This, it’s such a heartbreaking song to listen to but it’s legit my favourite composition of all time like I absolutely adore how for the most part the whole song is played in a minor key until you get to the climax where for I think one chord it switches to a major before the song just completely collapses on itself when Elizabeth sings “You’re stumbling downnnnnnn” which just fucking destroys me every time then the minor chords return and I love just how the song finishes, leaves you absolutely devastated and broken but in the best way
@@Ph4nt4sm4ge with the CRT pc monitor on his desk...That scene perfectly captured absolute peak 90s internet era..... god I would pay anything to be back in those years just one more time.. i can, taste and smell that room.... oh the optimism of the millenium to come!... then it all went to shit...
I had an old dodgy copy of the Matrix on cassette when I was like 10. I used to play that scene over and over again because I loved it. My dumbass never knew how to find the song. Years later Teardrop was used on a game trailer looked up the album and plugged it in one night and dissolved girl came on. It. blew. my. mind, I looked the best part of 5 years for the song. Its been my favourite track ever since.
Conversation I have about once every three months: "Yeah I love Massive Attack, Mezzanine is one of my favorite albums." "Ive never heard of them." "Oh, have you ever seen House MD?" "No." "Oh."
I got my fiancé into this record because she was playing Vampire the Masquerade and said she liked the music in it which if you haven’t played is 100% inspired by this record. We started watching house shortly after, and she had forgotten how the theme went since she hadn’t watched it since it was airing and her eyes lit up when she heard it again.
I heard somewhere that teardrop was the go to song for testing production equipment for quality control in the industry in the early 2000s, I always thought that was so interesting 😂
@@etzstyy6301 I also heard that Woman In Chains by Tears For Fears was one of those songs used to test equipment by tons of legendary producers. I believe it too, that song is amazing and is perfectly mixed
I’m not sure where in the world you are. But having lived in both the UK and US. I feel the the US is entering the era of exploring post-electronic/organic dance/not-dance music, sounds, and hybrid genres, which the UK already did in the (80s)/90s/00s/10s. A lot of what I’m hearing in the US described as fresh and novel is stuff I can clearly hear from UKG, Trip-Hop, Jungle, Dub, post-punk, UK Bassline/Funky, (pre-US/Skrillex/Chase+Status) dubstep, IDM, Warp Records/Ninja Tune, future garage, even going back to new wave and stuff like Kate Bush. Just a random example (there are prob better) was how people were talking about pinkpantheress as a novel sound in the US, which clearly sounds old-school/nostalgic in the UK. ‘Electronic music’ had always been a bit foundationally/conceptually limited in the US by its labelling/origin as ‘EDM’, a category which never existed and was hated in the UK, and only relatively recently overcome in the US. And also the much stricter separation of ‘black genres’ hip-hop rnb etc, and ‘white’ electronic genres in the US throughout the 90/00s, (ignoring the OG black origins of house in Chicago/Detroit). There was never such unitary labeling/single origins of electronic/dance/organic/hybrid sounds and genres in the UK. Massive Attack coming from a (dance) sound system culture with electronic, dub, reggae, hip-hop, soul, house etc. roots, and coming out with the ‘Bristol-sound’ made perfect sense in the UK for that time and place.
Mezzanine is my GOAT album, it's honestly near perfect in a way that no other album comes close to. I have listened to it hundreds of times and it never gets old. Anyone who hasn't heard this should put it on at least once before they die. I don't have any idea how they layered so many different textures in to the mix, it's unbelievably clean and precise. Just ahhhh. Amazing.
I’d say Illmatic, Siamese Dream…maybe Deltron 3030 & Dirt are of a similar level. There’s probably more if you sit and think for a few hours 😂 but it’s definitely a goated album.
Esthero's "Breath From Another" comes close. More obvious ones like Tricky Maxinquaye or the first 2 Portishead albums as well (of course). Nothing beats Mezzanine though. Maybe NIN - Pretty Hate Machine or Purple Rain, but idk
I'm one of those people who believes no album is perfect, but I don't think I've heard a single album that's gotten closer to getting there than mezzanine
Black Milk is my favorite track. There's something so simultaneously sinister and euphoric about every song on this album, but Black Milk is on another level. It's so vast and hypnotic, it feels like it's tapping into something very deep in my subconscious. There's an ensnaring magic in that song that is completely inescapable.
It's great but like 50+% is the sample. Check out Manfred Manns Earth Band - Tribute. It's pretty jarring. Several Massive Attack tracks are like that. You can check out videos of their samples on UA-cam.
I completely agree. The combination of the haunting vocals and the dark bass, paired with deeply philosophical lyrics that leave so much room for interpretation, makes this song probably my all-time favorite piece of music. It has such an intimate and personal vibe for me. I enjoy all kinds of genres and classics, but this one left a profoundly personal mark on me
I believe it captures what trip-hop could sound like if it fully embraced its old-school dub influences, including similar kicks and how they mixed with acoustic bass, rimshots, and the overall groove. It's like what King Tubby might have sounded like if he used heroin instead of smoking weed. It's a missed opportunity because trip-hop lost its identity in the 2000s and ended up blending with abstract hip-hop and various forms of downtempo.
Angel sounds like you’re running away from someone/something who has the ability to run ever so slightly faster than you, and when they catch you you die
I like it! Maybe they're actually slower, but the relentlessness of approaching menace leads you to make wrong turns making it ominously inevitable you'll be caught!
Meanwhile, Angel to me feels like the track some hit man would play as they approach their target before executing them and then just fading into the shadows never to be seen again
@@thegreatslothlord7796 I think there must have been a - appropriately secretive - heyday in the late 90's, of people going around with their walkman/discmans, listening to dark cinematic trip-hop/IDM causally imagining they're; a spy/the quarry of secret operatives/a super-soldier/samurai made of crystal, etc
@@jackjude For sure, just walking down the street feeling like the most badass person in town like you’re on some top secret mission going after some guy while listening to one of the most sinister and hypnotic songs made
This album has this intense, nocturnal vibe that just takes me places no other album can... The album is such a vibe in of itself, and transcends genre in this distinct, particular way I struggle to put into words. Feel similarly about The Knife's Silent Shout and Burial's Untrue
Said the same above in terms of Burial, who along with golden era drum and bass on labels like Metalheadz in particular was very very influenced by this album.
In 2017 I emailed Anthony about whether death grips could be considered as trip hop because my girlfriend at the time swore they sounded exactly like massive attack. I listened to this album and while I enjoyed it, it sounds nothing like death grips, and we got into a massive fight. I don't know if you remember this, but every once in a while I look back and think about how wild that was
It's perfect for introducing someone. It's like: "Here's an album that's basically all of trip hop, plus a bit of new stuff nobody had ever heard before, all condensed into an hour of some of the best music ever made." Hard to argue with, that
Check out the self titled album from Baxter, I got it on release day in the 90s and it's really damn good. Not sure if it qualifies as trip hop but it's in the ballpark, great female vocals and overall broody vibes
The Mezzanine 20th anniversary tour is still my favorite show ive ever seen. Performances were on point, the mix was locked in, and the visuals were perfectly themed
Favourite UK electronic album of all time, breathtaking. The 1-2-3-4 of Angel, Teardrop, Risingson and Inertia Creeps is just insane, in fact the sequencing on the whole record is perfect. Just for the aesthetic alone, would we have artists like Burial without thus unique record?
In my opinion, this is one of the most cinematic albums ever created. It’s remarkably versatile in its genres while maintaining a cohesive and linear flow. The album is a dark, philosophical masterpiece-moody and at times almost heartbreaking-leaving the listener to reflect on themes like motherhood, love, and lust. Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals add the perfect finishing touch, with “Black Milk” remaining my personal favorite. The dark dub basslines and psychedelic riffs are absolutely incredible. As a Gen Z kid from Europe, I’ve been completely hooked on this album ever since I first listened to it 10 years ago.
Im glad someone else talked about the Gorillaz/Massive Attack connection. Gorillaz phase one introduced me to trip hop and dub and I haven't looked back since
Blue Lines deserves more justice, that album was incredibly forward-thinking for 1991. “Unfinished Symphony” is a massively influential tune. Blue Likes basically set the tone of trip hop and helped convince Nightmares on Wax to go from techno chuds to instrumental hip hop kings
On my first trip to London a couple of years ago, I got a chance to meet the photographer who made the album cover for this. His name is Nick Knight, he also did the cover for Bjork's 'Homogenic' and for others as well. I just went to his studio, knocked at the door and thankfully he was there that day. Very nice guy. He said that I was lucky that I catched him because a model couldn't arrive for a photoshoot and on the next day he would have another photoshoot in his second studio outside London with Bjork.
Can you please tell us more? Ive been obsessed with this album for over a decade and have always wanted to know more about Nick Knight's art he did for it. Did he mention anything about it?
@ Yes, an assistant of his responded, I told her that I was on my first trip to London and if it is alright to meet him just for a few minutes if possible, and that I am an admirer of his work. I was hesitant at first to just go over there without an apointment, but I got lucky that day. Funnily enough, I also met his wife and son while I sat with him 10 minutes. What were the odds of that happening. He had some time off before a meeting, it was really nice of him to invite me inside just for a little bit.
@ Well, I was lucky that day because I went basically without an appointment. An assistant responded, I told her that I am on my first trip to London and if I could meet him for just a few minutes. He had some time off before a meeting and it was really nice of him to invite me in. We probably talked for maybe 10 minutes, before his wife and son came in. What were the odds of meeting them also...Of course that I was a bit nervous, because I met my hero in a way, I am a photographer myself. He said that he just had recently an exhibition with Naomi Campbell where he 3D printed her. We didn't talked about the Mezzanine cover, more about his work with Bowie. Nick said that only 2 people refused to be filmed when making the photos and he was one of the two. But there is a video of him in the studio, because his assistant back then was deaf in one ear and didn't hear Nick to turn off the camera. Funny detail. I also asked of course if I can watch the session with Bjork the next day in his other studio. He said that he didn't really had a problem with that, but Bjork wanted only him and his assistants on the set. Of course I understood, it would have been amazing to meet Nick and Bjork in just 2 days...I think they did the video and photos for her 'Ovule' single.
I got to see Massive Attack this year in Paris and they legitimately put on the best concert I've ever encountered. Their production value was unbelievable, their performances were stunning, they had some incredible guests including Young Fathers, and they seemed incredibly principled, as they loudly supported and showed the devastation of Gaza. They're a must-see experience for everyone.
I get why this is considered their best album, but Protection (feat Tracey Thorn), Karmacoma, Three, Spying Glass, and Sly are killer songs. I love them each more than anything on Mezzanine.
YES MELON I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE YOU REVIEW THIS! Discovered Massive Attack and triphop in general about a decade ago when I was trying to make an effort to listen to more music outside of my hard rock/metal only bubble lol. I’ve loved almost everything they’ve made, but Mezzanine absolutely floored me. It still sounds so futuristic even today, and the atmosphere is some of the best I’ve ever been immersed in on an album. Genuinely a 10/10
One of my favourite albums and a perennial inspiration for my own music. It's dark, hypnotic, masterfully produced, varied and cinematic. 'Blue Lines' and 'Protection' felt like stepping stones towards 'Mezzanine', and this album was the realisation of Massive Attack's innovative sound. Even today, nothing sounds quite like it. Thanks for giving it a classics week review.
@@HaydenMcNab Oh, well in that case you'll definitely wanna check out Summer In Paradise, it's got a sound totally unlike any of the genres they helped pioneer in the 60s. It's totally radical
Solid 10. Grew up with this album as my mother and uncle were huge fans. I think massive attack was the last band my uncle saw live before his passing. My mom played some of their songs at his funeral. So this album feels very personal to me. It serves as the definition of a legendary album to me.
I was in a records shop in Sheffield (while there studying) when this came out for a listening session of this album. Just stood there against a wall knowing no-one but stayed and listende to this whole album three times. Phenomenal album.
I saw them perform this album live in 2019, with Horace and Elizabeth Fraser in tow, and it remains one of the most memorable and breathtaking musical performances I've ever seen.
I like pausing these videos to revisit some of the tracks from those records. Thanks, Anthony. Also i think Dust Brothers - Fight Club OST is a must mention for a trip hop influenced album. That one is a classic in my book too.
To me what makes this album so especially memorable is how, in the 6-18 months following its release, it appeared in like eleventy moviefilms, especially Angel, which I think I saw in 3 movies one summer. They spread unbelievably quickly because this was such good music.
Bought this album the day it came out and in the last two and a half decades it has become emblematic of the kind of dark and bass-heavy UK electronic sound I've grown to love. An easy contender for the greatest album I've ever heard.
Honestly my favorite album of all time. Ive never heard an album that sounds so deeply sensual while also dark and brooding. Dissolved Girl and Black Milk are haunting. Not a missed moment on the whole album
Mezzanine is one of those albums, i find myself finding small bits of here and there in my life. I love each song on their own and every now and then i listen to the whole thing on its own to get completely immersed. This along some portishead songs changed my music taste for ever!!!
Teardrop and Black Milk are definitely my favorites. I wish Massive Attack would have done an entire album with Elizabeth tbh, it would have been amazing.
This review reminds me why I keep coming back to this channel. It's true, I already love the album, but listening to commentary on it feels right at home for me. Thanks Anthony!
@@hasanz7585same. I'm a long Longtime AFX fan and I'll never get the hype over SAW II. Yes "3" aka Rhubard and Stone in Focus are brilliant but it pales in comparison compared to SAW 85-92.
Thank you so much for reviewing this album, Anthony! It would be no exaggeration to say that this record changed my life immensely, in ways difficult to imagine, and I hope more people will choose to listen to this as a result of your review. Great job, dude, you da man
One of my favourite albums ever, great overview. Man Next Door is actually a cover version of Quiet Place and the main drum sample is from When The Levee breaks
Soooo glad I kept my original CD of the album when it came out-along with stuff from Sneaker Pimps. When I first heard Mezzanine, it felt ahead of its time and ageless-and it still does. Every once in a while I put it in the player n go back in time.
In the top five of all-time albums for me. Also, 1998- what a year for electronic music. This album, Air’s Moon Safari, Unkle’s Psyence Fiction, Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children, DJ Krush’s Kakusei, Amon Tobin’s Permutation, Autechre’s LP5, Theo Parrish’s First Floor, Moodymann’s Mahogany Brown, The K & D Sessions by Kruder & Dorfmeister, Propellerheads’ Decksdrumsandrockandroll, Portishesd’s Roseland NYC Live, Breath from Another by Esthero, Ring of Saturn and Saturnz Return by Goldie, and Minidisc by Gescom just to name a few.
This is one of the very few albums that has stayed with me for a long time and greatly influenced my musical taste. When "Teardrop" came out, I was 12, and it’s been one of my all-time favourites ever since. The whole album is just majestic, and it has aged very, very well.
In 2017, I took myself from Sydney, Australia where I live, all the way over to Bristol UKjust to experience the city with this album. I walked the same streets the band would have, visited all their clubs they would have played at (or at least, their locations, as far as the biographies I had read were concerned) and even sat outside the studio this album was recorded in. I ended up getting their flame logo tattooed on my arm as soon as I got back to Sydney. Favourite band ever. Favourite album ever.
Its weird listening to a review because words can only describe so much of an album. Ive never heard of this group and listening to Fantano describe it, i still couldnt picture how the album would sound. As soon as he said one of their songs was the theme song to House, i instantly sought this album out to listen to it. Thank you for the recommendation.
I remember hearing "Angel" during that scene in Snatch when Mickey's mom's trailer burns down, and it sounded SO sinister in the way it builds. There's a good deal of shoegaze and post-metal in this album.
Teardrop is absolutely heartbreaking. Elizabeth wrote the lyrics while dealing with her depression over Jeff Buckley's death.
god i hope Melon reviews Grace eventually
This, it’s such a heartbreaking song to listen to but it’s legit my favourite composition of all time like I absolutely adore how for the most part the whole song is played in a minor key until you get to the climax where for I think one chord it switches to a major before the song just completely collapses on itself when Elizabeth sings “You’re stumbling downnnnnnn” which just fucking destroys me every time then the minor chords return and I love just how the song finishes, leaves you absolutely devastated and broken but in the best way
@@HeroOfRinku tomorrow
@@HeroOfRinku7/10 for grace great singing a few great songs a few mediocre ones. Good album but drags on a bit.
There are way better songs than Teardrop on this album.
Dissolved Girl is also the song that Neo is listening to on his headphones at the start of the Matrix.
wow. dud. i didn;t know that its one of my favs
Was also in The Jackal; MA track Superpredators was featured in the movie. Best track on the album.
That shot of him from above with that music playing will be carved in my memory forever
@@Ph4nt4sm4ge with the CRT pc monitor on his desk...That scene perfectly captured absolute peak 90s internet era..... god I would pay anything to be back in those years just one more time.. i can, taste and smell that room.... oh the optimism of the millenium to come!... then it all went to shit...
I had an old dodgy copy of the Matrix on cassette when I was like 10. I used to play that scene over and over again because I loved it. My dumbass never knew how to find the song. Years later Teardrop was used on a game trailer looked up the album and plugged it in one night and dissolved girl came on. It. blew. my. mind, I looked the best part of 5 years for the song. Its been my favourite track ever since.
"Youuuuuuuu are my Melloooooon. Come from way above"
Love it lol
Come from way above to bring me a 6/10
Loveyouloveyouloveyou
Conversation I have about once every three months:
"Yeah I love Massive Attack, Mezzanine is one of my favorite albums."
"Ive never heard of them."
"Oh, have you ever seen House MD?"
"No."
"Oh."
Our time has passed, my friend 😂
i never watched House and i love this album
thats crazyy every single one of my classmates watch so much house md its crazy
we're the oldheads now
I got my fiancé into this record because she was playing Vampire the Masquerade and said she liked the music in it which if you haven’t played is 100% inspired by this record.
We started watching house shortly after, and she had forgotten how the theme went since she hadn’t watched it since it was airing and her eyes lit up when she heard it again.
Quite possibly the best album ever for testing headphones
You bet your ass this was the first thing I listened to when I finally spent way too much on a pair of headphones
Well technically, the first thing I tested them with, because I'm not insane I tried them first, but that's not as fun 😂
@@talonobrovacgorgon5994 Bassline on Angel goes so hard on a good pair of headphones 👌
I heard somewhere that teardrop was the go to song for testing production equipment for quality control in the industry in the early 2000s, I always thought that was so interesting 😂
@@etzstyy6301 I also heard that Woman In Chains by Tears For Fears was one of those songs used to test equipment by tons of legendary producers. I believe it too, that song is amazing and is perfectly mixed
I listen to this album and I still have no idea how this was made in 1998
he listened to you
20 years ahead of its time
@capncoolio We're coming up on 30 and people are still trying to catch up
I’m not sure where in the world you are. But having lived in both the UK and US. I feel the the US is entering the era of exploring post-electronic/organic dance/not-dance music, sounds, and hybrid genres, which the UK already did in the (80s)/90s/00s/10s.
A lot of what I’m hearing in the US described as fresh and novel is stuff I can clearly hear from UKG, Trip-Hop, Jungle, Dub, post-punk, UK Bassline/Funky, (pre-US/Skrillex/Chase+Status) dubstep, IDM, Warp Records/Ninja Tune, future garage, even going back to new wave and stuff like Kate Bush.
Just a random example (there are prob better) was how people were talking about pinkpantheress as a novel sound in the US, which clearly sounds old-school/nostalgic in the UK.
‘Electronic music’ had always been a bit foundationally/conceptually limited in the US by its labelling/origin as ‘EDM’, a category which never existed and was hated in the UK, and only relatively recently overcome in the US. And also the much stricter separation of ‘black genres’ hip-hop rnb etc, and ‘white’ electronic genres in the US throughout the 90/00s, (ignoring the OG black origins of house in Chicago/Detroit).
There was never such unitary labeling/single origins of electronic/dance/organic/hybrid sounds and genres in the UK. Massive Attack coming from a (dance) sound system culture with electronic, dub, reggae, hip-hop, soul, house etc. roots, and coming out with the ‘Bristol-sound’ made perfect sense in the UK for that time and place.
1998??? I thought it was 2008 or something wtf
THERE IT IS, THERE'S THE REVIEW.
IM MEZZANINING SO HARD RIGHT NOW
Who up attacking they massive rising son?
I’m mezzaning all over. Straight up inertia creeping
Black milking myself all over my bristol scene fr fr
She Mezzanine my Attack til i'm Massive
It's mezzanining time. I'm mezzanining all over the place.
Mezzanine is my GOAT album, it's honestly near perfect in a way that no other album comes close to. I have listened to it hundreds of times and it never gets old. Anyone who hasn't heard this should put it on at least once before they die. I don't have any idea how they layered so many different textures in to the mix, it's unbelievably clean and precise. Just ahhhh. Amazing.
Hundreds? What are you a noob? Try thousands bro
W
I’d say Illmatic, Siamese Dream…maybe Deltron 3030 & Dirt are of a similar level. There’s probably more if you sit and think for a few hours 😂 but it’s definitely a goated album.
Esthero's "Breath From Another" comes close. More obvious ones like Tricky Maxinquaye or the first 2 Portishead albums as well (of course). Nothing beats Mezzanine though. Maybe NIN - Pretty Hate Machine or Purple Rain, but idk
I'm one of those people who believes no album is perfect, but I don't think I've heard a single album that's gotten closer to getting there than mezzanine
One of the best-produced albums ever.
the original not the remaster which has some random panning stuff
Just one of the best albums ever.
i was looking for this comment.
The last 3 minutes of Group Four is one of the greatest musical moments I've ever heard.
I remember hearing that track for the first time after continuously repeating the first 4-5 tracks of this album. Blew my fucking mind
Saw them live and they closed with this. It was insane.
absolutely
I agree!
When I first heard it I just wanted it to last forever, such an amazing song closer
Black Milk is my favorite track. There's something so simultaneously sinister and euphoric about every song on this album, but Black Milk is on another level. It's so vast and hypnotic, it feels like it's tapping into something very deep in my subconscious. There's an ensnaring magic in that song that is completely inescapable.
such a beautiful song
It's also the best method for testing a subwoofer so far invented
It's great but like 50+% is the sample. Check out Manfred Manns Earth Band - Tribute. It's pretty jarring. Several Massive Attack tracks are like that. You can check out videos of their samples on UA-cam.
I completely agree. The combination of the haunting vocals and the dark bass, paired with deeply philosophical lyrics that leave so much room for interpretation, makes this song probably my all-time favorite piece of music. It has such an intimate and personal vibe for me. I enjoy all kinds of genres and classics, but this one left a profoundly personal mark on me
I once made a clip on that song. Before I was on the internet. Maybe I upload
One of the few bands that I can truly say are “genre-less”. Trip hop doesn’t even begin to explain everything Mezzanine represents
Approximate genre
I believe it captures what trip-hop could sound like if it fully embraced its old-school dub influences, including similar kicks and how they mixed with acoustic bass, rimshots, and the overall groove.
It's like what King Tubby might have sounded like if he used heroin instead of smoking weed.
It's a missed opportunity because trip-hop lost its identity in the 2000s and ended up blending with abstract hip-hop and various forms of downtempo.
Can also call it a soundtrack for a grimey thriller action series/movie from the 90s/2000s type genre.
Cheers - I was going to say more then I reread what you typed so I don't have to say what you said because it is quite correct.
Angel sounds like you’re running away from someone/something who has the ability to run ever so slightly faster than you, and when they catch you you die
I like it! Maybe they're actually slower, but the relentlessness of approaching menace leads you to make wrong turns making it ominously inevitable you'll be caught!
Meanwhile, Angel to me feels like the track some hit man would play as they approach their target before executing them and then just fading into the shadows never to be seen again
@@thegreatslothlord7796 I think there must have been a - appropriately secretive - heyday in the late 90's, of people going around with their walkman/discmans, listening to dark cinematic trip-hop/IDM causally imagining they're; a spy/the quarry of secret operatives/a super-soldier/samurai made of crystal, etc
The music video is exactly like that
@@jackjude For sure, just walking down the street feeling like the most badass person in town like you’re on some top secret mission going after some guy while listening to one of the most sinister and hypnotic songs made
Dissolved Girl is one of the most brooding but badass songs ever made
Shit. Now I got to put this album back in whip...lol.
That was from The Jackal movie right? Thats where i found them i think, banger
the soundtrack to "that edible might've been too much" since 1998
9:38 "Relaxed but totally on edge". Yep, pretty much sums up the entire album.
Not to mentiom "dangerous" and "horny"
This album has this intense, nocturnal vibe that just takes me places no other album can... The album is such a vibe in of itself, and transcends genre in this distinct, particular way I struggle to put into words. Feel similarly about The Knife's Silent Shout and Burial's Untrue
The Knife is amazing. Check out the self titled album by Baxter it's got the same broody night time waves🤌
Said the same above in terms of Burial, who along with golden era drum and bass on labels like Metalheadz in particular was very very influenced by this album.
I’ll check out your reccs
@cloudbloom Sick, never would have found Baxter on my own. Great recommend
Comments that make me want to live more. Thank you!
Inertia Creeps is badass
Hell yeah I fucking love that track
MY FAVE
The “I want to x you” section may be my favourite verse in any song ever
When that bassline comes in and goes "bah bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah bah", I felt that
My sexy time song
In 2017 I emailed Anthony about whether death grips could be considered as trip hop because my girlfriend at the time swore they sounded exactly like massive attack. I listened to this album and while I enjoyed it, it sounds nothing like death grips, and we got into a massive fight. I don't know if you remember this, but every once in a while I look back and think about how wild that was
I'm so sorry this was the catalyst that caused a rift to form in the relationship, I really hope you found a DGGF since then
I guess yuu could say you got into a massive attack?
you know what else is massive?
@@IsuiGtz *muscle man voice* MY MOOMM!!!
Ok
GOATed Trip Hop record
THE trip hop album
It's perfect for introducing someone. It's like:
"Here's an album that's basically all of trip hop, plus a bit of new stuff nobody had ever heard before, all condensed into an hour of some of the best music ever made."
Hard to argue with, that
@@capncoolio And when they're hooked you show them Portishead to make their life blissful misery :D
'Dummy' is the genre peak imo.
Check out the self titled album from Baxter, I got it on release day in the 90s and it's really damn good. Not sure if it qualifies as trip hop but it's in the ballpark, great female vocals and overall broody vibes
One of the best albums ever made
EASILY.
easily soo goated i mezzanined in my pants
CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC
Great to cover classic British electronic! Now it’s time for The Prodigy; Music for the Jilted Generation or The Fat of the Land!
The Mezzanine 20th anniversary tour is still my favorite show ive ever seen. Performances were on point, the mix was locked in, and the visuals were perfectly themed
GUYS IT'S HAPPENING
I cant believe it lol
THIS IS HAPPENING!
LET'S
GOOOOOOOO
it’s happening to everybody
what is happening? 🫨
Favourite UK electronic album of all time, breathtaking. The 1-2-3-4 of Angel, Teardrop, Risingson and Inertia Creeps is just insane, in fact the sequencing on the whole record is perfect. Just for the aesthetic alone, would we have artists like Burial without thus unique record?
House MD fans our time is now
I too am in this comment section
It's not lupus
this vexes me.
everybody lies
shut up foreman
Massive Attack is by far the best Banksy work
Banksy wishes he was as talented as 3D
Banksy is Robin Gunningham, mate of Robert Del Naya
Banksy fell off
@@jamgee4402 u fell off
Bristol legends in their own right
In my opinion, this is one of the most cinematic albums ever created. It’s remarkably versatile in its genres while maintaining a cohesive and linear flow. The album is a dark, philosophical masterpiece-moody and at times almost heartbreaking-leaving the listener to reflect on themes like motherhood, love, and lust. Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals add the perfect finishing touch, with “Black Milk” remaining my personal favorite. The dark dub basslines and psychedelic riffs are absolutely incredible. As a Gen Z kid from Europe, I’ve been completely hooked on this album ever since I first listened to it 10 years ago.
Im glad someone else talked about the Gorillaz/Massive Attack connection. Gorillaz phase one introduced me to trip hop and dub and I haven't looked back since
Same🥰
LIZ FRASER ARMY RISE UP WOOO
He was instead talking about Liz Frazier of the Cocktoo Twins ;(
Her voice is fantastic. She's like an angel
HOLY SHIT THIS IS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE ALBUM EVER FINALLY!!!!!!!
Mine too
Blue Lines deserves more justice, that album was incredibly forward-thinking for 1991. “Unfinished Symphony” is a massively influential tune. Blue Likes basically set the tone of trip hop and helped convince Nightmares on Wax to go from techno chuds to instrumental hip hop kings
Yeah, far too dismissive of Blue Lines and Protection.
Some of the instrumentals on this record cause transcendence in the whip at night. If you have a long nighttime ride ahead of you, play this album
Come on Fantano. You know it's time for "MR BUNGLE - CALIFORNIA"
Not even their best album
Dissolved Girl still sounds like the most futuristic thing, it hits different in The Matrix movie.
As a Bristol resident see also 'Movietone' - incredibly unique and pretty unknown band I accidentally stumbled across from the 90's
thank you!
Snow is Falling is one of my fav songs ever
Thank you very much!
Flying Saucer Attack would be a hit here I think too
The band Receiver was also great
no way he actually did it, goddamn
On my first trip to London a couple of years ago, I got a chance to meet the photographer who made the album cover for this. His name is Nick Knight, he also did the cover for Bjork's 'Homogenic' and for others as well.
I just went to his studio, knocked at the door and thankfully he was there that day. Very nice guy. He said that I was lucky that I catched him because a model couldn't arrive for a photoshoot and on the next day he would have another photoshoot in his second studio outside London with Bjork.
Can you please tell us more? Ive been obsessed with this album for over a decade and have always wanted to know more about Nick Knight's art he did for it. Did he mention anything about it?
He also directed Kanye’s Jesus is king IMAX film
You just rocked up to Nick Knight's studio and knocked?
@ Yes, an assistant of his responded, I told her that I was on my first trip to London and if it is alright to meet him just for a few minutes if possible, and that I am an admirer of his work. I was hesitant at first to just go over there without an apointment, but I got lucky that day. Funnily enough, I also met his wife and son while I sat with him 10 minutes. What were the odds of that happening. He had some time off before a meeting, it was really nice of him to invite me inside just for a little bit.
@ Well, I was lucky that day because I went basically without an appointment. An assistant responded, I told her that I am on my first trip to London and if I could meet him for just a few minutes. He had some time off before a meeting and it was really nice of him to invite me in. We probably talked for maybe 10 minutes, before his wife and son came in. What were the odds of meeting them also...Of course that I was a bit nervous, because I met my hero in a way, I am a photographer myself. He said that he just had recently an exhibition with Naomi Campbell where he 3D printed her. We didn't talked about the Mezzanine cover, more about his work with Bowie. Nick said that only 2 people refused to be filmed when making the photos and he was one of the two. But there is a video of him in the studio, because his assistant back then was deaf in one ear and didn't hear Nick to turn off the camera. Funny detail. I also asked of course if I can watch the session with Bjork the next day in his other studio. He said that he didn't really had a problem with that, but Bjork wanted only him and his assistants on the set. Of course I understood, it would have been amazing to meet Nick and Bjork in just 2 days...I think they did the video and photos for her 'Ovule' single.
I got to see Massive Attack this year in Paris and they legitimately put on the best concert I've ever encountered. Their production value was unbelievable, their performances were stunning, they had some incredible guests including Young Fathers, and they seemed incredibly principled, as they loudly supported and showed the devastation of Gaza.
They're a must-see experience for everyone.
Showing the devastation from both sides?
@te9591 Nope, only the side that's being genocided by a government supported by the most powerful military on the planet
3D must be very happy about islamisation of Britain right now.
They supported the devastation of Gaza? Based.
my dad put me on this album, production goes NUTS
Every cafe should be playing this album when I walk in.
Fantano reviewing peak. Love to see it.
So every January
I get why this is considered their best album, but Protection (feat Tracey Thorn), Karmacoma, Three, Spying Glass, and Sly are killer songs. I love them each more than anything on Mezzanine.
Shout out to the one that asked for this on the comments of the PRIMUS review!
That first massive attack record is a lot more great and forward thinking than you say it is
Unfinished Sympathy is probably the equal of any track off Mezzanine and that’s saying something.
Protection is an amazing album as well, Spying Glass could fit right next to Man Next Door
Legendary album
I NEED A MR BUNGLE REVIEW PLEASEEEEEEEE
California...?
@@auggie87 CALIFORNIA YES!
I'M IN, LET'S DO IT
@@skbcheor disco volante
Or self titled I mean shit they’re all amazing
Yeah we need a classic review California. I think he should do a classic review of Angel Dust too, if he didn't do it already
YES MELON I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE YOU REVIEW THIS!
Discovered Massive Attack and triphop in general about a decade ago when I was trying to make an effort to listen to more music outside of my hard rock/metal only bubble lol. I’ve loved almost everything they’ve made, but Mezzanine absolutely floored me. It still sounds so futuristic even today, and the atmosphere is some of the best I’ve ever been immersed in on an album. Genuinely a 10/10
some could say this album is MASSIVE
It’s a big bug!!!!!
And you know what else is massive?
You know what else is massive?
I feel personally ATTACKED
The doors is that way, sir
One of my favourite albums and a perennial inspiration for my own music. It's dark, hypnotic, masterfully produced, varied and cinematic. 'Blue Lines' and 'Protection' felt like stepping stones towards 'Mezzanine', and this album was the realisation of Massive Attack's innovative sound. Even today, nothing sounds quite like it. Thanks for giving it a classics week review.
Looks like this year's classics week's common theme is the 90s
ah yes, my favourite 90’s album, Sunflower by the Beach Boys
@@HaydenMcNab they have an underrated 90s cult classic in "Summer in Paradise"
@@p0werfu11 i haven’t done a deep dive but i’ve yet to hear anything from them that wasn’t good
@@HaydenMcNab Oh, well in that case you'll definitely wanna check out Summer In Paradise, it's got a sound totally unlike any of the genres they helped pioneer in the 60s. It's totally radical
2:55 bro Massive Attack predicted interactive buddy before EVERYONE
We NEEDED this review, now please do Frances the Mute🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Solid 10. Grew up with this album as my mother and uncle were huge fans. I think massive attack was the last band my uncle saw live before his passing. My mom played some of their songs at his funeral. So this album feels very personal to me. It serves as the definition of a legendary album to me.
BABE THE REVIEW IS HERE, I REPEAT MEZZANINE IS HERE
I was in a records shop in Sheffield (while there studying) when this came out for a listening session of this album. Just stood there against a wall knowing no-one but stayed and listende to this whole album three times. Phenomenal album.
Love me some Tricky. Shame not enough people recognize him in the US.
Yeah, for me Tricky's "Maxinquaye" is the best album that came out of the scene, closely followed by Portishead's "Dummy"
I saw them perform this album live in 2019, with Horace and Elizabeth Fraser in tow, and it remains one of the most memorable and breathtaking musical performances I've ever seen.
I like pausing these videos to revisit some of the tracks from those records. Thanks, Anthony. Also i think Dust Brothers - Fight Club OST is a must mention for a trip hop influenced album. That one is a classic in my book too.
To me what makes this album so especially memorable is how, in the 6-18 months following its release, it appeared in like eleventy moviefilms, especially Angel, which I think I saw in 3 movies one summer. They spread unbelievably quickly because this was such good music.
A television review would be necessary
Bought this album the day it came out and in the last two and a half decades it has become emblematic of the kind of dark and bass-heavy UK electronic sound I've grown to love. An easy contender for the greatest album I've ever heard.
Honestly my favorite album of all time. Ive never heard an album that sounds so deeply sensual while also dark and brooding. Dissolved Girl and Black Milk are haunting. Not a missed moment on the whole album
Mezzanine is one of those albums, i find myself finding small bits of here and there in my life. I love each song on their own and every now and then i listen to the whole thing on its own to get completely immersed. This along some portishead songs changed my music taste for ever!!!
Teardrop and Black Milk are definitely my favorites. I wish Massive Attack would have done an entire album with Elizabeth tbh, it would have been amazing.
Now we’re talking.
GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW LONG WE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS
Thank you for going back to this. You're my favorite music discussion channel!
Timing is crazy. I was just listening to this album.
The outro of Angel still brings chills down my spine years later. Love the bassline.
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
This is legit how I remember what a verb is.
A fellow Christian alternative rock enjoyer of DC Talk eh?
They not only sampled the obvious Isaac Hayes but also The Velvet Underground and The Cure on this. Phenomenal record.
Illinois tomorrow Melon. PLEASE
Illinois(e)?
This review reminds me why I keep coming back to this channel. It's true, I already love the album, but listening to commentary on it feels right at home for me. Thanks Anthony!
A classic review of Selected Ambient Works Vol. II by Aphex Twin would be great. That album is so fascinating and interesting.
Weirdly enough I really struggle to get into that one , even though volume 1 is one of my favourite albums of all time
@@hasanz7585same. I'm a long Longtime AFX fan and I'll never get the hype over SAW II. Yes "3" aka Rhubard and Stone in Focus are brilliant but it pales in comparison compared to SAW 85-92.
Thank you so much for reviewing this album, Anthony! It would be no exaggeration to say that this record changed my life immensely, in ways difficult to imagine, and I hope more people will choose to listen to this as a result of your review. Great job, dude, you da man
Fever Ray self titled review/redux/classic review would be really nice
One of my favourite albums ever, great overview.
Man Next Door is actually a cover version of Quiet Place and the main drum sample is from When The Levee breaks
Teardrop, Dissolved Girl, Angel.....all just the most perfect tracks Ive ever heard
I learned of this album from the Matrix - Neo was listening to Dissolved Girl right at the beginning of the movie in his apartment.
THERE WE GOOOO
Soooo glad I kept my original CD of the album when it came out-along with stuff from Sneaker Pimps.
When I first heard Mezzanine, it felt ahead of its time and ageless-and it still does.
Every once in a while I put it in the player n go back in time.
Surprised it took this long ngl. Massive attack is massive gas
An all time album, that outro on "Group Four" goes so hard. Flawless.
Now we NEED an agætis byrjun classic review. Cmon Anthony!!
In the top five of all-time albums for me. Also, 1998- what a year for electronic music. This album, Air’s Moon Safari, Unkle’s Psyence Fiction, Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children, DJ Krush’s Kakusei, Amon Tobin’s Permutation, Autechre’s LP5, Theo Parrish’s First Floor, Moodymann’s Mahogany Brown, The K & D Sessions by Kruder & Dorfmeister, Propellerheads’ Decksdrumsandrockandroll, Portishesd’s Roseland NYC Live, Breath from Another by Esthero, Ring of Saturn and Saturnz Return by Goldie, and Minidisc by Gescom just to name a few.
Anthony, watch out! That beetle’s going to get you!!
This is one of the very few albums that has stayed with me for a long time and greatly influenced my musical taste. When "Teardrop" came out, I was 12, and it’s been one of my all-time favourites ever since. The whole album is just majestic, and it has aged very, very well.
This album sounds like plugging your speakers to a barrel of crude oil
In 2017, I took myself from Sydney, Australia where I live, all the way over to Bristol UKjust to experience the city with this album. I walked the same streets the band would have, visited all their clubs they would have played at (or at least, their locations, as far as the biographies I had read were concerned) and even sat outside the studio this album was recorded in. I ended up getting their flame logo tattooed on my arm as soon as I got back to Sydney. Favourite band ever. Favourite album ever.
Anthony, we need that third eye blind debut album review!!!!!!
WE DO
When the beat drops at the beginning of 'Inertia creeps'... OOOF. Top 5 music moment of all time for me. Stunning.
review The Flaming Lips Yoshimi album pleaseeeee
Never burn down a pikey's mobile home.
Black Milk is my baby
Its weird listening to a review because words can only describe so much of an album. Ive never heard of this group and listening to Fantano describe it, i still couldnt picture how the album would sound. As soon as he said one of their songs was the theme song to House, i instantly sought this album out to listen to it. Thank you for the recommendation.
Black Milk still top freakiest track
Check out Manfred Manns Earth Band- Tribute for the main sample. Bassline and keys are from that track
One of my favourites of all time. Like nothing they did before or since. It's dark as hell, but is like being wrapped up in a warm blanket of bass.
Look out Anthony, there's a big bug behond you!
I remember hearing "Angel" during that scene in Snatch when Mickey's mom's trailer burns down, and it sounded SO sinister in the way it builds. There's a good deal of shoegaze and post-metal in this album.