Best of albums are a dubious thing at the best of times, usually signalling a band at either the end of a contract or a career. They can also be rather hit and miss affairs, reliant on the skip button of your stereo to avoid the horror of a band’s indulgences during their concept album phases, or the time when they concentrated on solely making soundtracks for French existentialist cartoons. However, Collected from Massive Attack is a timely reminder of the exceptional talent of a band that has changed the face of British music over the past fifteen years, before the release of a new album next year, and a spate of festival appearances this coming summer.
Since the release of Blue Lines in 1991, Massive Attack have defined what British hip hop is, effectively created the genre of trip-hop and then moved onto a more glorious and orchestral sound with the epic Mezzanine in 1998. They drew in the diverse sounds of British culture from all directions, encompassing reggae, dub, dance, jazz, Rn’B, and more besides. Atop this they planted vocals from everyone from Tricky, Horace Andy and Neneh Cherry, to Tracey Thorn and Liz Fraser. After baking all these ingredients in a rather fiery Dutch oven, paranoia had never sounded so comforting, and they had helped, along with the likes of Portishead, Roni Size, and Tricky, to make Bristol the alternative music capital of Britain in the mid-nineties.
The tensions within the band had always been a vital ingredient in the bands claustrophobic sound, but now that only Robert Del Naja (3D) from the original lineup is left standing, one can’t help but worry about the future of this illustrious outfit. Indeed, on an album of such strength, it is noticeable that the weakest tracks are from most recent album 100th Window, which was effectively a Del Naja solo album.
However, on this non-chronological collection there is more than enough in the way of down-tempo inspiration for us to forgive him for that release. Opening with Safe From Harm, the first track from debut album Blue Lines, is a clear illustration of why the band were immediately destined for a place in the pantheon of greats. Shara Nelson’s soothing vocals combine with a most persistently threatening bassline and rhythm to offer a strange sense of reassurance. The dubby rhythms along with the melodies of Horace Andy, and the languid vocal interplay of Willy Wee, Tricky, Daddy G and 3D is something truly to behold. Close your eyes and you might just find yourself there in the studio squinting through a haze of skunk smoke. Unfinished Sympathy is still as mindblowing today as it was the day it was recorded; the moment that British hip hop went truly operatic in its scope.
My own personal favourite, Karmacoma, from 1994’s Protection, is still the somnambulant masterpiece it has always been. It rolls irresistibly forward like some sort of sensual shamanic dance, and pioneered the type of track production that D’Angelo picked up on for his acclaimed 2000 release Voodoo. Tracey Thorn’s vocal on Protection is still as heartbreaking as ever, but in combination with the swirling, spacious guitars, and guttural drumming that appear here, they were the beginnings of a trademark trip-hop sound.
1998 saw things come to a head with the release of Mezzanine, a vicious and sinister album with real slow burning beauty. This was the sound of a band that had left earth’s orbit in search of new sounds to plunder. Teardrop may be the song everyone has seen the sun come up to after a particularly messy night due to its cascading harpsichord, grandiose piano, subtly calming rhythms and angelic vocals, but it is the sheer epic quality of tracks like Angel that made Mezzanine such a groundbreaking record. It also saw 3D journey further into the heart of darkness than any rapper before him, on the tribal Inertia Creeps. If the devil has a voice, it’s probably not dissimilar to that of Robert Del Naja here.
Genius is an often overused word, but it could be argued that it doesn’t quite do Massive Attack justice. They have helped form the tastes, both chemical and musical, of a generation. Blue Lines, Protection and Mezzanine are three of the greatest British albums ever made, and quite frankly, if you don’t already own them, what in the name of god is wrong with you? This does though give rise to the next question: with the exception of one track, there is nothing on Collected that most of us don’t already own, so why should we buy it? Certainly not for the stuff from 100th Window, but even here it helps to make up the rich tapestry of one of the most important bands ever to come out of Britain.
Few records are worth purchasing for just one new track, but the album’s one new song, Live With Me featuring the superb vocal stylings of Terry Callier hint at a return to form when next Massive Attack give us some new material. Apart from Callier’s predictably wonderful vocal, there is a luscious orchestration astride an undulating bass, and trademark tripped-out drumming, that suggests that the boys from Bristol could be about to prove their naysayers wrong, and come back more powerful than ever. Finally, the limited edition version of the album comes with a second disc complete with unreleased material, rarities, and remixes, but it is the collection of all their videos to date that makes Collected (Limited Edition) a rather great little release. So, retire your DVD/stereo’s skip button for 80 minutes and immerse yourself in some of the most intriguing, intelligent, and insightful sounds ever to come from these shores.
