Published on Aug 11, 1999
In 1991, Massive Attack dared people to dis their debut album,
Blue Lines. Either you were with Massive Attack or you were
not. Indeed, you couldn’t compare
Blue Lines to anything else out there, so what could have
been a listener’s standard when they first heard the bubbling,
trippy introduction of “Safe From Harm.”
Of course, I wasn’t there to buy the CD when
Blue Lines was out. I was still stradling that line between
Extreme and Mother Love Bone. I purchased
Blue Lines last year, after I heard Portishead and former
Massive Attack member, Tricky. And to a lesser extent, I’ve heard
waaaay too many “trip-hop” bands that hopelessly try to attain the
qualities of the above three bands. So at first listen,
Blue Lines really didn’t sound that innovative.
Let the beats sink in, said the wise, yet red-eyed DJ. And they
did. After three or four listens, you can see what sets
Blue Lines apart from its imitators. The mix of club beats,
rock riffs and jamacian grooves were handled with meticulous care
by Mushroom, 3D and Daddy G. Sharna Nelson adds a much needed
soulful voice to the mold while Tricky (then known as Tricky Kid)
surfaces and hides throughout the album. It’s weird hearing Tricky
on this album-the guy actually has a sense of humor and is more
playful than the menacing artist that inhabited his last two
works.
Bob Marley gets a severe reworking on the song, “One Love.” His
philosophy of “one love” is upheld, but along with the reggae
elements of Marley, a mean blues guitar riff is followed by a
propulsive, simple club beat. It’s almost like hearing three songs
converge onto one effortlessly.
The centerpiece of the album is “Unfinished Symphony.” If you
haven’t heard of Massive Attack, you probably have heard this song
in a movie, TV show or commercial. It’s one of the most sampled
songs of this decade. The song is just as good as the other nine on
the album, but this is the one that broke them open on the charts
in Britain. Starting with a simple beat that sounds like it was
constructed on a triangle, Shara Nelson’s gospel-like voice floats
over the entire mix like a cloud.
The album closes with “Hymn Of The Big Wheel” on a high note.
The lazy atmosphere the last track creates for the listener is
almost dream like. And, in under fifty minutes, it leaves a
listener willing to give the album another spin to try and pick up
what he or she missed.
Though
Blue Lines may have been their most influential record, it
isn’t their best. That title goes to last year’s
Mezzanine album. A strong statement, proving that the band
may still have enough tricks up their sleeve to create some equally
original music for the millennium.