Massive Attack - Mezzanine (Deluxe)

[Rubin Farr]

The vinyl set is overpriced to say the least, but there is a digital version as well.

https://www.fatbeats.com/products/massive-attack-mezzanine-super-deluxe-edition-3xlp

https://music.apple.com/us/album/mezzanine-deluxe/1428684976

[BUNKUM]

There’s also 2CD deluxe version...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mezzanine-2018-Remaster-Massive-Attack/dp/B07GVZMKCL/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=massive+attack+mezzanine+2018+remaster+cd&qid=1561297856&s=gateway&sprefix=massive+attack+me&sr=8-1

CD2 should be good if the mixes on the singles are anything to go by. This has been so delayed, I first read about this last year and the release date was last November. 

[sweepstakes]

I hate to be a hater but I have cooled SO MUCH on this album since when I thought it was the shit back in 1999-2000. I still dust it off every year or so, and the only enjoyment I get out of it anymore is moderate inflation of my ego regarding my immunity to nostalgia. I get more out of God Lives Underwater, Rammstein, and Orgy from the same era, and that is not saying much.

[dr lopez]

yeah it sucks lol

[zero]

Did this really need to be remastered? Yeah the dub versions sound nice, but no clue why he needed to remaster an already very high quality sounding album.

I wish they (or him or whoever's left) would release, y'know, a new album instead of wasting time tinkering around with a somewhat dated sounding classic.

[Zephyr_Nova]

I was listening to another dated album from that era while driving delivery tonight, Delerium - Karma (1997), and thinking how similar they and early Massive Attack were.  Then right after having that thought I delivered to an apartment which had a talking elevator, which announced "mezzanine" when I reached the main floor.  Gave me a good "whoa" stoner moment.

 

1000th Window still sounds current.  Everything they did prior to that sounds quite dated now... as would be expected.  But 1000th Window was way ahead of its time.  Should check out whatever they've done since.

[scumtron]

What's wrong with the world today:

1.Climate change

2.Trump

3.People who says the lukewarm dissappointment 1000th window is better than the master piece Mezzanine in any way. 

[Bertolt Brechtakt]

129 €? This is Massive Attack taking the piss.

[beerwolf]

On 6/23/2019 at 5:22 PM, dr lopez said:

yeah it sucks lol

Apart from the couple of singles I’d also second that. But shitloads of folks seem to disagree! Watching paint dry would seem more exciting imo. 

[cichlisuite]

It had its day, now these days are over. It's a monument of past time. This album was my ticket into the rabbit hole of electronic music. But I haven't listened to it for the last 10 years probably. You can't say it sucks though.

[o00o]

12 hours ago, zero said:

Did this really need to be remastered? Yeah the dub versions sound nice, but no clue why he needed to remaster an already very high quality sounding album.

I wish they (or him or whoever's left) would release, y'know, a new album instead of wasting time tinkering around with a somewhat dated sounding classic.

He is busy being banksy

[Poimandres]

What the hell are you guys smoking? Must be the wrong stuff, because this album is basically a front to end masterpiece. The production still sounds excellent to this day, so not sure what the remaster will bring. 

 

 

[sweepstakes]

Don't get me wrong, I did plenty of boning to this album back in the day. I'll always have a soft spot for it. Yes, the production is great - archival-grade recordings of lackadaisical soul loops through 12-bit samplers, monosynth patches with the appropriate amount of dirt for a Guy Ritchie movie, 3-days-of-stubble stoned whiteboy slam-rapping, sincerity via black and white photography, the whole 90s paperback-woke aesthetic. But really, that's about all it has going for it.

There was other adjacent "trip hop" going on around the same time that had more panache, substance, and shelf life. Tricky and Portishead are the super obvious ones that spring to mind, but I'm sure "heads" could point out even worthier stuff.

A few years ago I was talking about Mezzanine with my friend, and he said it was the album that made us feel like grownups back in high school. That's about right. Now that I'm an actual grownup (at least age-wise) I prefer music that can be playful and reckless and impish and comfortably corny, not just all try-hard, "gritty", "seedy", Batman, Fight Club shit which in actuality is for kids.

[Poimandres]

I actually think Mezzanine has great song writing to go along with the production. That's where 100th Window falls down... Half the tracks there just meander (still got some good stuff) and the lack of input beyond Del Naja is sorely apparent. Everything after that has been pretty mediocre. 

 

For me Mezzanine stands up better than any of the Tricky albums, and might even be more consistent than the Portishead albums (though Portishead as a band are easily a cut above for me). Time has made the weaknesses of many of my old favourite albums readily apparent, but Mezzanine still hits the mark for me. 

I also largely prefer playful music these days, but there's a time and a place for music that so fully commited to creating a certain atmosphere/mood

[sweepstakes]

I don't think it's a problem that it sounds not-quite-current, it's a combination of that and the lack of good songwriting. The latter is what we don't have consensus on here. It still sounds great - no problem there. Consistent is a great word for it, it's just not interesting to me anymore. I don't know if it ever was interesting to me, it was just a mood or, really, more like an article of clothing that made me feel cool.

Tricky's first two albums are still interesting, partly because they are so sloppy and colorful and inconsistent. Portishead's self-titled album pushes buttons for me that it didn't the first time around, which is the hallmark of a great album. The lyrics of "Half Day Closing" are rather on-the-nose but the atmosphere and melodies are thick; it still gives me goosebumps sometimes. That album occupied a very similar aesthetic space to Mezzanine (or, at least, went at it from a similar angle) but they nailed it because they went all-in with the rundown lounge flavor where Mezzanine just carried it around as an accessory.

It might not be a totally fair comparison, and it doesn't have to be either/or but the difference is stark for me. Also I never listened to 10^nth Window so can't speak to that one.

[dr lopez]

heligoland sucked

[Zephyr_Nova]

Sounding dated isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It's just a thing.  I was surprised at how dated the 90's era Massive Attack stuff sounded whenI listened back recently, but 1000th Window still sounds like pop music for 10 years from now.  The songwriting is solid on that one too.  Teardrop's still the penultimate MA classic.  That one crushes the bones of Unfinished Sympathy.

[sweepstakes]

Tricky's songwriting was lazy as fuck! As off-the-cuff as it was, it was still great. On "Suffocated Love"  - "I think ahead of you, I think instead of you" with that cheesy tropical breeze groove, what's not to like? And "Only You" had pretty lame lyrics and really not much going on when you break it down, but how can you not feel paranoid with that skulking bassline and wispy flute watching from across the alley? "Teardrop" was definitely the highlight of Mezzanine, but at the end of the day I prefer Fraser's work w/ the Cocteaux like Echoes in a Shallow Bay where she wasn't just another layer in the museum exhibit. It's really a matter of taste, but either does way more for me.

[dr lopez]

how about this: both MA and portishead are mad overrated hehe

[sweepstakes]

I'll allow it.

[Poimandres]

If Teardrop is the only thing that stands out to you then yeah, I can see not liking Mezzanine much. But for me Group Four is the best track on the album, maybe Angel. I just find them very powerful tracks, love the guitar work. 

On Portishead, I think third is my fav album of theirs. Hope they release something new one of these days. 

[Extralife]

Portishead will never grow old.

[TubularCorporation]

I was figuring it couldn't possibly be so overpriced it wasn't better than trying to get an original, but last I checked you could get amclean original for about $10 more and all else equal an original will always be better than a reissue so no thanks. Plus the non-deluxe reissue is like $20.

 

Great album though.

[YEK]

It would be interesting to hear opinions on big 90s albums nowadays...

[Zephyr_Nova]

5 hours ago, Poimandres said:

On Portishead, I think third is my fav album of theirs. Hope they release something new one of these days. 

It's one of the few albums I could say with any certainty would be in my top 10 list.  Their music is timeless.