at a glance...

Hometown: Bristol, England
Formed: 1982

Members:
Daddy G, 3D, and Mushroom -vocals, keyboards, samples and production
Tracey Thorn -vocals
Tricky -vocals
Horace Andy -vocals
Nicolette -vocals
Marius de Vries -programming
Andy Wright -programming
Craig Armstrong -piano

Bands in the family :
Tricky, Smith & Mighty, The Wild Bunch, Portishead, Neneh Cherry, Howie B, Björk, Horace Andy

Notes:
In the early 80's, the pioneering force behind the Bristol sound was known as the Wild Bunch, an enormously popular DJ collective that dominated the local scene. As original members Mushroom and Daddy G joined with 3D, the Wild Bunch transformed into Massive Attack, and they picked up Nellee Hooper along the way. Their debut album, 1991's Blue Lines, blew away the UK critics, but did not initially achieve much commercial success, despite three fantastic singles including the phenomenal "Unfinished Sympathy." Coming back in 1994 with their compelling, sensuous sound, Massive Attack released Protection, which was remixed by the Mad Professor and released as No Protection. Despite the departure of Tricky, Massive Attack were able to surprise skeptics and survive extended touring and internal tensions, along with releasing an amazing third LP, Mezzanine, in 1998.

Links:
We Love Massive Attack

Blue Lines was an atomic blast that forever changed the rules of making hip-hop music. It put Bristol on the map. It allowed Tricky and Portishead to blow the doors open to America. It made anyone and everyone attached to the album sought after as a musician, producer, or collaborator.

That their follow-up Protection assembled some of the most respected musicians and programmers alive today is no surprise. Über-producer Nellee Hooper, mixer Marius de Vries, and engineer Spike Stent, along with a who's who of guests, found themselves emphasizing a greater production value, with much fuzzier programming, heavier beats and more loops on this album. You'll never hear a shiny, happy Massive Attack album, but the warmer, connected feelings on Protection that emerge from the emotionally longing and sometimes sinister Blue Lines are quite a refreshing shift in direction.

Remnants of the debut can be found on "Karmacoma" and "Eurochild," with Tricky's signature monotones jousting with those of 3D, while the instrumental "Heat Miser" could have been a product of the Blue Lines sessions with its haunting pianos eerily mimicking the theme from "The Shining." The reggae influences appear in the mix via Horace Andy on "Spying Glass" and a truly inspired '90's update of The Doors' "Light My Fire," played at a live gig.

However, as the title suggests, there is a finished sympathy felt over most of the record, if not always in the lyrics, at least in the beats chosen to present a wider electronic landscape. The jazzy instrumental "Weather Storm" is pleasantly groovy with a deftly rich percussion section offset by Craig Armstrong's piercing piano playing. "Three" and the Eastern-tinged tropicalia of "Sly," replace Shara Nelson's forthright and searching voice from Blue Lines with the sleek, flirty vocal style of Nicolette. The James Brown-sampled "Better Things" best sums up the changes as guest vocalist Tracey Thorn (of Everything But The Girl) sings "Don't drag me down/Just because you're down," a somewhat prophetic warning of trip-hop's soon-to-be stereotypical sound.

Not nearly the artistic quantum leap forward that Blue Lines became, Protection turned out to be an inspiring, lush, and seductive album that served as a worthy and surprising follow-up, breathing more vitality into their ever-growing sound. It once again put Massive Attack one step ahead of their peers.