Mezzanine [LP]

by Massive Attack

Overview

Increasingly ignored amidst the exploding trip-hop scene, Massive Attack finally returned in 1998 with Mezzanine, a record immediately announcing not only that the group was back, but that they'd recorded a set of songs just as singular and revelatory as on their debut, almost a decade back. It all begins with a stunning one-two-three-four punch: "Angel," "Risingson," "Teardrop," and "Inertia Creeps." Augmenting their samples and keyboards with a studio band, Massive Attack open with "Angel," a stark production featuring pointed beats and a distorted bassline that frames the vocal (by group regular Horace Andy) and a two-minute flame-out with raging guitars. "Risingson" is a dense, dark feature for Massive Attack themselves (on production as well as vocals), with a kitchen sink's worth of dubby effects and reverb. "Teardrop" introduces another genius collaboration -- with Elizabeth Fraser from Cocteau Twins -- from a production unit with a knack for recruiting gifted performers. The blend of earthy with ethereal shouldn't work at all, but Massive Attack pull it off in fine fashion. "Inertia Creeps" 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. Obviously, the rest of the album can't compete, but there's certainly no sign of the side-two slump heard on Protection, as both Andy and Fraser return for excellent, mid-tempo tracks ("Man Next Door" and "Black Milk," respectively). ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	05/12/2017
Label:	Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602537540433
Rank:	4009

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Angel
2. Risingson
3. Teardrop
4. Inertia Creeps
5. Exchange
6. Dissolved Girl

Disc 2

7. Man Next Door
8. Black Milk
9. Mezzanine
10. Group Four
11. (Exchange)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Massive Attack   Primary Artist,Sampling,Keyboards
Horace Andy   Guest Artist,Vocals
Elizabeth Fraser   Guest Artist,Vocals
Angelo Bruschini   Guitar
John Harris   Guitar (Bass)
Robert del Naja   Vocals
Neil Davidge   Sampling,Keyboards
Dave Jenkins   Keyboards
Andy Gangadeen   Drums
Winston Blissett   Guitar (Bass)
Robert Locke   Guitar (Bass)
Michael Timothy   Keyboards
Grantley Marshall   Vocals
Sara Jay   Vocals
John Mark Harris   Guitar (Bass)
Bob Locke   Guitar (Bass)
Tim Young   Scratching

Technical Credits

Bob Hilliard   Composer
Lol Tolhurst   Composer
Elizabeth Fraser   Composer
John Holt   Composer
Tyrone Evans   Composer
Horace Hinds   Composer
Lee Shepherd   Engineer
Mad Professor   Remixing
Lou Reed   Composer
Mark "Spike" Stent   Mixing
Pete Seeger   Composer
Robert del Naja   Design,Composer,Art Direction
Neil Davidge   Arranger,Producer,Programming
Massive Attack   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming
Matt Schwartz   Composer
P-Dub   Mixing Assistant
Mushroom   Composer
Mort Garson   Composer
Siouxsie Sioux   Composer
Andrew Vowles   Composer
Steven Severin   Composer
Robert Smith   Composer
Jan "Stan" Kybert   Assistant,Digital Editing,Mixing Assistant
John McKay   Composer
Howard Barrett   Composer
Nick Knight   Photography
Ian Morris   Composer
Grantley Marshall   Composer
Tom Hingston   Design,Art Direction
Sara Jay   Composer
Manfred Mann   Composer
Tim Young   Cut
Kenny Morris   Composer
Liz Fraser   Composer
Sarah Jay Hawley   Composer