Mezzanine (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Mezzanine
Studio album by Massive Attack
Released 20 April 1998
Recorded 1997–98 at Massive Attack and Christchurch Studios, Bristol (recording); Olympic Studios and Metropolis Studios, London (mixing and engineering)
Genre Trip hop, downtempo, electronica,[1] alternative rock, experimental rock
Length 63:36
Label Circus, Virgin
Producer Neil Davidge, Massive Attack
Massive Attack chronology
Protection
(1994)		 Mezzanine
(1998)		 100th Window
(2003)

Mezzanine is the third studio album by English trip hop group Massive Attack, released on 20 April 1998 by Virgin Records. It was produced by Neil Davidge along with the group.

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 organisation.[2]

The album is the band's most commercially successful to date. Upon release it went to the number one spot in the UK, Australian, Irish and New Zealand album charts.

Contents

Sound [edit]

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 "Angel" 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".[3] 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.[4]

Reception [edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[5]
Drowned in Sound 10/10[6]
Entertainment Weekly A−[7]

Mezzanine performed very well in sales, and was a huge success in the UK and other parts of Europe. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one,[8] and was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 4 September 1998, denoting shipments in excess of 300,000 copies.[9] It failed to share the same success in the United States, peaking at number sixty on the Billboard 200.[10]

The album received very high acclaim from 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 [...] only highlights the flat, monotonous rapping of the group's 3-D."[11]

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."[5]

Years after the album was released, it was placed on several 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.[12]

Use in popular media [edit]

"Angel" appeared in the films Pi (1998), Go (1999), Snatch (2000), Antitrust (2001), 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. "Angel" was featured in a 2010 Hugo Boss fragrance advert, in the 2011 pilot episode of the television series Person of Interest, and briefly in the third episode of the HBO series Luck (which uses the Massive Attack song Splitting the Atom for its opening theme). Brazilian band Sepultura's cover of "Angel", from the special edition of their 2003 album Roorback,[13] was featured in the second episode of the Fox series The Following. An instrumental section of "Angel" was also used in 2012 on the NBC series Grimm, in the episode Island of Dreams. "Angel" is also used in the subs for programs on Channel 4, in the subs a shot of a London council estate is shown. "Angel" further features in a 2012 episode of Shameless in which occasional gangster Mickey Maguire is shown to be led by a guardian angel, encouraging him to retaliate after being victim to a homophobic assault.

"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, CSI: Miami, Cold Case (TV series), as well as for TV commercials for the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. It has also been used on the children's news show BTN News (ABC Australia.)

"Inertia Creeps" was used in the films Stigmata (1999) and Taking Lives (2004), the TV series Peep Show (series 1) and CSI: New York (season 3), and a 2002 Victoria's Secret television ad featuring model Gisele Bündchen.

"Dissolved Girl" was used in the films The Jackal (1997) and The Matrix (1999). It was also featured in the trailer for the video game "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune." The song has also been played during the BBC programme Match of the Day, such as during the 23 September 2012 broadcast of the programme.

The Japanese bonus track "Superpredators" was chosen as the theme song for the character Zaraki Kenpachi from the manga Bleach.

Track listing [edit]

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Angel" (sampled "Last Bongo in Belgium" by The Incredible Bongo Band) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Hinds 6:19
2. "Risingson" (sampled "I Found a Reason" by The Velvet Underground) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Reed, Seeger 4:58
3. "Teardrop" (sampled "Sometimes I Cry" by Les McCann) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Fraser 5:30
4. "Inertia Creeps" (sampled "Rockwrok" by Ultravox) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles 5:57
5. "Exchange" (sampled "Our Day Will Come" by Isaac Hayes and "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Hilliard, Garson 4:11
6. "Dissolved Girl"   Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Sarah Jay Hawley, Schwartz 6:06
7. "Man Next Door" (sampled "10:15 Saturday Night" by The Cure and "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin) Holt, Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey 5:56
8. "Black Milk" (sampled "Tribute" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Fraser 6:21
9. "Mezzanine" (sampled "Heavy Soul Slinger" by Bernard Purdie) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles 5:56
10. "Group Four"   Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Fraser 8:12
11. "(Exchange)" (sampled "Our Day Will Come" by Isaac Hayes and "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles, Hinds, Hilliard, Garson 4:10
12. "Superpredators" (sampled "Metal Postcard" by Siouxsie and the Banshees, Japanese bonus track) Del Naja, Marshall, Vowles 5:16

Personnel [edit]

  • 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
  • Neil Davidge – producer, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples
  • Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser, Sara Jay – vocals
  • Angelo Bruschini – guitars
  • Jon Harris, Bob Locke, Winston Blisset – bass guitars
  • Andy Gangadeen – drums
  • Dave Jenkins, Michael Timothy – additional keyboards
  • Jan Kybert – ProTools
  • Lee Shepherd – engineer (Massive Attack and Christchurch Studios)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (Olympic Studios)
  • Jan Kybert, Paul "P-Dub" Walton – assistant mixing
  • Tim Young – editing, engineer (Metropolis Studios)
  • Nick Knight – photography
  • Tom Hingston – art direction, design

Charts [edit]

Weekly charts [edit]

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[14] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[15] 3
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[16] 4
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[17] 14
Canadian Albums Chart[18] 51
Danish Albums Chart[19] 14
Dutch Albums Chart[20] 17
European Top 100 Albums[21] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[22] 4
French Albums Chart[23] 3
German Albums Chart[24] 6
Hungarian Albums Chart[25] 14
Irish Albums Chart[26] 1
Italian Albums Chart[26] 3
Japanese Albums Chart[27] 72
New Zealand Albums Chart[28] 1
Norwegian Albums Chart[29] 2
Swedish Albums Chart[30] 4
Swiss Albums Chart[31] 6
UK Albums Chart[8] 1
US Billboard 200[10] 60

Year-end charts [edit]

Chart (1998) Position
Australian Albums Chart[32] 53
Austrian Albums Chart[33] 27
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[34] 41
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[35] 100
French Albums Chart[36] 46

Certifications [edit]

Region Certification
Australia[37] Platinum
Austria[38] Gold
Belgium[39] Platinum
Canada[40] Gold
France[41] 2× Gold
Germany[42] Gold
New Zealand[43] Platinum
Norway[44] Gold
Switzerland[45] Platinum
United Kingdom[9] Platinum
Summaries
Europe[46] 2× Platinum

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/mezzanine-mw0000032129
  2. ^ http://massiveattack.com/wiki/index.php/Mezzanine Retrieved 27 October 2010.
  3. ^ "Massive Attack : Manfred Mann Sues Massive Attack". VH1.com. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  4. ^ http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/andy_horace/bio.jhtml
  5. ^ a b Bush, John. "Mezzanine – Massive Attack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  6. ^ Narin, Cihan (1 April 2001). "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  7. ^ Mirkin, Steven Mirkin (15 May 1998). "Mezzanine Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  8. ^ a b "1998 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 2 May 1998. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  9. ^ a b "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. 4 September 1998. Retrieved 19 October 2009. 
  10. ^ a b "Massive Attack Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  11. ^ Hoskyns, Barney (28 May 1998). "Massive Attack: Mezzanine". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  12. ^ "412) Mezzanine". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. 1 November 2003. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2011. 
  13. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Roorback-Special-Edition/dp/B000WQPSYU
  14. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  15. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  16. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  17. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  18. ^ "Top 100 CDs". RPM 67 (7). 11 May 1998. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  19. ^ "Massive Attack / Mezzanine". TOP20.dk. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  20. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  21. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard 110 (21): 63. 23 May 1998. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  22. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  23. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  24. ^ "Massive Attack, Mezzanine" (in German). charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  25. ^ "Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez-lista – 1998. 20. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  26. ^ a b "Hits of the World". Billboard 110 (19): 58–59. 9 May 1998. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  27. ^ "マッシヴ・アタックのアルバム売り上げランキング" [Massive Attack album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  28. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  29. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  30. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  31. ^ "Massive Attack – Mezzanine". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  32. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1998". ARIA Charts. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  33. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1998" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  35. ^ "Rapports Annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  36. ^ "Classement Albums – année 1998" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  37. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  38. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in German). IFPI Austria. 31 May 2001. Retrieved 10 January 2013.  Enter Massive Attack in the field Interpret. Enter Mezzanine in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  39. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2004". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. 4 September 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2013. 
  40. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Massive Attack – Mezzanine". Music Canada. 15 September 1998. Retrieved 11 January 2013. 
  41. ^ "French album certifications – Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 22 December 1999. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  42. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Massive Attack; 'Mezzanine')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  43. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Massive Attack – Mezzanine". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  44. ^ "Norwegian album certifications – Massive Attack – Mezzanine" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  45. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Massive Attack; 'Mezzanine')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
  46. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 January 2013. 
Massive Attack
Studio albums
Remix albums
Singles
EPs
Compilations
Others
See also
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mezzanine_(album)&oldid=555461291"