Massive Attack - Blue Lines
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Free Music Notes for Blue Lines
Free Music Review: Nothing short of brilliant. Buy this album!
Hit: 5 Stars
Like one of the other reviewers said, reviewing a Massive Attack record isn't easy. Mezzinene was different because of its more stand out elements(deeper production, stronger melody, encompassing atmosphere). Here we see far different MA than what most people are used to(Mezzinene the starting record for most Massive Attack fans). This is not to sell Blue Lines short because this album is nothing short of genius.The main thing about this album that can be hard to sell(especially to today's music crowd) is that it's a very subtile record. No sound, instrument, effect, or scratch really stands out. Instead they serve mostly as a comforting pillow which the vocals rest upon. They meld together perfectly that makes for a very soothing, comforting listen. Everything sort of creeps up you and seeps into your mind as you soon find yourself chanting "Man, this is great!".
As for the music itself, its a mix of downtempo dance, electronica, dub, lazy rap,and regae(which later would become defined as trip-hop). The vocals are mix of different artists(soon to be solo artist, Tricky, Sarah, Mushroom 3-D, and of course regae star Horace Andy) ranging from divas to rappers to that bizare sound that Horace Andy makes(you know what I'm talking about). All the different style add variety, giving each track its own unique touch. Apart they work as seperate songs due to strength of song writing. Together, they form this awesome album called Blue Lines.
Not everyone will dig this. Some will say that it's sounds way to early 90s to be listenible. True, Blue Lines is not nearly acessible as Mezzinene, but if you have a little patience, you'll find this to be an unbeilevable album and certainly worth you money. Its inching its way up to be my favorite Massive Attack record. To think, over eleven years ago, this CD spawned an entirely new music scene. Worth the hype. Buy this album
Free Music Review: Reflection on Blue Lines - 10 Years Later
Hit: 5 Stars
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.
Free Music Review: Massive Attack, maybe the most important thing in the 90's???
Hit: 5 Stars
Massive Attack released Blue Lines in 1991, it would be the first of three albums released in the decade and all were classics. Blue Lines in the best of them though because it is revolutionary and would influence others (ie. Moby, Chemical Brothers, The Streets). This was actually the beginning of Trip Hop, something latter on that would be readapted by American black artists and be called Hip Hop. The rap songs are performed by Horace Andy, Tricky, Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall & Tony Brian. Whilst the soul songs were performed by Shara Nelson. Not forgetting Mikey General's background vocals!!!
Blue Lines begins with the sutile Safe From Harm, before going into rap mode in One Love & Blue Lines. Be Thankful for what you've got is sutile soul, whilst Five Man army is another soulful rap tune. Unfinished Sympathy is probably one of the most well known Massive Attack tunes as it was the only single released from the album. Daydreaming is another clever rap tune, whilst Lately is another classic soul tune. The album ends with Hymn of the Black Wheel another soul tune but not sung by Shara Nelson, instead sung brilliantly by Horace Andy!!!
Blue Lines was the beginning of what would be one of the most influencial groups of the 1990's. Actually for just this release they renamed themselves Massive because the album was released at the same time as the Gulf War and the record company thought it would be too risky to be called Massive Attack at that time. Although popular in the UK they would claim proper world wide commercial aclaim with their 1994 release Protection, and would continue their popularity with the 1998 smash it release Mezzanine. But Blue Lines still remains a bench mark not only for Massive Attack but all Trip Hop, Hip Hop, and electronic Pop acts. Great stuff indeed!!!!!
Free Music Review: Revolutionary; to compare it to the other 2 is futile..
Hit: 5 Stars
I've been an MA fan since '94. I own all three albums, as well as No Protection and the Singles Collection. Massive Attack, aside from being insanely talented, switch formulas from album to album, which is why it's pointless to compare the albums to each other. Moreover, many of the latecomers who think Mezzanine is MA's best are oblivious to the beauty and texture of "Protection" and "Blue Lines". (You can't get to C by ignoring A and B.)Now as far as "Blue Lines" goes, what can be said that hasn't been said already? Eight years after it's release, this album still stands as a masterpiece of "trip-hop" (I loathe that term.) The groove is melodic, built from fragments of hip-hop, soul, and reggae. One of the best things about the album is the harmonizing of Shara Nelson. She brings depth to everything she touches, whether it's the opener "Safe From Harm" ('but if you take what's mine/I'll sure as hell retaliate...'), "Unfinished Sympathy" (a Radio 1 favorite, with a hip-hop bassline and orchestral strings), or "Daydreaming", the 1990 single that _really_ started it all. The verbal exchanges between 3D, Daddy G, and a young Tricky are also witty (listen to the way 3D pronounces 'vitamin' on "Daydreaming".) And how can I leave out Horace Andy. From his work here, it's easy to see why he's been a mainstay ever since. (IMHO, however, "Spying Glass" is Horace at his best.)
All in all, this is a gem. It singlehandedly gave birth to a sound that matured with each passing album.
Free Music Review: The Birthplace of a Legendary Group and Sound...
Hit: 5 Stars
Massive Attacks first album is one that has as much meaning, intrigue and depth now, that it did 10 years ago. Its amazing to think that they compiled such an audaciously new and different sound so long ago. They have since added to their deserved reputation with Protection and Mezzanine (both awesome).This album is full of different sounds, samples and oozes with cool. The inclusion of Shara Nelson and Tricky adds to its overall completeness.
This albums is steeped in 70's funk influence and dubby reggae sound, with the bass line of "Safe From Harm" coming from a 70's track called Stratus and "Be Thankful For What You Got" is an orginal 70's funk song in its entirety.
Each song/track on this album is in its correct place as the album flows smoothly, and sometimes without respite ("Blue Lines" into "Be Thankful For What You Got") allowing the total absorption of ones mind and body into the rich dub bass, hip hop rhymes and seductive sound.
"Unfinished Symphony" is simply a breathtaking journey of a song that chews you up and spits you out with blissful elegance and grace. While the "Hymn Of The Big Wheel" lyrically glides you to the end of the album and off your chair with your placated mind begging for more.
Its obvious that Massive Attack make a great team with their sound and individual input making this album the modern classic that it is. It deserves all the credit it gets; a must buy! Lets hope we dont have to wait too much longer for another masterpiece from the Bristol Massive!