Blue Lines

Massive Attack | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1992)
• Original Release Date: August 6, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Virgin Records
• ASIN: B000000WHX
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,569 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #66 in Music > Dance & DJ > Trip-Hop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

The influence of Bristol, U.K.'s Massive crew on bringing trippy beats to the foreground is immeasurable. Not only were they the early test ground for other alterna-hop stars (ex-clansman Tricky, former songstresses Nicolette and Martina, and the lesser known productionists Smith & Mighty), they've spread their influence to everyone from fellow Bristol residents Portishead to Björk. Blue Lines is Massive's debut record and is the second musical union of Bristol's renowned collective, Wildbunch. The emotional purging and beat-driven orchestral movement of "Unfinished Sympathy" was among the first signs of life in contemporary English trip-hop culture. Other masterpieces, like "Daydreaming," which features Shara Nelson, Tricky, and other friends on the mic, throb with deep, dubby beats and soulful ambiance. Blue Lines marks the beginning of a musical legacy that is ever expanding. --Daniel Shumate

Product Description

Import-only vinyl LP pressing of the 1991 debut album from the British Trip Hop outfit. Seamlessly blending American Hip Hop with British club culture, Massive Attack were one of the true innovators of the revolutionary Trip Hop scene. Blue Lines captured the imaginations of music buyers and critics alike and is now considered a masterpiece in Electronic/Trip Hop circles. Features guest appearances from Shara Nelson, Horace Andy, Tricky and others. Circa. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reflection on Blue Lines - 10 Years Later, October 30, 2003

By 

C.F. Stewart (Annapolis, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Lines (Audio CD)

Review: Perhaps the smoothest, most rythmic album extant. Hypnotic, controlled, patient...the deep beat gently rocks you; the vocalists sing to you, about you, with you. The timing is pure; the feel natural, organic.

History: With their roots in the Bristol, England, club scene of the early '80s, the members of Massive Attack originated trip-hop, one of the most influential sound sof the '90s, combining the rythmic urgency of hip-hop, the freewheeling samples of the DJ's craft, soul-rich melodies, and dub-reggae's hebty, intoxicating bottom end. The group began in 1983 as a loose collective of singers, rappers, DJs, and producers that stages parties under the name the Wild Bunch. Included in its ranks were Mushroom (Andrew Vowles) and Daddy G (Grant Marshall), as well as Nelleee Hooper (later of Soul II Soul, and a producer for Madonna, Bjork, and others), and Tricky. The Wild Bunch released a 1986 cover of Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love," which became a European dance-club sensation, just as legal authorities began to clamp down on the Bristol party circuit. In 1987 graffiti artist 3-D (Robert Del Naja) joined Daddy G and Mushroom to form Massive Attack. A series of singles led to the 1991 release of Blue Lines, which featured an array of vocalists--including Shara Nelson, Tricky, and reggae singer Horace Andy--and promoted a somnambulatory beat that ran counter to the hyped-up dance rythms of techno.

Importance: As a revolutionary force in music, this album is in the highest circle--with The White Album, Exile on Main Street, Astral Weeks, The Bends, The Velvet Underground and Nico, and the new Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, by Wilco.

Further Listening: The only Massive Attack album which comes close to the pure form of Blue Lines is Mezzanine. Also, listen to Maxinquae, Tricky's best solo effort, and Dummy by Portishead, the other 'trip-hop' classic.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue Lines IS Trip-Hop, February 28, 2000

By 

"boy_with_the_thorn_in_his_side" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Lines (Audio CD)

The members (and producers) of Massive Attack will always be known as THE pioneers of the trip-hop genre. Blue Lines swirls with snare drum beats, soft bass guitar, and other instrumentation that flows through and through like a dream of peace and proserity. As one reviewer described the "positive" aspect of this album, Blue Lines is the kind of album that gives inner calm. I relaxed and meditated with this album for months. Massive Attack's debut produces a sedative effect on the listener, like soul food, and even brings back the spirit of the 1960's that everything within should promote your consciousness to being a peacemaker and peacegiver. Songs like "Hymn of the Big Wheel" describe the plight of man's short time on earth and how destiny shapes us all. "Be Thankful For What You've Got" is a motown remake set to a reggae sounding beat and soft record LP scratchin' (used in R&B and rap music), sounding much the same yet with modern vibe. "Unfinished Sympathy", a U.K. hit single from this album is painfully beautiful and lyrically stunning about the lover that hurt you, but yet you still want them back (which fades out with a piano solo) "Like a soul without a mind/ in a body without a heart/ I'm missin' every part" Every song on Blue Lines is a testament to the human existence (sex, love, for richer, for poorer, ecstasy, joy, remorse, jealousy, life...)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original, fresh, and the beginning of Massive Attack's power, April 23, 2001

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Lines (Audio CD)

Released in 1990, BLUE LINES was the first LP by Massive Attack, a trio from Bristol that had colloborated together before, with others, as the Wild Bunch. The nine tracks of BLUE LINES hit contemporary music in the gut, creating a new style that was more melodic than hip-hop but still retaining a beat. Combining the soulful singing of Shara Nelson, the rapping of Grant Marshall and Robert Del Naja, and the reggae crooning of Horace Andy, this album was something new and exciting.

More than ten years later, it's still an surprisingly fresh album. "Safe From Harm" deserves radio play still. The dialogue rapping "Daydreaming" continually amazes me. "Unfinished Sympathy" has retained its excitement, and DJs like Sasha still spin it.

Massive Attack's first album, and just as good as the two since released.