Frenchy’s Fracas

General Description
Artist/Band: Massive Attack
Album Title: Protection
Year: 1994

Bristol Sound, second time around
 
How I Got Into This Music
Well, read my review of their first album here

Album credits at artistdirect.com || Google Search: Lyrics of Protection

Tracks that got my attention:
Protection
You have to emotionally comatose not to have any feelings triggered by this song. Tracey Thorn’s incredible vocals combined with those haunting beats and keyboards - incredible!

Karmacoma
This song can sometimes get on a nerves a bit, but it still works for me (especially, if you listen to Tricky’s solo version)

Three
Hmm.. I always kinda feel guilty for not playing this song every day.. Ghost keyboards and that beat combined with the almost Oriental/Indian sounding vocals of Nicolette.

Weather Storm
Here’s an instrumental that I skip almost constantly

Spying Glass
Weak track, but almost anything with mister Horace Andy is okay in my book ;o)

Better Things
Tracey Thorn’s second track. Love the lyrics:
You say the magic’s gone, Well i’m not a magician
You say the spark’s gone, Well get an electrician
And save your line about needing to be free
All that’s bullshit babe, You just want rid of me
Nuff said..

Eurochild
Not working for me..

Sly
Still one of the most well-crafted songs I’ve ever heard, just listen to the beats, the lazy but scary and moody orchestration (those strings!) and of course, Nicolette’s vocals!

Heat Miser
Every hospital’s favorite track

Light My Fire (Live)
The second best version ever made of this song! And no, the one by the Doors ain’t the best one ;o)
Horace Andy rips up this track and gives it a great sense of aggression, sort of a new lease of life. This song is groovy, how do you make a classic song like this into a dance track? If this is blasphemy, then thank God for the unbelievers!

Conclusion
A great follow-up to their first breakthrough album, Blue Lines. It also hints to the direction this group is taking its music: it’s not ‘just’ a great mash-up of sound systems and intelligent production like the previous one. This album goes into scarier and darker places.
Not the cause of me not naming it one of my Faves, that’s just down to the fact that I don’t play this album as much as the first one. But their version of Light My Fire gets played almost every other day in my life. That track was the first one I heard of this album and it still gets me all psyched up, ready to attack the world with a smile..

Rating:

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