Album Description: Japanese reissue of the British electronica act's 1997 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Molotov Bitch' & 'No Man Army'. CBS. 2004.
Amazon.com essential recording: An album even the technophobic couldn't ignore, The Fat of the Land made Prodigy one of the first U.K. rave acts to infiltrate pop culture. Hard-core hip-hop-derived breakbeats, layers of unabashed (but creative) sampling, and meaningless shouted lyrics struck a chord beyond the electronic-music community. The inclusion of "Firestarter" and "Breathe" (both previously released hit singles) certainly aided the disc's widespread success, but it was the ferocity (and controversy) of "Smack My Bitch Up" that caught the world's attention. Guest Shahin Bada's Indian vocalizations convey the sense that dance music has come a long way from "Pump Up the Volume"! "Diesel Power," featuring Kool Keith, and "Funky Shit" set a wicked groove; the cover of L7's "Fuel My Fire" recalls the energy of the Sex Pistols. In fact, the dark aggression of The Fat of the Land bears closer resemblance to both rap and punk than the hedonism of techno. Leader Liam Howett simply gives up 10 solid songs with bombastic production values, transforming dance music into the art of noise. --Lisa Ladouceur
Ahead of their time, and still sounding great If you had never heard anything from "The Fat of the Land" before this point in time, I feel confident guessing that you would think Prodigy was a "current" musical group/act.
The musicality and driving rhythms still feel fresh and clean, and the angst-filled vibe is still around. Prodigy was ahead of the pack, and still sounds great, today.
A must-buy.
Great Stuff I'm not a big fan of electronic music in general, but this has enough rock influence with good beats to be more than worthwhile. Recommended for anybody who wants to feel and hear music.
One of industrial metals calling cards Bursting onto the scene in 97 with this breakout album Prodigy in many ways took the baton of industrial metal from Trent Reznors NIN and ran with it. It really is inconceivable that without NIN paving the way for them Prodigy could of had anywhere near the impact they had on the mainstream. This album is killer stuff, taking a range of traditional hard rock/metal shadings and giving them a new set of clothes and really adding a serious dose of accessibility to the industrial metal pantheon.
Starting up with Smack My Bitch Up the band show themselves to be no record company darlings. I mean it's not the most subtle way of starting up an album is it? The album moves along from there to Breathe, one of the hits off this release and belting the listener up front with two of the best songs on the album is a clever bit of conventional track listing. And in many ways, music aside, this is a very traditional metal album. The whole shock rocker look of the band and the `hey look, I'm a borderline nutcase' shenanigans of the frontman fitted perfectly the mood of the mid to late 90's and the bands videos had just enough of a touch of the gothic to rope in some goth metallers for a bit of a boost to album sales.
Further down the playlist of the album we get a series of songs that by themselves aren't world beaters but they are solid and they hang together very well and bludgeon the listener. Except of course for Firestarter, a slow burn industrial nugget that uses it's hypnotic repetition to good effect and it's this catchiness that probably inspired the band to put this out as the lead single, paving the way for the albums climb up the charts in a number of territories.
Personally I would perhaps have finished the album with Firestarter as by the time Climbatise and Fuel My Fire set out their respective stalls the listener has pretty much heard it all. Not that they are bad tunes, but they aren't up to the same levels of frayed sanity as Firestarter.
Prodigy never managed to better this album and it still stands as one of the most commercially successful industrial metal crossovers ever and for good reason. The guitar textures and the relentless backing beats create a textured wall of sound that sucks the listener in. The shock rocker act seems fresh and about as real as it ever is and this is, without a doubt, pretty much the most humanly connective industrial metal album around, the band sending forth concise blasts rather than the more downbeat musical labyrinths of NIN.
"I'm A Firestarter! Twisted Firestarter!" Bursting onto the scene in early 90's/late 80's, Prodigy have been known to dabble into a smorgasboard of electronic music styles. They never stuck to one type of electronic style in their career, and that's just dynamite. But whatever they do, they never fail on one thing: To Deliver an attitude. Yeah, the earlier stuff really doesn't have as much, but The Fat Of The Land does. It's in your face. It has hard beats. The sampling has nothing to do with catchy pop melodies. So expect not a lot of catchy, tasty melodies. Do however, expect dirt. Lot's of it.
Prodigy at it's heart, is a dance group. But it extends beyond that. Take a time to relax as you get lost in the etheral vocals in Narayan and Smack My ______ Up (the middle part, at least). Climatize, well there really isn't much I could explain, but that one requires a listen in the dark with headphones to consume you (at least the beginning, even it's Tangerine Dream-lite). Lot's of the songs have interludes that pump you, make you relax, and make you slam yourself. Besides, with Keith Flint's snarling vocals, this stuff is in your face get the ______ out of my way(Firestarter! Yeah!). It never gets old.
The Fat Of The Land has the snarling attitude down pat. Like I said before, the music isn't poppy. This isn't Daft Punk. Nearly ever song on here has a pumping beat, Breath will go into the ground. Diesel Power has a bit of an industrial feel, featuring Kool Keith. Aside from Climatize, there isn't much relaxation. It does however, grow on you, and the melodies still are great. They just don't sound like Darude or Daft Punk's Discovery.
So electronic music fans who only prefer Oakenfold and poppy techno may not like it. Buuut, well there isn't much to say on taste. However, if you are looking for attitude and slamming breakbreaks, there's no question you should look into it. 10/10
Prodigy I got the CD in very good condition and on time. I love this kind of survise. Keep it up :)
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