Blue Lines

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The critical and commercial triumphs of Portishead, Tricky and Roni Size have established Bristol as a centre of slow-burning creativity, but it was the staggering impact Massive Attack made with their debut album which first put the West Country town on the musical map and made reluctant superstars of Mushroom, 3-D and Daddy G. Blue Lines provided a blueprint for the sound which would become known as trip-hop, combining the raw soundsystem vibe of the Wild Bunch parties with immaculate production and the distinguished vocal talents of Tricky, Shara Nelson and Horace Andy. From the understated beats and deftly-arranged ensemble rapping of the title track to the smokey paranoia of "Five Man Army" and the unrepeatable melancholic splendour of "Unfinished Sympathy", the album is a modern classic through and through. It won the Mercury Music Prize in 1992 and remains the finest work of a frighteningly talented group. --Ed Potton

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Description
'Blue Lines' was the debut album by the Bristol-formed dance collective, Massive Attack. The album is a prime example of what was later dubbed by the UK music press as "trip hop".The top 30 singles, 'Unfinished Sympathy' and 'Safe From Harm' are included.

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Customer reviews

review by: sticky18 date: 2007-06-15 rating:
Bristol music
In reference to the review dubbing this a one track album, what album were you listening to???? I am offended by your review!

Yes unfinished sympathy is a truly great song, but is by no means the best on the album! Blue lines is one of the greatest albums ever and every track is a classic!

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review by: date: 2007-01-18 rating:
Sadly, a one-track album
The outright winner here is "Unfinished Sympathy", a thing of beauty so superbly crafted and utterly satisfying that, ironically, it makes all the remaining tracks on this album sound dull. Bedazzled and blinded by genius, or just plain ripped off? Whatever the truth is, I'll be inclined to download that one track and spare myself the cost of the album.

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review by: sszmayes date: 2005-02-16 rating:
A Massive Triumph
I came to this album very late - 13 years late to be exact - and I'm still in the honeymoon period with it, playing it constantly. I'm probably about to say the same as everyone else but there's not a duff track here, mainly because of the different styles at play (jazz, hip-hop, dub, dance, bits of soul, the beginnings of trip-hop, tribal beats with 'Hymn of the big wheel' and of course, orchestral music on 'Unfinished Sympathy'). There's a wonderfully sparse, late-night feel on tracks such as 'Blue Lines' and 'Five Man Army' - the way 3D and crew languidly interact with each other on these tracks is awesome - and 'Lately' has such a dreamy, atmospheric quality to it, not forgetting a wicked bassline. Then there's the magnificent 'Unfinished Sympathy', but I don't think I need to go on about the chilling effect it has on my mind, body and soul because that's all old hat really. Not that this album will ever be old hat - I'm pretty sure I'll still be listening to it in another 13 years.

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review by: date: 2004-11-30 rating:
Trip-Hop Heaven
Firstly, for those of you who are new to Massive Attack, who may have heard "Unfinished Sympathy" and not a lot else and think that "Blue Lines" is an album that continues in this desperately majestic vein of ambient flamboyance - I suggest you think again.
Chilled out it is - commercial it certainly isn't, but for me that's the beauty of this album - it's one of the genuine trip-hop albums that isn't afraid to be what it is. You won't find it cowering in a halfway house somewhere between commercial big beats and full-scale ambient nonsense noises. This is Trip-hop at its best! The sort of stuff that you'd chill out to after a massive rave, when you're experiencing that coldness and realizing that you'll never be able to get back the night before and the love you felt.
If you're a fan of the genre you must buy it! However, if you're expecting something of a pre-cursor to Chicane's "Far From The Madding Crowd" you will be disappointed!


review by: Raymond Jess date: 2004-07-19 rating:
Influencing the influential.
Although many have spoken of the enormous influence of 'Blue Lines' on modern music, few seem to have taken time to consider the influences that have shaped it (something the band has expressley done in the liner notes to the album). One of the major influences on the opening tracks 'Safe from Harm' and 'One Love' is Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock. The funky extended groove and the distant electric piano are classic jazz fusion sounds.

Massive attack perform their own form of fusion in harnessing Shara Nelson's wonderful soul-feuled vocals with the emerging sounds of British hip-hop. You can even hear the influence of Marvin Gaye on a track like 'Be Thankful For What You've Got'; or the sound of late 70's New York on 'Lately' (a time and place of obvious influence, as mention of the movie 'Taxi Driver' in the liner notes attests to).

Dub is also of major importance to the sound of 'Blue Lines', something the young Tricky uses to full effect on '5 Man Army'. Don't forget another of MA's name dropping influence, PIL. Jah Wobble's dub-heavy bass echos round the rhythm of 'Safe From Harm'. Horace Andy's vocals are just as powerful as Nelson's even if they come from a different musical genre. He gives huge emotion to the pop sensibility of 'Hymn Of The Big Wheel' and the contrast of his yearning vocal against the nocturnal background of 'One Love' is an original sound not lost on Moby.

The only thing I have to take a star off for is the dreadful monotone rapping in an English accent, which might have sounded radical in '91, but has become mildly irritating in 2004.

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