Reviews (page 11 of 14)
Good album, something different
Reggae vibes, really cool listen during trail run
Great album for it’s time. Not one I revisit often.
I knew I would like this. I love anything darkly moody. The last song surprised me a bit, because it was more upbeat. Not sure if I'll listen to it much so that bumps the score down a bit. But overall I really enjoyed this.
Big gulf between the hits and the filler. Hits are gold though.
I like you but Im not in love with you
The album falls short compared to their later work. Safe From Harm and Unfinished Sympathy are beautiful though.
Bit of a mixed bag. some stunning tunes and others that feel unfinished.
I can hear the influences on a lot of similar sounding music that came after it. I'm sure in 1991, this was very cutting edge and influential. There just seems like a lot of music that does something similar a little bit better. Not terrible, but definitely not something I'm dying to listen to again.
This is always ranked high and I don’t know why. It’s good. But it never amazes me.
This one was better than expected. A lot of their songs had a unique style that feels special to this group. The combination of electronic sounds with certain drums and beats make these songs pretty engaging. Plus the lyrics and singing isn’t too bad. 6.5/10
I remember liking this a lot more when it came out. Still a very good listen and still like it a lot and at the time it felt like a new direction for hip hop that combined a lot of elements of other styles I liked.
I don't think this album is poo, but I do think Massive Attack was right to simplify their approach to Mezzanine and remove some of the overreaching vocals that plagued this album. For example, the music beneath the voice on One Love is simple with some unique artifacts to keep it interesting, but it's the operatic voice on top that kills the vibe. Some of the beats are outdated and but for the most part I enjoy them, don't particularly care for most of the singing.
The parts I like, I like better than Tricky's Maxinquaye. Blue Lines is a stand-out but then Thankful for What You've Got doesn't sound at all like it belongs on a trip-hop album. Ultimately, I think both this and Maxinquaye deserve 2.5 so I will split the difference and give this a 3 and Tricky a 2.
Also chill as hell. 7/10
Trip Hop / Chill Hop - great selection from a period where electronic music was starting to fall into its own. 3.5/5
Listening through the whole album, there was something digging about the music and I couldn't tell what it was. Suddenly, I started thinking about Billy Joel (of all people) and it hit me: There's no bridge in any songs on this album. Every song is just verse verse verse chorus, but there's no bridge. It's all A-A-A-A. As a dance song, that's great, but it gets very repetitive after a while. Maybe that's why dance music doesn't hit me as much. The lack of variation in the song, it doesn't shake things up as much as I want them to. So for me, the songs all wear out the welcome about a minute too long. And I think that lack of bridge is what does it.
This sounded like a weird 90's dance album - like De La Soul or Snap with just a bit more electronica. That's not a compliment. It felt like they hadn't figured out what they were yet and were pulling in different directions. Pick one, in my opinion. Maybe this was the first ever trip hop album but the sound hadn't been perfected yet so I don't think it deserves to be on this list. Sometimes the first of something isn't all that good. I mean, it's not garbage. It's just unremarkable.
3.6 - What I imagine the British Airways first class lounge might sound like. Sleek with just a little “urban” edge. Typical 90s house sonics - R&B-style backing vocals, “educated-sounding” rap, vinyl record scratches and pops.
I guess this is one of the first trip-hop albums. And I liked some of it, but overall was pretty meh about it. It's fine, but I won't be playing it often.
Very good and obviously an important record for trip hop, if not the first one. There are a few weaker spots here and there, but it's mostly solid. I'm glad I listened to something else than Mezzanine for once.
I'm not the biggest trip hop fan, but I have to admit that I really liked this album. It's groovy and put the listener in a nice mood. "Unfinished Sympathy" as a track is a true masterpiece, but I don't think I will come back to this album someday.
Not my favorite Massive Attack album. I prefer Mezzanine
Just another 90s album with no exceptional selling point. Only the last song is above average.
Good, but I've never really been able to get too enthused by this one. They definitely picked the best songs for single releases.
It is good accompany music, but by itself not that incredible
That record cover must be iconic because I've seen the flame logo many times before. I thought this was a power pop/punk band solely based on the band name. I was wrong. I think to correctly assess this record it's really important to know that it was released in 1991 and not 2001. Haha. It sounds good and has great grooves. But woof, it's dated now. Still, though, there are some great direct-to-board clean guitar tones sprinkled in here and there. I noticed that "Unfinished Symphony" has a lot more plays on Spotify. I didn't recognize it but its a really cool song. In spite of how dated this record is (in a not-so-good way), I'm giving it a sold 3/5.
This is actually a pretty cool album for the early 90s. The beats and samples seem "sophisticated" for a hip-hop album in 1991. It's certainly more complex than the beats used by Beastie Boys, Fat Boys, and all the other "boys" of the 80s hip-hop scene. The lyrics rely pretty heavily on cliche - not sure what I expected from British rappers. Still - it vibed pretty good all the way through. It actually reminded me of the Gorillaz, which makes a lot of sense.
1. Safe from Harm - plus - a band where I can hear the lyrics. Like this style Whatever it's called. 2 3. Blue Lines - very chilled low key more rappy in spoken word 4. Be Thankful for What You've Got - 6. Unfinished Sympathy - the familiar well known track. 7. Daydreaming - do like this one, the lyrics and the beat. Overall, nice and chill, mostly flows into the background
Objectively fine but not quite my sort of thing.
I came to know Massive Attack when they released Mezzanine, which I really love. Having heard the prior albums afterwards, I could never get into those. Nevertheless I managed to appreciate this one, but still. There are also a couple of songs (Unfinished Sympathy, Lately) that sound as if they were straight out of the 80s, which makes the overall feel of the record a little dated when compared to Mezzanine, which really sounds, undeniably, like an album of its time.
Meh.
This is alright. I like the music more than I like the vocals on most songs. 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3.
Not my favorite Massive Attack, honestly, but still a solid start for the group and the Trip Hop genre. 3.5
Genre: Trip Hop 3/5 Rather fresh off the heels of listening to Massive Attack member Tricky's album, Maxinquaye, I was excited to 1. listen to where he was before that project, and 2. sort of see how the trip hop genre came to be. Tricky left the group on supposed grounds that he felt like his ideas weren't as openly accepted in the group. Maybe they should've accepted more of his ideas, as I found his solo venture a bit more enjoyable. There are certain tracks here that are big time standouts, especially Unfinished Sympathy, which is a real triumph and begs to be listened to over and over. But Daydreaming, the song directly following it, feels weaker than something you'd find on Tricky's solo album. I know it's not very fair to compareone album to the album that paved the way for it to be made in the first place, but one can acknowledge its historical relevance, while also saying I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.
Was something new to me
Another pleasant surprise. Never heard of these guys, but it was a chill little album! 3.5 stars.
An entire album that sounds exactly the same? Decent sound, and enjoyable, but hard to distinguish one song from the next. They definitely have their "signature sound".
It’s allright
It's no Mezzanine (which is embarrassingly absent from the list), but it's still pretty good. A tad dated, but pretty good.
Massive Attack sounds like a familiar band name, but everything on this album felt new to me. The album was okay. "Five Man Army" was the track that almost got 4 stars, and "Safe from Harm" and "Daydreaming" were slightly above 3. "Be Thankful for What You've Got" was 2 stars.
This was a lot chiller than I was expecting. Not all that interesting though but cool to have on in the background for a bit.
Liked more than I thought I would!
3.5/5
A lot of people clearly think this is The Business and I guess I’m just not getting it. A lot of the lyrics seem to me almost laughably stuffed with pompous cliches, the music doesn’t really impress me that much and clashes strangely with the vocals. Didn’t hate it but certainly wouldn’t seek it out.
It was different but I didn't hate it. Daydreaming made me think of Lonely Island. Wonder if they took any influence from Massive Attack.
There were some cool percussive elements here otherwise it was a pretty basic sounding early 90s album.
Nice album, no doubt about it, but Massive Attack has done way better since.
Pretty chill Brit boy sample hop
I remember enjoying "Protection" a bit more. Think the music and beats are fine, think the weakness lies in the guest vocalists. Favorite track: "Lately"
Nice cover
kinda uneven. cool electronica/ambient/soul then lame 90s rapping
3.5/5 I was confused about this, I'll need to relisten to it.
It was just okay. Not terrible but nothing stood out.
1991 release, this album is as old/older than I am. Didnt like this album as much as Mezzanine. Daydreaming, Hymm Of The Big Wheel, standout tracks
Bressol del so de Brighton i un dels trets de sortida del trip hop, em passa amb ell el mateix que amb l'estrena de Tricky, coprotagonista aquí també: mai ha aconseguit arribar-me de la mateixa manera que altres discos, ja no tan sols del génere (Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, etc) sinó de la mateixa banda; 'Mezzanine' em sembla molt més recomanable per exemple. Malgrat tot, la qualitat hi és i no posaria en dubte les raons per incloure'l a la llista de referència
I wasn't very familiar with Massive Attack, but I like the downtempo hip hop vibe. I think Daddy G put it well when he said "what we were trying to do was create dance music for the head, rather than the feet". It seems I also agree with the masses here with my top pick 'Unfinished Sympathy'.
a lot of familiar stuff
its alright, r&b/soul mixed with electronic beats but its doesnt really excite me
Good relaxing lounge like album very 80s
Really nice album, cool smooth sound
There is a groove but with little variation. Samey. Heard it all before. Never really gets going.
Not my favourite Massive Attack Album. nb though
Not sure about this. Wanted it to be better.. Its got one of the best ongs of all time on it (Unfinished Sympathy) but everything in the run up to that track has been very average. It's good, clever, it's got little nods/references to classic tracks in there. But just a bit flat overall. 3/5
Ehh, didn't enjoy this as much as other triphop i've heard. Still some good parts, but a lot of the beats felt meh and i despise the song Unfinished Sympathy due to my mom playing it way too much.
not for me
Musically solid. The vibe, the beat... enjoyable and a good listen. I actually think the vocal style really detracts from it, however... in too many instances (male voice) it is too plain and uninteresting. I'd rather just have the groove.
me encantó, es un discazo!
intersting
Chill. Funky. Some of the sings are kinda similar to Gorillaz. Lotta different voices. Title track is cool.
better than the last albums i've gotten on here.
I must have heard these tunes in a hair salon once, or a fashion show on television...they have that clean, upbeat feel. I can listen to this again, but I'm not sure if it moves me.
Was okay, just not my type of music
Feels like an old school movie score (atleast the opener did) Not a vibe I'm feeling but can understand the appeal, good work music if nothing else.
Blue Lines is the first song to win me over, the transition into the next song from Blue lines is also very clean and admirable. Expected nothing until Five Man Army until I realised this is the same Massive Attack that's made Teardrop, either way. Five Man Army's drum placement at the end is phenomenal. Every song after that is very vibe-able to, and the album picks up pace but it's very easy to forget the difference in the songs here. Still, daydreaming is perhaps my favourite of the last 4. 3+/5
6.5/10
Listened to about half, instrumentals were very good(great bass and drums) wasn't a fan of the vocalists so much
Went in hoping for more like Tear-drop. Didn't get it. An ok album.
Is that you banksy? Shitting in your hands and clapping is not as good as this album. I tried both to be certain.
Interesting album! Trip-hop, some reggae vocal influence. Enjoyable to listen to but probably wouldn’t seek it out again.
ok album, but Unfinished Sympathy is on another level 3.49/5
A weird hodgepodge, with some beautiful and some pretty bad taste stuff.
Hatte ich krasser in Erinnerung ist aber ganz ok
Um álbum que começa muito bem com a sua melhor música, a Safe From Harm. O restante álbum já não brilha tanto mas é um álbum bastante competente de música mais eletronica que se mistura com alguns géneros. É um álbum que esta aqui mais pela sonoridade do que qualquer outra coisa nesse critério ele destaca-se. Não guardo nenhuma música, esta muito fora do espetro de coisas que gosto, mas deixo aqui uma nota mais positiva por ter me surpreendido. Nota: 6/10 23/05/2024
Verwechsel ich immer mit Air
Mellow
Aight men kunne vært bedre musikk, maid Jo bedre, litt bedre. Lydene var gode, men litt svake på en sterkt måte.
Ooh I'd heard their self titled but hadn't heard this, I really like the heavy dub feel here. Been liking that electronic/ambient/dub crossover zone recently
good mellow rap/rock
Liked the last song the best
I have a hard time rating this. I kind of feel like the songs are tense, but not really exciting. Like it’s good, but also fades into the background easily and it doesn’t really pump me up
OMg this is great! Why haven’t I listened before? Precursor to The Heavy - very cool. It’s really good. Good. Ok, I guess. Kind of repetitive. I’m bored with this.
3/5
Not one I would’ve listened to otherwise but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Good background beats for a lot of the tracks but also some bangers.
I really don't like electronic music, but to my surprise, this is a nice album. According to Wikipedia, it starts the style of trip-hop with the mix of electronic and hip-hop and I think that this mix made my opinion change a little. It's not the type of music that I choose to listen to during my day, but at some electronic party, these songs would be a very good choice.
ok - probably won't listen to again
Enjoyed some tracks but can't be doing with rap
I enjoyed this more than Protection. Cool album!
Started off so strong and I was ready for a great album...fizzled out into mediocrity disappointingly fast.
I think there are elements and styles within this album that make it worth listening too but overall I found it a bit boring. Perhaps I just am not into this band and their style, or that I don't have much experience listening to their niche, but I wasn't blown away by this.
Et bra og interessant album. Just short of 4 stars. Albumet har flere veldig gode tracks, spesielt "five man army". Trommeloopsa er funky, med en karibisk twist. Dette er album jeg forstår blir satt høyt oppe i et musikkhistorisk perspektiv. Ikke bare er det tidlig underground-ish hiphop, men britisk attpåtil. Du kan høre inspirasjonen, men også hva dette albumet ville selv inspirere further down the road. Hva som holder albumet vekk fra en 4-stjerners, til tross for sin nyskapning innen hiphop, kreative produksjon og mørke, stemningsfulle tekster og tematikk er kontinuiteten. Ikke alle sangene er like gode, det varierer, og til tider kan man høre hvor gammelt dette albumet var. Personlig var jeg ikke en superfan, men setter veldig pris på hva albumet representerer. blir en svak/grei 7 av 10, 3 stjerner
Fun, darkish experimental album. I'm sure it was even more out there when it first came out. Good vocals and the instrumental breaks felt a bit long at times but were still enjoyable.
Ni tan tan ni muy muy
Got that glitch hop origins vibe. Reminds me of the matrix for some reason. Like OG matrix guarantee would use Massive Attack for their soundtrack.
It was alright very early 90s hip hop but it was trying too hard to be trippy
Great instrumentals. Didn’t live the voices/lyrics
Chill
so this is how trip hop started. good album. really enjoyed the atmosphere and the samples. great beats and vocals. fav tracks: Safe from harm, Daydreaming
I get the historical significance, but this did not age very well at all. And the horrendous rapping... OMG.
On in the background
El estilo musical de este disco me recordó a algún disco de Moby. Música electrónica mezclada con Rap / Hip Hop. Me quedé con la canción de "Unfinished Sympathy", pero el resto del álbum no me agradó tanto. Creo que no es mi género.
Ensikosketus varhaisempaan Massive Attackiin. Ehkä tämä oli pieni pettymys odotuksiin nähden. Melko tasapaksu biisimateriaali jossa yksikään biisi ei nouse muiden yläpuolelle.
Passe kult
way older than expected too much hip hop too few hooks
Not bad
Low tempo hip hop. Nogle gode numre men også en del hvor det stikker lidt ud og bliver meget dated. Et hit og 3 andre gode numre. 3.5 stjerne
Enjoyed this blast from the past and may bear it in mind when wanting to listen to something other than my normal rotation. I enjoy many tracks but anything with rapping in it turns me off. 3.7/5 so 3 stars.
Interesting
kinda dated but decent!
not too bad. i've never heard the full album before but I am pretty sure I've come across a couple of songs here and there. MA was a big late-night rage favourite in the 90s. It's kinda catchy but just not my thing, no staying power. like a slightly more interesting, less annoying version of what moby was doing a few years later. 3/5.
Unfinished Sympathy 😘 but the rest ...
very English and I am an anglophobe.
2.5 Average. Cheesy poetry rap through most songs.
Chatinho. Talvez na época fosse diferenciado.
Pre Listen: Haven't heard of em before, I think the album cover is kinda funny. It's fire, get it? No expectations. Notable Tracks: One Love - Least favorite track, the guys singing is horrible, sounds like drunk karaoke. The beat is lame, and the lyrics are equally boring. Goes on for wayyyyyy too long for how repetitive it is. Be Thankful For What You've Got - Favorite track, gives me the same feelings as 'Once In a Lifetime' from the Talking Heads gives me, with a more Earthbound-like sound. Only track I really liked on this thing. Unfinished Sympathy - What the fuck were they going for here. That triangle playing is so grating, the random samples layered with an ok-symphony is headache inducing. Close to being my least favorite. Post Listen: Another UK album which makes me question why it's here. This was pretty bad! Through the whole thing they make a lot of references to better artists and albums, and it made me wish I was listening to them instead. The beats were mid, the singing was more often than not bad, the English chap who kept popping up especially sounded so white-bread I almost went comatose. The whole album felt incredibly amateurish, it was like eating at a fast-food restaurant entirely staffed by highschoolers. I don't think anyone supports these Blue Lines. 2/5
Other than the first song this is forgettable to me.
There’s nothing redeeming about this. I feel like there’s 1000 of these bands / albums out there.
I'm sure this is important to someone. 2.4.
Never really liked their sound
Ah shit, here we go again. Не нравится мне такой поп - хип-хоп. Звучит может и интересно но чет тянет переключить. Альбом выглядит как будто битмейкер решил сделать микстейп из всех треков, которые он сделал для исполнителей за год. Короче мех.
Ну такое, местами слушается интересно, но в целом проходняк. У massive attack есть вещи полюбопытнее, но они все в другом альбоме. На саундтреки к фильмам пойдет 👍 Топ-1 - не выбрал Топ-2 - Blue Lines
No me ha interesado mucho pero el grupo se que es bueno, por eso mi segunda estrella. Le daré más oportunidades a otros de sus albums más recientes.
Was not my thing, but can se why people would like it
Everytime an album pops up on this list as electronic, I am always hoping for something unique and experimental. We do not get this at all with Massive Attack. Every song has that simple 4/4 backbeat and they just hit the repeat button.
That "Blue Lines" song reminded me of some Bowen Yang SNL parody This whole album mostly felt like background music..
Not my cup of tea.
Desde que retomé el reto hace unos 6 discos, es el que más me gustó. Igual le pongo 2 estrellas.
I had already previously listened to this a while ago and I thought that it was just ok but it is certainly a classic so I really think it's worth revisiting this album and seeing im my opinion on it has changed. I also had the flu and it was like 4 AM when I listened to it so that definitely influenced my opinion on it lol. Alright so I just finished relistening to Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" and it really isn't a lot better than I remember it being. There were definitely some songs I enjoyed such as "Safe From Harm" and "Unfinished Sympathy" but a lot of the songs really just did not connect with me. Especially the last 3 songs I thought were just incredibly boring and not sonically interesting or just generally good at all. "Hymn Of The Big Wheel" is kind of a mess that really sums up how I feel about the album. 65/100.
Boring
Music not to pay attention to.
THis was okay. I don't know why its on the list
Another album for me that sits in the unfortunate overlap between "album not interesting enough for me to have in the foreground" and "album not chill enough for me to have in the background." Some parts were smooth and fun, and others were sonically irritating. Rating: 2
Punk will never be my thing. :
Standouts Unfinished Sympathy
I can understand why people would love this but it’s not for me
#5. It’s fine as background music, but would not listen to it again. It’s just boring for me.
Mid
Achei bem sem sal e ruinzinho
Blue lines, Be thankful for what you've got were my type
Good beats but not for me
outside of 1 or 2 tracks this just kinda flew in and flew out it's fine
Ei ihan oma kuppi teetä. Töiden taustamusana meni, mutta rehellisesti sanottuna en kyllä edes huomannut milloin levy loppui ja alkometri alkoi soittamaan jotain muuta. Ei nyt ärsyttänytkään kuitenkaan, niin mennään kakkosella.
I wanna like this so bad, it's very cool. But it's too much a "vibe" and I find it boring
Not my jam.
Music was great but the vocals were kind of cheesy throughout.
Pretty corny tbh.
Es como un R&B, blues y rap. Está bueno la verdad.
Not bad, not great, easy 2.5
an interesting introduction to trip-hop, but not something i would ever replay.
i thought i would like it when i first saw what it was about unfortunately i didn't
This is the background music in a pricey bar I want to leave. Is there a pub or beer garden nearby?
Aside from a couple of classics, this sounds painfully dated now. Fair to include it in the book for its place in the development of a rich genre, but I won't be putting it on again soon.
Bouncy bass line. Why is this called “electronic”. More like top worst 1001 albums oat lol. I like in one love when it turns Chinese. Just like how weed affects people differently turning some relaxed and open-minded and free and happy it turns other people anxious with their heart racing and fearful. What’s gonna happen next. This album I’m sure affected a lot of people in the first way however for me it just wasn’t complicated enough. This album is for slow brain people.
The Shara Nelson songs are okay but the rest didn't interest me at all. 2 stars or D.
1991. Generally considered the first trip hop album.
ehh, not for me
At times good, at times not. The lead vocals on "One Love" are AWFUL.
i was so excited to like this but it ended up not really landing :-/ i want to explain it as i really like the bones of this album, but the finished songs left me a bit disappointed. my least favourite parts were usually the vocals. "blue lines" is an exception, great song.
Meh
Feel like this would be playing in a pretentious lounge in Seattle
There's nothing truly bad about this, but nothing I personally enjoy either.
It's sexier than I thought. As far as electronica goes I guess it's good? The longer it went on the more bored I was with it.
Helt ok triphop. Duse rytmer, men i grunn veldig kjedelig.
I’m just not a big trip-hop guy. Unfinished Symphony is a superb song, but I can’t say I really care for anything else here.
I am liking this genre better as I listen to more of it.
I didn't have a proper listen to this album, so I ll revisit it later.
I’ve heard a lot of recommendations for this band so I had high hopes. The album improved as it went on but man this was disappointing.
It was alright. Honestly rather repetitive and not as musically interesting as I prefer so not something I have much interest in revisiting, but I haven’t ever been a Massive Attack fan.
Didn't really care for it.
I bet this album went really hard if you were hitting on women at a night club in 1992
I'm not sure what genre this is but I don't like it
внезапно для само себя вообще не понравилось
Friday, 5 June, 2026 They select two massive attack albums, and neither one is Mezzanine? This album is at best a 2/5.
I was already familiar with this album, and my impression largely remains the same in that I am lukewarm about it. I hope we get "Mezzanine," later on, because I recall it being much better than this album, even not including "Teardrop," which is probably the best song they have recorded. This album grooved decently, but still sounds pretty adapted overall
some nice drums. I like the dub influences some of the lyrics are so corny. I do not dig the corniness of the 90s overall the arrangements are not that good. like a lot of early Electronica, this leans heavily on the technology and lacks music theory
Not really for me
Nothing wrong with this, just not my cup of tea.
es tipo un bizarrap JAJAJAJA telones igual
Can't be bothered
First time listening to a trip-hop album. Not something I'd listen to normally. Songs to get high to.
I really liked tracks 1, 2 & 6. The rest were pretty much what I expected.
It grew on me the more I listened but the bar started extremely low. I can appreciate the artistry but it wasn't for me. Favorite track was Blue Lines because it reminds me of the pretentious music that would always be playing in record stores when I was still buying vinyl.
maybe requires a second listen as its my paernts fave album but...
Сара 2,5 Марко 2,5
I understand a lot of people really like this band. Huh.
The last track was ok. Couldn’t stand the rest.
First song was good. Rest of this album has been pretty mid. Not my style/type. Five man army is good but British people rapping is always a lil weird lol. Throughout the whole album I was just waiting for it to end.
Njaa. Når väl inte riktigt upp till en trea, men nästan.
Toleransen för den här skiten är ju inte hög efter senaste plattan precis. Vet inte varför jag blir så provocerad av det här. Men den här är ju faktiskt mycket bättre än Protection, här finns ju faktiskt lite, lite energi.
This quickly turned into some weird background noise, because I do just not vibe with this music. And then we got to the last song "Hymn of the Big Wheel" which I did actually quite enjoy. Not enough to really change my opinion of the whole album though
Me aburrió
meeehh
The beats were mediocre enough, but the vocals on each track just dragged this down further.
Veldig langsomt. Veldig repetitivt.
That hazy, aimless ambient stuff was not easy to listen to. Unfinished sympathies was pretty good. Daydreaming re indes me of the background music of a b movie that takes place in a Club before the slasher arrives. For a band called massive attack, it’s pretty tame.
Not much to get excited about on this album.
I returned to the previous massive attack album we've been assigned and totally underrated it. But this one really was sort of boring
One great song.
Some tracks are good (Unfinished sympathy, Five man army) but others just gives me a meh feeling. Be thankful for what you've got is annoyingly anonymous . Sounds like some generic funk soul elevator muzak;(
Flight of the concords and Indy coffee shops in 2010
I'd only listened to Mezzanine before. I like the music but don't really like the singer(s). Obviously important as the "first trip hop album" but thank god for Portishead.
unquestionably changed it all but still sounds too much like the primordial soup it emerged from
Boring ass music. Altough I did like Be Thankful For What You've Got, because of Tony Bryans voice.
Chill, but kind of not great electronic chill. I'm kinda surprised it's not better.
Like rain falling on the already heavy blanket of narcolepsy, this album seemed to conspire with my narcolepsy to make it harder for me to stay awake as I read.
me aburrio un toque, pero estuvo bien para el contexto en el que lo escuche (oficina un miercoles a las 9:30am). meh :/
I've never listened to Massive Attack before this. To my uninformed ear, I think this must have been incredibly ahead of its time in 1991, but sounds pretty dated to me in 2026. I think the vocals/lyrics in particular don't help - every time Tricky was rapping it made me think of Flight of the Conchords.
This is probably a collection of the worst style of singers I have ever heard. What the fuck is going on with the music generator. One Love….terrible Like it makes Corey Feldman sound like Sinatra I’d like to point out that I complained about the collection of singers on this album to find out that I was only 2 songs in. That’s how bad this album started. I think I’m just going to bitch about the vocals throughout this whole album. Blue Lines is decent but it has that clearly British spoken word singing. A good singer hides their accent. Ya I said it. Then the song with the best vocals yet is a skippable song. This album could only really be weighed based on the music, the singing has sunken this ship.
i expected to like this. boy was i wrong.
Meh! I enjoyed it just fine, but not my fave.
Just not a huge fan of trip hop. If I was stoned out of my mind at like 2am this would have for sure sent me into a comatose-like trance state
I've listened to and enjoyed Massive Attack before, but this was not the same style of music that I'm used to hearing from them.
Boring
Cool name tbf
album #18 Do I like this album? No. Do I think it should be on the list? Yes. Blue lines paved the way for a lot of trip-hop, especially in the uk lol; i massively (;D) respect what they did with this album and what it meant for the uk music scene as a whole. But i just don't like it. it's a taste thing - i like some of massive attack's stuff, just not this album. c'est la vie! ꩜ average track rating: 1.9/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): blue lines ꩜ least favourite track(s): one love, safe from harm ꩜ album rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,071 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 9 (+1 Blue Lines) ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 3 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 14
Good for background music but really not my whole thing. Safe from harm was good, but the rest was mostly these trip hop covers which were just meh to me.
162/1001 First listen. I’ve always heard great things about Massive attack but this didn’t do much for me. The vocals I find, detract from this and date it as well. But that’s just one listen. 4/10
not for me.
I missed this the first time round apart from the singles and reading the reviews I was looking forward to it. First play I would have given it a 3 but on second listen I just didn’t get it so it’s a ……
Putting me to sleep on this three hour drive. Proto stoner rock mixed with boring electronic music. Can definitely see the vision and how this undoubtably influenced a lot of good music but that does not make this good!
Somewhat disappointed here. With the huge track that is "Unfinished Sympathy" I expected more from the other tracks on the album, buuuuut I was wrong to have such high expectations. Dull and lifeless IMO. 2, sorry.
Very uneven. I don’t know what to make of Massive Attack. Some of their songs like “Safe From Harm” and “Unfinished Sympathy” are beauties, and others - “Five Man Army”, “Lately” and especially the dreadful “One Love” - are just dregs. More blah than blast in the balance, I’d say. Bring on the Teardrop(s).
Liked a few songs didn’t care for most of them. Overall I thought it was OK. One I could see myself giving another shot though!
I know this is a revolutionary album(by an artist with a name that doesn't correlate to their genre), but the lyrics here are talentless garbage, and the music gets old after the third track. For the third consecutive day, I'm giving an album a "2" star rating. Favorite Track: "Blue Lines".
it was okay i was a little bored
I usually like massive attack but the features on this album were waaaack. Extremely and fully repetitive
Good jams, just not my thing.
shark-core
Definitely does not hit like Mezzanine... Found it a chore to listen through
Maybe I can appreciate some of the ambiences, but this album was devoid of any energy or passion. The music is incredibly repetitive and stale, with equally as stale vocals... and that's for every single song. It makes me want to listen to literally any other album that doesn't turn my mind into a vegetative state.
In the trip hop genre or electronica this may have been a hit in 91 but give me Portisheads dummy any day
Fun record! I enjoyed the diversity and various features.
I was so sure I had never heard a Massive Attack song but it turns out I was wrong. Overall it's alright but not something I would seek out. Unless I needed a nap because all it does is make me sleepy. Favorite: Safe From Home (the one I've heard before) Would I listen to it again: No
Be thankful for what you got is probably the best song on the album and then the hymn of the big wheel is a close second but other than that, nothing much is left on this album but since I was able to find 2 or three songs, can’t give it to one, but definitely has earned a two out of five
This one started out promising and faded fast. Best track was Safe From Harm.
I don't really like massive attack. There was a dub song that was decent, but not really anything else my style in this project. All of it was just fine.
Be Thankful For What You've Got saved this from being a 1
Not as good as their other album imo. 5/10
This is mostly a miss for me. Kind of tedious. Boring at times. I wouldn't rush back to this album any time soon. Sorry.
The album cover looks VEEERY familiar but still the music was not..? I found the music generally quite boring and zoned out of it quite a bit. Not my favourite.
I was excited for this album. My dad was big into massive attack and I associated my current taste to being begrudgingly interested by their music. This album however was a snoozefest with mostly boring rhythms and melodies and on the rare times they were interesting they wouldn't change for the entire 5 minute runtime. Disappointing 2
Not bad, but not my type at all… like, maybe I liked the first one, but other songs didn’t got my attention by any interesting details. A little bit too monotonous for me… there is nothing I can catch 💔
No
Really slow paced trip hop that all just starts to sound the same after a while, everything blends together into one long electronic/hiphop medley that I don’t particularly care for
2.5 not my fav massive attack album
i didn’t realize massive attack started out so reggae-coded. also, the electronic songs remind me a lot of moby. i love mezzanine, but this hardly compares
Mehhh, it was okay, but I didn't love it! I liked maybe a song or two, but again, not an album I think I would ever choose to put on just to listen to. These were also really long songs, which has kinda been a theme for a couple of the albums I've gotten so far. Are shorter songs a new trend? Anyways, solid 2 star. I'm reserving one star songs for something that I literally would turn off, which I'm not sure if I'll even come across because I enjoy, or at least tolerate, such a wide variety of music.
I’m sure it changed lives at the time
Jesus this has dated. Must listen? No. There’s better. examples of the sound of 1991.
hot garbage
Tricky carries this album. Trip Hop is a weird genre that I don't think I like. Nothing bad here, just nothing that I love.
The beginnings of a great band are here, but as it is I find it very terrible to listen to. The beats are alright, if lacking in variation. The vocals though, for the most part, are truly miserable. Long, droning, far too repetitive. Most songs amounting to five minutes of male sex moans with a backdrop of a very basic and unchanging beat. Which I personally can do without.
the best parts of the album were the parts borrowed from elsewhere, like the cover of be thankful for what you got. i got bored.
i was rooting for you and then it all started to sound the same and i was over it LMAO
Good early 90s vibe
Al principio me ha sonado bastante guay pero tenia las expectativas muy altas y cuanto mas avanzaba el disco mas parecia una noche en la que no paras de despertarte y soñar lo mismo cada vez que te vuelves a dormir (me ha pasado hoy, me iba de viaje a Paris y Romero se escapaba e iba en el autobus connmigo y luego andabamos por Talavera y el iba sentadito en mi hombro)
A genre I haven't really listened to much. Ok-ish. 2/5
There were some okay songs, but most of it was a style I wasn’t crazy about.
I was ready to give this album 3-stars, but after listening to it again in full, it doesn't hold up as well as I thought, and most of the tracks miss the mark for me. "Mezzanine" is leaps & bounds better, and the fact that album of theirs ISN'T EVEN ON THE LIST is insane. Thankfully Mezzanine is at least a user-submitted album, since the authors couldn't get it right.
Mellow album, it almost just turned into background music?
too out there for me (esp the second song)
A couple of cool tracks but most have very cheesy vocals.
I haven't listened to enough trip-hop to have a definitive opinion on it, but what I've heard generally hasn't been my thing. This is supposedly the first album and one of it's exemplars, but it doesn't move the needle for me. The beats are of the chill variety. There is no boom bap here, your speakers will not get rattled so much as gently massaged, and the BPMs stay at a respectable level. Since the rap can't overwhelm said beats, the energy is drained out and they're half-whispered like the rappers are trying not to wake a baby. Singer Shara Nelson sounds nice, but she's only on four of the nine tracks. Favorite songs from here are "Safe From Harm" (although it cries for some real drums and like every other song on here, I can do without the rapping) and "Unfinished Symphony", where Nelson's vocal contributions are strongest. Both songs create a sonic environment that's worth exploring. I can't say the same for the rest of the album.
Wasn't but, just not really my thing.
blue lines la mejor canción
Not for me.
They just sample good songs. Not impressed
Seemingly overrated and not my favorite form of trip hop. I found the vocals irritating but the instrumentals were nice and the bass was exactly as it should be. Maybe it's because this was the first of a new genre and later trip hop bands were able to develop on the foundation created by this album, but I seem to like other trip hop more.
meh
The main theme was repetition, always building on the same melody, switching the lyrics. Favourite track: Lately
Not super into this one. I liked the music/beats a lot better than the vocals.
Not really a fan of the genre, so this didn't do much for me.
I mildly got into Massive Attack earlier this year after a client recommended them to me, so I was pretty stoked to have an excuse to finally check out their debut album! Blue Lines certainly wasn’t terrible and I appreciate that it’s here for its influence on trip hop (a genre I do tend to enjoy), but it honestly doesn’t hold up. Some of the vocal performances are genuinely awful and I spent most of my listen wishing I was listening to Mezzanine instead. I can’t help but wonder what these editors were thinking with some of these picks. Again, I do get the logic in including an album that serves as a genre’s genesis, but why bother doing that when the same artist’s best-selling (and basically faultless) LP is omitted? Highlights: Blue Lines, Five Man Army, Unfinished Sympathy, Lately
Wel oké, heb niet veel met hiphop
It was average sounding the entire way through nothing crazy. 2
Not offensive, but not for me. 2 Stars.
The most overrated album since Houmous & Vhutneys purposefully overrated album ‘Don’t Underestimate My Overration’ - it was a come back from Len Houmous following a spat with his 18th wife. Imagine being skilled enough to create an album solely to be considered overrated on purpose! Unbelievable! 1.9 9/10 Hymn of the Big Wheel
Seemingly overrated and not my favorite form of trip hop. I found the vocals irritating but the instrumentals were nice and the bass was exactly as it should be. Maybe it's because this was the first of a new genre and later trip hop bands were able to develop on the foundation created by this album, but I seem to like other trip hop more.
Another record on this list that I'm sure was groundbreaking in its time, but now, at first listen, is lost in the sea of the genre it created. This is for sure a decent listen, even though I don't naturally gravitate to this type of music. This record for sure shaped movie soundtracks of the 90's and early 2000's. Perfect background music for a day in the office.
Not my thing. Too Bri’ish innit.
I am not the target audience here...
Not really my jam, I can hear how influential it is and I like the cover of "Be Thankful for What You've Got"
C'était original mais pas au top top top
Not my vibe at all. It's not terrible but not my cup of tea. It's isn't horrible to listen to but I personally just wouldn't listen to it.
"Safe From Harm" is pretty haunting. Strange album! Interesting, but strange.
After giving a seemingly appealing album a poor rating yesterday after listening to it, I was in a bad mood when I read the Wikipedia article on Massive Attack and “Blue Lines” (I was on the train and didn't have my headphones with me). Fortunately, the opening track on this album, “Safe From Harm,” surprised me in a positive way. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else worth listening to after that, except for a few nice basslines here and there—but of course, those are always much cooler when they're played by a good, real musician and varied accordingly—and then three more songs with Shara Nelson's voice further back in the album. Of course, guests on an album are there for the highlights, and the host artists naturally try to offer the best tracks for collaborations, but in this case, there are four songs that are quite nice and easy listening (with Shara Nelson), while all the others fall short. Is that necessary?
not a fan per se
Hard to get into. Feels like incomplete production
2 stars I know it isn’t necessarily bad music, but I couldn’t grasp onto any of it. It was background music in the foreground. The loops and breathless flow failed to hook me and I found myself wondering why I’ve heard so much good stuff about Massive Attack. I don’t see myself ever returning to this.
Fine I guess, just rather boring and samey for most of the tracks