M IS FOR MASSIVE ATTACK

Even though Massive Attack has barely featured on Acid Ted until now, there seems no point in doing very much on them becuase they are so well known. Just a single post then, focusing on some of their early work.

You know Massive Attack right? If not, this from Rolling Stone is as good as any:

With their roots in the Bristol, England, club scene of the early ’80s, the members of Massive Attack originated trip-hop, one of the most influential sounds of the ’90s, combining the rhythmic urgency of hip-hop, the freewheeling samples of the DJ’s craft, soul-rich melodies, and dub-reggae’s hefty, intoxicating bottom end. The group began in 1983 as a loose collective of singers, rappers, DJs, and producers that staged parties under the name the Wild Bunch. Included in its ranks were Mushroom (Andrew Vowles) and Daddy G (Grant Marshall), as well as Nellee Hooper (later of Soul II Soul, and a producer for Madonna, Björk, and others), and Tricky [see entry]. The Wild Bunch released a 1986 cover of Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love,” which became a European dance-club sensation, just as legal authorities began to clamp down on the Bristol party circuit. In 1987 graffiti artist 3-D (Robert Del Naja) joined Daddy G and Mushroom to form Massive Attack. A series of singles led to the 1991 release of Blue Lines, which featured an array of vocalists – including Shara Nelson, Tricky, and reggae singer Horace Andy – and promoted a somnambulatory beat that ran counter to the hyped-up dance rhythms of techno.

Although their later work would take some dark and suffocating turns, their work in the early 90s had a much stronger connection to mainstream dance and a lighter touch. I bought their 1990 single “Daydreaming” after a gushing review in the press. I was not impressed. But 1991’s “Unfinished Sympathy” blew me away. Here are some early remixes, with Paul Oakenfold much in evidence:

Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy (Paul Oakenfold Remix)
Massive Attack – Hymn of the Big Wheel (Nellee Hooper Mix)

Massive Attack – Be Thankful (Paul Oakenfold Remix)

Bonus track:

Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy (Dreamtime Mix No. 2)

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~ by acidted on September 29, 2009.