Massive Attack

Band

Photo: SuperVirtual · CC BY-SA 4.0
Active 1988-present
Origin Bristol, England
Albums 5
Tracks 49
Most frequent collaborator Neil Davidge · 30 tracks
Genres Trip HopElectronicDowntempo
Artist
90%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 44 of 49 tracks

Do Massive Attack write their own songs?

Members are credited on 44 of the group's 49 studio tracks. Only three carry nobody from outside the group, because the guest singers who front nearly every track take writing credits too.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
49
Tracks Credited
90%
Self-Written
38
Years Active
50
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 44 / 49 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 49 tracks: how many Massive Attack wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Massive Attack has a writing credit90%
6%
84%
10%
Sole author3tracks6%
Co-written41tracks84%
Outside writers5tracks10%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Massive Attack's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 49 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)90%
Composer (music)90%
Producer100%
Performer100%

Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on

Percentage of all 49 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.

MemberPeriodLyricsMusicProductionPerformance
3D 1988-present
90%
90%
39%
0%
Daddy G 1988-present
71%
71%
20%
0%
Mushroom 1988-1999
51%
51%
0%
0%
Tricky 1988-1994
10%
10%
0%
0%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Massive Attack's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 90%
89%
90%
73%
100%
100%
1991Blue Lines
1994Protection
1998Mezzanine
2003100th Window
2010Heligoland
Early · 83% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

83%
1990s
Blue Lines, Protection +1 more
100%
2000s
100th Window
100%
2010s
Heligoland

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Massive Attack sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Massive Attack
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Katseye0%
Ricky Martin25%
Salt-N-Pepa35%
Rihanna44%
Alan Jackson66%
George Michael80%
Gorillaz100%
90%Massive Attack
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Discography 5 albums

Five studio albums in nineteen years. The group works with a rotating cast of guest vocalists rather than a fixed singer.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Massive Attack49 tracks
30Neil Davidge, 30 tracks NH10Nellee Hooper, 10 tracks JD9Jonny Dollar, 9 tracks 5Horace Andy, 5 tracks SN3Shara Nelson, 3 tracks 3Elizabeth Fraser, 3 tracks SO3Sinead O'Connor, 3 tracks DA3Damon Albarn, 3 tracks on Gorillaz's page CW2Claude Williams, 2 tracks TT2Tracey Thorn, 2 tracks TN2Tim Norfolk, 2 tracks BL2Bob Locke, 2 tracks N2Nicolette, 2 tracks NS2Nicolette Suwoton, 2 tracks BH2Bob Hilliard, 2 tracks MG2Mort Garson, 2 tracks MT2Martina Topley-Bird, 2 tracks SJ2Stew Jackson, 2 tracks DB2Dan Brown, 2 tracks BC1Billy Cobham, 1 track WC1William Cobham, 1 track WD1William DeVaughn, 1 track JS1Jonathan Sharp, 1 track WB1Wally Badarou, 1 track GR1Gus Redmond, 1 track LB1Larry Brownlee, 1 track JS1Jeffrey Simon, 1 track FE1Fred E. Simon, 1 track NC1Neneh Cherry, 1 track CA1Craig Armstrong, 1 track CH1Curtis Harmon, 1 track CN1Cedric Napoleon, 1 track JL1James Lloyd, 1 track CM1Cameron Murray, 1 track BW1Ben Watt, 1 track JB1James Brown, 1 track VG1Vivien Goldman, 1 track MD1Marius de Vries, 1 track TD1The Doors, 1 track HH1Horace Hinds, 1 track LR1Lou Reed, 1 track PS1Pete Seeger, 1 track SJ1Sarah Jay Hawley, 1 track MS1Matt Schwartz, 1 track JH1John Holt, 1 track MM1Manfred Mann, 1 track TA1Tunde Adebimpe, 1 track GG1Guy Garvey, 1 track HS1Hope Sandoval, 1 track JB1John Baggott, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. NH Nellee Hooper · JD Jonny Dollar · SN Shara Nelson

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Members are credited on 44 of the group's 49 studio tracks and only three carry nobody from outside. Robert Del Naja is on all 44, Grant Marshall on 35 and Andrew Vowles on 25. The guest vocalists take credits on nearly everything, which is what happens when the singer changes every song.

Quick Facts

  • Self-writtenMembers are credited on 44 of the group's 49 studio tracks
  • Written in houseThree tracks. Guest singers take credits on nearly everything else
  • Main writerRobert Del Naja on all 44 credited tracks
  • Biggest albumBlue Lines is certified 3x platinum by the BPI
  • Five albums1991, 1994, 1998, 2003 and 2010
  • Who singsShara Nelson, Tracey Thorn, Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser and others

Creative Fingerprint

Two or three producers writing the frame, and whoever sings on it writing the rest.

The Story

Massive Attack came out of a Bristol sound system called the Wild Bunch and made Blue Lines in 1991, the record most people point at when they say trip hop. Five studio albums have followed in nineteen years, each built around guest singers rather than a frontperson.

Frequently Asked Questions Massive Attack

Do Massive Attack write their own songs?
Members are credited on 44 of the group's 49 studio tracks. Only three carry nobody from outside the group, because the guest singers who front nearly every track take writing credits too.
Who wrote "Teardrop"?
Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Elizabeth Fraser, who sings it. Fraser is credited as a writer, as most of their guest singers are.
How many albums have they released?
Five studio albums: Blue Lines (1991), Protection (1994), Mezzanine (1998), 100th Window (2003) and Heligoland (2010).
Which album sold the most?
Blue Lines, certified 3x platinum by the BPI. Protection and Mezzanine are both 2x platinum.
Who sings on their records?
A different guest almost every track: Shara Nelson, Tracey Thorn, Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser, Sinead O'Connor, Hope Sandoval and others.
Was Tricky in the band?
He wrote and rapped on five tracks across the first two albums before leaving in 1994 to make his own records.
What happened to Mushroom?
Andrew Vowles is credited on 25 tracks across the first three albums and left in 1999. He has no credit after Mezzanine.
Who is on 100th Window?
Robert Del Naja alone, with Neil Davidge. Grant Marshall took a break from the group and has no credit on it.
Did their singles chart in America?
No single from any of their albums entered the Billboard Hot 100.
Are they still recording?
Heligoland in 2010 is the most recent studio album, though they have released EPs and toured since.

Sources

Wikipedia: Massive Attack Wikipedia: Massive Attack discography