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The (Original) Underground Massive Attack!

R. Hall | Winamac, In United States | 06/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since I saw "The Jackal" back in '97, bought the soundtrack, and then the "Mezzanine" album, I've been interested in the history of Massive Attack: learning that they formed the group in 1987, had two other albums to their name, and that they had a history with their collaborators Tricky, Willy Wee, and Nellee Hooper. Their history dates back to the beginning of the '80s and their involment with the DJ collective, The Wild Bunch. After "Mezzanine", I was an instant fan and eventually collected their last two albums, their singles box set, b-sides & remixes from soundtracks, and their DVD video promo collection over the next year or so. Their music was so awesome, but I always wondered what they sounded like back in the day and thought that it would be so cool if they released an album of their old stuff.Well, last year my dream came true with the release of The Wild Bunch: Story of a Sound System. I didn't know it was out until I got it for my birthday. I absolutely freaked out when I saw it. It had this cool picture of Grant Marshall, Nellee Hooper, Willy Wee (I recognized him from the "Daydreaming" video), and someone who looked like Andrew Vowles. (I found out that it was not him, but DJ Milo, the guy who mixed the album. Now, the story of the Wild Bunch is sort of jumbled and the web sites that do have info on the group don't have much, so I had never heard of DJ Milo before.) The album itself consisted of early American Hip-Hop and R&B/Dance tracks with samples of Grant Marshall's MC talents in about five spots. In one spot, there is a one minute snippet of an early instrumental Wild Bunch track and at the end of the CD, there is a single performed by The Wild Bunch with Shara Nelson, Massive's first female vocal collaborator on "Blue Lines". I had never heard of any of the other groups on the album, save two or three, but I own albums from artists who sample bits of the first 11 tracks on this collection! That was another cool thing about this. Some of these tracks contain the original clips of samples heard in: BT's "Movement In Still Life"; The Freestylers' "We Rock Hard; The Propellerheads' "DECKSANDDRUMSANDROCKANDROLL"; Mr. Oizo's "Analog Worms Attack"; Moby's "Play"; and countless others I've heard and don't own.All of the tracks are mixed by DJ Milo. I've never heard of him doing anything anywhere else because he's been retired since the group broke up back in '87, before Massive formed. Not having a reputation means squat! This guy is the best DJ I've ever heard mix an album! Sometimes, with continuous mix CDs, the breaks in the songs are very noticeable. On this one, we were 4 or 5 tracks into it before we looked at the player and realized the song had changed. Very cool! Plus, on one of the tracks, he layers one song on top of the other, using the vocals from one to loop over the instrumental of the other! Something I've only heard Cirrus and Prodigy's Liam Howlett do. Even cooler!!The booklet inside tells the complete story of the collective through the words of DJ Milo himself and Massive Attack's own Robert Del Naja. There are also numerous other comments from fans who saw the group's act, who now have recording contracts, such as Goldie and DJ Krust plus info about onlookers Roni Size, Smith & Mighty, and Geoff Barrow of Portishead. There are several other cool photos of the group performing as well, with shots of Robert, Milo, Grant, Nellee, Willy, and Andrew 'Mushroom' Vowles as a teenager! (I think that you can see Tricky in the one on the back of the booklet, I'm not sure. It may be Willy.)The first half of the album represents Massive's hip-hop roots while the second half represents their soul/dance influences. A very cool, complete package. The only thing that would make it better would be more tracks by The Wild Bunch themselves, but that doesn't take anything away from this collection(maybe they'll put out another one). It is a "must have"! (I cannot believe the price of this album. If I didn't already have it, I'd pay a heck of a lot more for it than what amazon is charging!) Any fan of Massive Attack or old-school rap would be advised to purchase this right away, for themselves and all their friends."

Great early soundsystem from the MA crew.

Matthew Dodd | Brussels, Belgium | 01/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"... This cd is a collection of what the future Massive crew where listening to in the mid 80's when their sound system was known as the Wild Bunch and they where throwing parties in and around the Bristol area. The mix, is in fact carried out by DJ Milo, who is no longer part of the Massive Attack line-up since the 'Blue Lines' album.I recommend this album to the enthusiast who wishes to discover the roots of such acts as Massive Attack, Portishead, Smith & Mighty, Roni Size...etc. Yes indeed the material may seem a teensy bit outdated by todays standards but in the mid 80s, trust me this was groundbreaking stuff, so please do not consider this as a recent Massive Attack outing, think of it more as a historical reference tracing back the roots of one of the most influential bands of the last decade.As regards the album itself the first part is highly loaded with old school hip hop (it certainly bought back some fun memories) whereas the second part is more funk, disco and housey, with the whole album being interspersed with a healthy dose of MCing. All round a quadruple A rating for the boys out of Bristol and their entourage."

Original Rockers

Todd Boostrom | Pacific Palisades, CA United States | 02/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many people have come to know Massive Attack in this country through their later moody, layered work in 'Mezzanine' and 'Protection', and now '100th Window', but their souls are firmly rooted in the Bristol, UK's 1980's sound system scene. Back then, the style was b-boy Adidas,Fila, and Kangol, and the discs spun ranged from old school rap, electro funk, rare groove, to dancehall reggae-- the rarer the better. This 70 minute CD and 16 page booklet do a great job capturing that scene, and rescuing some amazingly obscure tracks from oblivion. There are only two tracks on this CD that are actual Wild Bunch tracks, the live 'Double Fresh' and the hip-hop meets Burt Bacharach 'The Look of Love' from the very rare 'Friends and Countrymen' Wild Bunch 12", but it's a plus that the other two EP tracks aren't on this CD. The truth is, Smith & Mighty-produced 'The Look Of Love' is a gem, but the other tracks-- 'Friends & Countrymen' and 'Machine Gun'-- are weak. For me, the CD is worth it solely for the Sugarhill Records on fire-styled "We Rap More Mellow" by The Younger Generation, but all these tracks are strong, and I assure you, not easily found in the local used record bins."