First appointment of a new week of Musical Disclosure. This time it's Massive Attack's turn.

From the Bristol music scene in the '80s, the Wild Bunch collective emerged as a dominant force: DJ Daddy G, Andrew Vowles, rapper Tricky, and graffiti artist turned rapper Robert Del Naja met within this group, marking the beginning of a new chapter in British music. In 1988, the production quartet Massive Attack was born from this experience. Their first independent single, "Any Love," featuring Carlton McCarthy's falsetto voice, marked the start of their musical journey. In 1990, they signed with Circa Records, promising six studio albums and a greatest hits collection: Circa would later become a subsidiary of Virgin Records, which was subsequently acquired by EMI. Massive Attack's first album, "Blue Lines," was released in 1991, co-produced by Jonny Dollar and Cameron McVey. McVey, known as "Booga Bear," and his wife Neneh Cherry provided crucial support to the band, both financially and artistically, through their organization Cherry Bear. "Blue Lines" became a milestone, thanks to its blend of hip hop, soul, reggae, and creative sampling, featuring vocalists like Horace Andy and Shara Nelson, former members of the Wild Bunch. During the recording of "Blue Lines," Robert Del Naja co-wrote Neneh Cherry's "Manchild," which reached the fifth position on the UK singles chart. The album was partially recorded at McVey and Cherry's home and included vocal contributions from Tricky, Willie Wee, and Daddy G. In 1991, Massive Attack released the single "Unfinished Sympathy," arranged with strings at Abbey Road Studios and orchestrated by Will Malone. The track was voted the tenth best song of all time in a survey by The Guardian. On McVey's advice, the band temporarily shortened their name to "Massive" to avoid controversies related to the Gulf War, but soon reverted to "Massive Attack" with their next single, "Safe from Harm."

Today's listening recommendation is "Unfinished Sympathy"!