Tricky Treaty

The previous 4th & B'way post led me to this one. 

 

 

I first became aware of Tricky through the first two Massive Attack releases. After Protection he moved on to a solo career but would return to Massive Attack in 2016.

He released his debut album Maxinquaye in 1995. This also marked the beginning of a long collaboration with vocalist Martina Topley-Bird (here tracks 1-4, 6-9, 11,12). The juxtaposition of Tricky & Topley-Bird's vocals really adds the heat to this disc. 

 

Tricky - Maxinquaye, Island Records, 1995.
all decryption codes in comments

Overcome
Ponderosa
Black Steel
Hell is Around the Corner
Pumpkin
Aftermath
Abbaon Fat Track
Brand New You're Retro
Suffocated Love
You Don't
Strugglin'
Feed Me

 

 

 

 

Tricky next resurfaced as Nearly God. The name supposedly came from an interview where Trick was asked "so how does it feel to be God... well, nearly God.". The reason for the nom de musique was that he was under contract to Island Records but had a rider in his contract that let him release one album a year under a pseudonym. Martina Topley-Bird provides vocals on tracks 2,5,7,11,12 but Björk lends voice to tracks 4,10, Neneh Cherry on track 3, & Alison Moyet on track 6, as well as others.

 

Nearly God - Nearly God, Island Independent, 1996.

Tattoo
Poems (vocals – Martina Topley-Bird)
Together Now (vocals – Neneh Cherry)
Keep Your Mouth Shut (vocals – Björk)
I Be The Prophet (vocals – Martina Topley-Bird)
Make a Change (vocals – Alison Moyet)
Black Coffee (vocals – Martina Topley-Bird)
Bubbles
I Sing for You
Yoga (vocals – Björk)
Judas
Children's Story (vocals – Martina Topley-Bird)

 

 

 

 

Martina launched her own solo career in 2003 with the release of Quixotic. Here she expands her styles from her reconizable Trip-hop to more electronic as well as more rock influenced sounds. Tricky makes a guest appearance on "Ragga".

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Martina Topley-Bird - Quixotic, Independiente ISOM 34CD, 2003.

Intro
Need One
Anything
Soul Food
Lullaby
Too Tough to Die
Sandpaper Kisses
Ragga
Lying
I Wanna Be There
I Still Feel
Ilya
Stevie's (Day's of a Gun)

 

 

 

 

Martina has released five full lengths since going solo. Her latest is Forever I Wait. It comes after an eleven year gap since her last release, 2010s Some Place Simple, which was basically reimaginings of songs from her first two records. Forever is the first release Martina has self-produced & self-released. It devoloped from diverse periods in her life while she was moving from the UK to the United States & eventually ending up in Spain. It offers up a mix of hope & world-weariness of her life.

 

Martina Topley Bird - Forever I Wait, self-released, 2021.

Pure Heart
Wanted
Hunt
Weasel
Wyman
Love
Game
Free
Collide
Blood
Sand
Rain

 

 

 

 

Tricky's latest has him teaming up with Marta Ziakowska. Marta is a vocalist from Krakow, Poland. She met Tricky in November 2017. For the past six years she's been part of Tricky's crew on tour. The cover version of Jefferson Airplane's "Today" never fails to send shivers down my spine. At just a little over 19 minutes this release left me thrilled but wanting more.

 

Marta & Tricky – When It's Going Wrong, False Idols, 2023.

Intro
Today
When It's Going Wrong
Nowhere
Think Of You
Moving Through Water
Swimming Away
Walking
Czarno Czarny

Enjoy,
NØ