Protection

Protection While Protection and Karmacoma are among Massive Attack’s best songs I’ve never felt this is a particularly strong album, particularly compared to the albums either side of it, Blue Lines and Mezzanine. I’d likely rank it below 100th Window and Heligoland too. There are pointers to the sound on Mezzanine in the title track, the piano chords and arpeggio in particular hint at the more dramatic, more widescreen sound to come. I love Karmacoma’s tinny, metallic clanging and the way the bass rumbles beneath it, with Tricky’s rap on top, a great song. While Three is a level or two below those two songs it’s a great track, Nicolette’s vocal is excellent as is the pulsing rhythm. We hit the first rocky patch with Weather Storm, which you could generously describe as aimless muzak, so devoid of atmosphere that it is. I love Horace Andy’s voice, but he can’t quite liven up Spying Glass, again it has slight aimlessness to it. Better Things is fine and Eurochild is good, but they clearly feel like retreads of Protection and Karmacoma. Sly might be the strongest song outside the opening pair, with its John Barry-esque swirling strings. Heat Miser is a return to that aimless feel of Weather Storm, and I’ve never really been into their version Light My Fire, and it feels like its just been tacked on to the end of the album While the high points are good, there does feel like a lack of inspiration elsewhere, making for an underwhelming and unsatisfying listen, especially when Blue Lines and Mezzanine are so great, and I think that leaves it as a high 3. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Playlist submission: Protection

Yeah Massive Attack has a lot better, still some nice moments like the title track though

I was previously familiar with Massive Attack but not this album. This is a trip hop album, very much in line with their other material that I already knew. This album has some nice grooves. I don't love the rap parts, but that's not a big part of this album. Overall this is a fine listen and I would listen again.

use protection

Disappointed after Mezzanine.

Super chill beats to enjoy a rainy day to (it happens to be a rainy day)

Not well-versed in trip hop but thought this was pretty sweet!

Overall: 6/10 Honestly, this started off amazingly with Protection. That is quite possibly my new favourite Massive Attack song, it's so chill. Unfortunately, the album just keeps going downhill from there, with each new song being worse than the last. I wanted to love it, and it's still a decent listen, but it could have been better. Fav Song: Protection

almost 4 just because of trace thorn

'Protection' is probably the worst Massive Attack album, which speaks a lot because it's a great one. While 'Mezzanine' and 'Blue Lines' are way better albums, songs like 'Protection' and 'Karmacoma' are among my all-time favorites. It's music to make love to, I promise you.

10/17/26 (late again) the creeping somber pace of the music is one of the aspects that I loved most about this. legit the perfect music to listen to on a rainy or overcast day at home. Notable Tracks: - Protection - Weather Storm - Eurochild - Sly

Cool. But still not as good as Mezzanine

byeah

The title track is massive (pardon the pun). But the album is still timeless. High 3s.

This exists in a really interesting spot for me, cause I love the albums on either side of this in their discography, but for some reason this just doesn't do it the same way. I think Blue Lines is a really fun and groovy downtempo thing, and then Mezzanine is the pinnacle of trip hop, and this just kinda falls in the middle for me. There are some moments where you can hear them start to reach for the more anxious sound that they really perfected with Mezzanine, but a lot of it feels like it treads in the same sort of ground that Blue Lines did. Despite that, though, this is a really strong album from one of my favorite bands. It just exists in a weird spot for me. Favorites: Karmacoma, Spying Glass, Euro Child

Years ago, I was visiting a friend in London. He gave me The Chillout Sessions, Volume 2 as a gift. So much good stuff on there -- but I was always drawn to the low groove of Weather Storm. When I got thrown Maxinquaye a few months later and went down the Massive Attack rabbit hole, hearing it was like unexpectedly running into an old friend. It's good stuff.

Massive Attack is a peculiar band. Every song is pretty different from the last, but it’s still unmistakably Trip Hop coded at heart above all else. This is the second of 2 Massive Attack albums I’ve rolled for this project. The first one, Blue Lines, surprised the hell out of me. It took an artist I didn’t like, Tricky, and actually made me kind of like the songs he was in. There were some bangers, and I even saved some to my frequent rotation mix. I gave it a 4. Protection, by contrast, just isn’t as good. Nothing I would save or listen to again. It’s fine, but it’s very repetitive and not in a way I find particularly interesting. Despite all the songs being pretty distinct, they’re just so boring. Hilariously, Tricky is also only featured on one of the songs on the album. Double hilarious is that it’s my favorite song on the album, as it’s the most memorable, and makes me want to go back to Blue Lines instead. “Euro Child” has a catchy, vibey beat, and a singer who I’m now quite familiar with. Instead of mildly bugging me like he usually does, I actually like the way he sings here, accompanied by whoever is going “EYAAAAYYYAAA” in the background. That too is catchy. This album is a 3. It’s not as good as the other one, and if Spotify’s most played Massive Attack songs are to be believed, it’s shocking that the album Mezzanine is not on here, as it takes up a great bit of their Top 10, including the first 2 spots. So now I have to listen to that album. Usually, it’s a good thing when a band from this project is enjoyable enough to warrant me seeking out more of their stuff, but in this instance I would probably have preferred what they left out to what was actually here to begin with. This album isn’t bad, it’s just very basic and repetitive beats with no real substance. Still, they’re very pretty beats and each song is different enough so that it only bored me a little. Preferably I’d like to not be bored at all, but eh, this album was a little boring unfortunately. It’s a low 3 out of 5, quite disappointing compared to the last one, but it’s still ok as a whole. But I have to wonder what that ending track is doing. A live cover of “Light My Fire” is a very strange choice for an album like this. Not only does it not work in the context of the album, it’s also just not a great rendition of what is usually a phenomenal song. So that was worth bringing up, it stands out. Just not in the way you would want it to. Ok, one solid album that surprised the heck out of me, and one album that was just ok at best, and boring at worst. Not bad for a band I’d never heard of before until I started this project. Not bad at all.

This is what Bristol sounds like to this day

Cool but this is not my thing.

Solid listen. I agree that the "Light my fire" inclusion is a bit weird, it doesn't really take away from the album regardless.

Massive Attack is one of the most unique groups I've ever heard

The fact that this album was picked for the list instead of Mezzanine is criminal, and seriously undermines the author's credibility as a music critic (an aberration that has fortunately been corrected by the user-submitted album list). I'm not saying it's a bad album. Karmacoma is a complete killer, and one of my favourite Massive Attack songs. Wong Kar-wai fans know what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, this is the only real highlight here. The album feels a bit transitional - the band had already strayed from their original roots, but hadn't yet reached their peak as they would with Mezzanine. It's pleasantly atmospheric, but it clearly lacks punch, often failing to leave "lounge bar background music" territory (like the very boring "Weather Storm"). Still a solid record, but very far from their best. It's a nice 3* for me, but only thanks to Karmacoma. 6/10

Very enjoyable, music that takes you in to its journey. Startin with Protection... I am not sure about the Light my fire ending.

While the other Massive Attack albums have strong or even iconic tracks, Protection feels more neutral, with no real highlights except Heat Miser. It’s more mature than the previous album and already has the basic sound and production that would define the band. But it’s more sensual than dark, and that’s probably why it’s the Massive Attack album I like the least, apart from their latest one, which I find really uninspired. I like the general atmosphere, but I wouldn’t call it a major album, especially compared to what came next.

7 Oct 2026 · 5/10 I don't know how to feel about this one... Their other albums are better. But I thought it fell flat a bit. Varied but not in a great way. I'm gonna listen again, because I trust Massive Attack, but for now, 5/10 is best I can do.

Ok

3.5. Would have been a 4 but I thought it sounded like 2 different albums.

Good, as in interesting, different, but not consistently great.

Enjoyable, but not a patch on 'Blue Lines'. Just like Blue Lines, it is at its best with the female vocalist but that felt few and far between here. Could have been a 4 on a day when I was more in the mood for it, but it gets a 3 today.

I like this, but: Mezzanine is the famous classic, and Blue Lines is on Apple Music’s top 100. And does anyone need three entire Massive Attack albums in an essentials collection? No.

Sonically and nominally a great album for sex. It’s insane how Massive Attack is able to sound so on edge and relaxed at the same time. They're genre-blending musical masters of juxtaposition who have combined influences that are equally UK and African. It's an incredible calm and dense sound, it's steady and threatening at the same time and honestly I can get enough of it. It's not as good as Mezzanine (snubbed on this list) but it is definitely worth a listen.

Better than I expected and some creativity prevailed. Enjoyed the blended cultural sounds. Different in a good way.

03/10/2026 I have nothing against the album in general, it just isn't something I would choose to listen to. Spotify listeners: 9.2 million

Feels like one of these albums where no one song is going to stand out it's just one nice mellow groove. Enjoying Karmacoma right now. Thank god that's over with. OK, if you're going to do a cover of a well known tune make it your own, yea? Don't just dancehall reggae the shit out of it accomplishing nothing except to sour what was a decent groovy album. 3. but because of that shit 2. But I'll stick with 3 cause I'm just bitters right now. Funeral Pyre with a P that Pops like Poop like when you say Funeral Fire unless your P is so soggy it would soak up my tears.

I’m surprised I haven’t listened to this group before.

Okay, on some level, Protection seemed like the natural continuation of what Massive Attack employed on Blue Lines. The eclectic mix of electronica, hip-hop, dub, soul, and reggae is apparent, complete with a notable collection of guest features that characterize individual tracks. Of course, Tricky, 3D, and Horace Andy continued their involvement with the group. They also brought into the fold singer-songwriter Nicolette, orchestral composer Craig Armstrong, and, most notably, Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl fame. In fact, most of these guests bring something truly unique and wonderful to the mix, including Tracey's sultry delivery over the atmospheric build of the opening title track, Tricky and 3D's subtle, back-and-forth wordy rapping over the ragged danger of "Karmacoma", Craig's glistening piano over the thudding synth bass motif and soft string swell of "Weather Storm", and Nicolette's wistful vocals over the orchestral arrangement on "Sly". Really, the only guest that I wasn't as into this time around was Horace Andy. It's weird, because I enjoyed his featured tracks on Blue Lines, but that's largely because the compositions for songs like "One Love" and "Hymn of the Big Wheel" complemented Horace's particular reggae delivery. Here, the liquid drop dub beat of "Spying Glass", as much as it would work on paper, doesn't quite suit Horace in execution. But that's a minor issue compared to the haphazard live rendition of The Doors' "Light My Fire", which, at best, should have been a bonus track, but alas. Man, if I had a nickel for every time I had to knock an album down a peg for its jarring inclusion of a "Light My Fire" cover, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. Despite the bizarre ending, I still had a good time overall with Protection. I look forward to checking out their next album, Mezzanine, much later outside of the book inclusions.

Meh

2,3/5

This is so nit what I expected from tge band's name. As for as enjoying this goes, it was tolerable but not terribly 8nterestinh to me.

I have heard their Mezzanine before. I prefer it to this, but this was still a chill listen.

Beautiful, mellow mood music again from Massive Attack. Won’t have a bad word said against them.

What? What is this? Four stars, for an electronica album, from *me*? Have I gone soft? Have I forgotten myself? What? Has the world shifted upon its axis? Is it fucking opposite day or something? What? What is going ON here? I could really do without the last track though

Yummy

What an abomination.

This 1994 album is full of lazy songwriting, with simple percussion loops and synth chords predictably changing at the beginning of the bar. The vocal melodies sound disconnected from said chords, almost an afterthought rather than being something integral. Maybe this is cool background music for chillin' in your space age bachelor pad, but shouldn't a record aspire to being more than that?

Meh

Now this little beauty is pure love, 1994, still living in London, and played loads all over the place, great vocals from Tracy Thorn, Horace Andy, Tricky, Nicolette. We were right in the Massive attack, Portishead, Tricky vibes -Amazing album🫶🏽💟

Living in Bristol I should love them but ...

A really good album. I remember when they were all the rage, back in the early 90's, but it all kind of slipped past me. The worst part of listening to this album was the only 'copy' I could find on youtube truncated every single track, so they just ended abruptly, which did negatively impact the experience - not the bands fault though.

This is both nice, boring, original and repetitive at once. Cant decide. Also, the songs are too long.

How do massive attack absolutely nail every selection for a woman's voice, and fuck the male voice choices up so spectacularly. Tricky, Horace Andy, absolutely shite. Inferior to the other two of theirs

Электронная музыка, не танцевальная, которая звучит приятно Чуваки со своим текстурированным звуком не перебарщивают. Это приятная спокойная НЕГРУСТНАЯ музыка. Это мое первое знакомство с коллективом и пока мне все нравится. Догадываюсь что в этом листе будет еще не один из альбом. Буду переслушивать 4.1

I was going to say this is another middle of the road electronic album from an English band that this album seems to have way too many of and then I heard "Light My Fire." I am no Doors apologist but that is actual blasphemy. There should be actual laws to disband after such a misfire.

6.5/10

Mezzanine is better

Very good.

3.5, closer to the 4 than 3. Enjoyable

Pretty good

Always remember this kicking about my house in the 90s, thought I was going to enjoy it more (2.5)

Not my favourite of there's but still a moody vibe that I often want to recreate

what a boring album. I had to help some tracks along as I could feel myself aging with every boring "note". Vocal on first track was awful, the pitch found every single nerve and got on it. It got no better. It seemed to drag on forever.

More suited for in bed than in the car. It was dull to drive to, but it's not like I'd call it bad. The repetitive heavy breathy noise - like when you sit too close to some disgusting fat bastard - on Heat Miser did my head in though.

awful probably like 2 good songs so much worse than mezzanine if i could rate it a 1,5 i would the instrumentals are good as expected but not great the vocal performances are either good or just bad

mmmhmmhmm

I wanted to like this but found it dull.

700/1001 2026.09.11 😴😴😴🌑🌑

Works best with Tracey Thorn

It’s interesting that this Massive Attack album is on here but Mezzanine isn’t. I don’t think it doesn’t deserve a spot on here, but the cultural zeitgeist seems to put higher stakes on Mezzanine. But hey, all Massive Attack is great Massive Attack. As a follow-up to Blue Lines, Protection is a bit more focused when it comes to it’s musical landscape - it’s even more moody, even darker at times and has an even cooler shine. This makes it harder to discern the tracks while listening to the album, but since I usually view trip-hop albums as one big piece of music instead of singular songs, that’s not too much of a problem for me. Here we have great rap from Tricky, haunting vocals from trip-hop queen Tracy Thorn, reagge elements, R&B influences and electronica at its best. As they always do, Massive Attack put all these ingredients into a blender and create a deliciously cool, sexy and elegant album. Not their best (also thanks to that… interesting decision to include a live cover at the end) but still a great piece of music.

Great, another Massive Attack album. Noooooooooobody cares.

A bit torn on this one. The opening two tracks, Protection and Karmacoma, are absolute top notch and I could listen to them over and over. The album then meanders along without anything quite getting near that level, before redeeming itself with Heatmiser. Then for some unknown reason, they decide to have a live cover of The Doors’ Light My Fire. Which is weird af, although I kinda like it. Probably edging up to a 4, as I’m feeling generous today.

Can never really get into trip hop. What's the point? Quite cool background music I guess.

Title track is great. Music is interesting at points and unique in an endearing way. The live cover of light my fire was terrible.

Blue Lines is clearly a five-star masterpiece, but Protection isn't significantly worse. Covering The Doors is a bad idea, releasing a live track (or a live album!) is also a bad idea, and The Doors themselves were probably a good idea that went downhill so fast that in hindsight it also feels like a bad idea, so the closing track ruins the listening experience a bit. A strong four stars.

Never listened nor heard of massive attack before. Also didn’t check the genre before my first listen and was really caught off guard. The album cover and band name seem so punk. I don’t have too much to say about this album. Pretty yet boring vocals for the guest features. Enjoyed most of the instrumentals on each song it seems like that part is the bands focus hence all the different guest vocalists. But with that said the songs that only had Massive Attack doing the vocals made those songs more complete in my eyes. I also wasn’t a big fan of the more reggae sounds randomly appearing. I didn’t feel much personality from this band. I read some people talking about how they don’t know why this album is on the 1001 list when a different album of theirs isn’t even though the missing album is like the magnum opus for the band. I still don’t know wtf Trip-Hop is. Favorite song was probably either “Sly”, “Euro Child”, or “Karmacoma”. Also the closing song is so fucking bad it’s crazy. I don’t know what the point was to have it on this album. ⭐️⭐️

I can see how they pioneered a genre with this sound. interesting blend of reggae / hip hop / jazz. relaxing to listen to. protection is such a great song, really good start to the album. I really like Tracey Thorn's vocals on this album. the throat singing on Karmacoma is crazy, not the biggest fan of the song as a whole but respect the choice. dont hate the Doors cover at the end but also agree i dont think it was super necessary on this album. would lsiten again. favorite songs: protection, weather storm (love the piano), sly

bilo mi je cijelo vrijeme na granici između trojke i četvorke, tj. između nekakvog poluvajba i baš vajba. repniški mi se dijelovi ne sviđaju, a ostatak je dobar, štoviše, dosta dobar. no zadnja je pjesma tolko bezvezna da mi je narušila dojam, stoga trojka

Ah this is more like it. An album I am really fond of. Hard to separate the emotional response to this and be objective - Tracy Thorn singing "you're a girl and I'm a boy" will always feel like the warmest of blankets. In fact, both of the Tracy Thorn joints are staggeringly good, even 30 years on from their initial teenaged punch. I remember I couldn't actually hear the "Better Things" baseline from the cassette player in my yellow Mini, but I still loved the tune - just Tracy and some skittering percussion. Ok, it's not ALL great. (It could only ever be down from "Protection") - it's actually rather a cold album in places. And, as you might expect from a load of stoners, it's pretty lazy. Tricky reusing his verses (and then again on Maxinquaye)..then just straight nicking lyrics from the Specials. Weather Storm is a five-minute piano solo over a loop. And could they really not get Horace Andy to sing "Light My Fire" in tune with that monster beat (or the other way round)? Some of the beats have not aged well - Euro Child particularly. But no wonder - this sound became the template for trip hop and downtempo "chill out" CDs. It's not exactly Massive Attack's fault for being pioneers. All in all, though, and especially since my eldest is due to head to Bristol for her first term at University in two days, this was almost too emotional. I think I'll always love this album.

3/5 good vibe

This album is okay.. I don't really feel anything while listening to it.

Tja awel kvond het wel deftige muziek zenne. Niks dat echt uitstond maar twas inderdaad goei focus muziek om achter het toetsenbord zitte te foefelen. Zangstemmen zijn ok en nemen niks weg van het instrumentele. Dus dezen makker geeft het een score van 4.

As far as chill concentration club music goes it's alright if a bit monotone. This one doesn't have any of the hits so this is one for the fans.

Very minimal, chill lounge electronica.

Ik zou Blue Lines in deze lijst laten en dit album vervangen door Mezzanine. Ik vind dit wel prima, maar niet heel bijzonder. 3 sterren.

I can't lie I was pretty rough on Protection when I first heard it. I think because it was smushed in between two of my favorite electronic albums of all time, Blue Lines and Mezzanine, I never gave it a far shot. This album also introduced a lot of weird new sounds to my ears that I think I needed more time and experience to digest and simply was never ready for 3 years ago. This album takes a lot of patience which I think is another factor that added to my very controversial take on this album. With that being said, it is still very much the "black sheep" of Massive Attack's first 3 albums and yet is the most like how the landscape of Trip Hop is treated today despite being a significantly weaker project still. I think the ideas here are once again ahead of their time and really helped define the landscape more than the more Hip Hop Blue Lines did. The dreamy and soft drum patterns mixed with much more misty vocal performances from Tracey Thorn among other people is a very impressive change I think totally serves the music much better, but unfortunately doesn't make this project pop more due to how unfinished the music itself feels. Protection is easily an all timer Massive Attack track, but it feels like they put the most complete song at the beginning in hopes it would draw you into the whole album, which doesn't even come close to touching its' quality. I wish I could say I get down with Protection but this album has always felt like it is missing pieces to become something great.

I could remember the name “Massive Attack” and that it had absolutely nothing to do with their music. I had completely forgotten what their music sounded like - and that’s hardly surprising, since it’s about as memorable as a pretzel stick. It’s the kind of laid-back electronic beats you’d expect to hear under the narrator’s voice in a medical documentary. On the plus side, though, Massive Attack pulls off this sound on “Protection” without getting on my nerves in the slightest. You barely notice this recording, and after a few tracks, you start thinking about turning on some music. For me, that’s practically the definition of a 2/5.

This is such a classic trip-hop record, and Tracy Thorn’s feature on the title track is honestly next-level. When I really sit with it, the whole vibe Massive Attack created is just super moody and nocturnal, it’s like the perfect soundtrack for a late-night drive or just staring out the window on a rainy day. The production is so clean, and it’s cool how they pull in guys like Horace Andy and Tricky without it ever feeling too cluttered. That said, it’s not always an easy listen. It definitely feels like they were still figuring things out between the massive heights of Blue Lines and Mezzanine. If I’m not in the right mood, the slow pace can start to feel a bit like background noise, and honestly, tacking that "Light My Fire" cover onto the end feels really out of place. It’s a great album if you’re in the zone to actually pay attention to it, but it’s definitely not something I’d put on as casual background music.

Slow and steady electronica with some good vocal lines. I don't think Light My Fire does this album any favors as its closing track and would have definitely excised that from the album. Feels like the kind of music you put on in the background, or listen to while enjoying recreational substances. Non-intrusive jams to nod your head to.

Not what I expected based on the band name. A mixture of slow, jazzy R&B singles, synthy instrumentals, and...a techno-reggae Doors cover? It's well-made, but not something I'd choose to put on often.

This is a band I heard a lot about, but never listened to. This is not what I was expecting from what I remember hearing. First track is good so far. Really digging the groove on “better things”.

This was fine chill background music, but nothing really grabbed me.

Wtf is Light my fire doing slapped at the end of this? Not as good as blue lines before it nor mezzanine after, doesn’t contain a killer track like Unfinished Sympathy of the former or half the tracks of the latter. Good moody vibe though

Meh dragged quite a bit Not really my favourite genre of music 2

Most of this album is a rehash of Blue Lines—not a bad thing musically, but it gets kind of samey and a little bland by the end. I'm glad they switched gears entirely with Mezzanine. But that said, the title track is on a very short list of songs that have a hold on me. I very vividly remember seeing the music video for it very late one night on MTV in what must have been 1994, and being completely hypnotized. I bought the CD as soon as possible after, and for 30 years it's been a warm blanket, a song I turn to when *I* need some shelter. (Everything but the Girl's 1996 album Walking Wounded is basically just a clubbier version of this song, so they've got that going for them. Which is nice.) There aren't many albums I'd give four stars to because of one song, let alone five. Most of those songs have a strong enough album around them to justify it. This one probably doesn't, but I'd save it in a fire before a bunch of other "better" albums on my list, so here we are.

This isn't quite as strong as the debut or Mezzanine in my view, but it's still a more than formidable release, and it represents something of a gaping hole in my collection. The mood of Protection is notably different to that of its more optimistic predecessor; leaning further into dub, reggae and spacious electronica, whilst placing a greater importance towards textural layering, but it's not quite as dark and heavy as its successor would prove to be. It's a lush, meditative experience nonetheless and it embodies more of a cinematic feeling than Blue Lines in my view, immediately apparent on the title track opener through Tracey Thorn's agonising yet soulful vocal performance and the pulsating atmospherics shrouding them. Warmth and coldness entwine superbly there to produce the album's defining statement, but much of the rest is of a similarly high standard. This just misses out on a five star rating for me as there are moments, particularly during the instrumental-led offerings where it loses a modicum of focus and threatens to teeter into background music territory, compared to either album aside which both constantly demand my attention.

This was decent though I did not love it. Still pretty good overall. Trippy vibes music set to chill drum. 3/5

Massive surprise. Totally pleasant listening experience. Laid back, nice groove, great collaboration with other singers. Almost a 4...

I like this one song a lot. I like it less as it iterates.

Innovative but young and unpolished. Mezzanine is a far superior album

not my most favorite album from massive attack but a solid 4/5

Love anything with Tracey Thorn. This is a fabulous album that’s aged like fine wine. Easy 4