Blue Lines

Prefer Mezzanine to be honest

I thought I'd love this album but I thought it was a bit meh. I appreciate that it was probably a pretty revolutionary sound for the period but it was a bit meh for me. I found 'daydreaming' cringe.

Really cool groovy and heady. Still same with the other massive attack album, everything that it influenced became better than it. Idk.

Beter dan verwacht. Massive Attack is wel oké, maar ik heb er niet per se iets mee. 3.4

Not for me

Pretty good trip-hop album. I wouldn't put it close to the top 100 albums of the 90s like some people do but it was enjoyable to listen to. Seems we're on a bit of a hot steak!

eh, like 2 good ones, rest are not my thing

This album teeters on the line between being able to date it, i.e. know its era, and sounding dated. A few elements are too stereotypically 90s for four stars. It must have sounded hyper modern when it came out.

Vibey, good beats. Unfinished Symphony of course a tune but not sure I'd listen to this album in its entirety again.

Loved the fusion of all the genres, jazz electronic music, reggae, soul, masterfully done. Sometimes music like this can get a bit repetitive which this was at point but not enough to be boring.

not the most memorable Massive Attack album but definitely worth to listen

Das Album hat das Genre Trip-Hop maßgeblich geprägt. Das Album bietet eine seinerzeit neuartige Mischung aus Hip-Hop, Soul, Reggae und elektronischen Elementen, die eine einzigartige, atmosphärische. Es hat mit "Blue Lines" einen neuen Sound kreiert, der viele Künstler inspiriert hat. Tracks wie "Unfinished Sympathy" und "Safe from Harm" sind Paradebeispiele für die gelungene Fusion verschiedener Musikstile. Es ist geprägt durch seine melancholische und zugleich optimistische Stimmung. Die tiefen Bässe und die sanften Melodien erzeugen eine hypnotische Atmosphäre, die den Hörer in ihren Bann zieht. Es wirkt aber stellenweise weniger ausgereift. Einige Tracks könnten von einer moderneren Abmischung profitieren. Die Gesangsdarbietungen sind nicht immer auf dem gleichen Niveau. Während einige Vocals kraftvoll und emotional sind, wirken andere weniger überzeugend und sind zu sehr R&B lastig.

Ok fusion techno rap album

This is groovy and chill. There's nothing I dislike about it but it doesn't especially grab me either.

Not bad, not very provoking either.

Not sure I ever listened to them before. Certainly not a whole album. Not bad, but I wouldn't seek them out.

It’s good, but I prefer Mezzanine. Fav: Unfinished Sympathy

Not bad at all

Very early Massive Attack record and it shows. There's always been a hip hop influence to their music since that's the origins of this kind of electronica anyway, and this one has a pretty heavy hip hop influence. An excellent showing of where they were and how far they've come.

Another classic 2 banger album. Their later stuff was better, when they actually had more songs

Overall: Mezzanine is much better... track 2 - vocals are a little whiny but not in an endearing way track 3 - title track nice beat track 4 - would be a nice sample but a little too lofi track 5 - good intro track 6 - really nice I liked this one

Just not my vibes

Massive Attack are such a 60% band. Some of "Blue Lines" is amazing, and "Unfinished Sympathy" is an incredible demonstration of how epic and soaring dance music can be. But some of this just sounds like a bunch of drunk mates messing around with synths and samples.

Unfinished Sympathy is amazing but there’s a lot here that isn’t standing the test of time quite as well

I think Protection is a better album but this still had some nice tones throughout it. Nice.

With nods to 70s soul deep cuts and a melange of styles and genres, Massive Attack made this masterpiece for the ages. Absorbing, flowing, emotional - electronic music was rarely this introspective.

6/10. Fine. Nothing that excited me.

Did vibe for most of this. But probably not something I’d return except for a couple of songs. 3.5/5

3.5

First track was great, same with the cover of Be Thankful for What You’ve Got. Last track good as well. The gym was probably not the best environment for this. Lot of mellow meandering

Wow that’s a lotta reverb

Interesting but not my favorite.

From my group chat: I think I may have to check other albums from them because I liked a song that they did with Mos Def but cant say I liked the album overall

A band I've always heard a ton about, but never actually listened to. Pretty interesting. Definitely some hit and miss moments for me. I like the straight forward hip-hop parts. The addition of '70s style R&B vocals throughout is really the highlight that makes this stand out. Another album where the closing track straight-up stinks though. What's up with so many artists ending albums that way? Not sure this is something I'd ever replay.

Not my kind of music

Alright

3 stars

A pioneering album - must have sounded revolutionary at the time. But as with many other pioneers; the formula hasn't been perfected yet and will be improved on later albums,

Back to some trip hop with Massive Attack. This is their debut album (and allegedly the first trip hop album), coming three years before Protection, which I got about 115 albums ago on here. This genre doesn't really do a ton for me, but this one at least has a few songs there were enjoyable. The hip hop part really has a strong '80s hip hop sound (which makes sense of course). Beyond that you get a mixed bag of a bunch of different music styles. This one generally has a super chill vibe, which I did enjoy. "Unfinished Sympathy" and "Safe From Harm" stood out as clearly the best two songs on here, but there were a few others that had a chill vibe that I enjoyed. I don't think this is ever going to do a whole lot for me, but it was enjoyable enough with a few songs that I won't hate hearing again. A fine Sunday night listen. Favorite song: Unfinished Sympathy Other: Safe From Harm, Be Thankful For What You've Got, Lately, Hymn Of The Big Wheel 11/10/24

very weird and ambient when i was expecting rap for some reason, but i still liked it

Much like Portishead - which absolutely holds up to this day - I remember this as an outstanding album. Listening to it now, though, it's still very well produced, but not nearly as moving, swallowing you whole, as I remembered it to be.

Mezzanine is in my top 10 favorite albums of all time, so obviously a huge Massive Attack fan. With that said, this album was a hit or miss for me. However, all bands need to start somewhere and this is a great start. Technically, would give this 3 1/2 stars if I could.

I can see why this is on here. Mezzanine is better. :)

Blue Lines and Be Thankful are Great. The rest is pretty meh. Fiddler on the Roof “sample” sparks joy though.

After a bad run of electronica, I was not looking forward to this. However, it surprised. I suppose the genre is not always so awful...this one was catchy.

It was a mixed bag for me.

I liked the vocals a lot more than I liked the instrumentals but it was good overall

I liked the beginning but it seemed to fall off for me the further into it I got.

I mean, it's fine. I get why it would be waaay up some people's alley, but it's not really doing it for me. The whole thing has the feel that it's supposed to be background music.

I love massive attack, though have never thought Blue Lines is even close to being their best album. Some songs are masterful, but then you have horrible duds like One Love. Net positive of an album, but give me a Mezzanine or Heilgoland any day. 3.4/5 -> 3/5

That was pretty decent.

nice listen, didn’t sound very original or special though.

Solid background music. Quietly seeps in while you are going about it.

Interesting mix of songs

Fun poppy / hip hip

Having heard Mezzanine, this felt a bit underwhelming but still a fire record. There's R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop and even Reggae.The opening song is just so badass. Loved the rimshot beat of Five Man Army. Unfinished Symphony was really unsettling. The track Lately was strangely beautiful. Others were just okay. Maybe a 3.5.

5/10

I’ve never been able to get big into Massive Attack. Not for lack of trying. I liked Unfinished Sympathy and Karmacova, didn’t really connect with the rest

Not bad. 6/10

No consistency, blue lines as a song was awful, kinda bopped to the rest of it

Decent album by massive attack. Prefer the later stuff.

Decent. Gets repetitive at times. Not unenjoyable though

Never heard any of this before. Really enjoyed it, especially the final song. A little too inconsistent for a 4 rating, but close.

One phenomenal tune, the rest in memorable. Great production.

Early Trip hop music was good to drive to

Very mellow jams - all of the songs sound kind of the same though, so it's a little boring.

Sounded good and quiet, not wild things 3

Blue Lines is decent. The songs here are mostly a mixture of hip hop and electronica which is a style that i have liked for quite a few of these albums but here it doesn't really sound worse or better than a lot of the other trip hop albums that i have heard through this project. The beats here could have their funky moments but aren't exactly the most memorable. I do like that there are a lot of different vocalists on a lot of these tracks which does make some of them more unique. This album isn't anything that's gonna light the world on fire but for what it is, its pretty good. Best Song: Five Man Army Worst Song: One Love

It's cool. I only know a few trip-hop projects, and some of the others I've heard I prefer. That being said, I will definitely be giving this more listens to digest fully, so my rating is likely to go up over time.

Quite a sexy album...maybe TOO sexy. The variety of sound is something to behold. Though the album is cohesive, no two songs are really the same.

They have some good things going. I like the drums and synths. I'm not really a fan of the rap, but it could have been a lot worse. I prefer this album over Mezzanine. Unfinished Sympathy is an incredible song.

Massive shrug. 2.5

I enjoyed it, but I think I prefer my memories of when it was in heavy rotation.

Not yet the sound that made them famous. Enjoyed it less than their more popular stuff.

Track 1: sounds like it belongs on The Matrix (or similar movie) soundtrack or in the closing credis. That's not a bad thing though Track 2: could absolutely do without the vocals from the guy with weird voice Overall, not bad. For a minute there, I was going to complain about the overly simplistic rhyme schemes / poor cadence / old white man flow of the rapping, but then I remembered this came out in 1991. And now that I'm writing this, I'm remembering other rap of the time did not suffer from this, so I still can't let them off the hook for it. I tried. That said, nothing else sounded like this on 1991 that I can remember, so kudos to Massive Attack for creating something new. The echoes of this style can still be heard in some of my favorite new music, so I appreciate what they have done here. My rating system is based on my own personal enjoyment, not as a criticism of the music. I'm not a music critic or a musician, so I don't feel like I'm qualified to rate this stuff any other way

gostei

mid. elevator-music energy.

mid

Yeah, you know, very much of its time. And I wasn't really into this type of music. For me it lacks a bit of dynamics. But I recognise it's definitely ground breaking for 1991!

Adorei o álbum, um som eletrônico diferente e com vocais muito bons. Ouvi enquanto treinava e foi bem legal a experiência.

decidedly not their best

When it comes to trip-hop, I lean way more Portishead than Massive Attack. There’s something about Portishead’s vibe that pulls me in, while Blue Lines just kind of... floats by. It’s not bad by any means, but it didn’t grab me. The beats are solid, the production is smooth, and I can see why it gets so much love. But for me, it felt more like background music than something I’d seek out again. Good enough to hold my attention, just not enough to keep it.

Wasn't a huge fan of this but it wasn't terrible

Slightly diversified, chilling electronic record. best known: "Unfinished Sympathy" worst: "One Love" just because of the vocals

Not bad. A pretty relaxing listen with good melody.

OK

pretty cool, 1991 didnt know what hit em

Legal

Love the instrumentation and then when the vocals come on…😑

Super cool, liked some of the songs. Not entirely my jam.

i think it's really cool but some of the songs were a little to monotonous for too long and i would have wished for a little beat switch here and there that's why i liked one love the most i think

56/100

Highs are very high, but the deep cuts aren't at consistent. Mezzanine is much better. 3.5/5

Cool but that's it. Some beats are really good. You must be in the same wave to really appreciate it

It was fine. Mostly good vibes, a couple songs that I didn't like the sound of.

First time listening to this artist. First song, Safe from Harm kills, so good and I was looking forward to the rest of the album, however it never reached that level again for me.

Good sound, 3.5

Inner city life Inner city pressure The concrete jungle Is out to get ya

...(. Definitely not their best

Some nice ambiance. I was too young to realize how important these guys were.

Majestic Ealy trip hop though their peak (Mezzanine) is strangly absent from here. Cool funky and dark

3.0 Didnt particularly care for the vocal stylings but the overall mood/feel was pretty cool. Had a sense of place

Vibey. I think they did the House theme

Every Massive Attack album on this list has just made me think "This is pretty good, but I could be listening to Mezzanine right now". This one sounds a bit dated. "Mezzanine" sounds like it shouldn't have even been released yet.

Not really my style

Technically great I guess but it did nothing for me. 2.5 stars.

A journey

vibei mais com umas faixas do que com outras

Some of the rapping/whisper-y spoken word type stuff I disliked, but the beats 👍. Think the first massive attack song I remember listening to was from Blade 2 (i against i with mos def): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fkUccUFShs&t=1s And also the unofficial NWS music video for [Paradise Circus (zeds dead remix)]

Was hoping for more from them. An OK electronic album

It’s extremely instrumentally interesting, drawing inspiration from a wide range of influences. It’s a cool bridge between 80s/90s hip hop, and I can hear stuff here that artists are still doing now. Lyrics are vapid af tho. 73/100

Ok. Didn’t care for the vocalists.

Prior to this album I am certain I have never queued up Massive Attack. And I can’t recall having ever heard of them. Def not the style of music that I listen to. But I did find it quite solid and enjoyable.

I thought it was a different album going in, and I think I prefer other trip-hop. But I appreciate the legacy—this is where the genre got invented, slow and smoky like the Bristol air it came from.

punchy 90s brit hiphop/soul fusion with reggae hints, not overdone and tasteful

Some of it I really liked, but most of it was uninteresting.

Me esperaba más.

Perfect 3.4 stars album

Not as good as Protection. It was still pretty good, but the vocals were a step down in quality for me. I would've preferred just instrumentals and ~vibes.~

Pretty good. Not really my cuppa but I didn’t hate it

Another solid but kinda boring album with one or two super memorable songs.

not the massive attack album i would have picked but sure. 2.5

I was really looking forward to this but reggae just isn't my vibe. This was good for reggae, but it's not what I associate Massive Attack with.

liked it from time to time but in the end didn't catch me

Honestly not sure what to think. Definitely different than what I am used to. But some good songs for sure. Might have to give this one another listen down the road.

really good

השיר הראשון מצוין כל השאר.. בסדר

Important because it was the first "Trip Hop" album. I wouldn't call it essential, though. Massive Attack's next two albums after this one were way better. For a real kick, check out the dub remix album, "No Protection" from Massive Attack Vs. Mad Professor. I want to give it four stars, but think it should only be a three. Gotta leave room for "Mezzanine" and "Protection."

I know this is classic Trip Hop but it just doesn’t do much for me. Appreciate the production. The vocals throw me off though.

There are only a few songs on this album that are familiar to me (Unfinished Sympathy, of course) but maybe what's more familiar is the sound. Massive Attack invented something that was to be the echo of the 90s. When music wasn't being mopey grunge or hyped-up techno, this sound was the complex but chill soundtrack of those idle moments

2.5 Don’t hate it but wouldn’t listen again.

3.5 More excellent music to get stuff done to. So easy to get into the groove and stay there all day. I was expecting something different/less enjoyable for me from a band named Massive Attack. Pleasant surprise. Saving Safe From Harm, One Love, and Unfinished Sympathy, but likely going to add the whole thing to my work playlist.

Is OK.

Was aware of the band but not the history they made. It's OK but not something I would listen to frequently. I did add 5 Man Army to my main playlist for it's Reggae sound. 3.5/5

Not as good as the following album imo

Cornerstone of trip hop with strong basslines, electronic beats, soulful vocals (the female vocalist is better than the male), and early 90s styled raps (the only piece that sounds dated). Highlights: "Safe from Harm" (strong opener that establishes the sound of the album), "Be Thankful for What You've Got" (vocals have a 70s soul vibe to them that works with the mellow music), "Unfinished Sympathy" (string swells and piano riffs give the song flavor), "Hymn of the Big Wheel" (not a fan of the nasally vocals but the song itself has an interesting Graceland-era sound to it)

Surprised by the fact I actually kind of enjoyed this a bit. It's not my usual kind of thing, and I wouldn't actively choose to listen to it, but I appreciate what they tried to do. It feels different.

Not terrible, but didn’t do anything for me

Pleasant to work to in the background. Not sure I’m going to listen again though. Simpson: Nah (although teardrop has been used)

It was alright, nice chilled background music but nothing special.

Really enjoyed the beginning and end of the album. The middle dipped a bit for me though. Almost a 4 but not quite

3.3/5 listened 3x

Meh

Not bad

105/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

I'm happy to say that this isn't for me and I'm okay with that. I understand it's important, but there's a lack of emotional connection for me. It flies completely under the radar.

7/10

A rap album with a much thicker sound than I'm used to hearing. It was a pleasant surprise!

Some decent tunes on there. Reminded me of Sopranos for some reason, had that nineties vibes throughout.

Enjoyed it! Brought back some memories from back when it was a ‘new’ album

Somewhat enjoyable and completely original. But wasn't my cup of tea. Lyrics were okay, but the instrumentals and beat was wonderful.

When I drive now it is no longer a pleasant experience. It's a stressful exercise in accepting the fact that you can't control other people, judging only hurts yourself, and anger management all while navigating an increasingly dangerous and out of control world. Putting this on helped soothe the pain as I drove to the store and back. Trip hop is cool, I listen to it a lot, especially instrumental stuff. This is great. Almost broke my earbuds, there's SO MUCH BASS. (A compliment, not a complaint). Not the best but there are some choice cuts - I could live with Five Man Army for a long long time. Owes a lot to some post-punk R & D guys like Adrian Sherwood and Jah Wobble.

This album bounces between a 3 and 4 throughout the entire play time. Solid grooves, but some of the vocals and "almost rap" parts feel a little dated or slightly corny. Some tracks are incredible, some underwhelm me. It's a solid 3.5 for me, but I'm not sure if I can raise it to all the way to a 4 by the time I'm ready to give its final rating.

Some is okay. Some not as much.

Safe From Harm is a great introduction with its catchy, groovy bass line and eclectic vocals. I really liked Blue Lines - this is hip hop I can potentially get behind. Is this even hip hop, though? I'm to sure what genre this constitutes. Altogether pretty decent.

Had never heard of the artist or the album. Interesting...liked it.

Ihan ok, täältä ei oikee mikään noussut yli muiden yhel kuuntelulle mut voisin laittaa jatkossa töissä soimaan :D

A lot of good music and a few great tracks - "Safe from Harm" and "Hymn of the Big Wheel" are my favorites - but consistently bad vocals and lyrics. Not something I'm likely to return to too much. 3/5

I could get down with this. Definitely worth another listen. Favorite song was Be Thankful for what you've got. Should also listen to other Massive Attack albums.

More vibe than I expected

Safe from Harm on 5 tähden biisi, mutta tää levy on sen asettamiin odotuksiin nähden suuri pettymys (joka kuuntelukerralla). Yllättävän imelä ja jopa vähän camp. Tekee tiukkaa jaksaa kuunnella ihan loppuun.. mutta äänimaailma viehättää mua kovin kuitenkin.

I do like what little I have heard from Massive Attack (Mezzanine), so this will be fun to listen to their debut. Some of the tracks are a bit repetitive and bloated, but there is still some good, interesting stuff here. Not one I'm likely to revisit a ton but does make me want to listen to more of their stuff. 3/5

Never heard any of this before. Really enjoyed it, especially the final song. A little too inconsistent for a 4 rating, but close.

Love Massive Attack, but I'm glad I heard Mezzanine before listening to this.

Gotta give props to them being innovators and popularizing trip-hop, but this really isn’t my tempo. I pretty much only know them through their song, Teardrop, that was used as the House theme (and I suspect I am not alone). Most of this sounds pretty generic to me. Something you may hear in a hipster salon. Not bad, but in my mind also not worthy of the praise it receives. 2.75/5

Good EDM. Not my general thing, but it was good for 2 listens. 3/5

This wa as fine album. Pretty unique. Not exactly my thing but it was good. 3

B- Safe From Harm 3 One Love 3 Blue Lines 3 Be Thankful For What You've Got 3 Five Man Army 3 Unfinished Sympathy 4 Daydreaming 3 Lately 3 Hymn Of The Big Wheel 3 Pretty good, eh?

I was nice listening...not my music, but would work in an elevator

It's a good album for road trips.

This was okay, inconsistent.

Wow that was a fun listen. Great mix of spoken word and electronic. I knew about mezzanine but never heard this one. 3 stars

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Hymn of the big wheel

First time all the way through. 2x.

I liked some of the instrumentals and cutting and scratching, but s few of their voices irked me. They get 3.5 stars.

Interesting album I did enjoy it but it’s not for me

This album had some really high notes and I did like the overall vibe, but it felt a little inconsistent in parts. Not in a bad way, just an unexpected way.

Chill n stuff V nice

Alright, so damn unique. I hear some of the Madchester sound here. It feels so out of time and place. I had no idea what to expect. What a strange, strange, singular record.

3.5

Expected to enjoy this, sounded very dated and unexciting. Have to revisit.

Not the Album or songs I know from Massive Attack. Easy to listen to.

Groovy

Some songs had a pretty good vibe

I appreciate Massive Attack's unique sound, but trip hop tends to put me to sleep.

A deserved classic

Meh

ganz chillig

3.5

Had some good beats.

Liked it a bit. Not a go to. Thought there would be more with the name

I’ve come across this album before. Safe From Harm is such a groovy song. I like the song Five Man Army but other than that idk…it gets a bit cheesy for me. I always enjoyed the conspiracy that Bansky is the singer from Massive Attack

Inoffensive background music. It's OK.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jfKfPfyJRdk Fits this niche

Pretty unique especially relative to the rest of the albums to date. Considering giving it another run through but only for that reason.

I like the chill trip hop beats and sounds especially for background music. cool to see the lineage to the Madonna album we listened to (ray of light), the matrix, gorillas, and Born to Die by Lana del Rey, etc.

Good in places, with one great song

One awesome track mixed in with a bunch of ok ones. I think modern trip hop has more interesting sounds to offer, though the album is worth a listen from time to time

Maybe it's the hangover from Led Zeppelin IV but this Massive Attack album sounded amazing to me. Very chill vibes that can be actively listened to or great background music for so many situations. Not a ton of chills-inducing moments, just a cool listen

Not bad, pleasantly surprised. My prior exposure to massive attack was limited to Angel on the "Snatch" soundtrack.

Some combination of electronic and hip-hop, it didn't excel at either but it didn't totally miss either. It had a pretty low-key vibe and made my mind wander a bit, but I wouldn't be terribly excited to listen again.

My first listen of this album had be like, “boo, dogshit, 1 star.” But then I listened to it the next day, and I was like, “what crack was I smoking yesterday?? Is this even the same album.” The music is very groovy and listenable. Some of the vocal performances (particularly the female performances) are not my favorite. But it’s certainly not a bad album.

trance. trippy

first time i've heard the term "trip hop"...but I kind of dig the genre. thought this one was pretty good.

Interesting. Enjoyable listening. Mood setting music.

Album started off nice and I thought I would love it, but it quickly became nothing more than background music and didn’t hold my attention. I enjoyed ‘Unfinished Symphony’. Overall middle of the road- enjoyed but wouldn’t seek it out, 3/5

7 but a lower 7 so ill round it down to 3 stars. i love mezzanine so much more than this one its insane lol

Yeah this was ok. Unfinished Sympathy is great. The rest of the album is good as background music, but overall feels a bit more unfinished than the sympathy!

Better than I thought it was going to be but not totally my kind of music.

I can dig it but mostly bored :/

Mezzanine is a go to album. This one less so, but the range and expression of this music is on the edge of art.

Decent, but definitely dated. Early 90’s Brit rap.

Ich schwanke zwsichen 2 und 3

5/10 nice but forgettable 2-29-2024

Massive Attack? Trip-hop? Never heard of ‘em, but liked it a lot. The group’s name and album cover led us to think it was gonna be heavy metal. One of the best things (so far) about the 1001 list is exposure to new music, and this time it worked! Songs with female vocals were the best, but all good, no fillers. Enjoyed this album enough to listen to it again, so (3.2*s)

Very good, modern, unique songs. Would listen again. Not anything crazy special, but very good.

This album is a snapshot in time. I find myself putting myself in the shoes of a young adult in the early 90s UK/Europe and this vibe expresses the dark and hypnotic grittiness of the urban environment in a progressive and inventive way. The narrative is riddled by realistic violence and heartache and yet an honorable sense of love and dignified hope shines through. I can't help but feel as though all is wrapped in the greater scheme of socioeconomic disparity. Musically it has a nice groove. It combines hip hop beats with soulful vocals and dark dreamy scenic textures that are very characteristic of both the 80s/90s. I can see how it pioneered a new sound that spearheaded a genre and contemporaries that followed were able to excel above and beyond due to its influence. Acts like Thievery Corporation come to mind. Some noteworthy tracks to me are: Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy, Day Dreaming, and Hymn Of The Big Wheel. I give it only a 3 out of 5 because even though this work was a pioneer in some regards, subjectively I found it to be a bit bland and forgettable. The beats seem novel for a moment and are great background music but lyrically it's not that strong and musically it just doesn't hold up to the plethora of other inspiring material out there.

An interesting album. I loved how much variety there was with the vocals. The beats are nice and weighty, and the instrumentation is unique from song to song. However, it just feels kinda boring overall. Like, the songs are good while they are on, but they don’t stick very well after listening. I’ll probably throw some of the songs (“Unfinished Symphony,” “Safe From Harm,” “Be Thankful for What You’ve Got,” & “Five Man Army”) on my giant playlist for variety and call it a day.

Thought I'd like it more because I've listened to quite a few MA songs. I like much of it, but dated and lags in places.

I really enjoyed the first couple tracks on this. Groovy baselines over trance synths at time - but it got old kind of fast.

I recognize the artistry in this album, but I am very ambivalent.

Was good

I can 100% see why this was revolutionary at the time and I enjoyed it for the most part, but if I had to pick a Massive Attack album to be on this list it would’ve been Mezzanine (an instant classic). Blue Lines has bits that feel too dated, especially the vocals. Can’t give less than ⭐️⭐️⭐️ to the first Trip Hop album, but I don’t think it’s gonna go on my rotation.

I was into this one, but not quite as much as Protection. Still had some incredible tracks though.

Interesting early (first?) trip-hop album. Was surprised to hear the title track, which was sampled for another song on David Lynch's "Lost Highway" soundtrack. Still prefer Portishead, though.

This wasn't as edgy as I remember it.

Not totally my thing, although I - and everyone else in the world - love Unfinished Sympathy. One Love and Blue Lines threatened to change my mind, but then it pretty much fulfilled my expectations. In the context of when it came out, I can see why this was influential.

This is the reason I’m trudging through this project. This was a solid album that I’ve never heard of from an artist that I’ve never heard of. It’s a little dated, and some tracks are definitely stronger than others, but overall enjoyable!

Not their best but the rhyme's were good.

2 von 9 gibt 3

A little too all over the place but fun sounds

Just okay

An ok album

Well, definitely British and 90s… Maybe too British and 90s for my taste. Solidly okay.

I enjoyed this, will go find other albums

The songs with singing are great. The rapping didn't age very well, like most older rap music. Favorite song: hymn of the big wheel

Maybe I didn't give this the proper amount of attention, but nothing stood out on this album. That said, it's still good trip-hop.

Was really hyped when I got the album but let me a bit down

Much like the other Massive Attack record this was inoffensive.

Ground breaking.

This album is easy to vibe on and hard to dislike. That being said, nothing about it really stood out either. Despite how broad the range of vocalists was, the result when mixed with the good use of sampling and chill beats made for a mild experience. I dunno, this was like a vanilla milkshake where it might be perfect sometimes, I'm usually looking for more, but I'm never upset with it.

This album felt hugely varied from start to finish. Drifted into shades of rasta and hip hop, and felt like the kind of music you would enjoy in a big crowd. No one track blew me away, but no track was lacking.

Argh I doooon’t get it. I really want to. I hate that I don’t. But I did just get bored. I’ll come back to it some day and try again.

Notable tracks: Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy

Lautsprecher Test

Massive Attack's Blue Lines album caught me off guard a bit, didn't know if it was electronic, or hip/trip-hop. The trip-hop sounds slightly too American for a British artist. Overall not bad, just wish it leant a little more into the electronic side of things. Best: Safe From Harm Worst: One Love 2.5 stars

This was ok. Nothing stood out really but no dislikes.

Decent electronic album. Not super into it.

I appreciated the fact that they didn't try to stretch ideas into songs all the time. the hits hit, though

Positives: I absolutely love this genre. I think it's such an easy listen, its never too in your face, it works as a great background groove. Unfinished Sympathy is incredible, Safe from Harm is a great opener, Good closer too. Album is a good length, and flows really well Negatives: Some of it sounds quite dated, in particular some of the rapping. It happens too often and takes the album down a few points In the end it goes from a 4 to a really high 3, but it could be a grower as it does have so many positives

It sounded like an album that could play through in the background of the bar at a hip pool in Miami or Cabo.

The only thing I knew about massive attack before listening to this album was that they wrote the song "Teardrop", which was used as the theme for the television medical drama, House. The Gravity drums and modulated droning present throughout most of the tracks on this album sounded like it could've been inspired by listening to someone's ticker through a stethoscope. It's not something I would throw on to listen to consciously, but I thought they had quite an impressive range of genres on the album while still maintaining that same new age/hip-hop sound. From what I've read about this album, it was supposedly foundational for a lot of different artists after it, and I could definitely imagine a line from Massive Attack to the sort of unconscious Lofi hip-hop of the 2010s.

Pretty slick and unique. Definitely dug the trippy hip hop vibes. Some songs better than others but I enjoyed the versatility and varied styles. My first exposure to Massive Attack as far as I know. Would be interested in seeing what else they have put out. I had heard they had connections to Gorillaz though never saw them as a listed collaborator. I can definitely hear the influence. 3.25 stars

Proto-trip hop.

I liked it more than I thought I would! But still not really my thing

Trip-Hop-Pioniere. Läuft gut rein; entspannt und conscious.

I'm a fan of this album. Definitely a bit of a precursor to this sound, but the creativity is apparent and is a fun listen.

Weird

This album was far ahead of its time, and 100% left a massive (tehe) imprint on what would come after. Personally I like everything MA would go on to do more than this record, but the sampling is solid, the beats are top notch, and a handful of tracks are all time greats. That said, most of this is pretty forgettable or just subpar. Some of the production remains stuck in 91, and I just don't dig that sound too much.

Blue Lines simmers with trip hop's signature hypnotic allure, though its sparse sonic palette leaves some moments feeling unfulfilled.

Trip Hop is one of the first genres that I _really_ got into, and that included Massive Attack, though back then I was more familiar with Mezzanine. This album was unfamiliar to me, and TBH it was kind of disappointing. I liked one track (Unfinished Sympathy) but everything else was "meh".

I love Mezzanine, but haven't really listened to this album. I can appreciate it's historical place in music, but much more uneven as a result.

Giving this 3 stars for what Massive Attack would become, and how cutting edge they were for 1991. It's an achievement to sound dated before your time.

Tja,

Me esperaba más.

Pleasantly surprised with this album. I had never heard of Massive Attack. Nice easy listening music. Lots of good tempos and vocals.

Decent, not my typical jam, was hopeful after the first track but the the album didn’t do much for me, I enjoyed a couple of the songs. Good downtempo beats and positive messages, though.

Pretty cool, unique songs mix of r and b and other reggae or punk shit

'Blue Lines blended elements of hip hop (such as breakbeats, sampling, and rapping) with dub, soul, reggae, and electronic music.' I couldn't've agreed more! I mostly enjoy this for atmosphere while doing a task, cleaning, drawing or entertaining. I love the mix of sound and massive array of sampling that lays CLEAN on top of a nice soulful beat.

Un album con rastros hip hop, funk y pop, que por momentos me recuerda a Michael Jackson o los Jackson 5. Cuando canta la chica el album cobra otros colores, incluso progresivos. Cierra con una cancion que me hizo acordar a la banda sonora de El rey león.

I’m not like the biggest fan of trip hop or anything. It’s a genre that takes a certain kind of mindset to listen to. Because it’s weird. And often times the production style is kind of off and unorthodox. Massive Attack was one of the leading artists in the 90’s for this sound. When going into a record like this, I’m mostly looking for one thing. And that’s unique and varied production. Particularly with the drums. And this album definitely has that. If you are looking for variety from song to song, this would be a good album to check out. The vocal performances are decent. I wasn’t looking for stellar vocals in an album like this anyway. And some of them are a little basic, and they don’t always add much to the instrumental. Rating: 6/10

Fav song: be thankful for what you've got

Definitely feels aged but an interesting blend of early hip hop and trippy beats

I enjoyed this album but there wasn't a lot for me to come back to. I think Massive attack was a pioneer in this groove style of music this early in the 90's. This kind of sound is all over now and its cool to see an early version of it.

Some great tracks with guest singers. But not really into this style of music.

I always wanted to like Massive Attack more than I actually do.

Far be it from me to speak out on the development of trip-hop, so I ought not a lot. Just accept my demure suggestion that this record portrays adolescent and awkward early Massive Attack, a hip-hop collective with a glimmer of an as yet unrealized innovation. It sets itself apart aesthetically as urban soul with rap/reggae inclinations. I get it, this represents the inception of a powerfully stylistic impulse, but Protection, Mezzanine and 100th Window are so much more absorbing and transcendent, any of them would be a much better inclusion in this list. I sure hope any or all are on this list so I can give them each a 5.

Blue Lines starts off pretty bad for me. On the first few tracks, I feel like the beats don't fully support the quite expressive vocals. Luckily, it picks up. Unfinished Sympathy is of course a classic, and I found myself enjoying the album towards the end. 3.3

Decent. Bit background music to me though

I've listen to this project before so it was a fun revisit, I def like Massive Attack's later works better but I can def hear the influences and them developing their sound. There were a few stand out tracks but all in all I thought it was just good, nothing outstanding.

Thought I was going to like it more than I did.

Met vlagen best lekker

Mooi!

Altijd lekker!

Fijn plaatje!

They certainly have a favourite bass drum sound.

As a casual Massive Attack fan I enjoy their later albums, not the early ones. Blue Lines has a feeling of the band trying to figure out their own sound, experimenting and looking for a secret recipe. What that leaves us with is this record, pretty heavy on hop, not so much on trip. Honestly, I didn't really enjoy this album, even though it had to be a breakthrough at the time. Maybe I need to be more mature to like it.

When I saw saw Apple Music describe it as one of the very first trip-hop albums, I knew I was in for 40 minutes of shit. But what came out was not what I expected. I found it very listenable and overall pretty decent. Per my scale, I'm giving it a 3 but it's very close to being a 4. Scale: 5 - My absolute favorites. 4 - Albums I like. 3 - It was ok to listen to but I wouldn't seek it out. 2 - Didn't like. 1 - Absolute shit.

Sopi lumisessa aamussa kävelyyn.

Pari huippua, mut ei Massiven parasta antia muutoin. Hyvä levy toki

Love: Be Thankful for what You've Got Like: One Love Blue Lines Five Man Army Lately Unfinished Sympathy Meh: Safe from Harm Nope: Daydreaming

It’s really an inspiring Music. It sound very fresh and timeless.

Album got kinda ruined by One Love and Hymn of the Wheel.

Ok so this was not what i expected from massive attack but pretty good, but like would only listen to it when in a particular mood

As far as I can tell this is the first major Trip Hop release, at least in terms of stuff more substantive than just singles. I don't think it's unfair to say that while there's a lot of strong songs here, they aren't necessarily full of original ideas for the entire track runtimes. There's a lot of great bits in songs for sure but, for example, "Five Man Army" is a very nice chill song that doesn't entirely fill its six minute runtime with originality. That's not always a bad thing though and I gather that here a lot of the appeal is in letting the softer relaxing beats run for longer, it just doesn't entirely translate into a thrilling listen throughout for me. I'd also say that much of the album feels like it's running on a "good song, decent song" one two combo and that makes it hard to fully connect with the tracklist. Either way, there's a lot of soft soulful songs here underlayed with fun groovable beats. Tracks like "Safe from Harm" and "Hymn of the Big Wheel" (the latter totally different from a lot of the rest of the album) are really enjoyable stuff.

I was honestly expecting Mezzanine, maybe I’ll get it down the line. This one is also cool but not as good, in my opinion.

Låter ungefär som jag förväntade mig.

Wallpaper music, but good if you like that kinda thing.

Quite chill, ain't it?

Meh. Fun sounds, listenable album. But not going to go out of my way to hear it again.