartz | 6:07 |
| 7. | "Man Next Door" (sampled "10:15 Saturday Night" by The Cure and "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin) | Holt, Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey | 5:55 |
| 8. | "Black Milk" (sampled "Tribute" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band) | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Fraser | 6:20 |
| 9. | "Mezzanine" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles | 5:54 |
| 10. | "Group Four" | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Fraser | 8:13 |
| 11. | "(Exchange)" (sampled "Our Day Will Come" by Isaac Hayes) | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Hinds, Hilliard, Garson | 4:08 |
| 12. | "Superpredators" (Japanese bonus track) | Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles | 5:16 |
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| ARIA Charts | 1 | |
| Norwegian Charts | 2 | |
| Austrian Charts | 3 | |
| Belgian Charts | 4 | |
| Finnish Charts | 4 | |
| Switzerland Charts | 6 | |
| Billboard 200 | 60 |
[edit] Personnel
- Robert Del Naja – vocals, producer, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples, art direction, design
- Grant Marshall – vocals, producer, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples
- Andrew Vowles – producer, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples
- James Dean Bradfield - backing vocals, bass and production
- Neil Davidge – producer, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples
- Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser, Sara Jay – vocals
- Angelo Bruschini – guitars
- John Harris, Bob Locke, Winston Blisset – bass guitars
- Andy Gangadeen – drums
- Dave Jenkins, Michael Timothy – additional keyboards
- Jan Kybert – ProTools
- Lee Shepherd – engineer
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
- Jan Kybert, Paul PDub Walton – assistant mixing
- Tim Young – cut
- Nick Knight – photography
- Tom Hingston – art direction, design
[edit] References
- ^ http://massiveattack.com/wiki/index.php/Mezzanine Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ "Massive Attack : Manfred Mann Sues Massive Attack". VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/510484/19981230/massive_attack.jhtml. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/andy_horace/bio.jhtml
- ^ a b http://www.allmusic.com/album/r348738
- ^ Reviewed by Steven Mirkin (15 May 1998). "Mezzanine Review | News Reviews and News". EW.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283121,00.html. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Massive Attack - Mezzanine - Review". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/massive-attack/mezzanine.htm. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Robert Christgau Review". Robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Massive+Attack. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ comments policy 7 comments posted. "Mezzanine Review | Massive Attack | Compact Discs | Reviews @". Ultimate-guitar.com. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/massive_attack/mezzanine/index.html. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/237405/mezzanine. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ Narin, Cihan (1 April 2001). "Massive Attack - Mezzanine / Releases / Releases // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. http://drownedinsound.com/releases/4739/reviews/706-massive-attack-mezzanine. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ "Massive Attack - Mezzanine". ChartStats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=6607. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- ^ "Certified Awards Search". BPI. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13625/charts-awards/billboard-albums
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "News". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6626741/412_mezzanine. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
| Preceded by Life thru a Lens by Robbie Williams |
UK number one album 2 May 1998 – 15 May 1998 |
Succeeded by International Velvet by Catatonia |
| Preceded by Ray of Light by Madonna |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album 3 May 1998 – 9 May 1998 |
Succeeded by The Wedding Singer: Music from the Motion Picture by various artists |
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