Blue Lines

From Free net encyclopedia

Blue Lines is the debut album by British electronica group Massive Attack, released on August 6, 1991 (see 1991 in music) by Virgin Records. Generally considered the first trip hop album, though the term wasn't coined until several years later, Blue Lines was a massive success in the United Kingdom, though sales were limited elsewhere. A fusion of electronic music, hip hop and dub music, the album established Massive Attack as one of the innovative British bands of the 1990s.

Madonna, who collaborated with the group on their 1995 single "I Want You", revealed that she liked to listen to the album whilst making love. [1]

1 Critical acclaim
2 Track listing
3 Personnel
4 Chart positions
5 External links

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Critical acclaim

In 1997 Blue Lines was named the 21st greatest album of all time in a 'Music of the Millennium' poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The Guardian and Classic FM. In 1998 Q magazine readers placed it at number 58. Template:RS500

Stuart Bailie of BBC Northern Ireland stated that [2] "It was soul music. But it had bold, symphonic arrangements. It featured samples of the Mahavishnu Orchestra going ‘hey, hey hey,hey’. It had funky breaks and an emotional power that was hard to figure. It sounded anxious and lost. But there was a grandeur in the music also. People who came across the record became obsessed, spinning it endlessly."

The track "Unfinished Sympathy" has frequently been described as one of the best songs of all time, according to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers. A BBC writer stated that: "More than a decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney." [3]

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Track listing

"Safe from Harm" (Cobham/Del Naja/Marshall/Nelson/Vowles) – 5:16
"One Love" (Cobham/Del Naja/Marshall/Vowles/Williams) – 4:48
"Blue Lines" (Bennett/Brown/Carlton/Del Naja/Geurin/Marshall/Sample/Scott/Thaws/Vowles)(sample from James Brown) – 4:21
"Be Thankful for What You Got" (DeVaughn) – 4:09
"Five Man Army" (Del Naja/Marshall/Thaws/Vowles/Williams) – 6:04
"Unfinished Sympathy" (Del Naja/Marshall/Nelson/Sharp/Vowles) – 5:08
"Daydreaming" (Badarou/Del Naja/Marshall/Thaws/Vowles) – 4:14
"Lately" (Brownlee/Del Naja/Marshall/Nelson/Redmond/Simon/Simon/Vowles) – 4:26
"Hymn of the Big Wheel" (Andy/Cherry/Del Naja/Marshall/Vowles) – 6:36

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