Protection (Vinyl)

Protection is the second studio album by the English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 26 September 1994 through Wild Bunch Records and Circa.

As with most of their work, the album resists easy categorization, blending genres from R&B (as heard in the title track and "Sly") to hip hop/rap ("Karmacoma" and "Eurochild") to reggae-infused synth-pop ("Spying Glass"), as well as classical-tinged electronica instrumentals ("Weather Storm" and "Heat Miser"). Structurally, Protection mirrors its predecessor, Blue Lines, right down to the use of the same Helvetica Heavy Italic font on the cover. The artwork also recalls Blue Lines, featuring a futuristic, indestructible wall behind a charred version of the previous album’s design—suggesting that the "flammable gas" depicted has been ignited.

Tricky makes a return on the album, contributing his distinctive rapping to the tracks "Karmacoma" (which features a sample from The KLF's "Dream Time in Lake Jackson" around the 2:00-minute mark, and was accompanied by a video directed by Jonathan Glazer) and "Eurochild" (which incorporates samples from Startled Insects' "Cheetah" and Liquid Liquid's "Lock Groove (In)").