45. Blue Lines (1991) by Massive Attack — defining the 90s in Britain

This is a very interesting album. Its sound and composition make it seem a lot younger than its 28 years of age. Its combination of electronic music and a sophisticated attitude towards its sound, makes for a decade defining album.

Blue Lines was released before Screamadelica by Primal Scream and worked alongside the album to bring dance music to the forefront of popular British music. Primal Scream helped to bring out the dance music from the North and Massive Attack were part of the Southern scene. Both were landmark albums and defined a very popular genre of music.

The album features a very cool sound, the sound of the 90s that was more underground that what Oasis and Blur would offer. It was more cerebral and bohemian and was therefore less popular with the masses. This album would have done well with university students of the time, especially those in the field of arts. It was that scene that Massive Attack seemed to fit into whether it was purposeful or not.

I enjoyed listening to this record. I am much more familiar with Mezzanine but I did know the famous “Unfinished Sympathy”. The song is a true classic and brings the electronic music into another realm. The track is moving and emotionally fused making for a very interesting listen. Songs like “Unfinished Sympathy” helped to create the term trip hop, a genre that fused hip hop and electronica.

For a debut album this one has much value and displays Massive Attack’s important influence on British music. This album helped define a decade and what a decade of music it was.