For any avid Massive Attack fan, this is indeed an essential compilation, containing many of the tracks that Massive Attack have sampled since Blue Lines. It’s a very eclectic mix of tunes, containing twelve originals by Wally Badarou, Lowreil, William DeVaughn, Al Green, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Billy Cobham, Lewin Bones Lock, John Holt, The Blackbyrds, Pieces Of A Dream, Rufus & Chaka Khan.
If you put this CD on the stereo without knowing what it was, anyone with a liking for Massive Attack would instantly recognize this would have to be a compilation of tracks sampled by Massive Attack. This is a double edge blade though. Yes, Massive Attack have crafted samples from these tunes to create what many consider to be timeless classics, but what about the originals? Many of these songs are underrated, and do not receive the recognition they deserve, so why does a band like Massive Attack receive all the credit? In a sampladelic era a new audience is enticed with sweet melodies and rhythms, when most probably do not appreciate the origins of these songs. The irony is, like many other contemporaries from this era of UK music culture, the obvious examples being Chemical Brothers and Fat Boy Slim, many of these original tracks have not just been “sampled’, snippets of a song rearranged and reinterpreted, but many of the songs on this compilation have had large sections of the tracks used, almost as if to remix. Some may criticize this practice of sampling large sections of a song to be comparable to plagiarism, but its more about the reworked versions statement at its time of release, after all, its all about timing, and that’s one thing Massive Attack excelled at, they always seemed to strike a chord with the listening public.
The first three albums by Massive Attack will still sound great in years to come, and this is why this compilation is an essential purchase for anyone with a passing interest inthis whole Bristol scene.
Wayne Stronell
