Massive* ‎– Unfinished Sympathy

One of the greatest chillout tracks! Still loved 'Massive'ly to this day by many and a great emotional timeless piece of electronic music :)

I remember I first heard on a set of Brazilian DJ Ricardo Coppini (Radio Nova FM). At that time (1991) this song touched me.

The most beautiful song of all time? OK, it's a difficult question to answer, but think: She has not aged 20 years later, still beautiful and exciting, I can hear it again and again without losing the magic. Indispensable in any collection.

Without any doubt one of Massive Attack finest moments. I just discovered that the break beat and percussion is based on a sample from J.J. Johnson's "Willie Dynamite" movie score, from the intro of the track called Parade Strut to be precise. Well done Boys!

This is one of the finest records to be made. I remember one of the first times i heard it and it was In Shelly's S.O.T. and Sasha played it as a last track, what a night, since then this has remained one of the only records that make the hairs stand up on my body! And i have told my good lady this is what i want at as the curtains close (dark i know, but it will be me walking away from this messy place! PEACE!

The original is a timeless track, very epic and magical. Shara Nelson's vocals along with those strings just sends shivers down my spine instantly.

When it came to the remixes of this track, you generally think, there is no need for remixes. Well, actually that may be true but two was done eitherhow.
Oakenfold adds a rougher beat and a stronger bassline and some early hiphop influences to the track, other than that it's the same track.

Nellee Hooper however changes things up a bit, instead of a lowkey breakbeat, Hooper added a solid kick to his remix, he also changed a bit in the structure. Hooper's remix starts out with the piano playing and then brings in the beat. Hooper also adds additional backupvocals & some extra vocal line courtesy of the female members of Soul II Soul. I can't say that this is better than the original but this is a very well done remix and deserves the recognition.

Definitely a classic track. And to think they sampled some of the strings from Henryk Gorecki's 'Symphony No.3'.
Unfinished Sympathy will no doubt stand the test of time. It still brings a chills up my spine when I hear it.

'Unfinished Sympathy' remain one of the nicest track ever on the heads of the specialists. The original version mixtures downtempo beats, warm chords and lovely soulful vocals of Shara Nelson with wild grooves, hip hop and dub sounds. The best version, though, is the timeless remix of Paul Oakenfold, who had been into the english hip hop scene, with evident influences of the genre and a more organic bass, surely representing the highest moment of his career. The Soul element and the strings of the tune make it more intense, unique.

Even the video to this song was legendary. A single long shot of Shara Nelson walking through a street and up some apartment stairs.
It was promptly ripped-off by shoe-gazing miseries The Verve some years later for their video for 'Bittersweet Symphony'

An absolute masterpiece, one of THE records of, not only the massive dance scene in the early 90's, but the whole decade. Shara Nelsons superb vocals coupled with the Bristol Massive's talent at producing ground breaking music and virtually inventing the 'trip hop' sound means this record is a winner, in a MASSIVE way.

Hey. Not only this track is great but think about it. Break + piano + strings..It's the recipe Moby is using since 1998 and he never never reached the first little nail of Massive Attack... 1991! Wow!