Protection

Not into it.

Will never totally be my thing.

loved it, and am glad to see that it's not the only album by them on the list, excited to get the other one!!

This was fine but doesn't feel like it belongs on this list. It's the 2nd Massive Attack album on this list too, which seems like at least one too many. Good background music but ultimately who cares.

Delicia

Not my vibe. Couldn’t get into it at all. Did not finish.

Ändå bra. 3,5

Overall a good album, my views very similar to the previous one I listened to

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

Classic MA album, captures the moment and the feeling of the early/mid 90s perfectly for me.

Absolutely love this one.

Is this an good album? Yes, really good. Is this a classic? I'm less sure. Enjoyed listening (and re-listening), proper chilled out, (and love Tracey Thorn's vocals on Protection), but later on feels forgettable when compared to Blue Lines or Mezzanine.

not my scene

Nice.

Interesting. A bit slow for me I thought initially, but it grew on me, and I enjoyed listening to it. When the album had finished I didn’t think that I would be listening to it more than once, but by the evening I was playing it again, and I enjoyed it even more the second time around.

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

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

FAV TRACKS: PROTECTION, WEATHER STORM, BETTER THINGS, EURO CHILD, SLY, HEAT MISER The production is pretty unique, really enjoyed this record. 8/10

Doesn’t match their best. Album is patchy. Cover art 4/5

not kanye

I may never understand this band's appeal.

This must be the precursor for those generic 6 hour ambient electronic atmospheric early afternoon morning coffee while you study while you code while you spark a j while you take a shit chill out vibes for late autumn strolling cold winter afternoon at home by the fire meditation yoga contemplating the meaning of life outer space traveling the universe zoning out and finding inner peace mixes.

I think I liked the second album better

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

6/10, 60%

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

Protection is too slow, too chilled, not impactful enough for me. Dull 2/5.

This was not close to being as good as Blue Lines - Blue Lines seems to have a much more developed sound, despite being three years earlier. This feels more focused on reggae/ska, early tracks very reminiscent of the Specials, and it's just a bit too slow for most of it for me. 3/5, disappointing.

Decent

Massive shite

Apart from Protection, this album doesn't do anything for me and I wouldn't listen again

Title track is a 5⭐️ classic but it loses marks at an alarming rate from there on in.

Nice variety, but nothing really noteworthy.

Interesting choice of Massive Attack album to say the least. There are some definite highlights on this like the classical 'Weather Storm' and 'Euro Child' which would serve as the blueprint for the majority of tracks on Gorillaz' debut. However, when they decide to dip their toes into reggae like on 'Karmacoma' and 'Spying Glass' I lose all interest.

I don’t dig the reggae influence on this record at all. And I absolutely adore reggae! Is it a good thing if one of the best track on a trip hop album is the closest thing to a classical piece; “Weather Storm”? I was gonna hand this a 3 until I was reminded of the horrendous cover of “Light My Fire”. How on earth this was included on the original track list is beyond me.

I enjoyed this, probably not enough for a 4* but a solid 3*

Uninspiring.

Chill

It's not bad at all. Just a bit boring

4 stars

Not a big fan of this style of music, listened to more as just background noise rather than something that grabbed me

British triphop group. Protection was ok. I liked Three, Weather Storm and Heat Miser.

Quite a few styles and influences are represented here, and it's all quite good.

It’s like I woke up in a hip-hop themed spa. Pleasant enough but far too heavy on the trip (and light on the hop).

A cut above dinner music, but how far above is not entirely clear to me. Most tracks bleed into each other, so hard to think of a standout.

Lol what is this album. It's so weird I kinda like it. I'd say 2.125. 1. Protection 2. Spying Glass 3. Karmacoma

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.

Silent and slow, massive attack is not for me

This and the Mad Professor remix album would be a great double lp.

Je sais pas si c'est mon mood, mais moins aimé que l'autre album de Massive Attack que j'ai eu. Se laisse écouter, mais est plus drabe que l'autre. Le cover de The Doors est juste inexcusable.

Smooth summer sounds.

Trash pop

Obviously not a must hear album by any metric, but it was a decent listen for the background. A little more like an ambience beats album.

Yet another electronic album, this one with half songs that are heavily influenced by different genres and the other ones purely instrumental. Unfortunately none of them at a rather good level but rather annoyingly bad

not bad

Can’t really get into it

Overall synth electronic music is not my thing so I approached this with a bit of rigid preconception. Well, there is a uniqueness to it. Sounds futuristic, mellow, as if entering a void or alternate dimension. At times like the space one can experience just before falling asleep. A bardo of sorts. I like that music can take you different places. This music is able to stimulate some hidden often neglected part of the brain. That is an achievement. But I wouldn't listen to it much, I can appreciate it though.

This was fine, nothing amazing.

Pretty solid album, but not any good individual songs. Heat Miser might be good for Road Work. Has a really groovy cover of Light My Fire.

Pleasant enough, but a bit boring if I'm being honest. Sort of like Portishead without the thrills. 3 stars.

Well go figure, it's UK garbage again. I never liked this band. Boring, meandering, overly long, cruddy electronica. Come-down music for pinger-loving dickheads. Their songs used to be all over late night rage in the mid 90s, taking up valuable space that Pantera and Rollins Band needed; I hated it then, and it hasn't improved with age. A real struggle to get through. 1/5.

I can see why people enjoy it, and on some level I understand why it's good. However, it's just meh to me. I can't connect with the music at all, and it's just background noise to me. I don't dislike it, but I don't really like it either.

I'm a fan of Massive Attack but haven't explored much of their music, I'm more acquainted with Mezzanine as I'm sure most people are. First few songs on this were super chill and a good warm up. Enjoyed the piano in "Weather Storm" along with its squishy bass line. "Spying Glass" almost sounded like the collabed with Fat Freddys Drop which was fun, surprised to see some "Reggae" in this. I think MA took a bit more of a relaxed approach to electronic music than most at this time, makes it more easy to connect with I think. It's hard to pick a stand out song from this album for me, as with all MA stuff, its so unique its hard to draw comparisons. That being said, it might have to be "Heat Miser", or "Better Things"

Give me 90s electronica any day. Not my fave album by them but interesting none the less - I really enjoyed Weather Storm.

Very chilled, some songs a bit too long. Liked every song except the last one... Which was so out of place from the rest of the album.

Decent without being great

Best Song: Weather Storm. Nice instrumental chill track. good for relaxing or reading. Worst Song: Spying Glass. I became annoyed at the warble that was put at the end of each delivered vocal phrase. It felt like a weird call-out to reggae that didn't capture the best elements of reggae. Overall: Like the other Massive Attack album I've already had on this list, it feels like a chill but ultimately directionless collection of beats and slow jams. I will say that the vocal tracks were better on average here than on the other album, but still found myself getting bored at times.

Getting bad Filter / Incubus vibes from this album art. Never listened to Massive Attack before, so let's see what this is. There's a fine vibe here overall but it never pulls me in. That is, until we get to this version of Light My Fire at the end and, oh man, if you wanted me to want to turn this off, mission accomplished.

As a rule I dislike the whole trip-hop deal, but honestly? I didn't mind this. Perhaps it's the fact that it leans into jazz somewhat, perhaps it's the surprising variety on display - and certainly, production-wise, it sounds great. Superior mood music, then, but don't necessarily use my rating as any kind of barometer; I still don't like trip-hop.

Yeah, I dunno. I probably liked this one better overall compared to the other Massive Attack record we listened to, but I wouldn't say any of this feels particularly essential. This is literally the type of music kids do their homework to these days (seriously: look up LoFi Girl on YouTube) because it's so unobtrusive yet still has a beat to help keep you from falling asleep. I like some of that stuff better than this. And I still would prefer to listen to Portishead. But there were moments on this one that worked just fine in that background space of staying interesting without being obnoxious. The notable exception being, indeed, the last song which does not need to be mentioned again by name. The site skipped Motorhead on me completely, so I had to listen to that one today. I kind of think that if you can write a genuinely good song about your band's road crew then you can pretty much do whatever you want. This shit rules. I didn't love "Dance," but if somebody asked me for an album that tears things up in a "Back in Black" kind of way, but with more zits and cigarettes... this is the first record I'd reach for.

Oh, hey look. Another British 90's electronic act that is a must-listen to. Just like the dozens of other British 90's electronic acts that are on this list. Aside from the above, this album is pretty good. 3/5.

Chreelin

I was thinking that these guys were crazy to put Massive Attack’s first three albums on here, but then I found out that Mezzanine isn’t included. Wtf Blobert? Anyways good album

ProSexin

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

A groundbreaking album that's still a good listen.

Weaker than their debut or their classic followup Mezzanine but still a solid album. Massive Attack are always a good vibe.

Massive Attack albums are a bit of a trial. Wall to wall oppressiveness means listening in a single sitting is more hassle than it is rewarding

Massive Attack may be the least appropriately named band on the planet. 'Medium Sized Pacificst' would be more apt. This album was not as coma-enducing as Blue Lines, but is dull, dull, dull. I once saw Massive Attack live. They were pretty boring. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Protection Date listened: 24/06/22

Very good listen in car drive home

Ok

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

Not for me. Does have a bit of a relaxing feel, especially compared to other electronic albums, but I still couldn't get into it really.

Interesting electronica album, not bad but wasn’t enthralled

The band name and album cover didn't really invite me in; I wasn't expecting to enjoy this album. But the groove just pulls you along into some kind of synth trance. Excellent for a chill vibe. Best tracks: Karmacoma, Three, Heat Miser. Not sure why Light My Fire is tacked onto the end, though.

Coolness made into an album

Not the top one by Massive Attack, but solid

Very chill

Perfect album. Defies definition.

Listened while playing Lego Star Wars

Because of my last experience with Massive Attack, I was expecting a 1-star album with annoying electronic music that just takes too long to be enjoyable. I'm happily surprised that this was not exactly the case. It's still far from my preference for music, but I didn't hate these 45 minutes as I expected before. I believe that the hip-hop and reggae influence in some songs helped a lot to be an almost enjoyable album.

trudde eg likte massive attack, men detta skuffa

Ikkje nåke for meg. Plaga meg at alle vokalistane hørtes ut som Dido og ho fra Goldfrapp, uten å vær da. Like at siste sangen e et frampeik på bedre album me har i vente

Never heard of them before. Interesting.

Pretty forgettable. Nothing offensive, but certainly didn't NEED to listen to this.

I enjoyed this one more than the previous Massive Attack album.

Not my jam

Enjoyable. But not much more than that.

decent

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.

More sultry and seductive than Blue Lines, but a steaming, chilled album

Good sound but could not get into it

Boring

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Euro child

Je comprends qu’il annonce la mise en place d’un nouveau courant, mais c’est loin d’être le meilleur.

This was fun, reminded me of early Archive - I guess it should be the other way round, but nevermind. Anyway, chill beats, somewhat heavy, but not overwhelming. Light My Fire was a nice addition, but was it necessary? Highlight: Protection

Super chillowe nuty, ale nic nadzwyczajnego. Każdy utwór próbował celować w trochę inny styl. Idealne do słuchania w tle. Light my fire na końcu totalnie z dupy.

Massive Attack znam i bardzo lubię. Ba, uważam że Mezzanine jest jednym z moich ulubionych albumów i jest po prostu solidnie 10/10. Niestety, na tym krążku nie złapali jeszcze tego charakterystycznego brzmienia. Niektóre kawałki są mega klimatyczne i carry'ują album. Niektóre z kolei tak nudne, że aż męczące. Nie widać tu też takiego motywu przewodniego, jaki ich cechował w innej twórczości. Wiem, że stać ich na więcej. Dałbym 3.5, nie mogę, więc dam 3 - jeszcze jakieś ich albumy będą, to się zobaczy.

‘Protection’ does its thing quietly and assuredly, with little fuss. It’s warm and intimate, thick and heavy, blunted and moody. File under ‘late night listening’.

As with Massive Attack generally, I love about half of this album. Most notably their work with ‘guest’ vocalists Tracy Thorne and Horace Andy. Some great grooves and samples in there. The album in parts sounds very much of its time, production wise, but the songs that work really work. Spying Glass has always been the standout track here for me.

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.

It took me a *very* long time to warm to this album. On the balance, though, it is the most ... authentic? organic? ... of MA's first three albums. (Mezzanine, which is my favourite, has Del Naja's bleakness hanging over it; Blue Lines is a great album, but a little bumpy win places.) Anyway...

Не мой альбом. Красивый, спокойный, но не зацепил. Певица свои партии исполнила здорово :)

Moments of 'huh' and some of 'nice'

Good but not as good as the other album of theirs we listened to!

I expected to like this one a lot more than I did. Could have been my mood on that particular day or could be some missing magic in the album.

I want to like Massive Attack so much, and I totally dug the start of this album, but I ultimately got bored.

I couldn't finish this. I was totally bored. Not sure why I didn't like this one verse the last Massive album.

I can’t believe I never noticed that the title track is 8 minutes long. Just goes to show how DAMN smooth it is. Passes like a river, and it could go longer and I wouldn’t mind. This is even better than Blue Lines- better choices, more mature. I love it so. Still not perfect, end to end, though… if Mezzanine doesn’t come up on this list at some point, I’m going to freak out!

Not great. Background noise but nothing I was focusing on to really hear.

i really, really liked the intro, i thought that it was very groovy. it’s giving off a very jazzy aura which i don’t listen to, too often but i enjoyed nevertheless ! solid 7/10😊😊

Starts off slow, but grows real nicely. Good stuff.

Very chill baby

Liked to know and hear this band. Cool music for working time.

No, no, no.

Funky vibe going on, found it a little difficult to get into but enjoyed it nonetheless.

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

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

Sort of on the fence this one, wasn't against it, but wouldn't revisit.

Genre creating masterpiece.

Not as good as Mezzanine or Blue Lines. Still good.

I found this album to be mid. It was vibey but never really took off for me. Parts of sounded like cinema score and I mean that in a bad way. Parts were sonically interesting but it never coalesced for me in the way that every great album does. The light my fire cover was the best track, if the album had more like that I would have liked it.

Not sure what to make of this record. I do like a lot of it, but what is it? Rap, reggae, jazz, hip hop, electronics? All of the above? I really liked Tracy Thorn’s vocals but she’s only on a couple of tracks. Most unusual version of a Doors song I’ve ever heard to close the record. While I like it, I think it’s music to play in the “quiet room” at a party, not the main event. Doesn’t make me want to see them live.

This was pretty interesting but nothing gripped me. It was a cool fusion of styles and well executed but I don’t feel like I ever need to hear this again

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

Задатки будущих шедевральных альбомов уже чувствуются. Не могу сказать, что этот альбом целиком рекомендую, но несколько сильных треков есть. Вообще, трип-хоп как жанр интересное явление и надеюсь, что все главные альбомы жанра будут в списке.

I loved loved loved the production and instrumentals here. If you want a chill, cool, yet moody atmosphere, this is it.

Good enough.

Influential and good but not as well known as earlier debut album.

It's alright

I crept onto this album a few times, mostly because it didn’t get my attention too much and it was over before I realized. Very relaxing

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

Why?

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. 😕

I really liked the first track and was disappointed when the rest wasn't all in that vein. It wasn't until near the end with Heat Miser that I became interested again. It's gonna be a 3 for me here. || The best tracks could be part of a killer soundtrack to a sci fi video game, the worst sound like diddles of electronic synth fiddling.

Smooth 90's Nu Jazz.

Massive Protect

My 3rd favourite MA album which still makes for an excellent listen. Overall a quieter affair than either Blue Lines or Mezzanine that can languish a little at times. The vocals are a particularly strong point and it is a very consistent listen front to back with moments of brilliance. The title track is one of those moments; absolutely gorgeous the show stolen by Tracy Thorn's vocals. Eurochild and Better Things are other examples of Massive Attack at the top of their game. Not as brilliant as Blue Lines but hardly the disappointment that some say. 4 🌟

Super songs mixed with not so good songs.

A touch boring. I was expecting a bit more from them.

amazing

ekki ég

Decent album with some memorable tunes. Don’t think I’d skip any either.

Chill as hell. 7/10

To be completed

Fucking classic

Amazing album

Massive attack is always very cool

Muddy beats, smooth vocals, easy listening for the mid 90s. Best Tracks: Protection, Karmacoma; Heat Miser

Didn't finish, none of the tracks felt like they ever got going within the first minute or so

Muito bom quando aparece mais opção de trip hop.

Ihan lepposa pläjäys. Meni vähän ohi kun joutu tekemään ajatustyötä vaativaa työtä samaan aikaan.

Ei oo nonstop-parasta tältä pumpulta, mut paljon hyvää

I liked the first song on the album, but that was it.

7th February 2022 Listened throughout the day, went to see scream 5 in the evening at streatham odeon with noisy girls behind us. I can appreciate massive attack but not sure I’d listen again and again. 2.5 if I could.

Really took me back, what a surprisingly diverse and interesting album this is.

Brilliant. Purchased immediately after listening.

This was boring. Early 90s electronic was neither that good nor that influential

Kolejny wyspiarski albumik wjechal, tym razem massive attack z ich drugim studyjnym krazkiem protection, ktory kontynulujac tradycje z blue linesow blenduje style i gatunki zeby wypluc z nich czilujace downtempowe traczki, ktore najlatwiej zaklasyfikowac jako trip-hop, wiec kolejny dzien z elektronika, ale tym razem 49 minut odsluchu to czilera, dziesiec kawalkow, a mozna naliczyc z 6 roznych wokali, to wlasnie co najbardziej mi przeszkadzalo podczas odsluchu, bo o ile beaty sa ciekawe, to wokalnie loteria, lirycznie szczepy ktore ciezko nawet oceniac, ciezko sie polapac w tym kolektywie massivo attackowym, ale o wiele bardziej bym wolal plyte jako czysty instrumental, jak na trakach heat miser i weather storm, ktore leca na plejke, bo szlagiery plyty, czyli otwierajacy protection czy karmacoma ze swoimi wokalami, to dla mnie bardziej missy niz hity, no ale i tak zdecydowanie lepiej sie tego sluchalo niz wczorajszego picka lub podobnego gatunkowo muzyka wyspiarskiego, ktory juz przewinal sie przez liste z podobnym materialem, choc o wiele bardziej bardziej popowym

It's cool, it's fine, idk man I just didn't really get it all that much. No two songs sound the same but that's not necessarily a good thing just like how every song on an album sounding alike isn't necessarily a bad thing, eh. It's a good album, 2.5/5

An excellent introduction to chill triphop

Hay tres o dos canciones que destacan sobre el resto en un disco que está lleno de música para ponerse de fondo al trabajar.

Album escuchado en el trayecto Alicante-Madrid, a través de la meseta. Lo definiría como bastante agradable aunque sin llegar a tocar mis botones musicales. Curiosamente mis tracks favoritos son en los que no se rapea: Weather Sorm (directa a mi playlist de instrumentals), el track medio reggae Spying Glass y Better Things son mis highlights. Nada me ha volado la cabeza pero la forma de programar los drums y la "to study and relax to" energy que me dio me gustan. Diría que los versos (no he prestado mucha atención al contenido lirico, pero presiento que son un factor secundario) han sido sin más. Me gusta la vibe instrumental, curiosos drums, algunos temas. Pero lo que viene a ser la atmósfera musical del disco no me capturó del todo. Y Light My Fire como outro por los loleiros, un toque. La puntuación real seria algo asi como 3,25/5 para ser pedantemente especifico.

It is good music to listen while doing something else, but a bit forgettable

Really cool slow moody electronica. Nice vibe.

Not Known at All, This is Just a Weird Album.

Thoroughly enjoyable - not quiet as good their first outing "Blue Line's". The Mad Professors remix of the album "No Protection" which used to do it back in the day would probably get 4.5 stars....

Ik ben groot fan van Unfinished Sympathy en dit album past in die stijl, maar mist toch net dat extra gevoel. Het is een relaxt album met leuke elektronische geluidjes, maar voelt een beetje langdradig waardoor het soms gaat vervelen. ***

Torn about this one. I quite like electronic music. I hate hip hop with a passion. So many of these tracks get a hard pass from me. Heat Miser is nice, though. 2.5/5, which I'll round up.

good

So well put together.

97. Protection - Massive Attack - 10 tracks. I love Massive Attack, (or thought I did), but with the exception of the 2 tracks with Tracey Thorn vocals, this was just completely uninspiring and didn't even sound like them. I had been really looking forward to this.😖 3/5 😮

I've always heard massive attack talked about. I really liked the first track. I don't care too much for the other dudes vocals throughout this. It isn't bad just sounds a bit goofy to me every once and a while.

Atmospheric, mellow good moody music but one listen was enough.

Moody, groovy, and surprisingly varied. Definitely a solid entry in the trip-hop genre; it's man flaw is that it lacks any real "stand-out" tracks for me.

This album is low key and groovy, and while it has lost a little luster for me, I still think it is a great album when I'm feeling extra moody.

Not an album of theirs I knew particularly but enjoyed. Will listen more. Might even have been a 4.

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Protection, Sly Cutting Edge: Euro Child Overall Notes: "Naw this shis reeul mewshick!!!"- the British people who heard Massive Attack put laid back hip-hop beats underneath soul/R&B tracks. British mfs will not survive the rapture. (this is a bit. the music isn't actually bad but it's kinda boring and I don't see what the hype is about. it reminded me of fever ray but less sonically unique. yes I understand they came 15 years earlier and were probably one of the first to do this kind of music. doesn't make it nothing but mildly interesting background music.)

In not a 'Massive' fan of them on the whole and I think this album is really boring. The albums before and after it were miles better in my opinion

Pretty cool

Don't think I really get this one, but enjoyed a few of the tracks.

I did not dig it

Not terrible... but definitely not for me.

Þetta var eiginlega allt öðruvísi en ég hafði ímyndað mér Massive Attack. Guð hvað það er gaman að prufa eitthvað nýtt!

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

nice groovy beats. not bad, chill electronic music. kind of boring

Ближе к 4 но он не такой культовый для меня как другие их

Musically interesting. Not for me though

Protection is a pretty good song w cool guitars and haunting vocals. I would have bet a lot of money that the second song wasn’t the same band. It’s also a fun song. The rest of the album continues its genre surfing. It’s one of those cases that genre surfing works.

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 was fine, but in think White Lines was a better effort.

Doing so much damage

It is definitely not bad, but its very boring to be honest.

yep, a milestone

Massive Attack can be a little hit or miss for me, especially later on but Protection and Mezzanine are great albums

I'd not listened to Massive Attack before this and I went in with absolutely no expectations. I quite enjoyed the album and would happily give it a 3.5 if I could.

Love me some Massive Attack, if Mezzanine isn't on this list somewhere down the line I riot. Protection is a good record, though front loaded quite heavily with a drop from Spying Glass onward but those first 4 tracks do a lot of heavy lifting.

I really like Massive Attack so this doesn't come as a surprise to me! A strong 4, not a 5

This was an interesting one - an album that I bought as a teen and absolutely hated! Adult me has slightly more time for it, but I still think the title track is whiny as hell, and a lot of the songs are barely better than background music. It gets slightly better from there, with a few good beats and nice raps (highlights for me are karmacoma and heat miser), but due to my entirely arbitrary rating system and the fact I think I'd feel disappointed if you gave me this as a gift, it gets a 2.

Hearing we'd listen to an album by Massive Attack I was hoping to hear an album in the style of mezzanine -- only song I'm really familiar with is Teardrop (sorry for the stereotype). And with those expectations I was severely let down. It was a decent album, sure, but I was bored for a large portion of it.

Good mood music

First song was fire rest of the songs were eh

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

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

Interesting electronic album.

honestly don't remember it, despite listening to it over lunch, so you get a 3

I'm not sure what this is really. Like electronic Amy Grant? I liked Spying Glass and Karmacoma. This album sort of reminded me of Portishead as well, which is a band I do like. I think this type of music is best suited for background music and even music to focus attention on tasks. It is mostly surface level to me, which is not a bad thing, but not something I can fully engage with.

3 good tracks

This album was simply not for me. 2/10.

I don't know, there was nothing here that really stood out. With a name like \"Massive Attack,\" I was expecting something... harder. Something that was bigger, more MASSIVE. Instead it just seemed very... minor. There was a live track at the end of them covering \"Light My Fire,\" and it was very much how I felt about the album. It was... just unimpressive.

Nah. I remember when Massive Attack was all the rage and I didn't get it. Still don't. I don't need music to have sex to. Not interested in it so I can have a trippy experience or to hypnotize myself. What else is it good for? Decent beats but the music is better paired with female singers (too bad Tracey Thorn had her own stuff to keep her busy) than male ones (or the male ones chosen). Mezzanine was a better album. Next!

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.

I like Massive Attack, but I like their later albums much better when they introduce a bit of an edge to the music (e.g., Mezzanine and 100th Window). Without that edge this is nice background music but has few moments that make me go "wow." Unfortunately, only this album and Blue Lines are included in the 1001 albums so it looks like we won't be getting any of the later albums. Oh, well. To each their own.

Not really my genre, but most of it was pleasant to listen to.

7/10

6/10. Pretty good, not especially my thing.

Too consistently low tempo for my taste. And I’m not a big fan of the reggae influences. Excellent production. 6/10

This album gave me Porcupine Tree vibes. Each song felt like it was performed by a completely different band. While I didn't always care for the lyrics, the tunes were very chill.

The Massive Attack albums I have owned are Blue Lines and Mezzanine. Personally, I prefer the exquisite bleakness of Mezzanine to Blue Lines too-cool-for-skool eclecticism, but both are rather fine albums. So, I was not unprepared for Protection. And, as someone who has enjoyed plenty of Massive Attack in the past, it's slightly disappointing. Don't misunderstand me, the music is of Massive Attack's high standard, but that's the problem. It feels safe, tentative. You hope for the band to evolve, for the album to take far more risks, but they seem to have been stymied by the success of Blue Lines, and as such we have a classic example of second album syndrome. I acknowledge that I sound overly negative, but that's because I know the group did better before and after. With this album, I wish they'd been more daring, and used less protection (thank you and goodnight!).

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

6/10

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

not my cup of tea

An old favourite

This was fine but file under electronic that’s on this list because UK

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.

"three's my lucky number"

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

Good lounge sounds

I have to be in the right mood, but this is just so deliciously smooth. Just lie back and let it wash over you.

Nope, not my thing.

Classy

A pretty good electronic album

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

Smooth Bristol dark acid jazz, trippy and chill with a jagged edge.

Known before: n/a Favorite: protection

Smooth chill album

Love it.

Added!

decent easy listening ambient/electronic album

not what i was expecting! interesting. i liked it. would listen again

Empezó bien pero ya llegó se hizo laaargo.

Me cuesta mucho trabajo calificar este disco. Me gusta mucho Massive Attack pero me cuesta mucho trabajo ponerle atención a este disco. Seguramente para su época fue un adelantado y todo está perfectamente balanceado. Tan todo perfecto que si lo ponen en un elevador no tengo broncas.

Otro disco que cambió ahora que estoy más vejete

Decent 90s electronica/trip hop. Good downtempo beats and solid female vocals. Nice range of genres. Checked out and preferred both mezzanine and blue lines after.

Mild and chill but executed better by orhers

I read somewhere in the comments under one Talking Heads song that this is how MA would sound if they existed back then. Because of that I was looking forward to this album. Now I am looking forward to listening to the next one as soon as possible.

Slaps

The first couple of songs were not my thing but the rest was much more my cup of tea!

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

Very 90s.

Oof, this album was not for me. The constant beat drove me crazy, and the breathing on the Heat Miser track was so unbearable I actually cried out "Make it stop!" even though I know I could have made it stop- I didn't want to because I haven't not completed an album on this list so far and didn't want to start.

This is a great album to chill out to, or to have on in the background whilst studying or working or doing something you need to focus on. Best: Protection Worst: Spying Glass 2.5 Stars

Chill out. Dance

Perfect ambient work music. I ended up listening to the 'recommended songs' playlist afterwards for hours.

Liked the balance in going back and forth between the female and male singer. A bit ambient for my tastes - liked the Doors cover bonus track.

Superbly created music. Great for any occasion

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

Second Listen. Gave it a 3/5 on first listen. Love the sound and vibe of this album. Very mellow and cool. Still a strong 3/5.

Erg 'lounge-achtige' muziek. Om erg op het gemak naar te luisteren

Very dull, nothing stands out to me and then they stick a live version of a dreadful cover on the end

A nice enough dance album with one amazing standout track (Protection). One point deducted for an appalling love track tacked on for no apparent reason.

There’s nothing worse than hearing clear talent dish out something boring and dull. I remember hating this in the 90s and whilst I can appreciate it’s well put together it’s boring as hell. So much better was to come

I enjoyed this album

Nice relaxing sounds. Good background music. My wife kept saying she liked it.

Loved it...undiscovered gem

3.5 | Después de el disco flojo y soso de Gotan Project este album cayó como un agradable refresco de memoria de la forma en que se puede hacer música electrónica, que puede ser suave, no bailable y no por eso aburrida. Un disco que no hay mucha forma de ponerle nombre, las canciones a pesar de que se pueden sentir de un estilo todas muy distintas, todas creativas, está ese trip hop en algo como Karmacoma, canciones medio ambientales que podrían sentirse influencia del vaporware como Weather Storm o una especie de reggae pop extraño con Spying Glass. Creo lo que me ha agradado mucho de este grupo siempre es que uno no sabe qué esperar, no hacen muchas canciones que se parezcan entre sí (como por ejemplo pudiera uno decir que Daft Punk siempre suena muy similar) y aunque sí obviamente se escuchan metidos en su estilo siempre se siente fresco incluso dentro de un mismo disco. Quizá lo único que me preocupa ahora es si esta lista va a tener demasiado Massive Attack, me puede gustar bastante pero en realidad van dos discos y todavía falta el que creo es el mejor de ellos. A veces siento que abusan de poner casi discografía completa de algunos artistas que no era necesario. En este caso incluso a pesar de mi gusto por el grupo yo no hubiera puesto en la lista ni el debut ni este, solo hubiera puesto Mezzanine... que en teoría todavía falta (o que quizá no venga y simplemente me quede confundido en cómo eligen esos dos sobre el otro).

3.5 pero sube | Me vuelve a pasar con Massive Attack que el disco en general me es agradable y puedo disfrutar de sus detalles, pero me cansa el tema triphopero o electrónico y de pronto ya no le estoy prestando toda mi atención. Creo que este disco me gustó incluso más que el anterior que oímos de ellos por la fusión con otros ritmos y géneros que son lo que le da un poco más de variedad.

Certainly not what I expected. I have a techno-jazz vibe with this one. Would be a great slightly buzzed drivetime track

Nicer than blue lines

Adoro i Massive Attack degli album successivi (non capisco perché Mezzanine non è nella lista), qui sono ancora un po' acerbi ma si sente che stavano percorrendo la strada giusta. I pezzi che mi piacciono di più sono Protection, Karmacoma e Eurochild. Concludendo, quest'album già lo conoscevo, loro secondo me già spaccavano, ma dovevano ancora sbocciare. Direi che è stato un piacevole ascolto. 3

Sono sempre stato un po' un fan dei Massive Attack e questo album, che non avevo mai sentito, non mi ha deluso. Su questo disco c'è la loro firma inconfondibile, il giusto equilibrio di atmosfera, raffinatezza e senso artistico del pezzo. Le interpretazioni vocali sono tutte molto particolari come sempre. La produzione è forse una delle cose che mi ha sempre impressionato di più dei loro dischi e pensare che questo disco sia stato prodotto nel 1994 mi sembra incredibile. Diciamo che come lati negativi forse è difficile non confrontarli con i Massive Attack successivi e notare che mancano di un livello di raffinatezza superiore che svilupperanno più avanti, certi pezzi sono anche forse non sviluppati al meglio e l'album forse fa sentire lievemente la sua durata. Comunque un po' meno di 4 ma merita il 4.

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.

Chill background music.

Nice mood music.

Un album electro special qui ne se demarque pas trop mais qui est las mal dans le genre. 3.40

A favourite, era defining for me.

I like it 3+

Not a fan

Carino ma da risentire

It's got a vibe. Good music for when you're unsure how you're feeling and want to cover all the bases.

July 22, 2021 I liked one or two tracks on here (Karmacoma) but wasn't really into the rest. OK background music but not sure I'd just listen to it for its own sake. I think I'd prefer a little more upbeat. I really, really dislike the last track. Why did they include that?

Great instrumentals

Great album overall, standouts for me are protection, heatmiser, better things. Not a fan of spying glass or light my fire though so 4 stars.

A favourite Still fresh ... so influential

MASSIVE ATTACK PEW PEW PEW

Not my usual fare but I enjoyed it for what it was. It is un-categorizable in genre, but still feels unified.

Nope. I can recognize the talent and the good songwriting, but long instrumental breaks and songs longer than 6 minutes aren’t for me. The really slow electronic sound doesn’t work for me either. I will say that the lyrics in Protection (title track) and Better Things stick out, but I only saved the latter because the song Protection is just. way. too. long.

It's a very cinematic album. It sounds like it could be in the background of a heist or spy movie. For a soundtrack, it's pretty enjoyable; however as a regular listening album, I think it's not something I can vibe out to or to sing along to. Favorite track: Heat Miser

This album fucks. Idk how to describe the sounds but its such atmospheric stuff.