Massive Attack - Blue Lines (FIRST REACTION)

[@duhusker4383]

This was a game changer in the early 90s. Bristol, a city known for its lefty politics, community spirit and diy ethos started a small 'revolution' in music with the likes of Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky, Roni Size among other which put this small city in the southwest of England on the spotlight everywhere around the world.

[@fcon2123]

Speaking of Tricky, if he's going down the trip-hop rabbit hole going through Maxinquaye would be a great next step.

[@grizeldabrown]

@@fcon2123 Tricky is a must.

[@PanarchyInTheUK]

That reminds me I must dig out my Roni Size...

[@grizeldabrown]

@@PanarchyInTheUKthanks for reminding me of that name. I’ve been nostalgic and exploring my past loves lately and forgot about Roni Size

[@PanarchyInTheUK]

@@grizeldabrown I can't take the credit: @duhusker4383 mentioned him first :)

[@Nirvanafanboy1991]

Blue lines, five-man army, and hymn of the big wheel are my favorite songs on here, I'm a huge, massive attack fan!

[@alt_akelu]

I've never clicked on a video this fast before

[@krisfrederick5001]

You're a liar because you had to edit lol

[@joshuayeager3686]

Massive Attack has a pretty solid catalog. Yes, “Mezzanine” is probably their strongest effort but Blue Lines is right up there. “Unfinished Sympathy” really puts the album on another level on its own. It’s truly one of their best tracks ever. In another note, listening to this album, you’ve been introduced to Tricky, another amazing artist from TripHop. I’d heavily recommend his album “Pre-Millennium Tension” to react to. It’s very different from both Massive Attack and Portishead

Yes, Pre-Milenium Tension is Masterpiece imho.

[@francescotenerilli8252]

What a masterpiece "Unfinished Sympathy" is, great reaction, i suggest you all their records, there is definitely not a bad one

[@jambulance]

I finally started properly listening to 100th Window recently and it’s way better than I remembered, people usually sleep on it

[@francescotenerilli8252]

@@jambulanceit probably became my favorite over time

[@patrick3926]

Oakenfold remix OMG 🎉🎉🎉

[@JayboTheHood]

Hmmm. There are no bad ones but there are a few dull ones. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan and this album is easily in my top 5 albums ever. It's much better than Mezzanine in my opinion and nobody had done "this" before Blue Lines. Maybe Soul2Soul had the same melting pot of genres and influences but this stands so much taller. I'd rate Blue Lines 9.5/10 I have bought the album 3 times for myself and several times for other people. That's how highly I rate it. The second album..."Protection". Disappointing. A couple of gems in Karmacoma and Protection. There's that ghastly Doors cover and.... I can't even remember the other songs. 4/10 Mezzanine. Again, 2 stand out tracks. Angel, is out of this world and despite featuring in every TV show this century, it never gets boring. Teardrop similarly. A handful of quality tracks and a couple of fillers. A decent album but not even close to Blue Lines. 7/10 100th Window *sigh* There is one track I really like. I think it's called "Small Time Shot Away" or similar. The rest of the album is dull. 2/10 They made a song called Live With Me which I really liked but I didn't buy any more MA albums after the disappointment of 100th Window. If you like samples though, be sure to get Entroducing by DJ Shadow if you haven't already. It's 100% samples and there isn't a bad or dull track on there.

[@Hydaaar]

Hey there, I came across your channel recently and Ive been really enjoying watching your reactions. You're very good at describing what exactly you like (or don't like) about the music, unlike myself. I can't wait for you to get to Mezzanine, it's one of my personal favourites. I still wow every time I hear it, I can count the albums that do that for me on 1 hand. The mood and atmosphere is sets are unmatched in my opinion. Have fun with it once you get to it.

[@jasperl-b8353]

Loved this reaction, Mezzanine is a really good next step

[@JontyMaster]

This album is truly an eargasm! So ahead of its time.

[@louis_ricks]

Bro, love your content. You have great taste in music, but you know that already. Guilty music snob here... If you're into Massive Attack, you obviously stumbled onto Tricky, who was in Massive Attack, but has an awesome solo career. Emphatically suggest the 'MAXINQUAYE" album, his debut. keep up the good work...

[@aldo34]

Maxinquaye - YES!!!!

[@binkytube]

"Lately" is my favourite track off this album.

[@Radiobuzz]

Also regarding the members, MA was born out of an artists' collective called The Wild Bunch (Geoff Barrow, funding member of Portishead, used to be there). Blue Lines had Robert del Naja, Daddy G, Mushroom and Tricky as the group's lineup, over the years some members left and others came in, but del Naja is a constant followed by Daddy G - also many guest vocalists as you said. This album is a classic for sure, but I agree the best part is the run from the title track to Unfinished Sympathy. Finally, you should listen to Portishead's Third from 2008, it's more representative of their overall sound I think.

[@yannhollister9091]

Glad you enjoyed this one, it's a classic. Massive Attack albums are a must have, hope you do Mezzanine soon.

[@PanarchyInTheUK]

Blue Lines is a really significant album. It blew my mind when I heard it in the 90s. Spent many a stoned afternoon in my halls of residence in Liverpool in 1991 listening to this.

[@0kc1rt]

Pre-triphop, nothing really sounded like this in 91. Mix of hip hop, dance hall and poetry was the initial concept. Definitely the birth of triphop imo. Check Maxinquaye by Tricky. A pretty common conspiracy theory is that 3D is the artist Banksy, which is actually pretty credible if you read up on it. Great reaction.

[@7n154]

If you appreciated this album and Massive Attack in general; please keep Tricky's debut album 'Maxinquaye' in mind. He's a co-founder of Massive Attack and has worked with some big artists. It came out around the same time as Trip Hop was peaking. It's a genius album.

[@tomjennyforyoutube3702]

Don't skip Protection. The songs with Tracy Thorn on vocals are magical.

[@Radiobuzz]

Nice! Would love if you'd listen to their next album, Protection, historically underrated imo. You won't regret it! Their discog became a little more irregular after Mezzanine I think, although from their newer stuff I'd recommend The Spoils single and the ep Ritual Spirit.

[@PanarchyInTheUK]

I agree. Protection doesn't get enough love, I can't understand it. I prefer it to Mezzanine.

[@rogerbrook9081]

Mezannine is a bit of a sell out to the mainstream, a bit cliche now as its been used everywhere, check out No Protection Massive Attack vs Mad Professor remix

[@JayboTheHood]

I didn't like Protection to be honest. The title track is gorgeous but it kind of made me realise that one day my mum would be old and frail, which made me sad. Karmacoma = YES. Wow. Awesome track. I have quoted lyrics from that often and mostly people don't get it. The Doors cover version. Ill advised. And that's being kind. I can't even remember the other tracks. It must be nearly 30 years since I've played it, so y'know. In comparison, I play Blue Lines several times, several times a year. I might give it another try but I'm deffo skipping the Doors one. Sorry Horace Andy (if it was him)

[@stephensanderson8920]

I'm glad any criticism you mention, you said in my opinion. Because you can not better this

[@aldo34]

Blue Lines was a game changer for me, and a huge influence on electronic based music in the UK. And yeah - Unfinished Sympathy blew everybody away at the time and remains a personal favourite. I recall Peter Buck from REM has a story about coming off stage and hearing it playing in a backstage room and rushing in to ask what it was! As a long-time Massive Attack fan, this is still my favourite album of theirs. Although I recognise that Mezzanine is a masterpiece! This album also introduced me to Tricky Kid (now just Tricky), who's solo stuff is well worth checking out - particularly Maxinequaye.

[@alemmingsdeath]

Horace Andy is a fucking legend.

[@fcon2123]

I love every single Massive Attack track he sings on. For some reason "Everywhen" off 100th Window is my favorite.

[@alemmingsdeath]

@@fcon2123 He's been a reggae icon since the early 70's.

[@MrStickyfingers22]

My go to album I'm always playing once a month.

[@dave808au]

great reaction! This is my fave Massive Attack album and probably my fave trip hop album along with Tricky's debut. If you love the Beth solo album but Dummy didn't quite click i'd suggest trying out Portishead's "Third" which was probably a bit ahead of its time on release but some consider it their best album

[@sleep6837]

Mezzanine just blows this outta the water, its by far the best Massive Attack album overall. One of the most perfect albums ever created, its a luscious labrynthian soundscape that extends infinitely outward into the emptiest reaches of black space

[@JayboTheHood]

Nah man. Take Angel off Mezzanine and it's quite average. Remove Unfinished Sympathy from here and you still have a classic.

[@acidjazzz349]

One of the all time BEST acid jazz/trip hop albums....EVER.

[@blade1535]

Mezzanine is a different beast and this album is just as good but different. I think you also have to put yourself in this time and place as to when it came out to truly appreciate blue lines. I agree with you.

[@chyandyeux]

DAVE IM WAITING FOR UR BRAT REACTIONNNN 😭

[@w.geoffreyspaulding6588]

Do a comparison of the bass line holding down this song to the baseline in Billy Cobham’s Spectrum by the great Leland Sklar….and you can see where the inspiration came from.

[@mmmaxxx__]

brother man if you liked Unfinished Sympathy's cinematic orchestra touch and the name Moby doesn't ring a bell then I've just unlocked a new door for ya

[@mmmaxxx__]

start with his third but most popular album "Play"

[@justinswag3403]

You should make a video on all your vinyls

[@FullFathomV]

Blue Lines is an early Trip Hop classic. Mezzanine is a stone cold classic period, regardless of genre.

[@vorspiel8]

Yasssss Masssive rulessss❤❤❤❤

[@jambulance]

Massive.

[@b0llmann179]

What you have missed, are the whales, who singing background on "Hymn Of The Big Wheel". 😂

[@spruce381]

This their best album - and joint best album of 1991. Screamadelica was the other

[@seanstewart2975]

feel like you need to do tricky maxinquaye

[@rogerbrook9081]

Roseland NYC is the place to go for Portishead, live is so much better

[@krisfrederick5001]

Check out, I sincerely think you will love this...Raised Fist "Get this right" it is so brutally beautiful, they got it right. Let me know what you all think. Meanwhile I'm going there after this

[@marcosmohamed3046]

please react to Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin by Eartheater

[@S-jq1yk]

Blue Lines easily clears Mezzanine. Blue Lines, Dummy, Maxinquaye and Endtroducing are foundational trip-hop

[@themadcow71]

Cool album. But Mezzanine is one of my favorite albums of the 90s.

[@nikofonseca8178]

Bro can’t even kendama anymore 😂

[@whiplash415]

We need more zeppelin

[@divaexperimental]

react to arca plsss

[@PanarchyInTheUK]

I prefer Protection to Mezzanine. Doesn't seem to get much attention on YT.

[@kebernet]

I like this album. I don't love it. In "Massive Attack" terms, it kinda feels like a very teenage, we're figuring out what we're doing, effort. The cross-genre influences were the only thing that made this a stand out from the Brit club scene of the time. As an album, I give it a pass. There are a couple great tracks, but compared to "Protection" or "Mezzanine", which I think you can't put on and not just listen to the whole album, meh. Like NIN and Morphine and a lot of my other favorites from the 90s, the first album is like this, but by the time you get to the second or third, its just amazing.

[@jens2049]

Not really samples