Protection (Massive Attack album)
Protection | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 September 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Trip hop | |||
Length | 48:57 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Massive Attack chronology | ||||
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Singles from Protection | ||||
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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[]
![]() | This section does not cite any sources. (July 2021) |
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[]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A−[2] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[5] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Select | 5/5[8] |
Vox | 8/10[9] |
Paul Evans of Rolling Stone wrote, "Cool, sexy stuff, it smoothly fuses dub, club and soul, grounding its grace in sampled hip-hop beats."[6]
In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked Protection at number 51 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties".[10] The album is also listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[11]
As of February 2010, the album had sold 292,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[12]
Track listing[]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Protection" | 7:51 | |
2. | "Karmacoma" |
| 5:16 |
3. | "Three" |
| 3:49 |
4. | "Weather Storm" |
| 4:59 |
5. | "Spying Glass" |
| 5:20 |
6. | "Better Things" |
| 4:13 |
7. | "Eurochild" |
| 5:11 |
8. | "Sly" |
| 5:24 |
9. | "Heat Miser" |
| 3:39 |
10. | "Light My Fire" (live) | The Doors | 3:15 |
Total length: | 48:57 |
Sample credits[]
- "Weather Storm" contains samples from "It's Time for Love" by Pieces of a Dream.
- "Better Things" contains samples from "Never Can Say Goodbye" by James Brown.
- "Light My Fire" (live) contains samples from "Light My Fire" by Young-Holt Unlimited.
Personnel[]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Protection.[13]
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
Charts[]
Chart (1994–2001) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] | 15 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] | 21 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] | 47 |
Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 46 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[18] | 49 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 76 |
European Albums (Music & Media)[20] | 21 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[21] | 33 |
French Albums (SNEP)[22] | 24 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] | 63 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] | 9 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] | 37 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] | 12 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] | 14 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] | 29 |
UK Albums (OCC)[29] | 4 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[30] | 1 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[31] | 19 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[32] | 44 |
Certifications[]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP)[33] | Gold | 100,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI)[34] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI)[38] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References[]
- ^ Bush, John. "Protection – Massive Attack". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Massive Attack: Protection". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Massive Attack". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (30 September 1994). "CD of the week: Massive Attack". The Guardian.
- ^ Kessler, Ted (24 September 1994). "Support for All". NME. p. 49.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Evans, Paul (6 April 1995). "Massive Attack: Protection". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2004). "Massive Attack". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 517–18. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Hall, Matt (October 1994). "Dub Wiser". Select. No. 52. p. 103.
- ^ Martin, Gavin (October 1994). "Direct hit". Vox. No. 128.
- ^ "100 Best Albums of the '90s – Massive Attack, 'Protection'". Rolling Stone. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ^ Sexton, Paul (19 February 2010). "Massive Attack Prove New Album Was Worth The Wait". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ Protection (liner notes). Massive Attack. Wild Bunch Records. 1994. WBRCD2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Massive Attack – Protection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Massive Attack – Protection" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Massive Attack – Protection" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Massive Attack – Protection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7956". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Massive Attack – Protection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 42. 15 October 1994. p. 23. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Massive Attack – Protection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Massive Attack – Protection" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Massive Attack – Protection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Massive Attack – Protection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Massive Attack – Protection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Massive Attack – Protection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Massive Attack Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "French album certifications – Massive Attack – Protection" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 29 June 1998.
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – Massive Attack – Protection" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 22 October 2012. Enter Protection in the "Artiest of titel" box.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Massive Attack – Protection". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Massive Attack; 'Protection')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "British album certifications – Massive Attack – Protection/No Protection". British Phonographic Industry. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
External links[]
- Protection at Discogs (list of releases)
- Protection at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- 1994 albums
- Albums produced by Nellee Hooper
- Massive Attack albums