1994 studio album by Massive Attack
Protection is the second studio album by Englishelectronic music groupMassive Attack , released on 26 September 1994 by Wild Bunch Records and Circa. DJMad Professor remixed the album in 1995 under the nameNo Protection .
Like most of Massive Attack's albums, the music often defies categorisation, ranging fromR&B (title track and "Sly") tohip hop /rap ("Karmacoma" and "Eurochild") toreggae -tingedsynth-pop ("Spying Glass") to classical-influencedelectronica instrumentals ("Weather Storm" and "Heat Miser"). The album followsBlue Lines structurally, to the point that the font used on the cover of the album is the same,Helvetica Heavy Italic .[ 1] The album cover also nods toBlue 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 byJonathan Glazer , and which featured a sample fromThe KLF 's "Dream Time in Lake Jackson " at the 2:00-minute mark) and "Eurochild" (which featured samples fromStartled Insects ' "Cheetah" andLiquid Liquid 's "Lock Groove (In)").[ 2] [ 3]
Paul Evans ofRolling Stone wrote, "Cool, sexy stuff, it smoothly fuses dub, club and soul, grounding its grace in sampled hip-hop beats."[ 10]
In 2011,Rolling Stone rankedProtection at number 51 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties".[ 15] The album is also listed in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die .[ 16]
As of February 2010, the album had sold 292,000 copies in the United States, according toNielsen SoundScan .[ 17]
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" Vowles Del Naja Marshall Tricky Norfolk Locke 5:11 8. "Sly " 5:24 9. "Heat Miser" 3:39 10. "Light My Fire " (live) The Doors 3:15 Total length: 48:57
Massive Attack ,Marius de Vries ,Andy Wright ,The Insects ,Nick Warren – programmingTracey 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) 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 Massive Attack, Michael-Nash Assoc. – artwork Matthew Donaldson,Jean-Baptiste Mondino , Eddie Monsoon – photography 2019 weekly chart performance forProtection Chart (2019) Peak position Greek Albums (IFPI )[ 37] 8
2020 chart performance forProtection Chart (2020) Peak position Polish Albums (ZPAV )[ 38] 44
Certifications forProtection Region Certification Certified units /salesFrance (SNEP )[ 39] Gold 100,000* Netherlands (NVPI )[ 40] Gold 50,000^ New Zealand (RMNZ )[ 41] Gold 7,500^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[ 42] Gold 25,000^ United Kingdom (BPI )[ 44] 2× Platinum 653,864[ 43] Summaries Europe (IFPI )[ 45] Platinum 1,000,000* * Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
^ "Massive Attack Font | Delta Fonts" .deltafonts.com . Retrieved5 November 2025 .^ Bush, John."AllMusic Review" .AllMusic . AllMusic, Netaktion LLC. Retrieved5 November 2025 . ^ Clarke, Patrick (26 September 2024)."By Any Other Name: Protection and the Sweetness of the Trip Hop Sound" .The Quietus . Retrieved5 November 2025 . ^ Bush, John."Protection – Massive Attack" .AllMusic . Retrieved5 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 . Retrieved10 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 . ^ Campbell, Chuck (3 February 1995). "Stone Roses Might Need Some Pruning".Knoxville News Sentinel . ^ Kessler, Ted (24 September 1994). "Support for All".NME . p. 49. ^a b Evans, Paul (6 April 1995)."Massive Attack: Protection" .Rolling Stone . Archived fromthe original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved5 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. ^ Hull, Tom."Grade List: Massive Attack" .Tom Hull – on the Web . Retrieved13 February 2022 . ^ Martin, Gavin (October 1994). "Direct hit".Vox . No. 128. ^ "100 Best Albums of the '90s – Massive Attack, 'Protection' " .Rolling Stone . 27 April 2011. Retrieved12 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. Retrieved7 December 2018 . ^ "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. Archived fromthe original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved10 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".Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 42. 15 October 1994. p. 23.OCLC 29800226 . ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Massive Attack".Sisältää hitin – Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Helsinki:Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava . p. 163.ISBN 978-952-7460-01-6 . ^ "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.^ "Dance Albums".Music Week . 8 October 1994. p. 26.ISSN 0265-1548 . ^ "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.^ "Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined) – Week: 47/2019" .IFPI Greece . Archived fromthe original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved29 December 2023 .^ "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 . Retrieved22 October 2012 .Enter Protection in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2000in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen" .^ "New Zealand album certifications – Massive Attack – Protection" .Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved20 November 2024 .^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (' Protection' )" . IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved22 October 2012 .^ Garner, George (4 February 2021)."Round Hill Music acquires catalogue of two founding members of Massive Attack" .Music Week . Retrieved28 December 2022 . ^ "British album certifications – Massive Attack – Protection/No Protection" .British Phonographic Industry . 22 July 2013.^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2004" .International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved22 October 2012 .
Studio albums Remix albums Compilation albums Extended plays Singles Others See also