Mezzanine (Album)
Mezzanine is the third album of the trip-hop group Massive Attack. It was released in 1998 and is considered one of the most important publications of its genre.
About the Album
Compared with his predecessors mezzanine has failed much darker, which is partly due to the addition of heavily distorted electric guitars in some songs. The Music Express Mezzanine describes as " a plate of disturbing intensity ." This new, moving away from the direction of Hip Hop to have been the reason that mushroom, one of the three members left Massive Attack shortly after the release of Mezzanine.
On the cover of the booklet as collagen can be seen that recall the appearance of a stag beetle.
Gastvokalisten For most songs were re-used, such as Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser and reggae musician Horace Andy, who had been listening to every album the group.
Use in the media
Some of the songs, mainly fishing and teardrop, but also Dissolved Girl and Inertia Creeps are often used by audio - visual media, such as television reports with oppressive, the mood of the album widerspiegelndem, Content. Even in films, including matrix, Pi, Snatch, The Flight of the Phoenix and Taking Lives, and among others in the series House MD, Prison Break and CSI Miami these songs were used. Angel or Teardrop were the used further for an older commercial for Adidas and the trailer of the video game Assassin's Creed.
Title list
- Vocals by Horace Andy
- Vocals of 3D and Daddy G
- Vocals by Elizabeth Fraser
- Vocals by 3D
- Instrumental
- Vocals of Sara Jay
- Vocals by Horace Andy
- Vocals by Elizabeth Fraser
- Vocals of 3D and Daddy G
- Vocals of 3D and Elizabeth Fraser
- Vocals by Horace Andy
Reception
Mezzanine received since its release almost exclusively positive reviews. Meanwhile, it has held the status of a classic in the trip-hop genre. From the Q magazine it was in 2000 voted number 15 of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever" and the Rolling Stone on the 408th rank of the " 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", although the magazine the album at the time of its release only three and a half gave five points.
The All Music Guide described Massive Attack's return in 1998 with a mezzanine as "immediately announcing not only did the group was back, but did they'd recorded a set of songs just as singular and revelatory as On Their debut, almost a decade back." And awarded five points, the highest rating. The German music magazine Music Express rated the album in 2008 also at the highest possible rating of six points.
Also commercially the album was relatively successful: in Germany Massive Attack was awarded a gold record in 1999, in England and Australia it reached number 1 on the charts in the U.S., it could be placed as the first album by Massive Attack on the Billboard charts. In addition, it reached platinum status there.