Blue Lines

The original trip hop album. Still sounds just as good now as it did 30 years ago.

Maybe revolutionary in its day, but it does not hold up for me. It could be a victim of its own success, creating an oft copied formula, once a bright shining star, but now it just blends in with the streetlamps.

listen without prejudice they say, it's so hard. I grew up in Bristol, I was a teenager when this whole thing was kicking off. So strip away the hometown pride and teenage navel gazing what have you got? Basically a tsunami of an album one of the most distinct and incredible elements of this album is the bass, the bass is omnipresent loud and driving you have to remember that it was all guitars at the time. but they brought that heavy bass sound. Songs like safe from harm and one love, make Bass the king. the other thing that's great about this album is no one owns it, you have Horace Andy singing, 3D and Tricky rapping and Shara Nelson's iconic vocals. each song sounds differnt each song engages you in a differnt way, Yet it's cohesive. To me this album is the definition of collaboration. I could go on and on, folklore and drama surround it, but it's the music right and the music is so sweet. The shipping rhythms, the rolling bass and dream like pads make the music a waking dream something dark and beautiful. I'd give this a 6 if I could it's their best album by far and one of the best albums I've heard on this darn book list.

An album somehow both distilled essence of its time yet also timeless. With nods to 70s soul deep cuts and a melange of styles and genres, Massive Attack made this masterpiece for the ages. Absorbing, flowing, emotional - electronic music was rarely this introspective. And Unfinished Sympathy isn’t one of the greatest musical achievements of the century as the soaring orchestra builds and swells and Shara Nelson’s beautiful vocals ring clear and sweet creating a transformative, epic, maxi and mini track. Exciting and frightening.

mf rhymed 'dangerous' with 'contagerious'

From the opening burbling bass of Safe From Harm, I was hooked. What a song. What an album. Genre defining. I love Mezzanine which is a more consistent album but the high points of Blue Lines are enough to carry the album to a 5 🌟rating

One of the best albums ever. Hands down.

Makes me want to go out and buy rubbers.

I thought about giving this album a 4, because they have at least 2 better albums, but then ❤️❤️❤️unfinished sympathy❤️❤️❤️ came on.

Vocals are dynamic but very much reminiscent of the time period. Instrumentation holds up incredibly well and is solely unique to Massive Attack, that is a sexy, futuristic fusion of multiple genres such as a hip-hop, soft rock, jazz, etc. in a near psychedelic manner.

Haven't we already listened to an album by this band? I'm just not into this type of music. It bores and annoys me

As a teenager I had consumed all of the hip-hop I could lay my hands on (which, living in Australia, wasn't always a lot). But the rise of gangsta rap left me cold; too violent too misogynistic. There were a few things I could hold on to (De La Soul, Public Enemy, etc), but Blue Lines was revelatory. It was chilled, sophisticated (but not over-polished) and smooth. it mashed up a bunch of genres that I really dug -- hip-hop, soul, reggae, dub -- into a coherent and smoky fusion. Neneh Cherry needs acknowledgment as the impetus for this album. Musically, her Raw Like Sushi album showed the way with that genre blending from a hip-hop base. She gave the Wild Bunch crew their first production credits, and the album was essentially recorded in her spare room. I can't blame Massive Attack for the thousands of pale imitations that followed this, reducing trip-hop to a cliche of bland dinner party music. This album was really great and fresh and you can hear why the imitators followed in its path. The inclusion of terrific singers in Shara Nelson and Horace Andy works side by side with the hushed and stoned flow of the rappers. I have played this record a lot since 1991, and it was a pleasure to spin it again today. Still sounds great.

November 28, 2023 Masterpiece. Innovative, executed perfectly. Every track holds. "Because my ak rig goes boom boom My ak rig goes boom"

Yay some trip hop!! And not only that, but maybe the ultimate trip hop! I love the hip-hop, reggae, soul and electronic influences but they're all beautifully curated into something very pleasing and calming to my mind. The bouncy beat on Hymn of the Big Wheel makes me feel delicious things. It's perfect to me, no flaws. Unfinished Sympathy, another tuuuune.

Another legendary record that doesn’t move me in the slightest.

Is it club music? Is it hip hop? Neither, both, but less than the sum of its parts. Underwhelming rhymes, sounds dated and very 90s but in a not great way. That said, there's a few decent tracks on here: Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy and Hymn Of The Big Wheel

The soul influences were the icing on the cake here. I'm not very familiar with trip hop, so this was a great starting point.

Awesome album, one of the ones I enjoyed most so far. Equally capable of being background music or being the focus of attention. Safe from harm and the majestic unfinished sympathy dominate, but all tracks work really well as a piece.

Massive Attack is one of my favorite bands of all-time. The advent of trip-hop was amazing and this album illustrated the things to come from this english duo.

🌋😭🌋🌋 really good album bro. A lot of the drums are crazy good. One Love is fire . 1. Five Man Army 2. Unfinished Sympathy 3. Blue Lines The album incorporates hip hop, funk soul and electronic music together . I gotta stop reading the Apple Music description before hand.

This is album 700 from the generator. It's wild how much quality British electronic music I've gotten so far. I've heard this already. Chill and laidback, it's an easy album to have on repeat all day. Jose Gonzalez brought me to Massive Attack with his cover of Teardrop. Headphones, coffee, animal friends, hummingbirds, in the backyard on a pleasant Saturday morning. I need more days in my life like this.

Before it was called trip hop it was called acid jazz which frankly is a huge turn off. I always liked Mezzanine more than this but this really kind of started off a whole genre. Shit is fire. Really inventive stuff, kind of mashed up a bunch of things that was swirling around the UK club scene at the time. Although they did it better later with the aforementioned Mezzanine, and Portishead is really the gold standard of the genre- you can look at this album as the most influential in trip hop.

Good in ‘91 and still grooves. Excellent cool as ice jazz and soul samples and covers. Rapping and wordplay are clever. Production and music is excellent. Mix of singing, reggae and rap is a good variety. Top notch, but do I prefer this to Protection? Are they both good enough for 5*? Probably!

Smooth album. Large hip hop influence. Great vocals.

Great mellow groove through a lot of interesting references and sounds.... However, I looked this up and saw some critic describe this as the best dance album and I can't imagine dancing to this. I'd literally fall asleep on my feet. This is more like music you listen to while high on a cross country train ride.

Day 44 of AlbuMs You Must Hear. Before the genre trip-hop existed in 1991, English electronic music Massive Attack released their debut album, Blue Lines. This is a really chill record with lots of sampling, breakbeats and scratching. There is some singing and some rapping on Blue Lines but the true star of this show is the production. Check out the cool William DeVaughn sample of A Cadillac Don’t Come Easy on Be Thankful For What You Got. I really enjoyed Blue Lines by Massive Attack. Please share your thoughts, opinions and memories!!

It's just kinda there nothing special imo

Am i being punk'd? The opening tracks are kind of obnoxious. Slow jams with childish lyrics. Is this trip hop? Very dated sound. (1/5) Ugh.. Did they just learn what rhyming is? Supposedly Unfinished Sympathy is the standout track, and I'm sorry, I don't see it. Maybe this was a cultural touchstone in a certain time and place, but nothing on this album has held up to the passage of time. The samples are misplaced, just putting strings behind a beat does not make it "ethereal", and the songwriting is hot, steaming garbage. Perhaps I'm a cranky old man now, but I couldn't even see my teenage self liking this too much. There are better ways to create good music using these tools and this admixture of ingredients. Did that mf'er just try and rhyme "weebles wobbles" in a song?? How is this a classic?

Not a fan- Sounded like something out of the Matrix. Super 90's with the drum and base and techo kind of vibes.

Before I’ve even listened to one note I am stoked, I lived this album back in the day and it’s been years since I last have given it any AirPlay. Having re listened to it I wasn’t disappointed, every song is a total banger, each hitting home with strong beats, still loving their best known hit unfinished sympathy and ending with the hymn of the big wheel which I think is such a haunting tune

“Unfinished Sympathy… one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as Bacharach or McCartney.”

Im Rückblick noch mehr Urknall als Grunge in dem Jahr. Weite, und ich meine weite Teile der 90er unvorstellbar ohne das Teil, Kruder und Dorfmeister waren ja bei denen im Kindergarten. Bass? Yeah! Drums? MEEEGAA. Aber auch die Raps möchte Vati lobend erwähnen: slick, smooth and juicy. "Bums", wie es so schön zärtlich in "daydreaming" haucht.

Groooooovy. Loving it. Best enjoyed with headphones.

Downtempo, soulful, sexy, chill, eclectic, bassy, quirky. The genre that Massive and the Bristol scene created deserves a much better name than trip-hop. One of the few albums where the second side is much more cohesive than the first. If you loved this, go listen to Mezzanine - their best album and a notable omission from the books.

I love me some trip-hop. I think Mezzanine is a better album overall, but there's something really raw and significant about this album all the same. It really feels like it was at the crest of the wave for the genre - really enjoyed it

I haven’t been this pleasantly surprised going into something I thought I’d dislike since my first viewing of “The Sound of Music” in a movie theater nearly a decade ago - this album combines hip-hop, dub, soul, reggae and electronic music into an incredibly satisfying melange.

I think I'm definitely missing something here and feel bad for giving it a 2 for a half assed listen on my part, but that's just the way it is.

It's fine, but it's boring. Background music. 'Unfinished Sympathy' is a banger though.

Was ok - not really my jam

Trip hop is everyday music.

At it's best this is some of the greatest music ever, that incredible bassline on Safe From Harm, the way those massive horns come into One Love but just a tiny bit. Occasionally goes a bit generic trip hop and coasts a bit, but then that's kinda just cos they invented trip hop to begin with. More than enough bangers here to make this a classic!

I never got trip hop until I heard this one. There's just a whole lot going on here, all of it good. We've got some soul, some hip-hop, some reggae, and some stuff that's just uncategorizable. One of my all-time top albums for when I'm looking to have a good time.

Actually loved this. The beats were craaaazy plus lyrics that didn’t always necessarily sound like they fit the vibe MADE the vibe. Very unique and going in my rotation.

Blue Lines still sounds fresh as fuck. I listen to it at least once a month. It makes me think that I am a character caught up in a film plot, walking around, as each scene and relationship changes. There's so much in here - not just with the music, but the mental images that are created. Horace Andy steals the show, although any one of the nine tracks are worthy of being the best song on the album. My only disappointment was that it was over so soon. Outstanding.

A 5! It's been literal months 😭 Never been a fan of the Horace Andy parts as I'm not sold on his voice, but everything else I love. What I prefer on this album compared to Mezzanine is that the highs, are well and truly high. Safe From Harm, Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy, and Lately reach a whole different level. The beats are cozy and intimate yet funky and evocative, all boosted by Robert's and Tricky's rapping and Shara's angelic voice. One of my favourite trip hop albums, a staple of the genre.

Schnazzy sounds of trip hop with sweet lyrics.

Un album que je connais bien, que j'écoute de temps en temps sur ma hifi et que j'ai eu le plaisir de redécouvrir dans mes écouteurs Sorti en 1991, dans un monde ou le hip hop est à peine installé, il est à la base de plein de belles choses, notamment en terme d'electronica et de trip hop Au final en réecoutant cet album je me rends compte qu'il m'a beaucoup inspiré dans mes créations, j'adore la façon dont ils utilisent les samples, j'adore cette fusion entre electro et orchestral, leurs invités et le tyoe de chant qu'ils décident de poser sur leurs productions C'est impecable C'est beau C'est très inspirant Et ça a franchement bien vielli malgré que ce soit marqué par son époque Merci massive attack 4,5/5

Dark, moody and claustrophobic….. just a great great album

Seit gestern wieder nur zweiter im ewigen Battle: wer gefällt Guido besser, Blue Lines oder Protection? Aber wie das so ist in ewigen Battles: der Kampf ist noch lange nicht entschieden. Das hier featured Basslines für die Ewigkeit, den perfekten Popsong, und mit Hymn of the Big Wheel einen Grower, der auch nach Jahrzehnten bei mir immer noch Potential hat. Momentan: 4,7 Sterne

Stone cold classic. Good to read the wiki and understand how pivotal it is. Tbh, can get a little pedestrian at times, but that’s the vibe I guess

Excellent going on a couple playlists

Massisve Attack is a group that I have been aware of but never taken the time to explore, and I'm very happy that I got the opportunity here. Immediately gave me proto-Gorillaz vibes in the greatest ways, while also exhibiting a a range og vocal styles (including soulful and well-placed offerings from Shara Nelson). There's some experimentation that really works here, and some that falls flat for me, but it's varied beats and rhythms made it anything but boring, and I repeated a few tracks (namely "Safe From Harm", "Unfinished Sympathy", and "Daydreaming," all of which I discovered after had been released as singles). One of the first on this list that I was unfamiliar with and plan to revisit, this one's the kind of 3.5/5 that I don't mind to round up.

"Cause life ain't nothing but a good groove, A good mixtape to put you in the right mood” Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 3 = 3.8 rounded up to 4 INTRO I saw Massive Attack come up and got a little too excited before I realized this is not the one I thought it was. I didn't jump on the bandwagon until Mezzanine which was, to my complete surprise, a full 7 YEARS LATER! Surely I must have heard some of this before, right? Let's see what Banksy and friends have in store. THE TRACKS "Safe from Harm" - Ok. Fears unfounded. I have at least heard this one before. Awesome opener. Everything about this is what I was hoping the Soul II Soul's Club Classics vol. One was going to be. Take all those criticisms and reverse them. I'm back on board for some late 80s/ early 90s British music collective shenanigans. "One Love" - Steady as she goes. Horace Andy is what you want from a male vocalist on this type of thing. Soulful, and tuneful. He's not just reading off a menu here. That awesome sting is lifted from "Ike's Song" by Isaac Hayes ( had to look it up as I thought it was from a Godzilla (!) soundtrack at first) cements this together for me. Seriously though - do yourself a favor and pull up the Who Sampled Who site while listening to some of these. "Blue Lines" - Not the biggest fan of Banksy's rapping on this. It's not distractingly awful but it veers very close to the talk/ singing stuff I tend to loathe. His flow is , uh... monotone and deliberate if I'm being kind. However, it slots into the chill atmosphere well, so... "Be Thankful for What You've Got" - We get a more than capable, modernized cover of William Devaugn's minor soul classic here ( recognized the song, but had to look up the artist and release date). Enjoyable and a nice change of pace, but does not touch the original by a country mile. I listened to the original while the cover was paused, came back and confirmed this opinion. Bet this killed in their live sets though. "Five Man Army" - I think I could listen to just the drum and bass on this on a loop for hours ( found this after - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3LPGmxpCu4) . The reggae dripping off this is a delight, and maybe my favorite rapping so far (Tricky!) off the whole album. Banksy doesn't even detract from the experience. "Unfinished Sympathy" - I feel like I've heard this drum sample a zillion times, but doesn't lose anything here. The strings over top and the vocals are lovely as well, but both parts seem to be straining against each other. I wish the drum loop was slowed way down so this could feel more chill, but I feel like I'm running to catch up or listening to two separate songs playing over top of each other. This is a flavor I'm not sure of yet. It seems to come together in the end though with the piano. Maybe it could grow on me? "Daydreaming" - Tricky seems to be working at Banksy's pace here for the first part and then gets more confident by the halfway point. Right down the middle though and can't say this one hooks me. Not filler by any means, but the rapping is not what draws me to Massive attack, and it's front and center here. This would be best time to hit the toilet at a concert. "Lately" - I'm fully along for the ride. The groove is in full effect and Shara Nelson kills it with the baby-making vocals. "Hymn of the Big Wheel" - Easily the most surprising track here. To quote They Might Be Giants "No one in the world ever gets what they want / And that is beautiful" - seems to be the vibe here. The electronic bits remind me of Aphex Twin. Not my favorite, but my biggest criticism is that it's the one track that feels out of place. Until the last 45 seconds or so anyways. Paints with such bright colors early on I'm not sure I would have pegged this for a Massive Attack song at all had I heard it out of context. We got some whale song though I guess. HIGHLIGHTS - "Safe from Harm", "Five Man Army", "Lately" if I had to pick standout tracks - Shara Nelson and Horace Andy are the co-MVPs here in my opinion, only enriching things when they show up LOWLIGHTS - Banksy's rapping will never be my favorite - Ends on such a weird note - Another 7 years til we get "Teardrop" :( FINAL THOUGHTS I've heard bits and pieces of this over the years but never thought to go back and give this my full attention. Glad I did. I could make a whole 5 star playlist of just great songs that were sampled for this. It's crazy that this is their debut and they feel so complete and steady already. I can't imagine Mezzanine won't come up on this list at some point though, and gonna go ahead an predict a 5 star for that one. It puts this in perspective though. Very little at all to find fault with, but I know there's better things coming. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Drop "Blue lines" and "Daydreaming". If only there were some way to swap Banksy and Tricky on these. - "Hymn of the Big Wheel" we can maybe pretend never existed. Besides I think ending with some Shara Nelson is appropriate here.

Nice album mixing hiphop and that chilled out grungy sound of the 90s. Uncertain if this is the album that kick started the triphop genre, but definitely still great after 30 years. Overall not as enjoyable as Mezzanine for me, but Five Man Army and Hymn of the Big Wheel stand out as phenomenal songs

Released April '91. The album that birthed Trip-hop. Safe From Harm: Menacing, sultry, dub baseline is instantly iconic. Essentially the blueprint for triphop. Great opener. One Love: Horace Andy on vocals for this one, based around Mahavishnu Orchestra sample. Points for the jarring Isaac Hayes brass sample that intercuts throughout. Blue Lines: Another dark funky number. The rapping is a tad fast...and the cadence a little dated. Be Thankful for What You've Got: Cover of William DeVaughn. Very cool bass line, organ is the shit. Five Man Army: Worst rapping so far, just cringe. Bass line is cool though, as is the 'money money money' dub outro. Unfinished Sympathy: Classic, 'nuff said. Upon re-listening, I am struck by the effect the percussion has in grounding the track. The vocals soar while the strings wash over you. There is a method to the darkness. Daydreaming: Mean bass line - sample from Mambo by Wally Badarou. Again, more cheesy rapping (sorry Tricky). Lately: Another Sharah Nelson lead track. Bass slaps...a little meandering though. Hymn of the Big Wheel: Low atmospheric hum. Tinny lo-fi drumtrack sounds like a rattlesnake. We wait until the end of the record to address those universal truths...the closest dance has come to a genuine religious call. It's a rare and earnest moment. There are some moments of dated production and vocal delivery, but this is an innovative album of aesthetic and musical quality. They would release more sophisticated albums later, but as a first step it's a giant one.

Hindsight is incredibly kind to this album. The first real triphop album ig it’s time holds up SO well. This must’ve really sounded like the future upon its release, and that’s exactly what it was. The focus on creating an atmosphere with the music through minimalist, repetitive techniques is akin to something you’d hear in house music. Blue Lines just takes an acidic, trippy, slowed big beat approach to it. “Unfinished Sympathy” is a monster of a track and easily my favorite. “One Love” was good too. 4/5. There was a time where I didn’t have the patience or pallet to find greatness in this record, but there is greatness indeed

I really enjoyed this album. The low key beats and chill rhymes drew me in and I immediately went back for a second listen. Much better than most of the upbeat, over-the-top trip hop I’ve been exposed to, which always felt too dance-driven. It’s good to know that it came from a place that was more clean and soulful than where it ended up … even if it does come from grown men named Daddy G, Tricky and Mushroom.

very chill. very confident, deservedly so. probably a bit too minimalist for me to want to listen to a whole album of in a row personally. not a surprise that this has been influential

I only know Massive Attack from the song Teardrop which I love. But this is another artist that I never did any further dive into besides that one track. I was very happy to see them come up today as I wanted to do a deeper dive. And I am very glad that I did. I enjoyed this album very much. I have enjoyed all of the trip hop artists I've listened to, so getting to hear the original one was exciting to me. There was more rapping on this than other trip hop songs I've heard, and I thought there was a great diversity of sound and style due to that, along with some very soulful singing. All of this on top of some very cool music that I really dug. Standouts were Safe From Harm, One Love, Be Thankful For What You've Got, Unfinished Sympathy, and Daydreaming. I look forward to more from this artist and genre.

I'm a little surprised the list gave us Blue Lines and Protection, but not Mezzanine. Safe From Harm is a mood setting opener. A shuffling, regular drum beat and a burbling bassline with spoken word form the backdrop that is interlaced with sprinkles of piano, guitar, and vocals. For some reason the effect conjures images of urban decay and subways. One Love is effortlessly cool. Shifting between downtempo vocal sections and a muscly horn theme that is mixed in. Unfinished Sympathy is really nice -- love the underpinning percussion. Also cool that the vocal sample comes from Mahavishnu Orchestra -- another favorite of mine. Daydreaming has a sensual yet blissful energy about it that I really enjoy. Solid album is solid. High 4 / 5.

Two Massive Attack albums on this list and no Mezzanine? Crazy work but still pumped. Production on this was great and overall was some solid trip hop. I didn't really like Be Thankful For What You've Got. Really loving the theatrical-ness of Unfinished Sympathy. This straddled the 3/4 line. Gonna go low 4.

this album is weirdly quirky? it has a playfulness that makes things light while also have a LOT of layers musically. I'd use this for a movie soundtrack.

I've enjoyed what I heard from their album Mezzanine, and really enjoy Heligoland, had no idea they’d been in the game for so long. Fun to hear the clear foundation for a lot of electronic music today. Especially the music that leans toward that cinematic feel. Wish I could give half stars so I could give 4.5 instead of 4.

Are they of this world? There is something a little "other worldy" about Massive, yet they lure me everytime. Hypnotic by nature they in effect created a sub genre. Hardly a month goes by I don't play Unfinished Sympathy, Blue Lines, Safe From Harm, Daydreaming are all highlight on this dreamy slightly surreal record. Very nice listening.

Super chill record with lots of soul influences mixed in with low-key hip hop. I've listened to Mezzanine a few times and recognised a few tracks from this album, but it's the first time i've really given Massive Attack time. Very solid album which could be enjoyed as background music or by its own merit. 8/10

Falling a bit behind on these so going to keep my reviews briefer! This 1991 effort is a bit of a pioneer, eventually leading to a trip-hop movement that became popular in the UK. Elements of this have certainly influenced lots of bands and artists to this day. It's electronic music but with a lot of reggae/dub vibes ('Five Man Army') but also some rapping and slower grooves such as 'Lately'. Nice closer 'Hymn of the Big Wheel' and of course everybody knows Unfinished Sympathy which is a classic. Not necessarily my bag and I may actually prefer their later work, but it does work very well.

This took me back in time. A couple of classics that I like - Unfinished Sympathy is one. I always think Massive Attack vibes are good background music for a night in.

Ah, Massive Attack. The artist that I found out about when I went through my high school "House, M.D." phase. Yeah. If you ever get the chance to dive into an artist's full discography, do it. Sometimes it's a hit or miss situation, but Massive Attack is genuinely stunning. Almostttt five to me.

I can see why this is called trip-hop. I expected to dislike this band, but it was actually pretty cool. And I hear their live shows are epic. It's not my favorite style, but I found myself bopping along, especially when the female vocalist was featured.

I’ve always been more of a mezzanine freak but this is good too. However if mezzanine is not on this list I will puke.

Massive Attack invented Trip Hop with this album and even though it was the start of the genre, this album is still really solid and stays as one of the best Trip Hop records of all time. The blend of the trippy and dreamy Hip Hop inspired beats with the light vocals that switch from gentle rapping to soulful performances as well as the additions of instrumental and electronic Raggae in the form of Dub is just a one of a kind spectacle. And although their album 'Mezzanine' is much, much stronger, this record had crazier and more forward thinking ideas that pushed Trip Hop into the path we know today. 'Safe From Harm' kicks things off with the mix of the trippy sounds of Trip Hop and the energetic breakbeats of Street Soul while incorporating a lot of Turntablism into the mix. The song uses the repetetive nature of sampling with a turntable perfectly as an advantage to create tension while still having a lot of soundscapes build around the main beat. And on top of that, the vocals are absolutely amazing and work so perfectly. I think the entire song works perfectly and not just as an opening track but as a song itself. The Dub appears fittingly on 'One Love' which is a perfect mix of the Raggae influence with the Trip Hop style. The vocals are a little bit silly at points but to be honest, it doesn't annoy much. I think the main "problem" is that the song is feels not fully fleshed out and at multiple points like they didn't check over it. I think it's still a good song but it also stays at good and not much more. The title track 'Blue Lines' now adds much more Hip Hop with some very low-key and gentle rapping that has a pretty warm and atmospheric feeling too it. I really love the production with the Jazz Bass, the sample flip as well as the actual verses that sometimes even go into Abstract Hip Hop territory. I think if there was a little more to it like a chorus or a hook (vocally or instrumental), it might've been a perfect song but the way it's done here is still really incredible. The very prominet Soul vocals of 'Be Thankful for What You've Got' with the R&B sound of the track do make this a really enjoyable track even with less Trip Hop in the actual production although it still has the typical drums, it's just that the entirety of the song is much more a Soul song than it is Trip Hop. I think the song is great and I love the chorus as well as the vocal deliveries but I just don't connect with it as much as with other songs on here. 'Five Man Army' returns to the strong Hip Hop influence and combines it with some Dub which is a lovely combo. I really love the production with the few trumpets in the mix that really add the enjoyment of the beat. The verses from the rappers are really well written and performed and are pretty much some of the best UK Hip Hop moments that have been made up until this point and are still from todays view, really solid. They obviously aren't close to anything from Little Simz or idk GZA but they are solid. As is the full track by the way. Even with the length of it it does have a lot of incredible moments and comes out to a pretty great song. The albums second half is started by 'Unfinished Sympathy' which combines strong Dance elements with Cinematic Classical strings that create a sound that feels both epic and energetic while still having the dreamy soundscapes of Trip Hop above it. Although I think that these elements don't perfectly work together, the vocal performance is really holding this together as a track but I believe it would've been better without the strings. It's still a great song and I get why so many see it as the best track on the album. 'Daydreaming' returns with more Rap influences and I think that they work pretty well especially the flow seems to fit neatlessly on the beat which I think is really the star of this track. The production is so great especially the details in there. I really like the song but I think that it doesn't have enough to it overall to reach a great level although I'd really wish that because I really like the production choices, it's just the thing finished that don't feel enough. There is again more Soul on 'Lately' but I feel like it doesn't go as hard as it did before. This track doesn't feel fully finished and also pretty lame in comparison. It's not bad but it doesn't go above an okay track that is fine to listen to but I don't really care for it at all. The album closes with a sonically very pure Trip Hop track 'Hymn of the Big Wheel' that only adds a couple of Dub, R&B and even New Age elements beneath the surface and with it being the albums longest track, it does feature some of the most interesting moments. The production feels grand but still very atmospheric and even a little bit cold. Although the vocals are again a little bit silly, they still work and I do think that the song ends up being pretty great. I really like the song on its own and also how it closes the album. favourites: Safe From Harm, Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy, Five Man Army least favourites: Lately, One Love, Daydreaming Rating: decent 8 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Solid, but sometimes a bit repetitive. Great for dancing by yourself in your room, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Favourites included Daydreaming and Blue Lines (the title track).

I started out listening to this thinking I liked the darker tone of Mezzanine better, and after finishing it I still think that stands. But other aspects of this album - Tricky’s rapping in particular - are better. Solid 4 stars.

So many different voices and sounds. Some reggae, some parts were more rap heavy. Really interesting.

“How we live in his existence just being English upbringing, background Caribbean“ New listen for me. So an odd thing happened as I listened to this one. I initially bounced off of it, just not for me, but something kept nagging the back of my mind. Then halfway through the album, around the track Five Man Army, it started hitting for me. And by the end I wanted to start it over and listen to those first few tracks again. Ah there it is, that start to “Safe From Harm” put me in mind of 311’s “Beautiful Disaster” and that brought the whole album into focus. The beat heavy sound with bits of electronic, reggae, and rap. Wouldn’t be surprised to find out Massive Attack was influential on them. (Upon reading the Wikipedia on this album I see that this album and band are a massive (pun not intended) influence on many artists.) Trip hop. That makes sense. I dig it. A 3.5 that I don’t feel like rounding up to a 4. I’m probably adding these tracks to the playlists: Safe From Harm Blue Lines Five Man Army Daydreaming Lately.

When I saw that Massive Attack was an electronic music group, I assumed I was going to dust off my standard copy/paste electronic music review. I was proven wrong on this one. Turns out it was not the typical house music I associate with that genre. There were several songs on here I really liked, they had a very cool vibe - Safe from Harm, Unfinished Sympathy, Be Thankful, and Hymn of the Big Wheel. Shara Nelson’s voice is amazing on several of the songs. She added a lot of depth on this. But then there were others I skipped through because I thought they were terrible. Giving this a solid 3 though, which is shocking considering these are typically a 1 for me.

It’s spoken poetry, with talented backup singers, over 90’s beats that don’t always coincide. While it is an extremely creative concept, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good music. I’m really struggling to find what is “special” about many of the recent selections as they all fall into the category of average music to me.

Unpopular opinion: this album may have been innovative when it was released, but it hasn't held up very well. Yes, perhaps thirty-five years ago the mix of reggae, hip-hop, and soul sounded novel; overall, it still sounds good, but, firstly, many bands have emerged who are making this kind of music just as good, and in some places even better, and secondly, sometimes the songs drag on unnecessarily. The album's cohesion also suffers, and Del Naja has never hidden the fact that they simply recorded demos in the studio and then simply brought in guest vocalists. Ultimately, the music becomes mere background music. It's a cult classic, but I don't find it appealing. Additional star for the rich bass lines, but overall it was a bit boring to listen to.

certainly feels more derivative than it actually is; I think I would've enjoyed this album more when it came out, back when it was revolutionary, than now that others have perfected this once-new form. a great listen nevertheless.

I much prefer the soul parts of this album to the hip-hop parts. The rap on this album is very 90s, the lyrics are a bit weak and cringe in parts, but it's still better than the typical gangsta shit that dominates nowadays. The overall sound feels to me like it carries a lot of hangover from the 80s in terms of the synth effects used. Doesn't necessarily do anything that inventive for me. Highlights: - Unfinished Sympathy - classic. Great vibe, atmospheric, just a good listen overall. Not really my type of music; tolerable as background but definitely not my favourite. Extremely chill though, so inoffensive and easy to listen to, if a bit boring.

The instrumentals in this album is a vibe to say the least. The bass line are good, but I'm not a big fan of how they sing some songs. The melody of them singing sounds unique. It's not the worse though. For the lyrics, they had some clever ones, then they have some that I think was a bit nonsense like it was a part of a "cool" rapping scene in some cartoon. I also appreciate on this album is how eccentric they deliver their vocal with such intent and swerve. I also found out they had a lot of members in this band. So, with this, I think I actually preferred hearing Shara, Marshall, and Willie Wee. Liked songs: Safe From Home Five Man Army Be Thankful for What You've Got -> a cover Honourable mention/s: Lately -> the vocals were great, the bass and synth (?) were also decent, but it just felt like something was missing or maybe it was a little repetitive Jan 21, 2026 - 9:00 PM

Love the music but sometimes the vocals are cheesy af.

Had a Pavlovian response to the opening groove. Haven't heard it in 30 years but still subtly makes me want to overpay for a haircut (ie, sounds like something you might hear in a hip salon in 1991), but also a little boring and occasionally pointless-sounding. It's funny that a record this laid back could be something of a shot heard 'round the world, but it was the first "trip hop" record for many of us and it put Tricky on the map, too. "Five Man Army" uses the same killer Al Green sample that Eric B & Rakim used on "Mahogany" - my friends and I used to drool over that sick syncopated beat - and then they layer cool dub reggae ideas over it. That's pretty much trip-hop in a nutshell. Anyway, I totally forgot about that tune - thanks to this project for reminding me, but if I'm honest, it's unlikely I will remember to play this album a week from now.

I’ve tried with Massive Attack before, I really have. All the hype around Mezzanine, which I’m certain is on this list as well. I listened to this release twice today as well and there are moments I do enjoy, the beats are actually enjoyable for the most part, it’s the vocals that make this, for a lack of a better word, uh lame… Looking over the artists who have credits on Blue Lines, I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Nenah Cherry there, I absolutely find her music to be lame. It’s frustrating bc it could be decent if they cut away a good chunk of the vocals here but they didn’t and therefore I dislike this. 2 stars

Honestly, aside from the lyrics themselves the rapping parts really reminded me of a potential cypher or a rap battle going down in Hogwarts. The voices and pronunciation just couldn't let me escape the thought which definitely affected the songs from being taken as seriously as perhaps I should have. The melodies and the musicality also seemed mostly like walkout songs and not something that could necessarily be danced to. The highlights were definitely the female vocals across numerous songs and "Unfinished Sympathy" but overall the album will be getting a 2.5 overall which will be downgraded to a two as it was just a miss personally.

Well, they certainly remind us who they are at every opportunity. They produced some great stuff later on, but this doesn't do anything for me.

Snooze fest

I've never been a huge Massive Attack fan. I'm sure they're great, and they are probably the originators, but I feel like there have been so many parodies and stuff on this "type" of music, I couldn't get past the parody to hear it as a real serious album.

The first song (and a couple of other songs in the album) are quite similar to a parody talk that Reggie Watts had at POP TECH where he was saying a bunch of nonsense and was making that kind of music on-stage but it was very nonsensical. I don't think that the album was absolutely amazing, but I am sure it has an audience. There was nice little music in the background and then someone would appear and say things relatively quietly, and sometimes the things would rhyme.

When you are a pioneer, trying to blaze new trails, you don't always find the ideal route the first time. "Blue Lines" has been credited as the first trip-hop album, and knowing Massive Attack's trip-hop reputation I was excited to listen. However, these are clearly the early experiments of the genre, not its later heights. Some of the beats and structure were what I expected, but the soul vocals were not what I was looking for. And though I remember liking Tricky's solo stuff, the tracks that featured him were not much better. "Blue Lines" is somewhere in the 2-3 range, minus a star for the disappointment, plus a star for pioneering a genre that would later produce some amazing material... (Interestingly, after listening to this I stumbled upon Massive Attack's "Teardrop" on Sirius XMU. Definitely the Massive Attack song I'm most familiar with. So much better than "Blue Lines." Then a few songs later they played The National's "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness." (We also listened to The National last week.) Fantastic song. Probably my favorite I've heard from them. Better than anything on "High Violet." I thought both of those popping up today was pretty serendipitous.)

This was a massive attack on my ears. I will gladly stay away from this group in the future.

lukewarm beats and irritating vocals. Plodding and soporific. We've progressed a lot since this album. Was pretty happy when this album ended.

Synthy, cheesy white rapping over monotonous instrumental instruments. Confused reggae early 90s alt rock. Frankly, very bad.

I am no fan of trip-hop, and I wouldn't shed too many tears if the entire city of Bristol was to fall into the sea. This sounds...atrocious. Boring, dated - and how many times are they going to say the phrase 'massive attack'? I'm trying to imagine a scenario where I'd put this on out of choice, and am failing. Perhaps interrogating someone at Abu Ghraib?

Meh

great beats. werido lyrics and kinda off putting.

1991. Key Songs: Be Thankful For What You've Got

What an album! Paired perfectly with a lovely bright walk this morning. Favourite track: it’s got to be Safe From Harm

really enjoyed this one. Early Trip Hop. Base grooves run deep. Shara Nelson's vocals are a high point.

Hard to describe, but amazing to read to.