#87 – Blue Lines

Apple Music Rank: 87

Album: Blue Lines

Artist: Massive Attack

Year: 1991

Genre: Electronic

Was I familiar with Massive Attack?  Only the name. Never heard the music. Whenever I’ve seen or heard the name Massive Attack they’re spoken about with great reverence but I was never inspired enough to actually listen.

Had I heard Blue Lines before?  No

Thoughts on Blue Lines: Dated. That’s my first thought. This album sounds dated as hell. This may have been a radical hybrid of dance and hip hop or something completely new in 1991, but it sounds like kids’ music now. The vocals – especially the rapping – are laughably bad in places. I believe there were some artists at the time who thought they could just write some poetry or rhymes and let anyone recite it and that made them a rapper. They didn’t understand or appreciate how someone well versed in the art form could elevate a good beat. Case in point: The drums from Al Green’s “I’m Glad You’re Mine” have been sampled more than 200 times according to whosampled.com. Massive Attack used the beat on “Five Man Army“, the fifth track on Blue Lines. A year earlier Rakim rapped over the exact same beat on the Eric B. and Rakim track “Mahogany“. “Mahogany” still holds up 34 years later because Rakim is the God MC. Why would I listen to Massive Attack when Rakim already did the same thing far better?

In Massive Attack’s defense, they’re British. In 1991 hip hop was still a relatively new art form everywhere outside of NYC and there it wasn’t even 20 years old. What I assume I’m hearing on this Massive Attack album is UK hip hop in its infancy. I don’t know how quickly rap made its way across the pond. Regardless, my point is made. Massive Attack was experimenting with something that people were already doing well in New York.

I’m not saying this is all bad by any means. I’m hearing what I assume are the godfathers of lo-fi. If I heard this album in 1991 I’m pretty sure I would’ve loved it. I’m hearing it 30 years too late. It’s like the movie Caddyshack for me. In 1980 people thought that was the funniest shit ever put on film. People I know still quote that movie frequently. By the time I finally saw it in the late-90s it was woefully dated. I never found it funny. I understand how this music was innovative at that time. It just sounds old fashioned in 2024.

Favorite track: I’m going to go with the opening track, “Safe From Harm“. When I pressed play on this album for the first time and I heard the drums and bass line I figured I was in for something mind-blowing. As it turns out, the first ten seconds of this album were my favorite.

Will I listen to Blue Lines again?  No

Would I buy it on vinyl? No. I’m sure Massive Attack was creating something new in 1991 and inspired multiple artists who I’ve enjoyed for the past three decades, but this album sounds basic now.

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