Protection

This sounded not at all Massive, nor Attacking. Not for me.

Really like this record. It was fresh and interesting at the time, and still sounds great today. However, it should have ended after 'Heat Miser', as that would have felt like a pleasing and natural conclusion - the addition of the live version of 'Light My Fire' at the end disrupts the cohesiveness and doesn't sit well with the rest of the album.

Sounds like music that I would listen to while too high to do anything besides stare forward and think about my life

Listened Before? N Pros: This was a great surprise! I've never listened to these people before at all. I'm usually not a fan of all electronic stuff, but they use the vocals so well over the top that it pulls it together very nicely. I think this is the best electronic music I've heard. Cons: Some songs drag a bit. Added to Library? N Songs Added to Playlist: Protection, Three

Baby making music.

Tatsächlich gerade der Gewinner über Blue Lines. Protection kann mich in schwachen Momenten jederzeit zu Tränen rühren, im Grunde ist jeder Song danach gewagt und Karmacoma auch deshalb so eine gute Wahl, weil Tricky halt diese verschleppte Raubtiernummer mit genau der richtigen Dosis Schulterzucken abliefert die man DA DRAUSSEN als Rüstung drinnen braucht. Auch danach: tolle Atmosphäre zwischen Flug durch wolkigen Nieselsommer (Three), unbilligen Lounge-Sounds (Weather Storm) und dem direkten Anschluss an Unfinished Sympathy (Euro Child und Sly). Am schwierigsten waren für mich immer die beiden Horace-Andy-Nummern, hab ich bis heute auch nicht komplett verstanden, nehme die aber gern mit und der kleine Gag mit Light My Fire amüsiert auf jeden Fall! 4,5

Cooooooool. Deep moody lounging. An overcast afternoon in Ibiza. The soundtrack that plays over a moody montage of parallel characters in an ensemble drama. Closing credits to a 2000s James Bond movie. I think I love this because its trip hop (whatever that is) without the chaos. It's smooth as hell, a bit disorienting (I really like the lyric "I know everyone I meet"), and sucks you into the vibe. It's a place I enjoyed spending an hour - introspective, somber, plenty of space, but also upbeat. The last track is the only thing that breaks their very serious dedication to maintaining this mood. Maybe a little more cosmic humor would make it perfect. Cooooooool A-

This isn’t that good. Again! - Why is this on the list? I want to punish the person who thought we needed another Massive Atrack album - at least the last album had one good song - this is mediocre throughout. 😕

A huge mix of a lot of different styles with no two songs sounding even remotely the same. The album starts so strong with ‘Protection’ having a bass that you can physically feel hitting your ears. This is the first Massive Attack album that I’ve listened to fully & I really enjoyed it

It's kind of groovy, meditative, and a bit trance-like.

I remember Massive Attack being cool, but it's sounding pretty boring to me now. Don't really have anything else to say about it.

Was listening to this while working in the hot sun and wanted to fall asleep.

Excellent.

Puh, da sprach ich vor knapp einer Woche von Teufel und schon ist er da, aus dem Karmacoma erwacht und erinnert daran, welch krasses Tier sich dort reckt und streckt. Hier sitzt jeder Beat, der Bass rollt, wie Gorillaz ihn immer rollen lassen wollte, Elemente klassischer Musik ohne jeglichen Kitsch trotz unverhohlenen Pathos; es hat Kontemplation und es hat Pop, aber noch dieser sympathischen Art, die dich auch an seine Ernsthaftigkeit glauben lässt, ehe es auf „Mezzanine“ zum Headliner Pop wird und es sich für Massive Attack zunehmend schwieriger gestaltet, zu entscheiden: machen wir nun eine für uns typische oder eine von uns erwartete Platte. „Protection“ war da grad kurz vorm Brechen der Welle, wunderschön, groß, abgründig groß, warm aber auch etwas schauderhaft. Und auch wenn man vieles auswendig kennt, so bleibt es mir frisch und keineswegs ausgehöhlt und über-hört wie es so manchen Hits’ Schicksal geworden ist. Aus der Tiefe einer ehrlichen Verbeugung 5.0

A favourite, era defining for me.

Great, did not know what to expect but was great.

Amazing album

Fucking classic

amazing

Genre creating masterpiece.

Perfect album. Defies definition.

star ratings suck

For me, Massive Attack's best album. Exquisite. The choice collaborators. The mirrored, twin-sided format. The mood, the flow. The instrumentation. Analogue dub heart with digital flourishes. Not a bad track on here. Brilliant.

Blue Lines, Protection, Mezzanine. One of the greatest run of albums ever!

I find it strange that the book has chosen this album and their debut Blue Lines as the two albums to feature from Massive Attack. The aggressive Mezzanine and spiritual 100th Window are both masterpieces. This is a good album but not a great album. The title track holds a special place for me. I’ve probably played the song hundreds of times and never get bored with it in the slightest. Tracy Thorn’s vocals are beautiful on it and the track itself is as emotional as it is hypnotic. Karmacoma keeps the momentum going and is a triphop classic. It was redone twice, once by Massive Attack without Tricky and once by Tricky for his solo album Maxinquaye. “Three” is an okay track but “Weather Storm” sounds like the music you used to hear on the Weather Channel when they would show their weather on the 8s local forecast. “Spyglass” had a good groove. but the vocals are a little weird. “Better Things” is another great Thorn vocal track. “Euro Child” hints at what’s to come with mezzanine and is probably the darkest track on the whole album. “Sly” and “Heat Miser” (with Darth Vader on vocals) are solid tracks and then there’s “Light My Fire.” I file this under what were they thinking? This track almost made me give the album a 3 but I like most of the rest of the album so a 4 it is.

Maybe I’ve heard the first couple of tracks too many times, because they didn’t do much for me. But after that I sat back and enjoyed the rest. The songs are well-written and I like the different vocalists – I even went to see Nicolette in a club having only heard her on this album. Tricky is even ok for a track or two. MA are definitely at the top of the heap in terms of those who led electronic downtempo/trip hop movement. I would give them a 5 if not for the Horace Andy cover of Light My Fire. And the fact that when we saw them live the only singer they brought along was Horace Andy, we got Tracey & Nicolette on vinyl. I concluded that seeing DJ/Producers wasn’t worth it – but then I saw Thievery Corporation with 5 vocalists and Groove Armada with a full band and changed my mind.

This album pretty much receives the same verdict regardless of who’s reviewing it: brilliant, but not quite Mezzanine or Blue Lines. Overall, I’d agree with this but Protection absolutely deserves to be on this list. Tracey Thorn’s presence on the opening track immediately had me hooked and “Three” is one of my favourite Massive Attack songs. There are definitely some moments when the music becomes a bit background (as with their later soundtrack work), and the live cover of “Light My Fire” is a bit puzzling. But this is a great chill-out album, never the same experience two listens in a row.

3.5 Sometimes this list is strange, there’s this album, but Mezzanine isn’t.

Le parti migliori del disco sono quelle dove si sente l’influenza jamaicana ma comunque mi arriva ancora come acerbo il suono. Apparte karmacoma molti pezzi non hanno un’identità sufficientemente interessante però si sentono alcune trovate che porteranno ai più bei dischi successivi.

ЧТО: Второй студийный альбом бристольского трио пионеров трип-хопа. Важный релиз с точки зрения творческого пути Massive Attack, ознаменовавший начало перехода от чистой электроники к живым инструментам. Альбом на перепутье. Дебютный Blue lines - уверенный электронный проект, а великий (без преувеличения) третий альбом Mezzanine - построен на живом звуке. Protection - это перевалочный пункт, своеобразная запятая. Не слишком популярный альбом, хотя и принципиально важный в дискографии MA, как звено в цепи. КАКОЙ: Музыка Massive Attack не определяется жанровыми рамками. Все, что мы можем услышать, - звуковой коллаж из разнообразных сэмплов, живых инструментальных партий, вокала разных исполнителей и элементов если не всех, то уж точно половины жанров музыки на планете. Многие песни, включая титульную, обладают относительно медленным темпом и сообщают спокойствие и сдержанность, характерные в принципе для трип-хопа. Темп композиций в целом упал по сравнению с Blue lines. Интересные, но местами грубоватые сочетания электроники с акустикой. Фортепианные мелодии на Heat Miser, например. На Mezzanine это смешение достигнет апогея, идея будет доведена до необходимого выражения. Песня Karmacoma потягивает на шедевр. Такой наэлектризованный рэгги. Очень занятно. Кроме того, коллега MA по изобретению трип-хопа - Трики появляется на этой песне с речитативом. Вообще на альбоме крайне заметно регги-даб влияние. Стоит только вспомнить об альбоме ремиксов на Protection от Mad Professor (одного из самых больших даб-продюсеров не только Британии, но и мира). Однако не обходится здесь, конечно, и без трип-хопа (куда без него), и звучит он мощно, не даром Massive Attack - признанные пионеры жанра. Поразительно кинематографичная музыка. Sly могла бы легко стать саундтреком к фильму про Джеймса Бонда. Даже духовая секция на четвёртой минуте как у Джона Барри. Про скрипку я вообще молчу. Сильная песня. Эти ребята мастера саундтреков. В целом ощущение от музыки приятное, даже во рту сладкий привкус. И все-таки не могу не придраться. Надо признать, что иногда Protection звучит не слишком уверенно и убедительно из-за метания между электроникой и акустикой. Стыки выходят грубоватыми. Но трое отличных музыкантов способны отшлифовать все неровности и сгладить переходы, что они и доказали на следующем альбоме. О ЧЕМ: Текстовая составляющая не выступает здесь движущей силой песен; она ставит акценты, подчеркивает мысль. В случае Karmacoma текст - также наследие регги. Тема духовной свободы от границ и стереотипов вписывается в любовную историю: «Нам будет плохо вместе. Ты не торопись, иди погуляй и выдохни, потом поговорим спокойно» - говорит лирический герой. Основная тема - душевные проблемы в различных вариациях. Важную роль играет тема незащищенности, возникающей вследствие отчуждения и обособления от общества. Об этом свидетельствует даже название. ИТОГ: Такой альбом - всегда показатель упорной работы исполнителя: эмоциональной, умственной, физической в конце концов. Крепкий и интересный, важный для самих Massive Attack, начинающий робко использовать живые инструменты вместе сэмплов. Такая музыка должна выпускаться и жить, потому что заставляет отвлечься от самокопаний и задуматься о чем-то, помечтать, справиться со всем, что навалилось, и побыть в кои-то веки собой. ЛУЧШИЕ ПЕСНИ: Protection, Sly, Karmacoma

Succeeds in its desired atmosphere so it is respectable.

Two '94 trip hop albums in a row. Much preferred portishead out of the two and it was no where near as good as Blue Lines. I do like how the album artwork is a burnt out version of the flammable sign on the first album cover.

Didn't do much for me. It's a fine record, but I'm not sure why this is on the list. In spots, I think the list is more like 1,001 hours you'll never get back. Altogether, that's nearly 42 days.

Pretty dope. Pared down. Unpolished. I’ve always preferred Pink Floyd without Sid Barrett but solo I like him. He’s got a psych-folk-proto-punk thing going. I hear Donovan, The Iggy and the Stooges, Brian Eno. “No good trying” is some proto punk with thrumming guitar and great drumming. A couple of the more proto-punk songs were real bangers but nothing else stood out, kind of faded into hypnotic, cool background music. Better than expected. B-

I’m not sure how I feel about morisseys voice, but this album was perfectly fine. I don’t have much to say about it other than that it was completely acceptable in terms of sound and lyrics

I got 2 mins into the first song and already wanted to go back to bed. Not something i'd listen to.

It’s 2003. You walk into the W Hotel. You hear the soundtrack to your life and realize you are a secret European spy. THIS IS THE REAL YOU.

Amazing chill album

Loved it, not heard this album before but really like Massive Attack., so wasn’t surprised.

has a unique sound, if i had to put it in a playlist itd probably be with gorilaz songs. some songs kinda remind me of indian songs ive heard? all in all its a good album.

Didn't know this Massive Attack album yet. Good.

Great instrumentals

Fabulous chilled album that makes me wish I'd been old enough to go to Ibiza when it came out.

Never listened to these guys before. I always assumed they were kind of metal-adjacent because of their name. Turns out they're actually Thievery Corporation-adjacent. Also turns out that I'm a Massive Massive Attack Fan. Adding to all my groove playlists.

Heat Miser is fantastic. Loved every second of it. The album was overall good.

perfect combination of samples and a great voice. drop the light my fire cover, but otherwise perfect

Massive attack is always very cool

Massive Protect

funky, trippy, and above all cool. a very good consistent album with a great sound and vibe

Classic lo fi moody grooves with some stellar tracks and vocals (Tracey Thorn in particular) Still wonderful after almost 30 years.

I hesitated over giving this album 5 stars - but not for too long. If an album is perfection then it's worth ranking it to the highest level. Protection was such a defining record when it was first released. It still tells us a lot about the mid 90's, without losing the edge over the pst 25 years or so. Sometimes I think it's the production that makes this album stand out; then I think it's the songs. Or maybe the vocals of Tracey Thorn alone? It's probably all three. Right place, right time. Still banging.

This was a really nice one. I enjoyed it more than the other Massive Attack album we've had (which I rated 4 stars). Much more of the mellow goodness and less of the hip-hop or reggae elements I don't much (and better executed when it was present). A great listen.

Songs I knew but didn't know were MA. So glad I was introduced to this.

Very good listen in car drive home

Protection e Better Things tem belos vocais. Banda bem interessante.

Their best album, with the brillant Tricky still on board and with Travey Thorn. Maximquaye and Dummy in same year. Bliss.

6/10, 60%

I really like Massive Attack. This album is not on Mezzanine's level but it's close.

Yes, yes, yes. Fantastic album by Incredible band, not listened to this in a very long time and reminded how great it was

so good, brings back many vague memories of when it came out! Both Tricky and Tracey Thorn are incredible here, such a great set of tunes throughout. I think it's their best by far

Absolutely love this one.

Quality sounds from the Bristol boys, doesn't quite have the rawness of blue lines or the menace of mezzanine. Still songs like karmacoma and spy glass make it a triumph

Delicia

I loved it then. I love it now. That is all.

I don't know how to put it, but in simple terms: Massive Attack gets it. Even Protection, one of their lesser known albums (at least compared to other parts in discography) is full of that specific, slightly melancholic atmosphere. Every song takes you to a different place, like by pressing play, you are teleported to a land of chill and rhythm. The melodies and beats are always fascinating to get lost in it, and every track could have easily be 5 minutes longer with the main beat going over and over again. The selftitled, opening song is the greatest example. Its already almost 8 minutes long, but it's never boring, it just drills its attention deeper and deeper into your mind. It's just a great album and my only wish is that their other record will be on this list as well.

I loved every single music. Went to my favourites!

Masterfully crafted beats, songs emote feeling that gives you a sense of relaxing contemplation, must listen

I LOVED this album from the moment it began all the way to the end.

This album is Massive Attack at their finest, it does not suffer from second album syndrome.

This was my gateway album into Massive Attack. At the time it was especially the two tracks featuring Tracey Thorn that I kept playing. Although it may not be my favourite from them anymore, this is still a great album.

The ultimate triphop album? It is excellent throughout in every aspect, with nice samples, except for the Light My Fire cover at the end (ending with Heat Miser would have been perfect).

Love this bandd

Absolutely stunning album.

Brings back fond memories of early version chill out music, this is such a good album. The only negative is the inclusion of the live version of Light My Fire, kinda spoils the end of an awesome album.

Great album. To nit pic the final track a live cover of Light my Fire should of been left off.

Un clásico

Massive Attack. The music of my High School years.

Heat Miser is fantastic and Euro Child seems like it could have some inspiration for Gorillaz

In my head this was always considered a "lesser" Massive Attack album at the time (possibly misremembering...), but it's an exceptional album really. The Tracey Thorn features are the best for me, but it's all good. 5*

I just love this triphop stuff.

The birth of lo-fi?

Samo prve dvi vride ocjene

Best of their albums? Maybe. Hard to beat Safe from Harm. But maybe. Tracy Thorn - great.

Wow, I friggin love this. I'm familiar with massive attack by way of mezzanine and blue lines, and it's been at least 5 years since those were in my rotation, and I don't remember liking them as much as I like this right now. Every song is a fucking jam and beautifully recorded.

Smooth

What an opening. The warm hug of Protection, followed by the cold chill of Karmacoma. It carries on strong too. Weather Storm is one of the best instrumentals ever, a kind of gorgeous dub piano jazz. The back half struggles to live up to this start, but is still very good, especially if you like dub or have had a toke. It's brilliant, ultimately.

I really like "Protection"! It has really, really good vibes. "Karmacoma" is also really neat, "Weather Storm" has immense vaporwave vibes, and "Three" is actually genuinely so good! I didn't know much about Massive Attack, but this is a great and really diverse album.

Really enjoyed this one

Loved the album, but the last track really sucks you out of the experience. Still, would listen to again.

Kaikki genret tähditetään asteikko 1-5 tähteö tåmä on objektija... suus.. Trip hop kuitenkin tähditetään hiphopn skaalassa ajoten ei haittaa trip hop ei ikinä tule saamana 1 tai 2 tähteä heh (nimittäin shitty ass-nontriphop pophop albumit keräävät alhaiswt tähdet.. Noni ja aloitetaan albumi kuuntelu tietäen 3-5 skaala heh Vittu tätä ku kuuntelee tiskatessa herkkä hetki... Hifistelly aina kaikessa ja albumi hifistelyssä nyt sanotaan vaan sen verran ettö vtiuttaa jos popitusta mianstream yleisölle mukaidetuaan.. aluks tässä tuntu olevan.. mutta tiedä sitten.. Ollut niin hyvää musiikkia haluis sanoa tälläsestä että tämmönen on hyvä albumi nöin tehdään hyvä albumi tässä ladies and gentleman hyvää paskaa.. Ja sen teen.. kuunnelkaa jos haluatte vuoden 1994 parasta mianstream hip triphop paska.a.. olka ahyvä pöytä on katettu.. 49 min 10 kappelatta... 5 tähteä ti 12. syyskuuta.. kitään ja kuittaan ensipäivään..

A lovely record through and through - maybe it’s easy to mock Trip Hop but I can’t deny I love the big records that came out of the genre - and this is definitely THE trip hop album. I grew up with Mezzanine and I always kind of dismissed this one but it’s gorgeous - moody, groovy, sexy and theatrical.

Trip-Hop/Hip-Hop at its finest. This album is a smooth listen from start to end.

Þetta er argasta snilld. Ómögulegt að sitja kyrr. Vorkenni ykkur að hafa misst af danstjáningunni minni í eldhúsinu í morgun.

Massive Attack always has a special place in my heart. Extremely cool, chill triphop.

'Protection' was the album I put on on September 11th, when I needed to stop watching the news and find something comforting. Tracey Thorn's lyrics on the opening track felt like a warm blanket insulating me from the world. The whole album continues to feel like a safe space, escapist but with one eye still on reality. I know 'Blue Lines' is their celebrated album but I always found 'Protection' to be a huge leap forward for Massive Attack. It's not a perfect album but since I don't get review 'Mezzanine' (as it's not on the list), I can't not give 5 stars to at least one Massive Attack album.

Oh man, this was a really good album. I actually had really low hopes for it, expecting it to be some trappy experimental attempt at being "different", but nope. From the title track, I was hooked already. It's a smooth 7 minute trip carried by the strings and really opens up when the dub and piano comes in. Karmacoma is so different and yet it fits in as the next song really well somehow. Tricky has a really laidback but intricate flow, and with the beats laid behind him, it doesn't feel false or out-of-place. The 2 classically inspired pieces were my favorites. Heat Miser is just a really cool piece, while Weather Storm is more of a peaceful perfect rain song. Normally a beat like that would drive me nuts, but I always find myself humming it halfway through the song. The piano work is perfect, you can feel the song coming to a close before the beat starts to fade. This album is a great example of how minimalism can be better than more noise when everything works hard and in harmony with everything else. Most songs use very few instruments but they are brought together to create depth with the dubs and the keys and sometimes the strings. Every song was unique and diverse from the next and yet no song transition was jarring or unnatural. Despite being from many undefinable genres, this still sounds like one cohesive album. There was not a single song I didn't enjoy.

9/10 Massive Attack has gotta be one of the coolest electronic bands I’ve heard they might not be as good as Aphex Twin or Air, but they’re still absolutely fantastic

Just a classic of the genre, with wicked beats, hooks, and evocative stream-of-consciousness lyrics. I listen to this album end-to-end regularly and will keep doing so in perpetuity.

Супер хайповы вроде трип-хоп. Понравился сильно, хоть и не сильно разнообразный, продолжаем слушать P.S. С каждым альбомом все более впадлу писать

Awesome Album - gives me some retro vibes. Protection was one of my favorite songs when I was around 9 or 10 yo. Always turned the TV loud as hell when it came @VIVA or @MTV