Live album, video
and DVD
PORTISHEAD
"PNYC"
Album and video
release date:
Worldwide 2nd November 1998
USA 3rd November 1998
DVD release date:
Region 2 encoding 29th April 2002
Region 1 encoding 30th April 2002
About the show:
In support of Portishead's self-titled second
album the band have completed a 10-month
world tour. Both the tour and second album
were christened with a special live
engagement on 24 July, 1997 at the Roseland
Ballroom in New York City dubbed
"PNYC".
The one-night-only
performance was an exclusive reworking of the
band's tracks from both "Dummy"
and "Portishead"
and featured a full orchestra and horn
section and filmed in front of an intimate
audience.
The Roseland
performance marked the first time any of the
new songs from Portishead were being
performed live and rather than performing on
the ballroom stage, Portishead opted for a
more informal and, ultimately, more intimate
setting. The band and orchestra assembled in
the round directly on the ballroom floor
surrounded by the audience. Says Utley of the
setup, "We wanted to get more people
involved in the atmosphere around us. Being
in a circle, more people could see what was
going on. The musicians could all look at
each other and have this intimate
thing."
Formats:
PNYC is now to be released as a special live
recording capturing that evening on longform
video, CD, DVD, double vinyl, cassette and
special limited edition digipak in slipcase
with booklet and ECD element.
The album:
Humming
Cowboys
All
Mine
Mysterons
Only
You
Half
Day Closing
Over
Glory
Box
Sour
Times
Roads
Strangers
The album contains nine
tracks recorded live at the roseland show
featuring the orchestra and horn section and
two tracks drawn selectively from the band's
1997/98 world tour - the reworked Sour Times
recorded live at the Warfield, San Francisco
on April 1st 1998 and a version of Roads
recorded live at the Quart Festival,
Kristiansand, Norway on July 3rd 1998.
The Digipack CD carries
the short film "Road Trip"
as an enhanced cd element for your PC and MAC
and a special extended booklet carrying
stills taken at the Roseland show.
The double vinyl
package carries the same tracks with a poster
included.
Reviews:
NME
Pitchfork
Q Magazine
Rolling Stone
The video:
Humming
Cowboys
All
Mine
Half
Day Closing
Over
Only
You
Seven
Months
Numb
Undenied
Mysterons
Sour
Times
Elysium
Glory
Box
Roads
Strangers
Western
Eyes
"The whole look of
it was inspired by this old Gil Evans and
Miles Davis film I have at home,"
explains Adrian Utley of Portishead.
"Shots with cameras moving slowly or
having to look through cymbals to see Geoff
across the room. Not you usual rock n'roll
camera work, we wanted it to have a slowed
down, drifting across the room feeling."
Interspersed among the Roseland footage are
documentary scenes of Portishead and the show
filmed during the week-long rehearsal and
show.
The video features
sixteen tracks taken from "Dummy"
and "Portishead" and in addition a
short film "Road Trip"
and an exclusive booklet with stills from the
show and information on the performers.
"Road Trip"
directly precedes the Roseland performance
and the 10-minute film is accompanied by a
soundtrack comprising a mix of Portishead
instrumentals spliced together by the group's
touring DJ, Andy Smith. "Road Trip"
was shown as the introduction to each of the
group's live shows on the world tour.
The DVD:
Humming
Cowboys
All
Mine
Half
Day Closing
Over
Only
You
Seven
Months
Numb
Undenied
Mysterons
Sour
Times
Elysium
Glory
Box
Roads
Strangers
Western
Eyes
Including the full length
performance and documentary footage of this
extraordinary New York show we are also
making available the short films "Road Trip"
and "To Kill
A Dead Man" and for the
first time the band's promo videos for "Numb",
"Sour
Times", "All Mine",
"Over"
and "Only
You" and a previously
unreleased acoustic version of "Wandering Star"
accompanied by footage of the band on tour.
Official DVD microsite:
The Performers:
Portishead
Primary Artist
Geoff Barrow Director,
Drums, Producer, Turntables
Clive Deamer Drums,
Percussion
Beth Gibbons Vocals
Nick Ingman Conductor, Bass,
Arranger, Orchestral Arrangements
Adrian Utley Director,
Guitar, Moog Synthesizer, Arranger,
Orchestral Arrangements, Producer
John Baggot Keyboards
Jim Barr Bass
Alfred Brown Viola
Jeff Carney Bass
Israel Chorberg Violin
Richard Clark Violin
Harold Coletta Viola
John Cornick Trombone
Stephanie Cummins Cello
Katsuko Esaki Violin
David Finck Bass
Susan Follari Viola
Dave Ford Trumpet
Will Gregory Baritone
Saxophone, Oboe
Andy Hague Flugelhorn,
Trumpet
Joyce Hammann Violin
Ashley Horne Violin
Joanna Jenner Violin
Suzie Katayama Cello
Olivia Koppell Viola
Byung Kook Kwak Violin
Jesse Levy Cello
Carmel Malin Violin
John Miller Bass
Joel Pitchon Violin
Carol Pool Violin
Pamela Porta Violin
Anthony Posk Violin
Lenard Rivlin Violin
Andy Stein Violin
B. Waghorn Alto Flute, Alto
Saxophone
Belinda Whitney-Barratt Violin
Sarah Sherley-Price Artwork,
Design
Phil Gitomer Engineer
Ian Huffam Engineer
Sean McClintock Engineer
Dave McDonald Engineer
John Neilson Engineer
Paul Read Assistant
Engineer, Mixing assistant
Rik Simpson Engineer, Mixing
DJ Andy Smith Turntables
