Protection (1994)

Protection is the second studio album by English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 26 September 1994 by Wild Bunch Records and Circa. DJ Mad Professor remixed the album in 1995 under the name No Protection.

Composition

Like most of Massive Attack's albums, the music often defies categorisation, ranging from R&B (title track and "Sly") to hip hop/rap ("Karmacoma" and "Eurochild") to reggae-tinged synth-pop ("Spying Glass") to classical-influenced electronica instrumentals ("Weather Storm" and "Heat Miser"). The album follows Blue Lines structurally, to the point that the font used on the cover of the album is the same, Helvetica Heavy Italic. The album cover also nods to Blue Lines, revealing a futuristic, impenetrable wall behind a mostly-burned version of this previous album's artwork—implying that the depicted "flammable gas" had been ignited.

Tricky again appeared on the album, rapping on the tracks "Karmacoma" (whose video was directed by Jonathan Glazer, and which featured a sample from The KLF's "Dream Time in Lake Jackson" at the 2:00-minute mark) and "Eurochild" (which featured samples from Startled Insects' "Cheetah" and Liquid Liquid's "Lock Groove (In)").

Reception

Paul Evans of Rolling Stone wrote, "Cool, sexy stuff, it smoothly fuses dub, club and soul, grounding its grace in sampled hip-hop beats."

In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked Protection at number 51 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties". The album is also listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

As of February 2010, the album had sold 292,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Personnel

Musicians

Massive Attack, Marius de Vries, Andy Wright, The Insects, Nick Warren – programming

Tracey Thorn – vocals (tracks 1, 6)

3D – vocals (tracks 2, 7)

Tricky – vocals (tracks 2, 7)

Nicolette – vocals (tracks 3, 8)

Craig Armstrong – piano (tracks 4, 9); arrangement, conducting (track 8)

Horace Andy – vocals (tracks 5, 10)

Chester Kamen – guitar (track 6)

Rob Merril – drums (track 9)

Daddy G – vocals (track 10)

Technical

Nellee Hooper – production, mixing (all tracks); mix engineering (track 10)

Massive Attack – production, mixing

Mark "Spike" Stent – mix engineering (tracks 1–8)

Jim Abbiss – mix engineering (track 9)

• Jeremy "Jim Bob" Wheatley – additional engineering
• Al Stone – additional engineering
• Mike Marsh – mastering

Artwork

• Massive Attack, Michael-Nash Assoc. – artwork
• Matthew Donaldson, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Eddie Monsoon – photography