Customer Reviews

No Protection

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Re-mixes and dub remixes are two different animals. Often, as is the case with Mad Professor's take of Massive Attack's Protection, dubs radically manipulate and reshape a recording. Dubs, and particularly those of the Mad Professor, should not be compared to the original, per se, but should be judged on their own merits. Remixes by non-dub producers play it rather safe in comparison. Which is fine, of course. To say that the Mad Professor "ruined" Protection, as several reviewers have, is incoherent. This isn't a slight tweak, this is a reworking, and a damn good one at that.

No Protection is deep and spacey, with heavy bass. While there is a dark undercurrent, it generates plenty of warmth as long as you are not expecting the same plane of soulfulness found on Massive Attack's original. No Protection is one of the heaviest grooves of any downtempo album, and if you are in the mood, you'll feel it.

When I first heard about a the dub version of Protection I nearly wet my pants (being a big fan of that album), but I held off for nearly two years while I built up my "proper" dub collection of various essentials and oddities from such greats as King Tubby, Lee Perry, Augustus Pablo etc. Finally I figured I'd buy No Protection. Boy was I dissapointed. This album lacks the charm that comes with any good dub record. It's stark, and devoid of the beauty that made Protection so great in the first place. This sounds like "dub by numbers" executed by a computer program. Gone (completely) are Tracy Thorn and Nicollette's beautiful vocals. They are brutally reduced to miniscule snippets and misplaced samples; a grave mistake on the Mad Professor's part. A dub artist making versions is supposed to accentuate the best parts of the track whether it be the beats or the melody or the vocals, and drop them in and out of sequence accordingly. The album lacks warmth. It's much too digital and clean cut. Random stabs of deafening static and distortion don't make a good dub record either; they only jar the ears and divert your interest. No Protection was a great idea to begin with, but didn't exactly deliver the goods. You'll either love it or hate it. My recommendation: just stick with Protection and buy yourself some real dub music.

This CD hasn't come off my player for about 4 months. Definitely better than the original (and that's saying quite a lot). Most people I know are disappointed when they first hear it, expecting something altogether different. However, after three or four spins on their player, they can't take it off. A masterpiece.

i might be the only person who has this dub remix album but has never heard the original Massive Attack songs! so, perhaps my feelings on this cd are a bit more free of speculation than the average reviewer...but i love this cd! i'm a fan of dub and i've only got a mild appreciation for Mad Professor's work; but this collection really sees his talents shine and his production values soar to new heights. each cut has a strange sound; stradling old dub ethics with some more modern stylings. the beauty of it is that the warmth of the songs is kept alive and it does not feel like a cold studio effort. well done.

The trip-hop stylings of Massive Attack fall into the Mad Professor's Dub Vortex to create something much more than a simple album of remixes. Many tracks are almost completely unrecognizable. The bass-heavy rhythms are now far in front, the lovely vocals and melodies are used sparely and made clearer and dearer. The yardstick by which remixes should be measured.

This album contains great dub remix/re-"interpretations" of Massive Attack tracks...
Just a comment on some other reviewers who have faulted the disc for its lack of harmony and that it strays too far from the original songs...Thats the beauty of this album for me! What good would it be to have two copies of essentially the same songs? The point of a remix (to me) is to re-examine and alter a piece of music so that what you're left with is something new and exciting. Don't get me wrong I love the original Massive Attack versions, but I would prefer a remix to be something (if not) entirely new then at least to show evidence that the remixer put some thought/heart into creating something more substantial than a higher hi-hat tap or a techno drumbeat.

Massive Attack, after having being (unfair) criticized, after the release of their second Album "Protection", handed over the Original Master Tapes to U.K. Dub Cut-and-paste mastermind "The Mad Professor", who subsequently, took the original source material completely apart, deconstructed, incorporated Dub-reggae sampling and completely Rebuild the album with a much harder (but, Dub-influenced) sound.....(which was what the original "Protection" album was heavily Criticized for lacking).....every track has been completely reworked, to incorporate a thicker more sampled, and Trip-Hop styled sound, Tracks such as the album titled "Protection", "Karmacoma", & "Spying Glass" have had the vocals heavily "Reverbed" & "Distorted" to produce something that is recognisable, yet far removed from the original's Electronica-styled sound, and the surround & resonance move this version into a sound space that the original couldn't possibly hope to occupy, and therefore this makes it a tremendous accompaniment to the original album, rather than a replacement for it....

I was first introduced to Massive Attack through this album. These dubs are awesome and really have the conceptual ideas of the original songs. I think the dubs sound better than the original songs, actually!
The beauty of this album is that you can be into anything from New Age to Trance and highly enjoy it!

Massive Attack gets reworked in the hands of dub master Mad Professor, creating the finest dub album of the decade. The beats are kicking and the sound is exotic and hypnotic. The album is perfect for those afraid of dub, but willing to give it a chance. Those who love dub will be in heaven, with an album that takes the listener on a mystical journey of atmospheric snippets. It's worth repeated listenings.

Massive Attack is such a great band because their music is so unique and yet it's not repeating. However, Mad Professor re-does "Protection" in this cd. He turns it into a trippy-trancey piece of candy that any trance fiend would gobble up. But it is just a little repetitive but that doesn't take away from the total enjoyment of this album. Don't buy it just because you like Massive Attack; you might be dissapointed. Buy it if you like trance.

-(V)az