Reviews (page 6 of 13)
The birth of trip-hop. A little clunky, but very ambitious.
A very cool and unique album that seems to find its legs as it goes along. Each song is a deep and totally original soundscape. There is an incredible amount of variety between tracks. I listened to my favorite tracks a couple of times and picked up on new sounds every time. I can't wait for another playthrough with drugs this time.
Loved the first track immediately. The rest wasn't all as good, but there's definitely some great stuff here.
Good ALBUM 3/5
7.5/10 - 4/5 Excellent bass, wow. I didn't expect that with trip-hop! Cool listen, great vibe. Some songs felt a little long and meandering, though. All the vocals were really good.
I definitely got into the groove of this one. Massive Attack is one of those bands that I'd heard about, but never really took the time to delve into. I think that will change.
can't believe it's ben over 30 years already since this got released. still timeless!
no es el mejor de ma, pero aún así triphop classic
I’ve always enjoyed this album. It has a soulful vibe, with some amazing vocals. Unfinished sympathy is an incredible track.
I’ll still happily go to bat for the later Massive Attack albums, but this is a good one too, no denying. Much better than Protection. One Love and Five Man Army are vintage MA - anything with Horace Andy singing on it is ok with me, basically - and Unfinished Sympathy is timeless. Plus, very few other albums can claim, with unanimous agreement, to have invented a whole genre.
Every time I hear the name Massive Attack I think it's some kind of thrash metal band or something then I put it on and it's the most chill trip hop imaginable.
Good album with unique blend of sounds and vocals. Loses interest in the middle. Brings back at the end. 7
Enjoyable and easy listen. Vocals were cool and music was nice. Decent 7
Good album overall. The chill instrumentals mixed with the softer raps make for some easy listening tunes that still sound soulful.
This album was really revolutionary in its day and holds up so well. It sounds as good now as it did 30 years ago. Massive Attack basically invented trip-hop and I love them for it. This album has a lot of great tracks before they really found their signature sound. I like some of their other albums better but this is a masterpiece as far as debut studio cuts go.
Erring on the side of four stars because there’s maybe 2 tracks I’d skip but wow it’s hard to call. This album is a real classic. There are huge songs on here that I’ve had in my life for years and still stop me in my tracks if they come on the stereo. Be Thankful, Unfinished Sympathy and Safe From Harm. Grateful this is on this list and for the drive to work that saw these songs blaring out Friday morning.
a great fusion of hip hop and pop rythms.
Massive Attack basically coined the "trip-hop" genre. I hadn't ever listened to their older stuff, let alone the very first album. It's a bit more funky and less dark than their (maybe?) more popular 2000s work. Great stuff, nonetheless. That bassline on Safe From Harm should be illegal it's so spicy! Unfinished Sympathy melds hip-hop beats with a snaking sound that can only be described by me as playing spoons like a mofo. Add in that wonderful vocal track and *chef's kiss*. Standouts: Safe From Harm, Blue Lines, Be Thankful for What You've Got, Unfinished Sympathy, Lately
I like that both the biggest trip hop bands of the 90s came from Bristol. I feel like Massive Attack is easier for a casual listen but thats because its less emotionally potent. Idk enough about Massive attack's discography to rank this album against their others. Still nice to vibe to. I also like that some of their lyrics are kind of dorky by today's hiphop standards. My baby just cares for me, well, that's funny Her touch tickles especially on my tummy I have done more googling apparently this is considered the first trip hop album and basically founded the genre so that's neat.
Me gustó mucho. Muy bueno.
Quite enjoyable
I've only ever listened to one massive attack song before. This album sounds a lot like that. Really enjoyed it. I can see how this album has influenced other artists.
I like Massive Attack and trip-hop in general, but always find their featured vocalists a bit hit or miss. 3.5/5
Interesting, pretty low key. A few songs really stood out (Safe From Harm, Unfinished Symphony, Be Thankful). Not my kind of thing really, but I'll give a listen to their other records.
loved it! i didn't realize how much i like trip hop.. very groovy and fun to listen to!
Wicked - plain as day how and why this album changed music. Some of the combinations of and approaches to sounds would be fresh today, let alone in 1991!!!
Some kind of Electronic/Dance/Hip hop/reggae hybrid. Well done.
Day7 - i have never heard of massive attack. definitely worth the listen. blue lines and daydreaming were my favorites. would recommend
I like Massive Attack the more I like it. ever since hearing Angel in the movie Snatch. great job combining genres to produce a unique sound, instead of coming off as tryhard it just works!
This album is a great mix of rap, electro, dub and more. Every time I hear a Massive Attack album I think “I should listen to more Massive Attack” and then I don’t but that’s not on them!
Great relaxing album. Lacking some explosiveness
Not up to the levels of Mezzanine, but still a good album.
Super chill mix of hip-hop, soul and reggae. Keen to check out more from this band. Highlights: Safe From Harm (that baseline!), Five Man Army, Lately, Hymn of the Big Wheel.
Zeitloses Trip-Hop-Werk
I liked this a lot more than I expected. Hadn't heard of Massive Attack before
Highlight: Unfinished Sympathy If you're new to trip hop, Blue Lines is a good place to start. You get a little taste of the genre before Massive Attack lean into the sound on later albums. Overall: 7/10
how is this massive attack?? it sounds nothing like the other stuff i've heard. it's pretty cool though. 7.5/10
Some great songs, some less great songs. Overall pretty good but sometimes felt a bit incohesive as an album
Favorite Tracks: Hymn of the Big Wheel Safe From Harm One Love Blue Lines
Good beat, easy to dance to, and Be Thankful For What You've Got. A nice little trifecta, if you ask me.
Ahh, the birth of trip-hop. I love Massive Attack. Have listened to this album several times over the years. I like the British rap, reggae influence, and Horace Andy vocals. Takes a while to get used to that guy’s voice. “Blue Lines” and especially “Five Man Army” are favorites. I think Mezzanine is Massive Attack’s best album, but it’s a vastly different feel from Blue Lines. Much darker, heavier, and a little more album-oriented. Blue Lines is a comparatively easier listen, but a little short of Mezz’s perfection. 4 stars or even a little higher.
Was a huge fan of the first half of this album. Funky and cool beats with some nice instrumental stuff going on. Kinda lost the magic in the last few songs, but only enough so to keep it from being a 5.
Had never listened. Updated reggae derived music is incredible. I thought this was wonderful.
Massive Attack is pretty cool, man.
Very cool
Very mellow rap R&B album. I really enjoyed it.
Um som bem diferenciado, creio que para época deve ter soado como novidade, ou como algo da moda mas muito bem feito. Esse sim, um disco que merece figurar nesta lista.
Not my type of music, but I can hear the difference between this and what came before. I can see it being revolutionary for the right groups.
Safe From Harm- 3.8/5 One Love- 3.7/5 Blue Lines- 4.3/5 Be Thankful for What You've Got- 3.7/5 Five Man Army- 3.6/5 Unfinished Sympathy- 3.5/5 Daydreaming- 3.7/5 Lately- 4.2/5 Hymn of the Big Wheel- 3.8/5 Total- 3.8/5
Not bad
Great album but aging out...
Its crazy that the first trip hop album is already so good. Also enjoyed it quite a bit more then protection, which I got earlier from this generator. That album was pretty solid too, but this one is consistently pretty good with some really big high points.
Really fun, I can see why they’re highly regarded
Unfinished Sympathy sounds like Mobi, but with more soul
This one is more of the “hop” side of Trip-Hop. I really like this but it is kinda overshadowed by Mezzanine, which shows more of the “Trip” side of Trip-Hop and I just prefer the Trip side of MA. Still a 4 stars though
I'm not a fan of electronic music, so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this.
Love the electronic vibes and the groove that this has. Hip hop sits well with me, and adding some electronic to it makes it even better. Some of the songs were whatever, some were quite good. It was a really nice album to listen to while getting some work done.
Really cool vibe on this album. If each song was 1 minute shorter, we'd really be cooking with gas here. Still enjoyed this quite a bit more than I usually do with electronica. Favorite track: Unfinished Sympathy
Love that trip-hop sound. These guys weren't on my radar in 1991, but I imagine I would have totally listened to this CD tons on study nights. 4*
Great vibes
Love it
More reggae than Mezzanine (at least in my first very limited impression)! Really didn't expect it to sound like this! Less "darker" than mezzanine too. I draw comparison w mezzanine bc its the only Massive Attack album I'm familiar with 😅
Good
Epitome of fusion. Totally understand now why they had such a cult following. Even listening to them today, I’m not sure that I’ve heard anything like it.
Actually, I liked it. It’s not at all the music I normally listen to, but it just found me in the right mood for this, so yeah.
Actually did not expect to like this one but I really did. Some parts sound a little dated but overall I enjoyed it
4.5, on reflection, Unfinished Sympathy (one of the greatest songs of all time) is not quite enough to make this a 5-star overall
Unfinished Sympathy was a revelation to this 14 year old rockist and made me realise beauty did not need guitars. The track is an outlier, a bolt of pop lightning in an otherwise murkier, more dubbed out creature, heavy on atmosphere, tunes optional, though still memorable. There's only one song I'd seek by itself, but I've been happy having this roll on over the day, which distinguishes it from what followed: no epochal record's influence is entirely benign. Too important to warrant anything under 4.
sounded good but didn’t get to listen enough i need to go back
4 - different
Muy bueno
Great.
This has definitely aged poorly in some places, and I didn’t love it as much as I used to, but it’s still a quality record. Innovative, experimental, and definitely iconic: it screams 90s for me. And while some parts of songs sound aged (I’m thinking the vocals on Safe from Harm), the rest sounds relatively fresh. Highlights: Safe from Harm, One Love, Unfinished Sympathy, Hymn of the big wheel, Daydreaming. I’ll not leave it 15 years to return back to this one.
I feel like this was a really mixed bag. Some tracks were excellent, while others were kind of boring or even a bit grating. 3.5, I guess. Highlights: - Safe from Harm - Blue Lines - Five Man Army
UNFINISHED SYMPATHY Blue Lines Be Thankful For What You've Got THIS WAS SO GROOVY Honestly just gonna give it four stars because i think if i re-listened to it more that i would like it more too. It just needs time to *marinate*
*El pana del cabello largo rating stuff* WOOOOOHHH. Me emociono cuando conozco el disco. Oiré again. Ya oí, estuvo mid-high
Safe From Harm is the perfect intro the album. I'm getting really into trip-hop. Didn't care for One Love. Blue Lines and Five Man Army are lyrical and so fun. Unfinished Sympathy is real good too.
This isn't my favourite Massive Attack record, but there are some great tracks here, and obviously Unfinished Sympathy is an absolute masterpiece. Favourite tracks: Safe From Harm, Unfinished Sympathy, Lately, Hymn Of The Big Wheel
4.75
Exceptionally enjoyable. Happy to listen to this, two tracks in my top 100 easily, others are very happily listened to and rediscovered.
Cool combination of a lot of genres I did not previously think to put together. The album has a great variety of moods, and it is obvious that a lot of thought has been put into the album. 4/5 due to it seeming more experimental than refined.
soulful, electronic, new wave
Much better than I expected
cool grooves.
Groovier than I initially anticipated, liked the album, thought it was definitely worth the listen.
Very cool album! Loved the beets and jazzy hip-hop style. Reminiscent of old-school Digable Planets/Fujees...
Just great. It sounds as fresh 32 years on as it must have done when it came out. The level of intensity throughout the album is really high, but it's not oppresive or unpleasant to listen to. Its influences seem really diverse, from the dance scene to soul and obviously trip-hop. I guess technically it's 'not my sort of thing', but it turns out it very much is.
It's outshone by Mezzanine but still an incredibly influential album. Unfinished Sympathy is a masterpiece, but I found myself impatient to get to it.
Not huge on hip hop but liked it and would listen again
great
73/100
Driving in a city @ 2 am in the rain
droney. Gotta listen to each song for at least 90 seconds before giving an honest review. First half of the album is significantly better. Throwback 90s bohemia. simple and hypnotic
found it enjoyable
Doesn't overdo the electronica aspect of it, great vocals to accompany the dub/electronica. 4.5
El primer álbum de Trip-Hop de la historia sigue sonando igual de fresco que hace ya 30 años. La espectacular mezcla de Hip-Hop, electrónica y sonidos indie, hace del debut de Massive Attack uno de los discos más interesantes de esta lista.
I've never listened much to Massive Attack - wasn't what I was expecting (better than expected)
cool
Chilling, gute Beats, Hip Hop
Another Massive Attack album, hurray! I know I'm going against the stream a bit by preferring their sophomore album "Protection" more than this one (even though i gave it a 3 for stupid reasons). However, "Unfinished Sympathy" is one of their best tracks and better than any single track on "Protection". I still hope "Heligoland" is on this list but i doubt it. I was listening to this album at my parents place when my dad came in during "Unfinished Sympathy" and declared that this was one of his favourite tracks. That is very high praise from someone who mostly listens to 60s music!
Love this album.
Very nice surprise, I’ve heard of Massive Attack for years but didn’t realize this was it. Nice hip hop, reggae influences
lowkey really good gym album. there weren’t any big stand out songs but just really solid all the way through
I didn’t know what this was and found it very enjoyable. Eat your heart out, DJ Shadow. I liked the sound, the beats, the vocals. This was great!
What an album and what memories of playing this in the early 90s. Still sounds fresh
Heel origineel album. Vette bass in het eerste nummer. Beetje jazzy verder. En dan opeens unfinished sympathy.
1. Safe From Harm - I hadn't noticed it on Massive Attack before, but the composition/mastering here is really good. Very crisp. (This is the 2012 mix/master, caveat emptor) 5/5 2. One Love - Very sparse. 4/5 3. Blue Lines - 5/5 4. Be Thankful For What You've Got - 3/5 5. Five Man Army - 4/5 6. Unfinished Sympathy - 5/5 classic 7. Daydreaming - 2/5 not as much a fan of the vocals on this one 8. Lately - 3/5 9. Hymn Of The Big Wheel - 4/5 Overall, 4/5. I love Massive Attack's sound in general, and the mix and mastering on this is top-tier, the album is pulled a little lower by a couple of the tracks I'm not huge on the vocals on.
Pretty groovy and cool. Definitely a big fan, and a good introduction to Massive Attack
I liked most of the beats, but the vocals got too weird for me sometimes. Especially on "One Love"
Sooo good
Great singing. Great production. Great music. Great songs. Atrocious rapping.
Bra skiva, glatt överraskad. Visste inte vad jag skulle vänta mig men en skiva som hade lite allt möjligt och bra längd 8/10
Trip hop 👍
A bold and hypnotic debut that unfortunately doesn’t quite stick the landing
Love the grooves, perfect for night driving. Some of the lyrics are a bit cheesy and occasionally songs drag a bit. Safe from harm and unfinished sympathy are standouts
enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would but also I guess I was raised on this kinda music, unfinished sympathy bumped it up a star then the song after immediately brought it back down lol
Really fun and interesting
Heard before: yes Silky, dubby proto-trip-hop. It doesn’t sound as radical as it did back in the day, but the reggae/dub influences still hold up, even if the 90s neo-soul breaks were subsequently copied and pasted everywhere. My top tracks were probably all different in 1991, but it’s still as cool as the other side of the pillow. Top tracks: Five Man Army, Hymn of the Big Wheel, Daydreaming
I really love trip hop and Portishead's live album from Roseland NYC has been among my all time favorites since I discovered it in high school. This album has two songs that stand out significantly to me: the first track, Safe From Harm starts with a bass line which is just nasty. Absolutely loving it. And then the second outstanding track is the obvious hit - Unfinished Sympathy with that memorable video. These two tracks are so great that I feel like the rest of the album kind of melts into the background unnoticed. It's still great - you can both put it in the background and not pay too much attention to it - or the opposite - focus on each track and find something new and exciting every time. Still, I feel like it is a bit uneven, especially compared to their follow-up album - Mezzanine. 4/5
One of the great chill dance albums
pretty good, enjoyed the beat
Fiddler interpolation on Daydreaming is undefeated Favorite Track: Daydreaming 4.5/5
Already listened many times. A classic. Only avoiding top score because the next two MA lps are even better
Cool
After a few weeks AWOL in Canada this is an epic album to get back into the swing of things. Hadn't given the whole thing a proper listen before, loved every track bar the last one. Light 4.5 Fav track: Daydreaming
Bops, books, bangers. Biggest issue with this one is that the vocal performances are often pretty over-dramatic for me - the instrumentals are so grooved and laid back and the vocals try to match it but it's like an affectation. Maybe by design but it doesn't quite go all the way enough to get to camp and be enjoyable in that way for me. Those grooves are so easy to sink into though, I'd always be happy having this on. Three and a half. Fave track: Safe From Harm
Good. Listened twice.
I would have really loved to be a member of Massive Attack. Man. I don't think I'm cool enough though, they just ooze cool. Maybe there's still hope for me? I could listen to Massive Attack every day and not get sick of them. Whenever I hear them I picture a bunch of cool looking people sitting around in a dark hazy room just jamming and doing their thing. "Unfinished Sympathy" is probably my standout track here. The spoons/metallic percussion is a real highlight and the way it contrasts with the super long held out piano notes is wonderful. Massive Attack have such a gift for melding unique sounds into these fantastic noir and orchestral moments. When the strings come in around the 3 quarter mark of the song I'm really blown away by the beauty. It's almost like they have no egos and they only make music for exactly what the music needs. They will use real drums, drum machines, strings, fake strings, synth basses, real basses, etc. Whatever the song needs in an objective manner is what gets used. It's wonderful and I think a crazy hard concept for musicians/songwriters to tackle. "Daydreaming" is a great contrast following "Unfinished Sympathy". I love the hip-hop inspired approach. I liked all of this album.
chill
I like seeing this album like a bridge from 70s to 90s, from Carribean to Britain, etc. Significant one! Though, I prefer their latest albums.
Great, but Mezzanine is better.
An amazing album, one of the best in trip hop genre, the sound of it is completely unique and the atmosphere it creates on the album is special. 'Unfinished Sympathy' is one of my favourite songs from the 1990s. Some songs are a tad bit repetitive though. Overall it's a strong 4+.
By all accounts this album should scream '5 stars' for its undeniable influence and what it would inspire. Portishead's Dummy and DJ Shadow's Endtroducing don't exist without this record and its ongoing legacy is heard throughout modern British music even today. There's no doubting this is a pioneering piece of work and many would consider it as one of the greatest UK records ever released. Every fibre of my being wants to hit that 5th star and move on. However... I just can't convince myself that, when you detach yourself from what has come after and focus purely on the music at hand, all of this album stands up to scrutiny. Tracks like 'One Love' come and go without making much of an impression, and several songs suffer from what feels like a lack of focus at times. The second half of the album is noticeably stronger, and 'Hymn of the Big Wheel' is a euphoric and fitting crescendo to the album managing to extract great emotional depth from some really quite silly lyrics. The album is centred around the lead single 'Unfinished Sympathy' - scrap everything I said before, this track is a masterpiece in every sense of the word and rightly stakes its place as one of the greatest songs of the 90s and of all time. It goes to show how brilliant Massive Attack can be at their finest, I just wish that midas touch stretched across the whole album, and not just half of it.
Incheresting mix of genres
It took a couple of tracks for me to settle in, but this was a really good listen. It has aged very well.
Very cool
Pretty chill music, not quite as captivating as I would have liked, but I liked all of the component sounds... if that makes any sense.
trippy hip hop reggae stuff
Enjoyed it. Good electronic album
This is not really what I expected, but I dig it. The rapping parts remind me a bit of the verses in West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys, although sometimes it does start to feel a bit more like Inner City Preasure by Flight of the Conchords at points instead. Otherwise, though pretty good. I like the beats very consistently and the use of older songs never feels like a cop out. Just a very solid album, I can see the appeal.
It was good, but their next album is the classic.
Really loved this album. I’d heard of Massive Attack before but honestly couldn’t have told you anything about them, couldn’t have even guessed their genre. I’m perhaps a decade too young for them, but I thought this was really fun. Great tunes. Sooo torn between a 4 and 5 for this one, I think it’s a solid 4.4/4.5…. Fav tracks: Safe From Harm, Daydreaming Least fav track: Hymn Of The Big Wheel
Although some of the rapping reminded me of the epic HipHopapotamus and Rhyme-nocerus from Flight of the Conchords, this has generally aged pretty well. The production reminded me of Blue Nile at times and Unfinished Symphony is an absolute classic. Lovely stuff.
Trip hop at it’s finest! Absolutely loved this and is defo on the purchase list now! Chilled out, melodic, sparse and atmospheric tunes to have on! Can’t get enough of it!
Oh so moody. 'Unfinished Sympathy' is the real head turner, but there's good samples throughout. The rapping is the weak part imho but it's fairly understated, so I'm ok with that.
Safe From Harm, One Love, Be Thankful for What You’ve Got, Unfinished Sympathy and Hymn of the Big Wheel. I love the trip-hop genre. Love the British rap voices and the beats are cool as shit.
Interesting genre and mix of different styles
Tremendous
The cradle of trip hop, the impact of Blue Lines and Massive Attack on music in the 90s and early 00s can hardly be overestimated. The reggae-heavy sounds of 'One Love' and 'Five Man Army' don't quite hold up, but the holy trifecta of 'Safe From Harm', 'Unfinished Sympathy' and the great closer 'Hymn of the Big Wheel' are perfect. Always a great listen.
I liked it. Similar to Faithless and The xx.
I listened to this one with the family. My wife grooved away and said she really enjoyed it, even though she thought she was only familiar with Mezzanine. A solid round of thumbs up from our household.
Really good, but the slick production removes any rawness, which takes something away from my enjoyment of it.
I just played this and listened without doing my normal reading about the artist and without taking note of the song titles. I tend to confuse Massive Attack with Mazzy Star and it's likely I'll continue to do this. But this listen was the perfect sound for me to catch up on work and escape into a calming sonic vibe. I loved it.
kinda enjoyed this more than i thought i would not gonna lie
Other than hearing the opening theme song for "House" for 3 seasons, I've never listened to Massive Attack before today, but I enjoyed this album. It's hard to believe that this was released in 1991, because it sounds like it could have easily come out in the 2010's. I loved the instrumentation, and I was surprised by how much I liked the vocals too. I would definitely listen to more Massive Attack in the future.
Pretty good stuff
4/5 I’d listen again.
My co-judge and I saw Massive Attack live in some underground club around the time of this album was released. The lights went down, the familiar baseline of Safe from Harm kicked in, the 2 DJs swayed and grooved to the beat with the crowd in frenzied anticipation of the sultry vocals (of Shara Nelson). They came, but Shara was no where to be seen. We were listening to the record. The guys did rap live though. That wasn’t the first DJ show that I’d seen but the first where I was expecting more. Ten years later, when my co-judge and I saw Thievery Corporation, I was wary when it started with 2 DJs, but over the next hour they brought out all 8 vocalists they used in their prior tow albums! We were thrilled but they couldn’t have made any money on that tour. Anyway, this is a seminal LP that launched a movement that I listened to a lot over the prior decades. A genre that the long-in-the-tooth club goers could listen to and feel cool. The LP isn’t quite as good as I remember it.
Listened Before? N Initially I thought this was a pretty great modern ambient/hip-hop album... and then I realized it was from 1991!? wow. It's extremely innovative and ahead of it's time. Extra credit to them. This is great sex music. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Safe From Harm
Nice downbeat tracks. I didn't even mind the hip-hop vocals all that much, surprisingly. 3.5/5
Such a classy smooth vibe
Great album, Massive Attack opened me up to much other music when I got into them as a teenager. I much prefer Mezzanine, but this is nearly perfect. It looses a couple of points for the somewhat cheesy closing track and a couple of other duds, but the title track, Safe From Harm, and Unfinished Sympathy are all classics.
I need to stop reading the wiki and reviews before/while listening because it always clouds my views. It’s definitely not one of MY best albums of all time, but I can see why it’s got that reputation critically. I really liked Unfinished Symphony- the female vocals slayed.
Groundbreaking, and pretty dang good to boot. It's nice to see some trip hop origins here.
A really solid work again from Massive Attack, but while it is the first Trip Hop (a genre I love) first does not always mean best.
Bändin paras levy ja toimii loistavasti edelleen. Vaikka olihan tääkin varmasti ysärillä vielä coolimpi. Be Thankful For... pyörii usein omilla soittolistoilla.
I don‘t know a lot of Massive Attack songs, but some of these tracks were really not was I expected a Massive Attack album to sound like. Really fascinating mash-up of styles and genres. Especially liked the last track „Hymn of the Big Wheel“.
Good grooves, great basslines, a sound I always enjoy
College me would have loved this. Present me really likes it
Een lastige keuze tussen een 4 en een 5. M'n grootste kritiek op dit album is namelijk vooral dat 'Mezzanine' beter is. Voor zover ik tot nu toe heb kunnen nagaan is dat dé grote afwezige op deze lijst. Het openingsnummer is lekker, Unfinished Sympathy is iconisch, de afsluiter is goed gekozen en eigenlijk is al het andere ook wel goed. Maar waar Mezzanine je in trance dreunt om je mee op reis te nemen in een droomwereld geschapen door Massive Attack is Blue Lines meer een kleine wandeling door een grauwe Engelse stad begin jaren '90. Een 4 dus, omdat ik anders de band zou raten en niet dit album an sich.
Nearly 5 stars. Unfinshed symphony is a classic
hell yeah. the way this effortlessly crosses genres and uses so many different elements without losing cohesion is brilliant. best tracks: be thankful for what you've got, unfinished sympathy, safe from harm
Cool sounds. Cool British vibes. Quite lovely. 4 stars
This album was good enough to the point where I went back and listened to protection, which I gave a 1 because I was in a really bad mood and it was the worst music for that mood. Turns out it also deserved at least a solid 3 because both of these are really good trippy electronica albums. Five man army on this one and karmacoma on protection are both excellent, too bad the latter will forever be on my worst albums list.
A totally unique, genre-defining album. The obvious inspirations for trip-hop may well land squarely in the hip-hop/soul-jazz camp, but the influence of the punk ethos from groups like Gang of Four (a professed favourite of Massive Attack) also reinforces the totally groundbreaking nature of this album. That being said, it isn’t necessarily a cohesive record, and “Mezzanine” will always be the defining statement of this band. I’m lead to believe this isn’t on the list, so in lieu of a five star for their sophomore effort, I’ll drop a perfect score on this record.
Het hoofd meebewegend op de langzame beats. Goed album
Great early trip hop album. Clearly influential to what was to follow in the genre. But I prefer Mezzanine.
I really enjoyed this. Wasn’t familiar with their early works.
I’ve always been a trip hop fan and this album as a delight to listen to. Makes me want to take a deeper dive into Massive Attack
Good but not great, thoroughly enjoyable but missing something to push ot further. 4/5
Old school UK hip hop vibes with stylish melodies
It's always wild to me when I hear an "influential" album for the first time. I'll hear sounds and genre inflections that you assumed didn't exist until much later. Listening to this album I kept double checking that it came out in 1991, you could have fooled me and said it came out in the later half of the decade. Some truly stunning and innovative stuff, although I think it gets a little weird and meandering at some points on its genre journey, still a wonderful time.
Interesting - Jamaican Reggae (maybe?) with some hip-hop/light rap.
The only Massive Attack I’d heard before was “Teardrop” (yeah, yeah, because it was the House MD theme, yes), so I was very surprised to put this album on and get british hip hop (or I guess “trip hop”, apparently? not familiar with that one). Way more fun than I expected!
Very enjoyable, and holds up well even today, despite being the origin for a whole new genre. Almost like a Tribe Called Quest's British cousins. A lot of tracks are better suited for background listening, ambient music, but that's fine with me. Starting to realise I have a lot of nostalgia for British albums from the 90s, despite only living a week in the decade. 18/10/22
L'ideale per me per accompagnarmi durante il lavoro o per rilassarmi mentre faccio altre cose.
pretty cooooool
A funky and original album that was very enjoyable to listen to. 4/5
Moody, influential. Think it's slightly overrated by those who were influenced by it but it's so different for them time it's a worthy part of this list.
I much prefer their darker, moodier stuff (like Mezzanine) but this is still a really good album. Lots of good tracks and generally very solid throughout.
I expected to enjoy this since I've always liked 'Teardrop' (the theme to the show House). I get mad leftfield vibes which is probably fitting since they developed in parallel in the UK electronic scene. I dug this. It's not transcendental but super listenable. It's better than just 'okay' as well. 4/5
8/10. Oi, wot if we 'ad an 'ip 'op owlbum wot we could lis'un to wif affanoon tea then?
pubblicato nel mio anno di nascita A metà tra reagge e rock, originale, interessante mix
M’a absolument donné le goût d’en découvrir plus sur ce groupe
First listen. Feels very dated but considering what it spawned, it gets an extra star.
Took me awhile to get in to this one. Kind of reggae, kind of funky, a lot of different styles packed into the album with a lot going on. Overall, fun listen and a couple great singles
Favourite track(s): Save From Harm; Blue Lines; Five Man Army The style is certainly distinctive. Base lines, cool instrumentals, some spoken vocals and that groove. On this album it does fall flat sometimes, especially if some lf these components do not take center stage. Like in One Love, the lyrics of which just fall flat. Overall the style has the right energy though. If I wanted a more chill approach, I'd know to look at Mezzanine instead.
I remember originally buying this one like a couple of months ago by complete accident as I ordered another cd and it was mis packaged so I got this instead; I listened to it, didn’t think much of it and put it away… Now well it’s good the beats are great the rapping is solid, great background stuff to be fair. My only tiny criticism is that they talk so much about the “massive attack” over and over I think doing this is especially an annoying problem in rap albums but eh. The album’s strongest moment is definitely the album’s hit single unfinished sympathy but the other tracks are all still solid. 4/5
Was impressed by the depth and interest contained in this record.
Really fun album, funk meets hip hop, all the kind of music I like and one of their songs was sampled in a song I listen to now…note to self, find out what song it’s in so you don’t go insane
It's true - Drew's just not cool enough for it
I haven't listened to this for ages. It was everywhere for a while - too much then. But it's actually a great album and I was happy for it to pop up here.
Goib vibes
Better than expected - good mix between funk and electronica - could have been a bit more funk though!
I love 90s hip hop. Honestly though Massive Attack was a rock band before this. One Love started okay but ended strong.
Undoubtedly cool and vibe-y and obviously influential though one's not qualified to say whether it's the greatest downtempo album ever. One certaintly doesn't agree with the notion that "Unfinished Sympahty" is the song of the decade. The vocals are pretty shaky at times and sound dated, but would have been ahead of their time, viewed slightly differently. The follow-up records are better – Protection for the chiller, fatter grooves and less-is-more vocals and Mezzanine for its sheer massiveness and fond memories of the day (the exclusion of the latter from this list makes no sense).
4 I knew nothing about Massive Attack going into this, but holy shit I enjoyed this record. It really felt like all the best parts of 90s hip hip, electronica, and big beat wrapped up in one cohesive package. I really feel like the cycling of vocalists also helps the album feel fresh throughout. Safe From Harm and Hymn of the Big Wheel are a great opener and closer, respectively as well. Really curious to check out more of their work! Unrelated to my rating - the text on text action going on in the album cover lowkey drives me nuts. Favorite songs: Safe From Harm, Unfinished Sympathy, Daydreaming
It’s a vibe. Unfinished Symphony is a highlight, but overall a solid album
Amazing. I love massive attack. I like their later work best but this is great
Hadn't heard of them....loved it...good grove
Dig it
trip hop. Dope start, 4
This album has been on my “to do (listen)” list for a long time and never got round to it until now. And it’s a good ‘un. I love the groovy deep bass and the exotic sounds (or possibly samples) that pop up. There's a nice mixture of singing and rapping and I especially enjoyed Shara Nelson’s soulful vocals. There’s plenty of variety and the diverse nature is one of the strong points. ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ is a classic anthem from the early nineties. It wasn’t quite a 5 star album (based on one listen) but I wonder if I just need a few more listens to fully appreciate it’s magnitude.
A great album
My mate Jeff had a new sound system in his car, wanting to show it off, he picked me up to drive around town, when the opening the bassline kicks in - whoah - what is this awesomeness?! This was my introduction Massive Attack. Safe From Harm is a killer opener; Unfinished Sympathy - an anthem for a generation. We drove around for the rest of the album, we felt so cool - good times, great tunes. Last I heard, Jeff had his drivers license revoked for careless driving.
Pretty decent at parts, but also seems to fall flat on quite a few tracks. Probably 5/9 of the songs I enjoyed quite a bit but the others didn’t make much impact on me. Might come back to it to see how it grows on me tho. 7/10
Agora eu sei escutar trip hop.
Love Massive Attack and their massive influence on music. This album basically created trip hop. On top of that, it just plain slaps.
It is both iconic and the home of some pretty bad poetry
Trip-hop. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
This album is a classic and encapsulates shifts that were taking place in electronic and experimental music at the time. It is art, it is weird, it Massive Attack is effective at conjuring a moody, damp, groovy atmosphere. Little rough around the edges compared to what their sound evolved to be in later albums, but is an important contribution to its genre. I always have to skip One Love because I can`t stand the vocalist; conversely, Unfinished Sympathy is a masterpiece imo.
Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy are absolutely perfect. Several more are great. But there’s a lot of throwaway too. All the things this is good at— Mezzanine and Dummy are much better overall. {prior rated}
Enjoyable listen. Can sense a lot of hip-hop and dub influence throughout. The electronic production is excellent, as well as the vocal mixing. Album feels unpolished in certain areas, but definitely a groundbreaking release at the time. Incorporation of strings on Unfinished Sympathy, and the use of percussion (digital & analog) on Hymn of The Big Wheel were highlights for me.
This is a jam - feels a little more dated than mezzanine, less dark and more kitchy hip-hop vibes, but overall still great.
So many genres fused on this one, I especially like the dub and electronic mix. Good stuff.
No track feels out of place in this trip hop classic. The album starts strong with a driving bass line in Safe from Harm and doesn't let up. Musically diverse with a mix of different genre influences that all seem to work together perfectly. Stand out tracks are of course, Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy; but each and every track is a killer. Great album!
As putting on a mask activates Jim Carrey, putting this album on takes me to a different place. Very enjoyable
Decent lines
I'm not an expert on trip-hop but I think it's worth appreciating the album as many do as the origin of the genre. Based on my listen, I should give the genre a try cause this is pretty sick
Very chill. Super iconic. Yup, fits the bill.
Massive Attack, way ahead of its time.
Electronic trip hop! I enjoyed, but without loving. Some tracks I recognised. Ambient, dancy. Good bass, rhythm, often tune over the top with little between for space on the sound. Liked but need to listen more to really decide.
In the early 90s, when hiphop was exploding in seemingly all sorts of directions, Massive Attack was at the forefront of a new subgenre that incorporated hiphop beats with downtempo atmosphere. This would come to be known as Trip Hop, and Blue Line was one of the first to embody this sound. Massive Attack grounds the music in Soul vibes, pulling from different vocalists to sing and/or rap over their unique beats. A lot of Blue Line feels very smokey, mellow, and cool. This sort of hazy sound lends itself well to the R&B vocal styles, which really rounds out the songs to make them sound more complete. Massive Attack has created a really unique album here and I appreciate the successful blend of genres.
Great album!
Nice chill album
Downtempo melodic chillax mixtape. First time listened
In my earlier review of Protection, I noted I prefer their later work, like Mezzanine and 100th Window...but I hadn't heard Blue Lines (their debut), so I think the real issue was Protection suffered from the sophomore slump. I liked all the tracks on this album, although it took a little while for me to appreciate it as more than just background music. It's missing a little something that would make me give it a 5, but it's definitely enjoyable and worth hearing again so I'll call it a 4. Favorite tracks: Safe from Harm (cool opening track), Be Thankful for What You've Got (I thought this sounded like a modernized version of a 70s soul song - turns out it is...the original by William DeVaughan is really good, but I also like Massive Attack's take on it), Unfinished Sympathy (love the strings), Hymn of the Big Wheel (this was the track that kept catching my attention the first few times when I was mostly listening to the album as background music).
A new find! Enjoyed it!
Better then i had expected. Scratched a 90's nostalgia itch. It sounds like what the cool kids were listening to.
Why do I like trip hop!?
Trip-Hop at it's finest and it still holds up despite the passage of time.
An inspired combination of spoken word and electronic music.
não esperava gostar mas pelo menos da primeira música gostei???
The Massive Attack one is my favourite so far. 4/5, will be listening to it again. Very chilled, electronic plus gentle hip hop. Opening track is super, quality stays high until you hit Unfinished Sympathy (the one track I knew before today), then drops a little but the last track is great again.
"Pa san se zavalija, totalno pasivan, Slušan Marley-a i Attack koji je masivan" <3. Čuješ prve note glazbe i glasa na albumu da je ovo noćna muzika. VAŽNO! = ako ovaj album slušaš po danu, radiš to krivo i album neće imati taj štih ko što ima po noći, trust me. TBH, nije kvalitete kao Mezzanine, ali je definitivno odličan početak karijere, pogotovo drugi dio albuma kad su se zaredale odlične stvari poput: Five Man Army > Unfinished Sympathy > Daydreaming. Vrijedi ga poslušati - definitivno ako ti paše trip-hop, ne možeš fulati sa ovim albumom.
nice
I liked this a lot. Pretty great stuff!
Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy are absolutely perfect. Several more are great. But there’s a lot of throwaway too. All the things this is good at— Mezzanine and Dummy are much better overall.
Strong opening with safe from harm
Interesting
Damn man. This was great, so wavy. Lyrics and beats really did their work. And the closing song, Hymn of the Big Wheel!!!! Always love an album with an excellent start and finish.
While this album isn't nearly so polished and forward thinking as what Massive Attack would accomplish with Mezzanine, Blue Lines works as its own thing. The soul/R&B influence shines through in a really cool way; very different from what I've heard in previous electronica movements. Not their best work, but still really worth the listen 4/5
THINGS MASSIVE ATTACK'S "BLUE LINES" ACHIEVED: • Making such a solid blend of hip hop, soul, reggae, and electronic music (I love how these elements mix well and get baked into one delicious bread). • Making the first "trip-hop" album, probably igniting the trend for the mentioned small genre (it's amusing how it went from this to something like "Roads" and "Teardrop"). • Making an album that is interestingly both chill and upbeat. • Showing how can terrible vocals and terrible raps be saved with great production. • Making one of the worst and the most low effort album covers.
Pretty good 90s trip hop from Britain
Not *quite* as good as Protection. Don't care for the lofty high pitched female vocals on a few tracks. Still really enjoyable though! Second half is better than the first.
Loved this 4*
Whilst I prefer Portishead, this album is still fresh today. Still sounds as dark and oppressive as it did back in the day
I remember thinking I was the koolest bees knees when I found this album at home when I was like 13/14 and was super cool for liking it. I guess I was.
Très nice, premier album de trip-hop que j'essaye et aucunement déçu. Très relax, s'écoute tout seul, bonne atmosphère
It seems that The Lonely Island bumped this album right before they laid down ‘Jizzed in my Pants.’ Not bad for 30 years old. 3.25 stars.
Goes big and then goes home. Saving a star for the next one
Skeptical at first, but came around by the end of the album.
Just lately I've realized that I really like trip-hop and I've been listening to a couple of trip-hop playlists. On those playlists I regularly find myself skipping Massive Attack tracks though, so I wasn't really looking forward to this one. I love the trip-hop sound they've pioneered with this album, but I simply don't really enjoy the abundant hip-hop and reggae parts they threw into the mix. As it turns out, that bothered me a bit less on this album than on some of their later work and I even enjoyed the rap on Daydreaming (a rare thing for me).
need tha instrumental only pack
It took a couple of listens to really appreciate this fully, even though I've always liked trip hop. Definitely better after a second go round but some of the rapping prevents this getting 5 stars. This was a great album in that it created the template for trip hop and the Bristol Sound but their letter albums like Mezzanine are stronger.
Really cool. I really enjoyed this
This album is very good. I enjoyed it a lot.
Très smooth, un bon groove et une bonne ambiance pour un 1er album. J’ai reecouterr en journee et j’aime vraiment le melange de style. 4.15
I love this album
Super chill and impressive album. Great find!
Ate britain. De fana dock bör lyssnas
A hazy, groovy, classic debut. Though they went on to do better things, this album still holds up.
This is good. Not as profound as their other album but very listenable. 4
Mezzanine is far superior than this one imo.
Has some tunes, liked it, didn’t love it.
very 90's vibe. Smooth hip hop vocals mixed with a variety of different styles. guess this is the birth of trip hop or something
First impression is soothing lo-fi-ish R&B, very listenable, but I suspect I didn’t give it the attention it deserves yesterday, especially lyrically. Worthy of another listen when I’m not so distracted. Musically though, very nice.
Now we're talking. The birth of Trip Hop. I'll listen to that funk all day!
Particularly enjoyed Unfinished Sympathy, which had to have influenced Moby’s “Porcelain.”
Strange but very good. Interesting to say the least.
Für Elektro, was gar nicht meins ist, echt ein sehr cooles Album. Super Songwriting, sodass die Songs sicher auch „unelektrisch“ funktionieren.
Hot damn, this is good. Chill af
I really, really like good R&B based music. This album walked the line b/t experimental and standard well. No songs stood out as exceptional, which is a shame. Still really liked the album as a whole
Erstaunlich smooth für eine Band mit diesem Namen hat mir beim Autofahren ziemlich gefallen, ohne das ich heute viel dazu sagen könnte. Machen wir Mal 4 :)
Chilliges und irgendwie zeitloses Album. Hat mich entspannt durch den sonnigen Tag begleitet. Fällt mir irgendwie schwer, das mit Gitarrenmusik zu vergleichen. Für ein elektronisches Album 4 Sterne
Gefällt mir sehr, auch wenn Unfinished Sympathy durch die 90er Talkshow Arabella versaut wurde - jedes Mal muss ich bei diesem Lied an diese komische Sendung denken.
Mmmm jaaaaa! Sade from harm är 👌🏼👌🏼 Asså mycket bra, kanske till och med en femma..!? Vi får se men lutar dit kanske
Solid.
90's Trip-Hop. Some absolute classics on here - if a tad coffee table. Go round to someone of a certain age's dinner party and this will probably get busted out as the night goes on. Not necessarily as bad as it sounds. Best Tracks: Safe From Harm, One Love, Unfinished Sympathy
aivan mahtava
this lowkey slapped. will i ever listen to it again, likely no. BUT it was a good time.
Rästissä olevien levyjen takia meinasin jättää kertakuunteluun, mutta näin perjantain kunniaksi pyörittelin uudestaankin. En mikään electro/hiphopin suurkuluttaja ole, mutta joskus olen Massive Attackia eksynyt kuuntelemaan. Ihan raikasta vaihtelua hypätä afrikkalaisesta gospeltyylisestä acapella kuoromusiikista triphoppiin. Hyvin ajankohtasidonnaisia nämä arvostelut yleisestikin ovat. Blue Lines kolahti paremmin kuin hyvin aurinkoisen perjantaiaamun fiiliksiin. Jatkoon.
Big Attack would suffice. No need to be arrogant. An example of a massive attack is Andy Carroll and SHACK.
Listening on Napster- 2012 Master/Mix 1. Safe From Harm- chill, relaxing, great beat and vibe 7/10 2. One Love- reel catchy beat, slow chill relaxing. 8/10 smooth clean. Really love all the random sounds and instruments (turn tables /piano) 3. Blue Lines- lyrics are really smooth and cool and flows. Hip hop beat and flow with jazzy background 7/10 4. Be Thankful For What You’ve Got- Marvin Gaye sounding vocals and flow as well as the smooth vibe Marvin esque music with a synthesizer 80s hip hop background. 8.5/10
Tämä olikin ihan positiivinen yllätys. Alkuun oli joitain ennakkoluuloja Massive Attackia kohtaan, tämäkin kuuluu niihin bändeihin miltä on joskus aikanaan biisin tai pari kuullut ja sitten jos ne eivät osuneet, niin kuuntelu jäi sitten siihen. Tämä levy jäi mieleen rytmikkäänä ja (suhteellisen) menevänä. Ei ollut silleen liian eteeristä huminaa ja jumittelua, vaan energistä tavaraa. Brittiräppäystäkin on kiva kuunnella ainakin pieninä annoksina silloin tällöin.
Another album that is good for background listening. 2 classic songs which give it 4 stars
Not listened to this in ages. Great
Creative. Samples. Boom
Rlly chill. Great source for inspo
Absoluter Meilenstein. Der persönliche Übergang für meinen Musik Kosmos. Neue Galaxien jenseits der Gitarrennebel hat mir dieser gritty Millennium Falke aus Bristol eröffnet. Dabei half der am Crossover Geschütz ballernde Tricky und der tränenverschmierte Depri Pop von Portishead als Eskorte bei der Orientierung aber Massive Attack blieb lange der Leitstern, ohne den das Unkle’sche Schwarze Loch wohl unerreichbar geblieben wäre. Diese Zeit nahm ich zudem als MTV golden era wahr, weswegen auch ihre Videos ganz maßgeblich bei popkultureller Kartographie gewesen sind. 4.2