"Blue Lines" and "Mezzanine" are the ones to get. The former is mixture of soul, reggae and rap, very warm and happy. "Mezzanine" is a rock-electronica hybrid, much darker in tone and with a meaner sound.
"Protection" and "100th window" are basically inferior sequels, similar in style but less inspired and more generic.

Or you could just skip the Massive Attack until later and go straight to Tricky's "Maxinquaye." Now that is a masterpiece.

by the sounds of things i will need more than 1 album, but thats ok i cant wait to listen to them, thanks for the help

worth getting, if one doesn't have any Massive Attack albums?

Henrik, at last your (excellent) review of "Protection"!!

JR, I assume you're asking other people as you know how much I like MA, but I'm answering anyway. It's highly recommended!!!

No, wait, change that to ESSENTIAL. That's what it is, unless you own all the original albums.


BTW, I have bought the SPIN alternative guide book, so I don't need to be bothering you with more ratings!

I just realized that hearing Sufjan Stevens' 'Michigan' after 'Illinois' is very much the same "similar but a bit stripped down" experience as I had with 'Blue Lines'.

I just heard "Blue Lines" for the first time, and without exaggerating, I think it sounds like one of those albums that you can pick out from the 99 cent bin with your eyes closed. I'm baffled to how anyone can say that it's better than 99% of albums on the list, because I wouldn't even put it in the top 20,000.
The samples are used so poorly that it becomes kinda hilarious. The rapping & singing sound like it's straight out of a low budget movie that's about gay clubs in the U.K. I don't want to make fans mad, and still willing to give their other albums a chance, and if I'm in any way wrong, then let me know how I can appreciate this album a bit more.

I don't know, I'm definitely a fan of Blue Lines (a bit less of a fan of Mezzanine) but I think you need to place it within it's context. I mean, the album was recorded in the early nineties when urban/electronic soul was pretty much a figment of the imagination (at least as far as I know it was).

you managed to snag a copy of the Alternative Guide, eh? Cool!

I know you're a MA lover- maybe as much as I'm a Madonna Lover. Well, probably not. ;) Did you like the "I Want You" collaboration?

I will check out the compilation in the future, for sure.

Yes, probably not.

I think 'I Want You' is OK but not the most inspired moment for any of the artists.

I love the haunting quality of that track- and M sounds great on it, to boot. I don't think it's in my Madonna Top 20, but I like. I won't be able to rate it in MA's catalog until I at least get the compilation. ;)