Fraught by doubt and paranoia, Massive Attack struggled to lay down the tracks for their third album as 3D spent hours in the studio "making tracks, tearing them apart, f***ing them up, panicking, then starting again." Such drama ultimately delayed the album's projected December 1997 release by nine months; the gap was plugged by "Risingson," a new single unleashed in July 1997. The song became a monstrous tease, appearing almost a full year before the album's eventual release. It gave an eager audience a hint of what was to come -- although the brooding aura was slightly deflected by the use of a sample from the Velvet Underground's "I Found a Reason." Featuring trademark beats and vocals, the song's lyrics were shot through with danger, in a seemingly scathing commentary of the club scene that had embraced Massive Attack. "Now you're lost and you're lethal" felt like a warning. Further enhanced by the softest gasps and sighs buried deep within the mix, and guitars that sliced through the whole thing, "Risingson" was a monumental vibration, a shift in consciousness for the band. The Singles 90/98 box set featured several remixes of the song, including an interesting turn by Underworld.
Massive Attack
Risingson
Composed by Robert del Naja / Grantley Marshall / Massive Attack / Andrew Vowles
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Song Review by Amy Hanson
Appears On
| Year | Artist/Album | Label | Time | AllMusic Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1997 | Virgin | |||||
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1997 |
Various Artists
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EMI Music Distribution | 5:53 | |||
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1997 |
Various Artists
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Virgin | 4:57 | |||
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1998 | Virgin | 4:58 | ||||
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1998 | Circa | 8:39 | ||||
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1999 | ||||||
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2001 |
Various Artists
|
Redline Records | 5:03 | |||
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2002 | Virgin / Wild Bunch | 4:58 | ||||
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2004 |
Original Soundtrack
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EMI Music Distribution | ||||
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2006 | Virgin | 4:57 | ||||
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2008 |
Various Artists
|
Rhino / Warner Music | 4:08 | |||
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EMI / EMI Music Distribution | 8:39 |
