Massive Attack "Protection" (1994)
Things had not been running smoothly for Massive Attack, their tour in
the US had not fared well, they had briefly tried shortening their name to
‘Massive’ in order to not ruffle feathers during the first Iraq war, and
had parted ways with their main singer Shara Nelson.
Despite these setbacks the group put together a strong sophomore
release, with guest spots from 'Everything But the Girl' singer Tracey
Thorn, and rapper Tricky. Tricky had featured on the first Massive
Attack album but had since started his solo career, and after
“Protection” would not record with the group again for around another 10
years.
It strikes me how simple some of these songs are, the first few tracks (even the sublime and moody title track)
are mostly just the same piece of music looped around with the vocals
adding points of difference. There’s sounds ranging from the deep
muddy dub of "Spying Glass", through to "Sly" with its strings-and-beat
combo, a sound that would become synonymous with trip-hop.
The whole thing is rounded off with a funky, sound-effect laden cover of the Doors' "Light my Fire"
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