Blue Lines (studio album)
by Massive Attack

Blue Lines by Massive Attack
Year: 1991
Overall rank: 327th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 916 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1991 (10th)
Award Top 100 albums of the 1990s (63rd)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (327th)

Listen on Spotify Spotify
Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
MASSIVE ATTACK - BLUE LINES NEW CD
Condition: Brand New


eBay
eBay
Massive Attack - Blue Lines Cassette Tape 1991
Condition: Very Good


eBay
eBay
Massive Attack - Blue Lines [New Vinyl LP] 180 Gram
Condition: New


  My favourite store:  

Massive Attack bestography

Blue Lines is ranked 2nd best out of 9 albums by Massive Attack on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Massive Attack is Mezzanine which is ranked number 143 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 9,818.

Massive Attack album bestography « Higher ranked (143rd)
Mezzanine
This album (327th)
Blue Lines
Lower ranked (1,076th) »
Protection

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Nov
06
Thu
20:00
Stars and Strings
Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Nov
18
Tue
19:00
Franni Cash w/ Hopeful.
The Parish at House of Blues Anahei, Anaheim, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Nov
06
Thu
19:00
Vandelux
Emo's Austin, Austin, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

Listen to Blue Lines on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

Blue Lines track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

Sort by
#
Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Track pick
Rating: 87 (209 votes)Comments: View 3
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
2.
Rating: 79 (141 votes)Comments: View 4
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
3.
Rating: 82 (154 votes)Comments: View 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
5.
Rating: 83 (151 votes)Comments: View 0
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
7.
Rating: 80 (142 votes)Comments: View 1
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
8.
Rating: 80 (136 votes)Comments: View 1
  • Amazon Music
  • iTunes
  • Spotify

Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Blue Lines rankings

Blue Lines collection

Blue Lines ratings

Average Rating: 
80/100 (from 916 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 916 ratings for this album.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
80/100
 Report rating
10/02/2025 15:20 araidernomore  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 39976/100
 
90/100
 Report rating
10/02/2025 12:24 ShenBapiro  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 35180/100
 
5/100
 Report rating
09/26/2025 22:03 Squonk007  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 69424/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
08/25/2025 19:10 djrodo  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 96081/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
08/12/2025 22:04 Fritz  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,24077/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 80.1/100, a mean average of 79.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 80.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.4.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

Blue Lines comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 53 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
75/100
From 07/17/2025 03:01
Here is an album that tries to combine several musical styles. I liked the rapping of the band's main trio, and didn't care so much for the soul on the tracks with guest singers. The music is well executed. Considered the first trip hop album, iconic.
#310184 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/04/2023 22:33
Massively influential maintaining dark moody atmosphere throughout, but not very consistent. The obvious biggest highlight is Unfinished Sympathy and I also really like Safe From Harm and Five Man Army, the rest is good but blends together for me.
#297944 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 04/24/2022 18:01
Got a listen to this from 2019 - three outstanding tracks on a good solid album - Safe From Harm, Hymn Of The Big Wheel and the immense Unfished Sympathy. No bad tracks for me.
#284593 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/28/2021 15:42
An amazing debut album. Such a unique sound, unparalleled in this genre. Unfinished Sympathy is one of my favourite songs of all time - even the band seemed surprised at how good it was judging by the lyrics at the end of the song - "Don't know where this one came from". I'm also a big fan of the title track. The rest of the album is solid.
#278120 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/17/2021 11:06
Album Rating: 94.00
(846/9)

Released in 1991, it wasn’t until the late 90s when I, as a 16 year old, snuck into pubs and bars with fake ID before stumbling on to the last bus home to be serenaded to sleep by Blue Lines. It used to be my preventative hangover cure and I am still convinced that I’ve never woken up with a sore head after listening to all 45:04 of this brilliance before bedtime.

1. "Safe from Harm” ft. Shara Nelson - 99
2. "One Love" ft. Horace Andy - 91
3. "Blue Lines" - ft. Adrian Thaws (Tricky) - 92
4. "Be Thankful for What You've Got" - 93
5. "Five Man Army” - 97
6. "Unfinished Sympathy" ft. Shara Nelson - 98
7. "Daydreaming" ft. Tricky - 84
8. "Lately" ft. Shara Nelson - 96
9. "Hymn of the Big Wheel" ft. Neneh Cherry & Horace Andy - 94
#275113 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 07/02/2021 22:49
Groundbreaking electronica from the Bristol collective. Unlike some pioneering work, however, this sounds great too. Covering jazz-fusion drumming and lovers rock all within the trip-hop parameters, this LP sounds better on every listen.
Rating: Excellent
Best track: Hymn Of The Big Wheel
#271278 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
50/100
From 01/28/2021 21:03
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
#265230 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (1 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 12/20/2020 23:47
THE BEST START FOR A BAND
#262990 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 12/15/2020 03:49
Overall more mellow than I go for, but relatively listenable.
#262714 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 07/01/2020 20:36
ALL SONGS ARE MY FAV. TRACKS!!!
#254909 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for Blue Lines

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this album by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this album.
Best Albums of 1991
1. Nevermind by Nirvana
2. Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
3. Ten by Pearl Jam
4. Spiderland by Slint
5. Achtung Baby by U2
6. The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest
7. Laughing Stock by Talk Talk
8. Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. Metallica by Metallica
10. Blue Lines by Massive Attack
11. Screamadelica by Primal Scream
12. Out Of Time by R.E.M.
13. Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden
14. Dangerous by Michael Jackson
15. Trompe Le Monde by Pixies
16. Temple Of The Dog by Temple Of The Dog
17. Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses
18. Yerself Is Steam by Mercury Rev
19. Woodface by Crowded House
20. Innuendo by Queen
Back to Top