Blue Lines [LP]

by Massive Attack

Overview

The first masterpiece of what was only termed trip-hop much later, Blue Lines filtered American hip-hop through the lens of British club culture, a stylish, nocturnal sense of scene that encompassed music from rare groove to dub to dance. The album balances dark, diva-led club jams along the lines of Soul II Soul with some of the best British rap (vocals and production) heard up to that point, occasionally on the same track. The opener "Safe from Harm" is the best example, with diva vocalist Shara Nelson trading off lines with the group's own monotone (yet effective) rapping. Even more than hip-hop or dance, however, dub is the big touchstone on Blue Lines. Most of the productions aren't quite as earthy as you'd expect, but the influence is palpable in the atmospherics of the songs, like the faraway electric piano on "One Love" (with beautiful vocals from the near-legendary Horace Andy). One track, "Five Man Army," makes the dub inspiration explicit, with a clattering percussion line, moderate reverb on the guitar and drums, and Andy's exquisite falsetto flitting over the chorus. Blue Lines isn't all darkness, either -- "Be Thankful for What You've Got" is quite close to the smooth soul tune conjured by its title, and "Unfinished Sympathy" -- the group's first classic production -- is a tremendously moving fusion of up-tempo hip-hop and dancefloor jam with slow-moving, syrupy strings. Flaunting both their range and their tremendously evocative productions, Massive Attack recorded one of the best dance albums of all time. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	12/23/2016
Label:	Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602557009606
Rank:	20545

Tracks

1. Safe from Harm
2. One Love
3. Blue Lines
4. Be Thankful for What You've Got
5. Five Man Army
6. Unfinished Sympathy
7. Daydreaming
8. Lately
9. Hymn of the Big Wheel

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Massive Attack   Primary Artist,Vocals
Shara Nelson   Guest Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Horace Andy   Guest Artist,Vocals
Tricky   Guest Artist
Paul Johnson   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Robert del Naja   Lead Vocals
Mikey General   Vocals (Background)
Gavyn Wright   Conductor
Tony Bryan   Vocals
Wil Malone   Conductor

Technical Credits

Shara Nelson   Composer
John Dent   Remastering
Larry Carlton   Composer
James Brown   Composer
Fred Simon   Composer
Horace Andy   Composer
Horace Hinds   Composer
Wally Badarou   Composer
Jonny Dollar   Mixing,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Robert del Naja   Composer
Jeffrey Simon   Composer
Jeremy Allom   Mixing Engineer
Neneh Cherry   Arranger,Composer
David "Hawk" Wolinski   Composer
Massive Attack   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Mixing Engineer
Max Bennett   Composer
Mushroom   Composer
William DeVaughn   Composer
Andrew Vowles   Composer
Billy Cobham   Composer
Joe Sample   Composer
John Guerin   Composer
Tom Scott   Composer
Bryan "Chuck" New   Mixing Engineer
Haydn Bendall   Engineer
Booga Bear   Executive Producer
Bruno Ellingham   Remixing
Gus Redmond   Composer
Clyde Williams III   Composer
Kevin Petrie   Engineer
Larry Brownlee   Composer
Grantley Marshall   Composer
Jonathan Sharp   Composer,Producer,Composer
Marc Picken   Management
William DeVaughan   Composer
Gavin Wright   Leader
Adrian Thaws   Composer
Wil Malone   String Arrangements
Thomas Scott   Composer
Kevin Perti   Engineer
Jeffery Simon   Composer
Joseph Sample   Composer
Claude Williams   Composer
Caroline Williams   Composer