Original Release: 1990
Label: Circa
Kind of like the Pulp Fiction of their musical genre, Massive Attack's Blue Lines was the first major influence on the trip hop movement in the '90s, but like the Tarantino masterpiece, the majority of the imitators that followed couldn't quite match the perfection of their predecessor. The combination of slow-moving, darkly moody electronic beats and brit-style hip-hop, simultaneously added an emotional element nearly missing from both popular genres.
Trip hop would eventually evolve more toward the electronica realm than the hip-hop world, even for Massive Attack themselves. While the albums that followed, Protection and Mezzanine were well-crafted as well, hearing Blue Lines still garners the feeling of discovery. This crew they'd stumbled on a revolutionary idea. And with songs like "Safe from Harm" and "Unfinished Sympathy," it's difficult to disagree.
