Blue Lines

Rlly loved it

It was fine

bastante bueno

There is nothing bad about this album, but it’s not one I’m ever likely to reach for again. If I was the kind of person who hosted cocktail parties then I may have it as background, but I’m not, so I won’t.

It was okay, some good beats over some mediocre vocals.

Safe from Harm Unfinished Sympathy Daydreaming Hymn of the Big Wheel

saved my life

Hard to tell how many people singing, and place the exact style. Some R&B / hip hop, some more soft pop... looked it up - trip hop.

One of the very best.

Massive Attack was clearly ahead of their time and under appreciated. Great samplings and vibe and very base heavy.

elevator music detogatory

Well it's better than the Prodigy anyway. In the right situation I could see this album being more than completely useless.

It’s ok - didn’t like it as much as other Massive Attack albums I’ve heard, but I enjoyed it.

Could be good background music!

This one was a hard listen for me. It just sounds so discordant and incoherent. It’s not the worst album I’ve heard, but I couldn’t find anything very redeemable about it.

I fear this was a massive attack on my eardrums

Some decent tracks, but pretty inconsistent. 2.5 stars.

On my first listen I thought this was too clean and boring, but on a second listen it's grown on me. It's still not as good as the more gritty Maxinquaye though.

The definition of music I respect but don't enjoy.

Never had the urge to listen to this album, so this is supposed to be the first "trip-hop" album. Although I like Portishead quite a bit, this one doesn't really do it for me as a whole—I generally don't like electronic music too much. The soul and jazz vibes are very nice with a morning coffee, and the singing is good, but the raps from Tricky are boring and monotonous. Still, it's a quite varied album. Some tracks have that soul/jazz feel ("Safe from Harm", "Be Thankful") and I kind of enjoy them. Others lean into a laid-back reggae style ("One Love", "Five Man Army"), and again, those raps bore me out. I must confess that "Unfinished Sympathy" is a true 90s classic, but right after it comes another boring rap track ("Daydreaming"). I'm left with a very ambivalent feeling about this album and will probably not come back to it again. In general, it has too much of a cold, distant electronic atmosphere, and I miss the organic, natural sounds of the music styles I usually listen to.

Even though I strongly believed that Mezzanine was snubbed by this list, I have to admit that I like this album a little bit more. This will always be what first comes to my mind when I think of trip hop. I can't imagine hearing this back in '91. Probably would have restarted my brain chemistry or some shit. Still sounds so modern and fresh today. Timeless with a capital T. Favorite track: Blue Lines 4.5/5

I dont necessarily consider myself a hip hop head, although I do have my sweet spots and old school hip hop really hits home. I have mixed reactions when other genres blend with hip hop, especially rock (give me a kid rock or limp bizkit album and you'll see). This version of hip hop is referred to as "Trip hop", and for some reason it just has not clicked for me whatsoever. I guess the vibe of this entire album was "cool, groovy instrumentation" but overrall it didnt hit home to me as something that was awesome to listen to, nor did it rip up the book of hip hop and blow my mind. Whats really odd, is that when i saw this albums ranking on rolling stone's top 500. from 2004 to 2020, it actually went up nearly 100 spots. And to an extent, i actually understand the ideology that this album aged better with time, and maybe ill feel that way someday. But that day is not today. 2/5

Great trip hop album, I'm glad this list got me to listen to it. A victim of the Seinfeld effect: seems less impactful than it was because everything after copied its sound. Rating: 9/10

Some bits I really like, other bits are so-so. Not one of my favourites at any rate.

Decent background music I had on while doing some reading; wouldn't read again

Neat, but quite a few of the tracks felt a little uninspired (though I recognize that some of that might be because I've heard a bunch of acts inspired by them).

Not the worst, but not groundbreaking.

Really good. I’d heard the name hit wasn’t familiar. First half was much better than the second.

There are few artists that can lay claim to creating an entire genre of music with an album release, but Massive Attack's Blue Lines did exactly that. By blending slow hip-hop beats with jazz and dub samples and then filtering it all through an electronic music lens, the downtempo genre of trip hop was born. It's highly regarded as one of the most important and influential British albums of all time, and with good reason. Besides the aforementioned highlights, Blue Lines is immaculately produced, making it a real treat to absorb even if the genre isn't to your liking. Not all of the vocal performers stick their landing, but that's my only real quibble with the record. What's wild is that this isn't even their best work (I'd say that goes to Mezzanine)! The fact that this came out in 1991 is mind-boggling.

Really close to calling this a 4 but felt like it was too early for me to do that.

Considering the time period this came out...

beloved album I listened to ad mauseum when it came out, it's inscribed into my dna by now. lovely remake of devaughn's be thankful, one of myall time favorite songs 4.5

This is like eating a cookie that has a bigger chunk of salt. The salt overtakes the sweetness, and it can be jarring at times. It doesn't complement the flavor.

I could use a little less diva and the rapping itself is only adequate but as an overall sound - damn. All the ingredients that will underscore the evolution of electronic sounds in the 90s are here. When things come together - Safe from harm/Unfinished Sympathy - just get out of the way and let 'em cook - the (a?) future has arrived. For that alone...

When I saw the band name of “Massive Attack” and the cover art, I was immediately expecting some heavy metal. This ain’t that. This electronic music is no way lives up to the expectation that the band set. I didn’t like this album.

YES

Pas aussi bon que l’autre

3.7

Flip flopped a couple times throughout, but I can dig this. It’s a cool, moody vibe. Whole thing wasn’t a home run but the atmosphere it creates is pretty nice. Also, the first song was later sampled by sturgill Simpson, which speaks to his taste. Still a relatively neutral rating, but again, there were times where I thought it wouldn’t be rated highly at all.

Love this album

Massive Attack made an album so good it spawned an entire genre and still topped themselves with their next album. 5/5

Enjoyed the album and beats but personally won’t have much replay value outside a couple of songs.

I think it was an interesting listen to say the least. I don’t really like the tricky verses and the andy horace parts seem draggy. Really like the shara nelson vocals though and I think they’re single handedly carrying this project. Fav song: Safe from Harm / Daydreaming

Though Mezzanine and even Protection are both sizeably better entries in Massive Attack’s repertoire than this album, it’s still more than listenable. Just annoying sometimes. More than any other album in the genre, this one really puts the "ip-hop" in "trip-hop." Lots of rapping, and a lot of it isn't that good, but it's not a big problem, at least not compared to some of the singing and more subpar beats. Really the only standout here is "Unfinished Symphony," something that is frankly unique about this album in Massive Attack's discography. Protection at least had "Karmacoma" and the title track, and Mezzanine... is Mezzanine. Every track is a standout. 100th Window... I haven't heard. Everything else on this album disappointingly turns into a slog of alright-but-hardly-pleasant trip-hop, with some pretty wack rhyming and acceptable singing. Definitely a disappointing listen. Put Mezzanine on this list, dammit! 6.3/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: YES REASON: Breakout album for a pretty legendary group. Even if it's pretty boring.

TIL I like "trip hop"

I don’t like Massive Attack

One of my all time favourite bands. I love how trip-hop takes the best elements from hiphop (breakbeats, samples, groove and laid back rap) and fusions it with electronica, soul, reggae, dub, etc. The production is complex with different layers, but somehow feels effortless. This isn’t their best album, but it still deserves top score. Favourites: Daydreaming, Safe From Harm, Unfinished Sympathy and Hymn Of The Big Wheel,

Heard singles from this album but never listened to the whole thing, it's a really innovative and quite special album really. Set the scene for a lot of similar acts that came through and combined lots of different music into an album with a great overall vibe. Fan.

funky, really good soul beats over good vocals and catchy rhythms

I can't believe this is 35 years old! Great album, loved the beats and backing. Some of the lyrics aren't amazing, but a really cool album that is just about 5* for me.

Good stuff.

I don't know why, I was prepared to dislike it. But it's genuinely well crafted and arranged, with sleek production and sounds, really bringing some cool into the traditionally more introspective bpm range. Two things I don't like is the female vocals( something about it sounds like a tv commercial) and, and the songwriting in some of the tracks that make for cheesy music/lyrics. But most of it is spot on.

Very slow, chill, sterile beats and raps

Should have been Mezzanine. Nah, Blue Lines is good, if uneven. Super impressive that MA was able to capture the sound and spirit of trip-hop in 1991. It's a pressurized bottle of so much of the energy of the era - that end-of-history (*not really*), junkyard-warehouse HSE-violation, cocktail-of-unmarked-substances, all that soft-soul wide-space genre-puree MPC sound. It's that anthemic, interstitial beat that plays half-mute through urinalia-laden cold-concrete as you stare at the urinal with tar pupils as thick as the round pill that made them. Probably not fair to compare, but it should have been Mezzanine. Seeing where MA went later in their career, really refining their sound to the stainless-steel fountain-pen letter-opener fine edge of that tracklist, this doesn't quite stack up. Even still, there's a special hoydenish charm to the rough edges of Blue Lines (that still sounds better sanded off later). Fav tracks: Unfinished Sympathy, Lately, Safe From Harm

Nothing too crazy but I liked how nothing sounded to similar to one another.

favs: one love be thankful for what you’ve got unfinished symphony lately rating 2.2/5

Amazing trip-hop / dub masterpiece.

Thought I’d love this, but some of these songs miss the mark for me.

Blue Lines clearly has what it takes to be simultaneously the most essential trip-hop record to date, b/c the first, & the best trip-hop album, b/c sorta the last. 'I was looking back to see / If you were looking back at me / To see me looking back at you.' That's very much like Walt Whitman at the end of 'Song of Myself' warning, 'I stop somewhere waiting for you.' I think we're still catching up w/ this release, 35 years later. Looking back at us, it's the miraculous amalgamation of Tribe/Digable Planets & Marvin Gaye's soulful late-night tributes, especially that still undervalued I Want You. Luxuriating yet matter-of-fact, Massive Attack are almost so fake they gotta be real. I actually don't think they're fake or false at all - but they are gloriously jive.

Album #260 Massive Attack: Blue Lines It’s no surprise to me that I’ve never been into trip-hop; it combines two genres which I already don’t care for, that being hip-hop and ‘chill’ background music, and it combines them often to similar levels of mediocrity. I am aware of Massive Attack’s standing as the progenitors of the genre, so I wasn’t expecting too much from this one, but though Blue Lines was largely what I was expecting, it turns out it was so bad after all. Sure, the 90s hip-hop production style still doesn’t really resonate for me, and yes, the trip-hop formula of a woman singing stereotypical soul verses over rap beats is as tired as ever; I can’t really dock Massive Attack for that since they were the ones doing it first. It isn’t because of Blue Lines that I don’t like trip-hop; it’s because a thousand other bands showed up and ripped them off. Midway through this album I was fairly unimpressed, and then I realized that this thing came out in 1991, and that revelation made me respect this album a lot more. One of the biggest positives that I can say about Blue Lines is that it is satisfying to listen to; for whatever reason I just love the sound of a British accent doing wordplay, so weirdly a lot of my favourite tracks were the more traditional rap tracks where the two frontmen took turns calmly delivering one-liners. Ultimately, I’m just not the kind of guy who throws on music for the sake of it, or to just set a vibe, so I’m not sure when I’d ever feel inclined to listen to some Massive Attack; but I definitely have a lot more respect for them than I do for most of the other frauds of the trip-hop scene. Best Songs: Unfinished Sympathy, Blue Lines, Safe From Harm Worst Song: Five Man Army Score out of 10: 6.5

I enjoyed this album. Will I listen to it again? Maybe. Maybe not. I am going to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Siento que es un álbum difícil de calificar, mezcla muchos ritmos, estilos y artistas invitados que le dan esencia a cada canción, siento que no sigue una línea puntual y eso no tiene nada de malo, todo lo contrario, le da mayor valor a la obra y tengo certeza de que funciona como una influencia importante para muchos artistas que tuvieron la oportunidad de cruzarse con este álbum No tengo una canción que destaque de manera clara, la Unfinished Sympathy es una gran canción pero es curioso como ninguna combina y así hay otras en esa misma línea Creo que honestamente merece la pena disfrutar del álbum, pero sin expectativas de seguir línea narrativa o un solo género a lo largo del viaje

Doesn't feel massive, or an attack.

Some killer beats and instrumentals are made uninteresting by generic, stock 90s vocals. Very dated and somewhat boring, which is a descriptor for much of trip hop. I never understood how it became so popular at the time. Vocally speaking, British rap maybe the most embarrassingly painful form of communication ever.

Blind album, know the artist. Honestly, I never understood the hype for trip hop. Still dont after listening to this. Slower low tempo and tone electronic music. Bad vocals. 3.

We sure haven't had a bad trip hop album in this challenge yet, and Massive Attack weren't gonna be the ones to deliver one.

I had very high hopes for this after the first song but I felt like the rest of the album didn’t really live up to that. Didn’t love the songs with Tricky features, of which there were three. Idk, like it was fine, but I was just expecting to like this more :(

Been aggressively taking the trip hop pill recently, so this could truly not have come at a better time. Experiencing their debut for the first time after having thoroughly dived into three (*three! three! three! three!*) other Massive Attack projects in the past, what struck me the most is how *bright* and even soulful it gets! Very refreshing sound in that respect, even if I do love them at their darkest and paranoidest. Definitely holds up even today. What a way to kickstart a genre. Standouts: Safe From Harm • One Love • Be Thankful For What You've Got • Five Man Army • Unfinished Sympathy

For a long time I would've said this was my least favorite Massive Attack album and that it was skippable. How can anyone be so wrong? This is possibly the first trip hop album ever, and what a joy it is. I love the rumbling bass juxtaposed with the lighter vocals, and i love how it doesn't fall into the trap of length. You can enjoy any of these songs by themselves but they also fit cohesively as one piece. Fuck yeah.

This album surprised me. Based on the release date, I would not have expected this sound exactly. So it seemed ahead of its time, or at least on a cutting edge. Reading up on that, I discovered that this was considered the foundations of so-called Trip Hop. I usually don’t roam around inside that genre, but I enjoyed the music quite a bit and could definitely picture putting this on again when I need its chill groove.

From the opening track it is clear that strong groovy baselines compliment the casual confidence of the vocals. The vibe almost seems counter to typical Electronica, but it isn't. It's a massive attack of sound and attitude that charm you with hooks and jams with the joy and posture of a reggae band. I like it. It is one of a handful of Electronica that I'll keep in the queue... even if they're way down the list (not a general fan of Electronica).

Genre defying, good production, Massive aAttack? Everything I need for a five star album.

Unfinished Sympathy 😘 but the rest ...

Great to see where trip hop started (a term I wasn't familiar with until a few months ago when I had Tricky in this list). Fantastic sound and album.

Chill and vibey. I've certainly heard better, but I've also definitely heard worse.

Didn't not like it. Aber bin überhaupt nicht dran hängen geblieben. Immer nur 1-2 Songs am Stück gehört

Je m'attendais pas à ça vu le nom du groupe, vibe qui rappelle beaucoup Dido je trouve, plutôt sympa et chill sans être transcendant

Top ! Je les apprécie bcp Par contre je les vois aps les « 44 minutes » de tracks car l’album était fini au bout de 30 min, c’est passé à une vitesse

Pareil très cool j'ai bien aimé la vibe

Trip Hop Favorite Songs: Safe From Harm, Be Thankful for What You’ve Got, Unfinished Sympathy, Hymn of the Big Wheel Least Favorite Track: One Love Admittedly, there’s a way better Massive Attack album that I personally loved more, that being Mezzanine, but this doesn’t mean that I didn’t dislike this album. Heck, I think it’s a great album (although not Apple’s Best 100 great). I think my overall issues is how it feels a little basic in terms of instrumentation, but the features in the tracklist were what mostly helped the album out for me. Definitely a keeper, but…eh? Feels more like a low end of a great album. 8/10

very English and I am an anglophobe.

2.5 Average. Cheesy poetry rap through most songs.

Cool album. Liked it.

Sehr entspannend, rap parts eher ruhiger, Gesang (soulig) gefällt mir besser. Beats sind schon nice! Letzter Song sticht positiv raus. Insgesamt nicht 100% mein Geschmack, wobei es schon ein vibe ist. Auch n grower!

6.0/10

Chatinho. Talvez na época fosse diferenciado.

An insanely good debut. This group cooked out three albums in the 90s and definitely defined that era. This is usually considered the second best and is definitely a fun first time listen.

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

Hm weird. Sounds like it’d be playing in that weird dark bathroom in Amsterdam? Very chill but then an unusual element would pop out. I wanted to like it but I lowk couldn’t -not my thing but interesting nonetheless.

Like it

Better every time I hear it

Other than the first song this is forgettable to me.

Nyt on jumalauta kontsaa

Couple of hits and a bit of filler. Overall a good album. 3/5

There’s nothing redeeming about this. I feel like there’s 1000 of these bands / albums out there.

Increible. Disco que conoci hace un años e hizo que me empiece a gustar el trip hop

man this one is very hyped up to me and i was excited to finally get to it but i /hate/ these vocals SO much. they dont fit the vibe of the songs at all. i really wish these were just instrumental. humble beginnings for sure, but trip-hop improved tenfold after this and it makes this kind of a difficult listen if you dont have any prior feelings towards it. not to mention it kind of drops trip hop midway for other genres suddenly. like track 4 and 5 are rnb and dub-infused respectively out of nowhere. "Lately" is the closest it gets to being good but overall id strongly argue most of this has just not aged very gracefully at all.

Baustelle, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Gibt mir garnix.

This is a nice listen both vocalists have ez listening voices. The music is smooth and relaxing. I enjoyed listening to this one.

Decent, a bit of a change for me but I liked it

What is perhaps the defining album of trip-hop (second to mezzanine the goated beetle album at least imo), is a very sludgy, creeping album that makes incredible use of the genres (r&b, rap, electronic) it takes inspiration from. There are not many artists with a sound quite like Massive Attack, and I was surprised at just how seamless everything is. There is such a distinct aesthetic to the sound captured on this album. Some of the best rap/hip-hop/trip-hop to come out of the UK for sure.

Muy bien, An shoegaze classic

How do albums like this make the list?

A good listen, the music was interesting and well put together. There was more reggae on this album then I expected with a name like Massive Attack. I'm glad to have listened to it.

Here’s another debut from a British band doing electronica hip-hop music. The music has an ethereal vibe, and it’s fun to listen to hip hop with a British accent. I was surprised to hear a cover of the old William DeVaughn song “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got”. Overall the album is well done.

Still no Mezzanine - and would they really have 3 Massive Attack albums on here? - but I'm happy to see this. This album cover is very distinctive. This one seems more -hop than trip-. Though it's pretty mellow. It's nice, especially the female vocalist's tracks, but I don't know if I'd add any of these songs to my rotation. Maybe I should give it a go another time when I'm in a more chill mood.

I'm sure this is important to someone. 2.4.

Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Never really liked their sound

Love it. Love Tricky.

Mezzanine is better, but Portishead's Dummy is betterer. Still a pretty good album, but not my go-to for the genre.

mwah.

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

Really chill vibe to listen to while studying. I really enjoyed the album and would listen to it again. I can’t quite give it an 8, but it is a strong 7/10.

A slow paced, groovy trip hop album. Great atmosphere and mood, good for chilling at night or day. Also has a lot of dub and soul influences.

Nice. Three stars…

Listening session: august 16th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: heard one song before Thoughts: just a really chill album with songs that vary in vibe Favourite tracks: Safe From Harm, Blue Lines & Unfinished Sympathy

Be Thankful For What you've Got

4/5

Really like Massive Attack, this is one of their best albums. The blending of styles, different voices and introspective lyrics make this an fun listening.

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

What a surprisingly fun album! I had never heard of trip-hop before, and I'm happy to discover a whole new genre I like. Everything here is great. The music is funky, the voices have diverse range, the lyrics are well written, and overall the album has a good variety of styles without ever sounding like a mess. I will absolutely revisit this album.

i like. added a couple to my playlist

Like but not love for this album. Massive attack have a very cool vibe, but I just am consistantly surprised at how little I like their music. It seems like stuff I'd love, but there often on most songs feels like there is something missing. Can't really put my finger on it, maybe its just not for me.

Love the bass tone off the bat, and the tasty production continues throughout. Sinister and cool, bridging the 80s and 90s. Favourite tracks: Safe From Harm, Five Man Army, Unfinished Sympathy (of course)

esse aqui achei bem experimental e interessante, 3.7

Sick beats. Even sicker features.

Really funky in a good way.

Very Trip with much Hop. It's pleasant enough I guess.

Mad props to these guys for inventing what would later come to be known as "trip hop" with this album. I really dig trip hop, but comparing this to their later works (e.g. Mezzanine) and other more genre-defining works, this early work of Massive Attack's, for me, is too much hop and not enough trip, but, hey, they were just then starting to explore this vibe and I can appreciate the journey and where it all started. Brilliant.

Love the nice chill vibe of this music, but it's not boring and sleep inducing. I'm surprised I hadn't heard any of this before.

This is one of those cool albums that was the true beginning and debut of a genre, in this case, trip hop. The beats are smooth and hypnotic and serve as a sweet backdrop for the soulful performances. I certainly don’t love everything but I can get behind most of the ideas. This is catchy and classy. 1 listen Favorite Track: Safe From Harm

Took a while to warm up to this. Some great beats. Multiple vocalists is an oddity and makes them difficult to identify. This is pushing 4 the longer I listen.

Massive attack for the win

# Album Name: Blue Lines # Artist: Massive Attack # Rating: 4/5 # Comments: Very good debut album. Enjoyed it way more than i thought i would. # Top Tunes: safe from harm / one love / be thankful / unfinished sympathy / daydreaming / hymn of the big wheel # Would I listen to it again? Yes

A great introductory Trip Hop album

This record is a vibe, and it's a vibe I'm very much in favor of. Favorite track: Five Man Army

I can’t get very excited about this.

I do like me some trip-hop.

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.

also foundational trip hop also wild how this album isn't mezzanine 💥safe from harm 💥unfinished sympathy 💥hymn of the big wheel

Is this considered the first trip hop album? I think it is. The first I know of anyway. I don't think I've ever heard this album all the way through in one sitting. It's not bad. Mezzanine is much better. But it's interesting to hear the start of an entire genre like this, albeit a short lived one. I don't think there are really any new trip hop bands are there? It's not exactly a genre I keep up with. Apparently this album and Protection are on the list but not Mezzanine? What the hell? Why not just put Mezzanine on here and cut the other two? Oh well. This album is fine but I wouldn't really come back to it often if at all. 3/5 and a petition to replace this with a better album from Massive Attack.

Quality throughout. Innovative and influential

This is a Trip-Hop masterpiece! Blue Lines is my first impression of Massive Attack; it's safe to say that I have very high hopes for the rest of their work! I haven't listened to much music in the Trip-Hop genre, but I definitely will after hearing this. Mezzanine is another album by Massive Attack that I'm now motivated to listen to, I already know and love 'Angel' and 'Teardrop' from that album. On this album though, I'd have to say that 'Safe From Harm' was the obvious highlight, it was a perfect introduction and really introduces you to the themes and style of the album. I wasn't quite as fond of the Reggae-style tracks, I love Reggae music, but some of the Trip-Hop elements don't work very well with it! Tricky is an absolute legend and it was great to hear him on this album, but most of the highlights were from Shara Nelson, someone who I hadn't heard of before this!

UAAAUU, a primeira faixa "safe from harm" me surpreendeu muito logo de primeira, completamente hipnotizante! amei as letras das faixas, o instrumental, os vocais..tudo!

Safe from harm Five man army Unfinished sympathy Album feels dated

Вайбово

How does one create music that is both chill and badass at the same time?

That "Blue Lines" song reminded me of some Bowen Yang SNL parody This whole album mostly felt like background music..

I didn't know what this was, where this came from but I am a big fan. So fun to jive to.

sorry but i hate it

Doesn't get much more 90's feel and sound than this album.

Not my cup of tea.

very unexpected mix of different genre elements, and I've never enjoyed british rap quite as much as on this record (yet). good listen with no skips.

4.2/5

Desde que retomé el reto hace unos 6 discos, es el que más me gustó. Igual le pongo 2 estrellas.

What a lucky 90s flashback. Got moon safari and blue lines back to back.

Man, Blue Lines is a bloody groovy good time. It's like Massive Attack invite you round for a house party and every room's got a different vibe: hip-hop in the kitchen, reggae on the patio, electronics chilling in the lounge. Lyrics are proper clever too. I've spun it thrice now and it just keeps giving. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions - Safe from Harm - Blue Lines - Be Thankful for What You've Got - Unfinished Sympathy - Daydreaming

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

Enjoyable listen, really cool vibe and solid throughout.

Blue Lines was a great listen. I like the laid back feel, and it never outstays its welcome. It still sounds fresh more than 30 years later. Unfinished Sympathy is one of the best dance songs ever made, and the rest of the album more than holds its own. Four stars from me

some hits some misses. really just depends on the singer

Picture it: Ultra martini bar. White floor floors, white wall walls, white bar top. The Vaca collection consists of Grey Goose and Ciroc. Every woman there is wearing coach or Versace except for the ones who are wearing LV and they're being judged. This album is playing in the background. And honestly, it's the best thing about the place

Music not to pay attention to.

Не такого я ждал от этой группы

Не совсем мое всю жизнь, но unfinished sympathy бенгер.

звучит приятно, но я не большой фанат massive attack, 3.5 достойно

Fun beats! Like the female vocals. The rapping style feels very 80s I like 5 man army. The reggae call backs work really well

Shara Nelson: hell yes; Horace Andy: hell naw.

My kind of musical experimentation. Blue Lines foreshadowed all of the UK electronic music that exploded in the mid-90s and then drove the music scene of the 2000s.

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

First exposure to Massive Attack outside teardrop, cool to listen to the debut and slightly different style here. Really solid trip hop that uses the electronic instruments to great effect. The more Reggae coded songs lose some of the momentum but it keeps a consistent groove energy from beginning to end. I can see this becoming one of my favorite bands of this style easily

Needs another listen probably

First song good

This album was a vibe! Realizing I really do like trip hop.

At the dawn of a new genre, paving the way for trip hop overlords such as Portishead and Beth Orton but w a much groovier vibe. This one really surprised me, for the better.

Já tinha ouvido falar. Gostei, mas não tanto. Ouvível. Som simples.

🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 Man, I hate not getting an album from one of my favorite bands. Such odd choices to fit on this list—I can understand "Blue Lines" from a historical perspective, but really? "Protection" when "Mezzanine" is right there? And how did "Blue Lines" not only make it into this top 1000ish, but into Apple Music's Top 100? Listening today, I liked it more than the first time I heard it, but I just couldn't see what was so special about it. The atmosphere is so sparse compared to Massive Attack's later, layered work, and while the lyrics were clever and fun and all that, it just didn't feel like a cut above anything else they'd done. Maybe I need a listen #3? 1: Bad | 2: Okay, No Desire to Revisit | 3: Good, Conditionally (OR Inconsistent Mix of Qualities) | 4: Great (OR Technically amazing but missing the sauce emotionally) | 5: Amazing

This was not what I expected--I thought it would be more angry for a band called "Massive Attack." Instead, it was mostly hypnotic, and the four different vocalists gave it a patchwork feel. The album feels so 90s that I was surprised it was only just coming out of the 80s. Overall, I don't have strong feelings in either direction, though I'm skewing more positive thanks mostly to the fun record scratching (is that an original feature or 2012 addition???).

The Hymn of the Big Wheel is now one of my favorite songs. Super fun album. Tons of different vibes. Loved the Fiddler on the Roof reference. About the same as all the other ones. Kinda vibed a bit better with.

I still have a visceral reaction to British people rapping - that's our thing after all - but a lot better than I expected.

2026.07.22.

I enjoyed this. I knew of massive attack from teardrop. It is good to listen to but I might not actively pick it.

First Listen; 3; I go back and forth about how much I enjoy this. At times, I really enjoy the vibe and find it very chill and engrossing, other times it feels just a little underdeveloped or lacking rhythm a little bit, or maybe it's that it feels like it hasn't aged as well with the instrumentation? Favorite Track: Unfinished Symphony

What a beautiful album, nothing quite like this one, but you can get close. Probably quite close to 5 stars as I have just rated 4.5 on RYM but I could see this bing perfect 5 no doubt.

Wonderful. Many artists would kill for an album this good. Fully deserving of a place in the Top 1001. Shara Nelson sets the scene brilliantly with Safe From Harm (she returns again for the brilliant Unfinished Sympathy, an all-time favourite of mine), and further besides. Every track is utterly superb, there's not a signle second of filler here. I reviewed Protection earlier and was aghast at the thought that it was over 30 years old. This is 35 years now (1991), which makes me want to invent a time machine so I can go back and listen to it for the first time again, just to recapture the joy. Do please enjoy.

Punk will never be my thing. :

Safe from harm - the sharas nelsons vocals are basicly etherial- i have to remember to reccomand it to my brother, he will appreciate it Daydreaming had a very nice ending. Top few: Safe from harm for sure!, five man army, unfinished sympathy, lately I am not a big hip hop or rap type of person, but I have to admit that even some songs that are extremely not my style on this album, i have quite actually liked. Listend to: Safe from harm, Hymn of the big wheel (pretty cool), blue lines, one love, five man army, daydreaming, unfinished sympathy, be thankful for what you got, lately

5/10

A fun and different album. A lot of talent is involved in this.

3.22 out of 5 stars for Massive Attack - Blue Lines. I appreciated the beats, I appreciated the lyrics and it felt really good to groove to. Not really what I'd listen to a ton of, but there were some bright spots that I'd love to come on my mix: Be Thankful for What You Got Daydreaming One Love The rest is just kinda there, it works on the whole and it's a good album.

9/10

Standouts Unfinished Sympathy

Much groove and much chill. I like

This is a great introductory album into the Massive Attack discography. The songs here are overall strong but "Unfinished Sympathy" is simply one of the best songs ever written.

Decent trip hop, the stand-outs were real great but everything else was alright. Highlights-One Love, Be Thankful for What You've Got, Daydreaming, and Hymn Of The Big Wheel.

I sort of hate how this now gets labelled trip hop just cos it influenced so much of the stuff that got placed within that genre. It's got so much more going on in it and in some ways is way more pop. I like Daddy G's description of "dance music for the head, not the feet". I also agree with him that they were never stronger.

Feels like a transition between 80s pop and trip-hop - they definitely figured out how to turn the fun knob down here, but in the future they would realize the fun knob can go so much lower. Good bass throughout and pretty fun when they're rapping, but mostly a slog.

I was NOT expecting a band called Massive Attack to be so smooth! Lovely stuff. I started this project knowing nothing about trip-hop, and am going to enjoy doing a deep dive into the genre.

I enjoyed this album surprised by it's muscianship.

Ok

while not their masterpiece, it is a stunning debut album, one i will happily listen to again

It’s hit and miss for me (but a lot more hit that miss), some tracks I love like Unfinished Sympathy & Hymn Of The Big Wheel but there’s a few I don’t care for much. I’m not a huge fan of rapping so those tracks didn’t land for me as much even though I did like all the instumentals, all in all though a pretty good listen and I can say that I did enjoy. FT: Unfinished Sympathy Rating: 4/5

I can understand why people would love this but it’s not for me

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The beats are great, the backing vocals are catchy, but the rapping just didn't hot for me. It's was too 90s cheese, and not in a good way. Works better as background music but when actually paying attention to the rhymes it falls short. 2.75* rounded up to 3*

Mezzanine's better, but this is still a foundational trip hop album that holds up very well today (even if "contagerous" kills me every time)

Vibe boinha

laid back, trippy, n fun! probably needs more relistening 2 understand n enjoy it more. 80/100

Some of the songs really transported me somewhere else. 90s sound sure is there too.

Time flew by listening, and I really got into a flow state with this. Absolutely loved "One Love".

Super, c’est sexy, posé, chill, sensuel, mais ça rebondit bien quand même. super découverte.

It's like the same song in different fonts? They definitely have a style

Not quite sure if this is a 5/5 album but 4/5 would not do justice to it. Great debut by this truly original band!

Really high expectations and only partially redeemed. Majority of songs were familiar but I haven’t listened this album through ever. Now I have it and most likely will listen again. Close to be really good but no cigar. Strong 4 but for missing hooks to get 5.

#434 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I've listened to Blue Lines a lot, about as much as Mezzanine, latter may be my most listened to MA album. Right behind are Protection and Heligoland, but Tricky's Maxinquaye is also up there. Their stuff was new and exciting in the 90's, when I despised most dance music and most mainstream electronic music was insuffrable shite. Massive Attacks dark moods, unique vocalists and sounds in general made me want to come back again and again. Strong 4/5

#5. It’s fine as background music, but would not listen to it again. It’s just boring for me.

7/10 Best songs: Safe from Harm Super interesting album that kind of foreshadows the triphop genre and the path electronica would take as the 90s progressed. Synths, soul, rap, atmospheric sounds and music - the album has it all. It doesn't quite hit the mark for me, but I do generally enjoy it.

Mid

What was challenging the first time I heard it is comforting now. Still brilliant though.

Cool bass sound and female vocalist. All the other musical elements kind of flop. This genre of music does not hold up to modern-day standards, and I don't really see how people consider it revolutionary for the year 1991 when it sounds essentially like a disjointed mishmash of disco, soul, and proto-hip-hop. The main male British vocalist is very bad and I don't think he (or anybody else reviewing this album, apparently) realises it. Pretty insane just how many enthusiastic 5-star reviews there are for this guy. He distracts from the otherwise great instrumental. The better songs – those with less, or none, of the British guy – are so violently better that it's hard to believe all this material belongs to the same album. Great bass tone in particular. Safe From Harm starts us off dark, groovy, and with a nice base tone. Love the clear, melodic vocals and how the lead singer doesn't try to take centre stage (but kind of does anyway). Then there's the oddity One Love, coming across like an extreme Bowie throwaway from the Let's Dance era. Plus a splash of reggae. This vocalist is absolutely horrific and makes me feel bad about dissing the vocal quality of a lot of rappers on this list. Oh, how I wish for those rappers now. At least they (usually) pronounce the word "ask" correctly. But not this Horace Andy guy. Blue Lines is again incredibly groovy, particularly the percussion, which remains complex yet surprisingly understated. Not a fan of the vocals at all, though as far as British deadpan monotonous melodies go, it's honestly pretty decent. But when the vocals pause and let the soft keyboard shine... Man, I could listen to that for hours. Give the musicians time to show off, boys. Your rapping isn't interesting. Be Thankful For What You've Got feels like a message directed at me for my review of low-calibre hip-hop and related genres. Alright, Massive Attack. You get a pass this time. To finish side one, we have Five Man Army, which is pretty underwhelming. Musically repetitive, fairly bad vocals, and the band spends too long making love to their own name. The title of Unfinished Sympathy is presumably a reference to Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, and this idea gets reflected (somewhat) by the inclusion of strings to the otherwise trip-hop-esque sound. Great changes of textures, especially towards the end (around the 4-minute mark). Daydreaming: "Ugh. Ooh. Massive. Ugh." Plus some more really, really bad rapping. It sounds like the guy isn't trying at all. And not in a good way. The dude with the deeper voice (Tricky?) is substantially better and I wish he'd replace the irritating British guy entirely. The song Lately is the next standout, and it's very obvious why: beautiful vocals, an excellent "sploink bass"-driven groove, and a subtle audio crackling that gives a nod to the "golden era" of modern music. Hymn Of The Big Wheel is also solid, though a bizarre choice of closer. I like this guy's distinctive vocal texture and the fresh, modern feel. This is the only song that one could probably argue is/was groundbreaking. 3/5 Key tracks: Safe From Harm, Unfinished Sympathy, Lately

Achei bem sem sal e ruinzinho

Blue lines, Be thankful for what you've got were my type

Pioneers of lofi/trip hop. Features by TRICKY, Shara Nelson, Horace Andy, et al. fill out this album beautifully. Inspired to do a 90's trip hop deep dive.

This was interesting ! It got me through a heat wave on the tube and left me feeling quite calm. I’d like to listen to it again.

I am not a fan of electronic music or hip hop in general. This is a decent record, although I find it boring. The beats are good, the lyrics are alright, but it doesn’t speak to me. I suppose it’s worth the listen, but I won’t be back. 3 stars

Good beats but not for me

Wow!! Amazing!!

Fajne na 4. Taki dziwny spokojny hip hop może.

This shit’s cool as fuck.

Doesn't really feel like a cohesive album. Really wide variety of styles. I looked some songs quite a bit and others weren't necessarily to my taste but not actively disliking. Could make for a good addition to a upbeat mix.

outside of 1 or 2 tracks this just kinda flew in and flew out it's fine

Well, very chill and cool. Thought to myself "damn that's smooth" at points. Absolutely fine as background music. The significance and artistry is lost on me, though. Likewise, it didn't excite me or anything, and I'd probably listen to something else when seeking relaxation, driving, or similar. I can see the "cinematic" aspect I suppose.

I liked it. I could see myself very easily running this album in the background while I'm doing something else. Kind of drags by the end and doesn't have any real captivating quality, however that's kind of the point.

Kyllä Massive Atakki on aina kutitellu jotain musahermoa ja tykänny. Mukavia uusia tuttavuuksia tällä levyllä ja pari isoa lekaa

Kivan melodista ja tunnelmallista.

Ihan kivaa maalailuu. Kuitenkin vähän pliisuu. Tais kuitenkin toimia jonkunlaisena pioneerina jonkun saralla.

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.

The first 3 songs were okay I liked the beats of them all but not my cup of tea, but then the rest of the album I enjoyed quite a bit. In the end I was thankful for what I got. 3.5 out of 5

A nice album with a relaxed vibe and many different fascinating musical elements. Some cool melodies and beats. Especially liked the back half of the album. I'm thankful for what I got. Four Stars!

It's not Meazzanine - but it shouldn't be, and should he proud for what it is. Unfinished Sympathy is a beaut of a track.

Effortlessly cool.

I wanna like this so bad, it's very cool. But it's too much a "vibe" and I find it boring

This album rips. I can't believe it was released in 1991. It seems way ahead of its time.

As I write, we're in the midst of yet another heatwave here in the UK that we're simply not equipped for. It could well be that I'm delirious, but this really is a pretty wonderful record, sounding all the more perfect in the hot sunshine. I'm familiar with Unfinished Sympathy as it's surely one of the most blissfully perfect singles of the last thirty-odd years - a real masterpiece - and it sounds all the more magnificent in the context of the album. Some tracks fall a bit flat in my opinion (Daydreaming, for example) but for the most part, yes, this is a fine record indeed.

This album, and others like it, is ONE of the reasons I am enjoying this 1001 albums list - it is making me re-listen and re-evaluate albums and artists I have heard and very likely dismissed. Sometimes I have been proved right sometimes, like with this, I am pleased I have returned to it, Apart from the odd track I haven't really got on with Massive Attack. I have enjoyed this album all the way through, in spite of the dancey elements (which I am generally not a fan of) but I must be getting mellower in my old age.

Not my jam.

Excellent album, "Mezzanine" is better but this is a very high 4* 4/5

Instant bass to face !!! Idrk what I was expecting but it wasn't these groovy tunes.

A great blend of their electronic and Caribbean roots.

I’m digging the beats. Cool sound.

i love shara nelson’s voice mixed with the sick production

I found this album to be much more consistent and enjoyable than their album Protection. 3.75 / 5

Music was great but the vocals were kind of cheesy throughout.

Wonderful album. Won't lie, at the beginning of it I was thinking "oh I'm gonna fucking hate this I know it" but I proved me wrong. I had a very nice time with this. Crept up on me forreal. If I still drank wine, this record would be drunkenly danced to 10 times a day.

Un poco aburrido, no me gustó

I love trip-hop, it’s so rhythm-forward and yet stripped-down and chill at the same time, with all that good stuff from dub and reggae throughout. So of course I think this is a great record.

01) Safe from Harm - 10,0 02) One Love - 9,0 03) Blue Lines - 9,0 04) Be Thankful for What You've Got - 8,5 05) Five Man Army - 8,5 06) Unfinished Sympathy - 10,0 07) Daydreaming - 8,5 08) Lately - 8,0 09) Hymn of the Big Wheel - 9,0 TOTAL: 8,94 (89/100) Current ranking: 97/962

Groundbreaking mix of trip hop, dub and electronics. It's cool and laid back and still quite intense and layered.

Just saw this lot at Primavera Porto, this album is one of the coolest things of all time so 5 stars it is

Pretty corny tbh.

Отличный, чрезвычайно стильный альбом, наполненный тягучей, мрачной атмосферой и загадочным и таинственным вайбом. Шаманский и психоделичный киберпанк, так бы я назвал этот альбом. Его единственная проблема, это то, что я уже слышал Mezzanine и тут он, конечно, проигрывает. Альбом с жуком лучше по всем параметрам. Но и этот дебют, надо сказать, крайне неплох.

-yay Massive Attack finally! this is a really great album, one of my fav 90s and British hip-hop albums for sure. you can really see the early development of the later trip-hop style the band would embrace taking shape here -it’s not perfect and sounds a little dated now but i still love it. never forgetting my Massive Attack phase from 2023 -Favorites: Safe From Harm, Five Man Army

Great but not something I listen to

Es como un R&B, blues y rap. Está bueno la verdad.

The thing about Massive Attack, for me, is that they always leaned more into the Hop than the Trip of Trip Hop. In my brain, the hop is the hip hop bit, the dance club bit, and the Trip is the slinkier, evening in the elements bit. To me, that is the best bit. The Hop is the salt in the Trip caramel, adding an unexpected grit and tempering what could be too cloying otherwise. It's the interplay and the balance. It's not that Blue Lines is upbeat for electronic or club music, but it's still more distinct as club music. Maybe that's the weak vocal on One Love, the only lightly chilled 80s adult contemporary vibe of Be Thankful For What You've Got, or Tricky choosing to flow over the minimalist piano riff of the title track, instead of the ominous creep and creak of his work as the mid 90s approach. It all feels just a little off, or maybe just a bit too on for a more generic drum and bass style. You can kind of see how triphop births itself from here, but by the time we get to the (much better and weirdly snubbed) Mezzanine, even Massive Attack are dialing the tempo back just a little bit. Tricky is getting deep in the gutters on Maxinquaye (and sample-buddies Portishead had smoldered over the template a year prior). That's the sound I was really hoping for here. So while the Shara Nelson contributions hit the right balance of vocal tone, Unfinished Sympathy still feels more like the era's pop (which I admittedly have soft spot for), while Safe From Harm gets the closest, but is still more of a “this is how we get to there” vibe. Overall a good laid back club album, but that's almost never a vibe I'm seeking. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

So good.

This was cool. I'd heard of massive attack but never really listened to them.

Generally well-done. I do enjoy when someone goes the dub direction in their music. Plus the Draco Malfoy dudes rapping was real smooth. There's about three songs I'd skip, but the real good ones give me that Happy Mondays feeling with extra reggae and hip hop. I guess that's where trip hop comes from. Overall, a fine blueprint for the guys who would go on to make Dr. House's theme music (7/10, 3/5 on this scale)

So, so, so very dull.

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

3.0 - Ok

Felt way shorter than it actually was, surprisingly pleasant mix of things. Couldn't think what they could’ve mean by trip hop, with electrónica and rock, now I know. Good album

And out of the blue, another one I actually am ok from the first track. But what is "trip hop"? I wouldn't dance to it, but I will sit&chill and enjoy. This one isn't carplay, but is hanging at the house hiding from life play, when that is the mood lighting.

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.

I would say as an album, its fairly standard. Its never stale due to the switching artists. Due to that same fact, it becomes INCREDIBLY inconsistent, with my ratings going from 3s to 9s. Its worth a listen dont get me wrong. Its just not my personal taste. I find some of the vocals corny and the instrumentals to be repetitive. 63/100 aoty

The most important lyric on *Blue Lines* comes from Tricky (who isn’t even an official member of the group) and is delivered matter-of-factly, almost in passing, on the title track: “English upbringing, background Caribbean.” It doesn’t just speak to the multiracial/multicultural heritage of basically all the personnel here but also identifies their intentions. For this album seeks to do nothing less than claim the frequently whitewashed British soul tradition, its antecedents in vocal jazz, and the brave new world of hip-hop as their own. And not just as their own but as a uniquely British signifier - the sound of post-industrial urban Britain on a million soundtracks and commercials and anywhere else you need to tell your audience that this place is dark and dangerous and yet also tender and beautiful. Seriously, the track listing here has everything: R&B, both classic and new (“Safe from Harm,” a killer cover of “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got”), *Sign ‘O’ the Times*-esque funk (“Daydreaming”), downtempo dub that feels comfortable now but was groundbreaking to include on a nominal club album then (“One Love,” “Lately”). Along the way the antecedents are called out and repurposed with panache; the chords underlying “Five Man Army” pay subtle homage to the long orchestral notes in the bridge of “A Day in the Life,” while “One Love” takes one of Bob Marley’s most famous lyrics and bends it into something slower, more methodical, simultaneously menacing and inviting. And nothing I say about “Unfinished Sympathy” can even begin to do it justice; Shara Nelson’s desperate vocal recalls the absolute best of Diana Ross or Tami Terrell, while the chord progression refuses to ever fully resolve, suspended in uncertainty and yearning forever. When the nervy, expansive, gospel-tinged “Hymn of the Big Wheel” emerges from the smoke it feels like walking home from the best night of clubbing you ever had, your head still buzzing with the creative energy of the music. As a teenager I heard Tricky’s grimy masterpiece Maxinquaye before I heard this, so at least initially I recall being slightly underwhelmed by the relative lightness here. Now I hear the calm boldness on display on every track and I’m amazed that Massive Attack could so self-assuredly move the medium forward. This is the sound of a group calmly, confidently asserting that this is *their* island, and they’re right.

I expected something much more energetic from a band called Massive Attack—almost like the Beastie Boys. Instead, I got a very laid-back, atmospheric album. I can appreciate its influence, but as someone who’s never been much into rap or trip hop, I found it a bit too slow to really grab me.

A bit of Reggae a bit of ambient, a bit of hip hop finalized with some house. All of it packed with crispy beats and cutting vocals. Real journey with a clear common theme leading through the album.

Not my kind of thing. But it isn't bad.

Favourite Track(s): Be Thankful for What You've Got A honeyed, dark album, that makes me feel like a smooth motherfucker taking a drag of a ciggy out late at night. Especially the titular track; low-key vocals and an almost hypnotic beat. I really enjoyed the cover of William DeVaughn's 'Be Thankful for What You've Got'. Much like the rest of the album, its a low-down, well produced, late night haze. But not a mood-setter for me. Would put this only if I am already feeling slow and sly, low and fly.

I have heard that this is good. Female vocalist quite good. Male vocalist not so good. Electronic instruments. No song really stands out. Average album. Three stars.

Had no idea who or what this was. Surprisingly really epic

Who are these people and why is this good. The album starts off slow, but after blue lines and be thankful for what you got, I was really invested. The drums are crisp and clean, and the base lines are really punchy. There were so many times in this album that I picked up on chops where I thought, “this would be an amazing sample “. Will definitely be listening to this album a lot moving forward. So unique.

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.

I actually a decent album if a bit boring or same.‘I especially liked the back half, I particular the final song. I wish I had heard this in public at a cool lounge instead of in my headphones.

BEST ALBUN EVER

Bass heavy beats, clever lyrics and great tunes. This is a brilliant album that paved the way for Tricky & Portishead, and I don't think Massive Attack ever topped it. Stand out tracks include Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy but Five Man Army and Hymn of the Big Wheel are great songs too. Was great to listen to this again after a long time. 5 stars

I quite enjoyed this as background music, but some of the songs were less interesting than others. Notably, I really enjoyed the first track and Unfinished Sympathies, but songs like One Love had interesting cores but ones that weren't built to be used for the songs' entire durations. My favourite will always be the bass in Safe from Harm though.

Good Atmosphere

The trip hop blueprint. The best albums of the genre (including Massive Attack’s best) were still to come, but the groundwork is all right here. Delivered to you straight from the backstreets of Bristol.

The Shara Nelson songs are okay but the rest didn't interest me at all. 2 stars or D.

9 songs I was familiar with some songs from their other albums, and while I'd say that those are an improvement, this wasn't a bad debut album at all. Unfinished Sympathy is the highlight of the album, but all the other songs are pretty good as well!

Absolute classic record! Unfinished sympathy is an all time classic. The whole record has an awesome vibe. Iconic