Blue Lines

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

Pretty good trip hop

Enjoyed it but skipped 'Daydreaming'.

High highs, low lows

Desde "Safe from Harm" pasando por "Blue Lines", "Five Man Army" pero sobre todo por "Unfinished Sympathy" y "Hymn of the Big Wheel". Dudo entre 3 o 4 estrellas. Peros serán 4.

Excellent album. Completely new to Massive Attack. Fusion of hip hop rock reggae etc. A really fun listen

Solid Album

Good electronic shit, nice remix collection nothing more to add

So good. Have listened to this for decades.

Great album, loved this equally as much as their other album. Such a unique sound and tons of amazing instrumentals.

Tiene rolas que son 4 y tiene rolas que son 2, y tiene unas que son 5. Eso me lleva a un sólido 4 y a la necesidad de establecer un claro marco de referencia para las calificaciones: 1. No me gustó. 2. No me gustó pero reconozco las importancia del disco o las chingonería musical del artista. 3. Me gustó, pero no me parece un pinche discazo. 4. Un pinche discazo, pero quizá tenga un par de rolas que nomás no. 5. Un puto discazo.

Modern classic that didn't seem to have aged. Best Song: Unfinished Sympathy

Subversive...

Que discazo aunque renieguen de ser los padres del género, el trip Hop me gusta mucho y Bristol ha dado buenas bandas. Esa mezcla de Hip Hop, rock, rap, electro es sublime

El Triphop en definitiva no es mi género favorito y me cuesta mucho trabajo mantener la atención durante todo el disco. Sin embargo, creo que merece puntos extras por muchas razones: gran uso de voces, mezcla de ritmos y estilo, excelente sonido de los bajos, y obviamente por haber sido el álbum pionero de este género. Me lo quedo para tener de fondo en momentos de stress.

Yeeeessssss liked it. Airport music in the best sense of the term. Still prefer Groove Armada but the hip hop all over this is better than GA pull off. Excellent cover of Be Thankful too - TUNE

Good old school soul and funk.

Great listening while cruising to Beverly Hills for a pick up, very cool album

Classic

SCORE: 7/10 The Horace Andy tracks are mediocre, the Shara Nelson tracks are spectacular, and the rapped tracks are pretty solid.

Best album so far, I heard a lot of samples from this album that I hear in everyday rap

nice mix of alt sounds. Enjoyed

Enjoying this one more than I did before.

Liked 6/9 songs, good diversity of vocals. 3.75/5

4 star mostly pretty good, nothing outstanding bar unfinished sympathy

Rytmisk, hiphop-produktion, samples

Solid. A couple tracks that did nothing for me, but a good introduction. Would've preferred more instrumentals, but I liked it. Sounded fantastic in my headphones (Pandas)

Really liked it. Nice and mellow.

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.

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 :(

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

Cool album. Liked it.

6.0/10

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Sick beats. Even sicker features.

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

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.

I can’t get very excited about this.

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.

Safe from harm Five man army Unfinished sympathy Album feels dated

Вайбово

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

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.

Не такого я ждал от этой группы

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

Needs another listen probably

First song good

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

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.

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

5/10

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.

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 enjoyed this album surprised by it's muscianship.

Ok

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*

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

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

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

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.

Kivan melodista ja tunnelmallista.

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

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 great blend of their electronic and Caribbean roots.

I’m digging the beats. Cool sound.

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. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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)

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

This is the beginning of a genre, but it was still too early for that genre to really get its legs. You can hear the origins of Mezzanine and Dummy here, but its still a little bare.

I enjoyed this album. It's not something I would of organically listened to. There's nothing on here that I am rushing back to listen to, but equally I didn't dislike any of them. In an ideal world I would of ranked 3.5/5

Honestly a great listen through I especially liked the closing track. 7/10

Я ТАК ЛЮБЛЮ МЕССИВ АТАК но это не лучший их альбом на первом треке я завайбилась после как-то не то

It waas okay i guess. Didn't exactly stand out.

Never heard trip-hop before. Not bad but not my thing.

Bit repetitive and the songs drag on for a little too long, but will probably start to enjoy more after a couple listens. Really like unfinished sympathy and hymn of the big wheel. The latter especially suprised me.

I was not familiar with the music of Massive Attack. I found this one pretty good (even if it's not my favourite style). I liked "Safe From Harm", "Be Thankful For What You've Got" or "Unfinished Sympathy" (probably my favourite). It's between 3 and 4 stars for me.

I liked teardrop

Really wanted to connect to this but something was missing. Great tracks but didn’t hook like I expected.

This was nice.

Ok this is a quite interesting album! I’m pretty happy with this one today, it’s a change from what I’ve been getting recently. Safe from harm had that lovely grooving bass in the background. I enjoyed the mix of the two vocalists with different styles. Definitely sounded very 90s. One love was quite different then the first track, and wasn’t one of my favourites on the album, but the almost reggae sounds were quite cool. I liked the title track, and the percussion on Unfinished symphony was quite good. The tracks are blending together to me slightly now though. I really like the ones with the female vocalist. Daydreaming was a bit of a bop. To end, Hymn of a big Wheel was pretty good. It was another eh album, good moments but nothing that overly stood out to me. 3.5/5 ⭐️ 161/1089

Trip hop is very hit or miss for me. I can kind of see the appeal of it. It is almost hypnotic. But it also can sometimes get a bit repetitive and not really stand out. Blue Lines falls into this latter camp. I like it but I won’t listen again

Trip hop...ugh, whatever. It's fine, I'm giving it a 3 because I'm glad I gave it a shot, thought it was pretty cool but I have no desire to listen to this again. I'd probably like this more if it were just the instrumentals and not the singing/rapping.

This album is at parts interesting and enjoyable and also bit insipid. I've liked many aspects of it, as it feels like a work on blending different genres, making of this record a pretty original one, with some really nice moments. But it also lacks of being something else, as many songs tend to feel a bit bland or repetitive. But I've liked overall the ideas, not much at times the development, but sure it's a very decent album.

Good, feels a bit too sparse in places though.

Not really my kind of musical style, but I can see the appeal.

Honestly, a little underwhelming on this listen. The beats sound a bit too polished, and the vocals are pretty uninspiring on the balance. There are some standout tracks, but overall this one hasn't aged well. Mezzanine was always better I think. 3/5

exactly the sound massive attack has. slow and rhythmic, with a view more groovy tracks

6 - good groovy triphop

This felt like it took a while to get going but when it did it was good. Closer to a 2 than 3 though.

I liked this.

I can see where Mezzanines came from and I prefer it infinitely to this.

This just isn’t for me, but it’s not bad

I liked this album, but I didn't love it. I liked the Big Wheel song. I can see why this is significant to the genre that it's in, but it doesn't really fit what I enjoy listening to.

Not their best. Just some meandering synth pads behind female vocals. (I say “female” because “women’s vocals” sounds worse) Their best is known. It’s Mezzanine. It was always Mezzanine. Mezzanine is a perfect listen. Shoutout Massive Attack’s 1998 album ‘Mezzanine’

Jodå, rätt nice.

Niet echt goed geluisterd maar volgens mij niet helemaal mij genre

Zoo divers???

90s electronic, trip hop. Debut. Considered first trip hop album and one of the absolute greats. Cool album but not as great as its biggest hit.

Not bad. ★★★

Review - already listened to their second album for this list - can confirm the debut is far better. Score - 7.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Ondero, hip hop para estar enojado/misterioso. Buenas batas.

This album has a really nice vibe to it, and I can appreciate how unique it must’ve sounded when it was released. Even so, nothing here really stood out to me in a major way. I enjoyed the listen overall, but I wouldn’t call it great.

For me at least it is a mediocre electronic album 3/5

Good debut album, but not the music of theirs I'd put on this list.

Kind of repetitive and same feeling throughout the record. Some good tracks though

Some decent stuff in here. Also some pretty meh stuff as well. Can definitely see how this paved the way for their later releases.

Well, now I know Massive Attack more than before. Quite surprised Mezzanine isn't on the original list, but 2 other albums are. Happens.

Some definite iconic high points, but if you take away the ground being broken, there's not much substance left. I feel this should be somewhere between three and four stars, but trip-hop opened the door to (in my opinion) more trash than good, so I'm going down to three.

Unfinished Sympathy is sick af. Massive Attack in general is sick af. Trip-hop is such a great genre. Hymn of the Big Wheel is also chill.

What is it about Massive Attack that their sound just screams '90's angst and grime? Their sound pervades so many different types of media from the era. I would even hazard to say that their influence is way understated as they never made it super mainstream in the US, but so many front line influential artists of the time were listening to them.

don't know how to feel

7/10. I get why this album is important, and it definitely has a cool, dark, slow-burn vibe. Some moments really pull me in, but others don’t fully stick with me.

Fun and funky most of the time. An interesting listen. Liked Safe from Harm best.

It's ok - not more

the first album I knew no songs from going forward!! as a massive fan of instrumental hip hop and trip-hop adjacent stuff like J Dilla, DJ Shadow, and Sneaker Pimps, it is super cool to see where the subgenre got its start. the whole album is verrryyyy chill and downtempo, mostly featuring clicky drums, gentle synths + keys, string samples, hushed rapping, and 80’s-esque pop singing, layered in fairly effective, soothing ways. not crazy interesting, but i can see myself putting this on to study to. also its STUPID influential and directly inspired much of my all-time favorites so it would be a crime not to give it props

The relationship between Daydreaming (1992, Massive Attack) and Jizz in my Pants (2009, Lonely Island) is a straight line. 3 stars

Interesting sound, if r&b was elevator music.

A pretty solid 3 here. Unfinished Symphony is such a classic - the rest of it was ok but not really giving me the 'hook' the I would need to come back to it.

This is described as trip-hop. Never heard of this group but I really enjoyed the album. Probably not enough to buy it, but enough to listen to it again

Escuchar este álbum con auriculares es algo que nadie se tiene que perder, experiencia única.

Super

its like rock but not really, lots of rap. could be workout music, but very chill and lowkey. liked blue lines

Pretty cool, I knew the hits and liked them, and they were the highlights here. The rest of the record is a pleasant listen, I guess.

на ровненьком. понравилось: • unfinished symphony • hymn of the big wheel • safe from harm • five man army

I thought I'd find this better. It's fine. I don't know if this was changing the game when it came out but it sounds pretty bland nowadays. Looking at some other reviews maybe I'm missing something. Could be. Didn't get me too much but sure, have it on the list.

I think this might be great for what it is. It just doesn't do much for me, which makes it hard to rate. The music seems so simple. I thought it would hit harder. Kraft makes the best plastic wrapped processed cheese, but on the grand scale of cheese it's at the bottom. It still does the job on a burger or as a grilled cheese sandwich. *not a paid advertisement* (yet) I'm going to go with a 3 because nothing stuck out for me to complain about really.

This record is pretty good. Every track is good. Favourite Track(s): Safe From Harm, Blue Lines, Lately Least Favourite Track(s): One Love, Unfinished Symphony, Daydreaming

Couldn't finish, lyrics were juvenile/sophomoric. Reminded me of early 90s local/regional R&B albums. Surprised this was international

neat

not my thing, but good

Improved sufficiently to justify more than just “Fine”, but not enough for a 4.

It's OK.

Penumbral

Better than their last one but still didn't really grab me

Listened in the car. Another British electronic album from the 90s. It's fine, didn't love it but I prefer a bit more bombast. Really liked Unfinished Sympathy.

not my style of music, but it is not a bad album, would listen more to like 2 songs out of all 9, though.

The danger of trip hop like this is just how extremely easy it is to get lost in the background of everything else going around you. This album has that happening in spades. When you can focus in on it though, it's quite good. 2.5 stars rounding up to 3.

nice

I’m gonna need more time with it. It grew on me as the album went on.

3.5

Rap, not into the voice

I like Massive Attack but some of this album is so fucking stupid.

90s trip-hop blending elements of electronica/house, reggae, dub/soul, and R&B. Perhaps not my exact cup of tea (it definitely feels like a child of the 90s) but still super groovy and easy to get lost in, and undoubtedly massively influential on many artists/releases that would come later.

Liked: Blue Lines; Be Thankful [...]; Five Man Army; Unfinished Sympathy; Daydreaming. Didn't like SFH; One Love, Lately or HotBW

Bão mas esquecível

it grew on me 3.5

Massive Attack are known for their ambient sounds and electronic experimentation. This album is a further contribution to their discography, blending some English rap, jazz-vocals, and a lot of ambiance. To be honest, it’s a solid listen but I can’t say that I was overwhelmed in any direction. Shara Nelson’s vocals were the key element that stood out for me on the entire album. For key songs I would go Hymn of the Big Wheel, simply because I enjoyed the gospel-like element mixed with the techno backbeats. It’s a good listen but I don’t know if it’s a headphones and silent introspection kind of album.

Random thoughts: * This sounds like early MAssive Attack where they have more of that late 80s/early 90s hip hop mixed in to the sound. It got so much cooler with the full on trip hop on later albums. * I listened to this a few times but nothing really grabbed me but it was a pleasant listen. Not a lot to say here.

this walked so that DJ shadow could run with Endtroducing

Pioneers in what later became known as Trip Hop, if you like funky bass lines and deep base with some pretty chill lyrics, some sung, some rapped, then this album is for you!

I think this deserves its place for its towering trip hop influence but sounds dated compared to what came after - a more muscular Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky’s debut. Lyrics and delivery are a bit trite and earnest. Some great songs though and enjoyed hearing a young, less paranoid Tricky

Muy buen vocalista

Not bad trip hop stuff. Weirdly I don't think trip hop holds up that well, it seems to have really been a product of it's time. Although truthfully for 1991 this seems to be quite a bit ahead of it's time. It's not bad, it's just a bit soft jazz for my taste.

Interesting grooves that oscillate between catchy & obsessively experimental.

I enjoyed listening to this record. It's not in my wheelhouse and wouldn't make it into my regular rotation, but it was a pleasant surprise and I can see why it is critically acclaimed.

This was mildly interesting but pretty pedestrian.

Goed album, maar wel erg gedateerd

Mezzanine is one of my favorite Triphop albums. The fact that Blue lines is pretty universally considered their best is wild. This album is ok.

I really liked this album. Great production end-to-end Fav Tracks: Be Thankful For What You've Got, Unfinished Sympathy 7/10

Ugh, if only it didn’t have that annoying rap in it… It would’ve been a 5 stars

trip hop genre is slowly growing on me favs: Be Thankful, Unfinished Sympathy

Cool album, I think it's got merit for many listeners. 3/5.

Bit rough around the edges but the foundations of something good Fave track: Unfinished Symphony

It’s interesting to finally hear this after years of only listening to Mezzanine. The clear favorite for me is Unfinished Sympathy. I also dig the contributions from Tricky. Horace Andy’s vocals are hit and miss with me… making me not really care for One Love or Hymn of the Big Wheel, but being less of an issue on Five Man Army. Mostly I’m a little disappointed that a lot of the sounds I associate with Trip Hop aren’t really there on this record. Blue Lines gets closest to the sound I was hoping for. Maybe it isn’t fair to review this album for being years away from the major sonic breakthroughs the band would create later, but it’s clear to me that Mezzanine is the one that belongs on the list.

Insane album

I don't think I've ever listened to a Massive Attack album start-to-finish before. Trip hop isn't really my thing, but this isn't bad. I didn't hate it, but I don't feel compelled to listen to this again.

Certainly an interesting and unique album from what I usually listen too. Overall though trip hop is not really my thing (at least based on this album I didn't know trip hop was a subgenre til today). I liked the reggae influence on some of the tracks, but probably would prefer listening to regular reggae. The songs were alright, but nothing really stood out too me too much. Favorite Track - Safe From Harm Least Favorite Track - Five Man Army ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Damn. I've made clear I don't care for trip-hop in my reviews of Portishead and others. But I like Massive Attack, and what they stand for. Clearly though, I don't like everything. This is all sorts of hit and miss. Some of it, like the big songs (Same from Harm, Unfinished Sympathy) are great. Others, like One Love go from boring to annoying (what the hell was up with those horns?).

Very different album. Love the Tricky tracks and some of the driving synth. The tough thing is a lot of it sounded the same.

enjoyed it but 4 seemed too high. 3 and a half

Remember my brother having this album growing up, the artwork always stuck with me. Really enjoyable overall, a solid 3.5. Unfinished Sympathy still sounds sooo good.

Too slow for my vibe

Somehow boring except for couple of really good songs. 2.8.

Nothing to really grab me here.

I liked this well-enough, and I guess the author chose it because it was the vanguard of trip-hop, but it really pales in comparison to Mezzanine. I think maybe there's too much early 90s still hip hop? I dunno.

Pretty solid, enjoyed listening to this album. Bunch of different styles all merged into one, with a dark r&b motif throughout. Fave songs: Blue Lines, Unfinished Symphony

Listened to Protection on this list a few months ago, and didn't care much for it. I liked this album better, especially the closing track.

This was pretty good to me. This sort of music isn’t really in my wheelhouse, but I enjoyed it well enough. 3

Trip hop indeed, chill vibe but not something I think I will revisit

Unfinished sympathy and safe from harm are modern classics. However like a lot of the trip hop albums of the time there is an awful lot of guff to wade through. One for the chin strokers

Gran estilo musical, muy innovador y original.

Mezzanine is better. Enjoyed some of it but other times i was a little bored of it

One thing I have to give this experience credit for is exposing me to more electronic music than I have listened to up until now. I've gained a greater sense of just how vast this genre is (I could've guessed this was the case as few genres are one note, but its nice to hear it for myself). That being said, I know this is not *the* Massive Attack record and while there were some cool bits here and there it didn't do a lot to move the needle for me. 3/5

A chill and funky sounding album, a pretty good listen and seemed quite orignal for its time. I enjoyed listening to this but was completly blown away a couple standout songs, good but nothing insanely good.

I had only heard of them as the theme for Luther, so this was a nice joy discovering them in more detail. This didn't blow me away, but I still liked it. Chill beats, the features were solid and interesting, and overall solid soundscape. Felt a little short and repetitive at the same time, but I wouldn't mind listening to some of the tracks again.

Very good trip-hop if a little forgettable.

There are moments and moments throughout the album. Some songs I found boring and some others I thought okay that sounds cool. I especially liked the ones that seemed kind of trip hop. However I would not revisit the album.

це прікольдд

Interesting

I thought I had this record...I recognise the cover art. I must be thinking of Protection. Okay, so I get that this would have been revolutionary at the time but like, it's not their best record...? I could be showing some ignorance here but it seems like the samples aren't even really dressed up, they've just sung over the top of Billy Cobham etc. Maybe that's what they also did later but I was too young to realise? Anyway, yeah pretty cool genre-defining trip-hop type thing out of the Bristol scene. Mezzanine is still my pick.

ok 3.5

0/9 bekannt 5,5/10 Beste Songs: hymn of the big wheel, safe from harm, five man army

RYM 3.0

nothing that stands out

For its time, it really was fresh and progressive music, but now I only like a couple of the tracks. I guess trip-hop just isn't my thing

the soulful vocals and gated drum machines of Be Thankful For What You've Got, the whistling wind and deep dub of Safe From Harm, the colossal ambient washes and unabashed turntablism of Unfinished Sympathy. this album is bold, and creates a sound for itself from the ground up. more hip hop than their later work, and a lot of the tracks aren't quite developed, but good debut overall. deserves to be one of the 1001? sure. but alongside Mezzanine obviously

bof

Light 3. Honestly, this project has really made me come to appreciate and genuinely dig trip hop. That’s a genre I had almost never listened to before but it just HIT for me. Some of my favorite first listens for this project have been trip hop! And I was interested in finally hearing this one, one of the biggest, one of the first, but ultimately I was not as into it as some other entries. It’s a little overproduced, a little busy, and British rapping is always suspect. Like, the bars are REALLY bad, generally. The best tracks are, I feel unsurprisingly, just the women singing. That’s what trip hop should be! Women with ethereal voices singing over esoteric beats! That’s all I want!!!

Never managed to get into it very well. Interesting to hear the much more hip hop sided sound compared to Mezzanine.

Reminded me a lot of Portishead. Really like Unfinished Sympathy. The rest was mixed but overall a good album.

Acrescentei duas faixas as músicas que gosto mais, achei muito interessante o conceito do álbum pois a união dos diferentes gêneros realmente causa um impacto por se diferir de outros que já escutei, pela minha ignorância dou 3, pq n é um álbum que vou escutar novamente, porém salvei algumas faixas.

I liked this!! Daydreaming and Be Thankful for What You’ve Got were my faves