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| Artist: Portishead
Label: Mercury
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $6.39
You Save: $7.59 (54%)
New (52) Used (22) from $5.99
Rating:  166 reviews
Sales Rank: 300
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 001114102
UPC: 602517664005
EAN: 0602517664005
ASIN: B0016HNOXQ
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A New Direction April 30, 2008
7 out of 12 found this review helpful
"menacing", "dark", "frightening" are all words you will see when reading reviews for the album. Third is not a quick thrills kind of record.
This is meant to be heard in long play format, and won't give you much instant gratification.
However, the long term rewards are well worth the investment. Portishead have grown, and continue to shown their revelance for the listener that begs to be fed.
"silience"
the album begins with a formal sounding porugusee voice saying something to the affect of "you'll get what you deserve"..
you are then led to a wind up of various eletronic instruments until they all come together into a nice groove.
the melodic bass line complements the drum track perfectly. at about 230 we are greeted with
the familar vocals of beth gibbons "...wounded and afraid.....going through changes". then it fully comes together,
you realize that you are listening to the first new portishead music in 10 years. the cello heard through out
really is the icing on the cake of this enjoyable opener.
"hunter"
to all those that think portishead would be a good choice to do a james bond theme song, this song adds more fuel to that fire.
pounding toms with tourchured guitar make a good back drop for beth to swoon. "if i should fall would you hold me"?
need you ask beth?
"nylon smile"
this track has a middle eastern flair with a very simple effective groove. you can picture
a picture beth snaking charming the pants off of lover. this is a possible 3rd single on the album.
this songs seems to be about beth's curtain relationship. "i dont know what i've dont to deserve you,
I don't know what'd I do without you". Hopefully she has found someone worthy of her love.
"the rip"
very similar to beth's solo album. we are treated to a simple classical guitar that starts off this gorgeuos
slow burner. What other song can you think of that feautures a bassoon during the climax? The vocal effects
used on beth are truly appreciated when listened to at a high volume. This song was mixed and mastered perfectly.
"Plastic"
Broken beats, and the first sign on the album of classic portishead. This track could have fit in very well on their second album,
and may be the track that links the two together. The classic stop, start method works again, and we know
begin to see how the old portishead and the new fit together. This track is quite deep, filled with a lot of pink floyd snyth,
and depths of hell moans.
"We Carry On"
A highlight of the recent tour, this track shows that Portishead is still progressing. "The taste of life I can't descibe"...envelopes
Silver Apples esque rhythms. The raw guitars and fantastic drumming really work well here. The music break down of the climax
rivals the high moments off OK Computer. The changes of tempo and structure make this quite a thrill to soak in.
"Deep Water"
The first real shocker on the album comes equip with barbershop vocals courtsey of the someerfield workers choir, and ukulele.
"Machine Gun"
Now the album takes a sharp turn into much darker territory.
Here is where the meanacing comments come in to play. Led by a brutal repetitive drum track, this song can only be appreciated
on a nice stereo system. If you can last until the end you are treated with a climatic symth line that tops off the unforgiving
first single. This song really must have been what Geoff was worried about on his blog, when he worried whether or not they
would "piss off the fondue society". Beth's beautiful vocal and second shadow track really make this song listenable. They really
wanted to challenge the listner here, and they succeeded.
"Small"
Probably a track that would fit on a cold rainy night by the fire place. This is really a signal that we are in the gut on the album.
Slow guitars lead you through a emotional ride through beth's fragile mind. This track has a middle section
that could have been on any doors album, and has enough musical goodies to entertain you through out.
"Magic Doors"
Whoever there there would be cowbell on a portishead record? Just one of many surprizes on third.
The lyrics "I can't deny what I've become, I'm just emotionally undone" flow perfeclly with the smooth bass led opening.
Another left turn near the end with brief saxophone segway into beth's final few words. This track is one of
the more accesible tracks on Third.
"Threads"
A lot of fans have singled this out as their favorite on various blogs and message boards. As with "Plastic" we see a slight connection
to older Portishead with this one. Another song that fits in with the songs on the second album, this track in a long closer that
really tops off the album quite well. Beth gives a knockout bluesy vocal performance that leaves you begged for more, yet very
satisfied.
Its been a long decade April 29, 2008
9 out of 18 found this review helpful
Lets be honest, this album isn't going to change the world. I became a Portishead fan just as their second album was released, so it's so nice for them to be back...but after a decade, many would be happy with ANYTHING, no matter how bad.
Fortunately, this is a pretty decent album. Hunter, Nylon Smile, The Rip, Small, and especially Threads (I consider it the best on the album) are all good tracks. The others don't stand out as much, my finger itches to the > button when they come on. Deep Water is garbage (sorry).
If you are a Portishead fan, or even like them a little, you should buy this. If you are not yet a Portishead fan, buy the first two albums (Dummy and Portishead) and THEN purchase this if you like those two (just as you should watch Episode 4, 5, and 6 BEFORE the others).
Glad they are back, and let's hope that we don't need to wait another 10 years to hear them again!
 three for 3....... April 29, 2008
21 out of 30 found this review helpful
been a long time, i didnt even know if they were still together, but they are, by far the best two song on this long awaited cd are WE CARRY ON and MACHINE GUN, some of the other songs, well, kinda dull the cd need some more of what these two tracks have. But, i feel i have heard this kinda sound before.....YES, if you like this kinda sound then check out the first two cd by the group flying lizzards the lizzards where way before there time, I am not saying this is not good, it has to grow on you. I just think if they would have done a few more songs like the two best track, it would have been a 4 for 3. god knows they have had enough time to make this cd great. It seems like they were too afraid to make it too pop. Like i said before, if you like this, take the time to check out the first cd release by the flying lizzards, yes its got the cover song MONEY. But after all these years for them, it still holds up. hope 3 can do the same as time goes on.
Portishead's 'Third' Act. April 29, 2008
4 out of 10 found this review helpful
Following their success with Dummy (1994) and Portishead (1997), Bristol band Portishead went on hiatus from 1999 to 2005, returning briefly in 2006 with a cover contribution ("Un Jour Comme un Autre (Requiem for Anna)") to the highly-recommended Serge Gainsbourg tribute album, Monsieur Gainsbourg: Revisited. All of this is to say that, after seemingly disappearing off the face of the Earth, Third is Portishead's first release in 10 years. The band's lineup remains the same, consisting of instrumentalist-turntablist Geoff Barrow, guitarist Adrian Utley, and vocalist Beth Gibbons, but the band's sound has evolved. (Evolution is a good thing.) Together Barrow, Utley, and Gibbons continue to blend dark, melancholic, down-tempo electronica with hip-hop, jazz and dub to create a unique new sound infused with Gibbons' haunting, disembodied vocals. The sound here is more desolate than before, requiring multiple listens to fully appreciate. (I suspect many Reviewers will initially complain that Third does not live up to the band's earlier work, but subsequent Reviewers will comment on the album's "genius.") "Machine Gun," the album's brilliant first single, the album's fourth track, "The Rip," and the album's seventh track, "We Carry On," pick up exactly where the band left off ten years ago, making this new Portishead album worth the investment. Complete album tracks include:
1. Silence 4:59
2. Hunter 3:57
3. Nylon Smile 3:16
4. The Rip 4:30
5. Plastic 3:27
6. We Carry On 6:27
7. Deep Water 1:30
8. Machine Gun 4:43
9. Small 6:45
10. Magic Doors 3:32
11. Threads 5:47
G. Merritt
A Return (although not so much to form) April 29, 2008
3 out of 11 found this review helpful
Portishead - where have you been??? Welcome back!!! This new album is a welcome return, though old-school fans from the early and mid 1990's will miss the trip-hop sound that Portishead helped create. That said, it's a logical next-step for the project and sounds good. Not many radio-friendly tracks on this album but who cares? It's a well-crafted album. Hopefully we won't have to wait over a decade for their next one!
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