Mezzanine Deluxe

Like all music in the past 100 years, the Brits are always YEARS ahead of the US. What you hear these days, everything being done in hip hop and pop music, you can tell derived from the dna of this album. Way ahead of current music. Sounds new. I recommend to anyone who appreciates good music. You can be into Metal, Punk, even modern radio pop and this album sounds amazing. The swan song of the 20th century.

So, this will be a bit of an odd review. As for the music itself, I think this is a great album. This album has an odd appeal and a unique sound, perfect for the right mood.I happen to really like multichannel (surround) recordings. There have been some rumors online that the "gatefold" (cardboard case) release of this CD contained a surround mix. But, there is a lot of conflicting information saying that this album has never been released in 5.1. So, while I already owned a stereo version of the album, I bought this just to see. Sure enough, when putting this in my Oppo-205 player (which can play multiple different disc formats) it shows up as a CD but played the album in surround. I was rather surprised because if this works for most listeners I'm not sure why they aren't advertising it because a number of people want this recording in surround.Don't get me wrong. If Steven Wilson remixes the album in high resolution 5.1 (or better Dolby Atmos), as he has discussed several times, I will buy it again because I'm certain it will be better than the present mix.As to the Mad Professor Mezzanine dub remixes on the second CD, they are truly awful in my opinion. While I think they could have enhanced the great part of this album if done correctly, I think there was a reason the remixes weren't released after they were done for 20 years. It's because they aren't good.So, if you don't have this album you should buy it. If you like surround recordings, buy this version and see if it works in your system. But, if you already own it, and plan to use it in stereo only, I wouldn't pay extra money for the remix CD.

This album defined a music genre. I've seen them live a few times and play this album in its entirety. To be honest I think the album version is better than hearing them live. The music sounds fresh even by 2024 standards. I'm glad that vendors still have this album on CD and I may try and find it on LP.

Interesting synthesized music on first disc. It would certainly wake up my neighbors with that primitive drug beat on most tracks. 2ND disc had vocals but I initially thought one of my cats had gotten into a mating fight someplace in my home. I do not know who that woman was but will try to find out. Sound quality is perfect. I had to turn the bass down to a flat setting otherwise it would cause my windows to vibrate. I also played it through my 6 speaker system with a sub-woofer in my Subaru and it brought me back to my college days in the 70's! But no TV series House theme. I was apparently misinformed. The beetle cover was eye catching.

The packaging design alone is enough to order this as a collectible. Plus all the bonus remixes on disc 2 most of which I'd never heard before. This CD edition is everything.

I was looking for something different to listen to and I found it in Massive Attack. Normally, I listen to classic rock-type stuff and I was getting bored. Massive Attack was a great change of pace. In my search, I recalled hearing the song "Angel" in the film "Flight of the Phoenix" and thought about how much I enjoyed the song. I did some research and found "Mezzanine." Needless to say, Massive Attack is all I've listened to in the past couple of weeks.What I find so interesting about Massive Attack is their penchant for using repetitive beats. Normally that might get boring, but Massive Attack weaves those beats into haunting, dark, and eerie melodies. The resulting music is beautiful and even slightly-chilling. I've taken the time to listen to several of Massive Attack's albums, thanks to Spotify, and I feel like "Mezzanine" is their best to date.My favorite songs on the album are "Angel," "Teardrops," "Exchange," "Inertia Creeps," and "Black Milk." "Mezzanine" is such a brilliant, cohesive grouping of some amazing songs. I highly recommend it for someone who is tired of the status quo of music and is looking for something different. Enjoy!

For a lot of Trip-Hop and Electronic artists I am wary of purchasing their albums because there is a great deal of them who make one or two good songs on an album and the rest are repetitive beats and/or god-awful. It is not the case with this album, each single is just that - a single. The tone of the album is rich and deep with a heavy bass but not so much that it eliminates mid and high range sounds. Each song stands on its own and makes the purchase of the CD worth it. I don't have many albums where I can go without skipping any songs, but this is one. It is extraordinary listen and is an album that will remain significant many years from now.

The remaster is true to the original. What you get is a broader soundstage, deeper notes, added clarity. This remaster removes the muddling of sound that was prevalent on the original CD and only enhances the listening enjoyment of this top-notch album. You won't get compression, loudness, or remix in any noticeable way. It's the same album it was back in 1998, except it's better. This remaster is what remastering should be, it's an excellent achievement.