|
The Fat of the Land | 
 enlarge | Artist: The Prodigy
Label: Maverick
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy Used: $2.00
You Save: $11.98 (86%)
New (26) Used (52) Collectible (1) from $2.00
Rating:  201 reviews
Sales Rank: 3532
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 46606
UPC: 093624660620
EAN: 0093624660620
ASIN: B000002NFM
Release Date: July 1, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Tracks:
| | Smack My Bitch Up | | | Breathe | | | Diesel Power | | | Funky Shit | | | Serial Thrilla | | | Mindfields | | | Narayan | | | Firestarter | | | Climbatize | | | Fuel My Fire - The Prodigy, Sparks, D.J. |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
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
Album Description
Japanese reissue of the British electronica act's 1997 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Molotov Bitch' & 'No Man Army'. CBS. 2004.
Album Details
Japanese Re-issue featuring Two Bonus Tracks: 'molotov Bitch', and 'no Man Army'.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 196 more reviews...
 A Monster Of The Nineties April 29, 2005
Busy Body (London, England)
33 out of 35 found this review helpful
Anyone who experienced the music scene of the Nineties can surely remember The Prodigy as one of the most vivid acts of that decade. After releasing critically-acclaimed albums in the early 1990's such as "Music For The Jilted Generation," the British group went global with 1997's "Fat Of The Land." The hype and build-up for this album was absolutely incredible, having been preceded the year previously with two massive dance anthems which both hit No.1 in the UK and set new records.
The Fat Of The Land arrived in July 1997 like a tidal wave as a staggering 320,000 copies were sold in the UK in its first week (this would be around 1,600,000 if it had sold the same ratio in the US because America's population is five times that of the UK). This figure does pale somewhat in comparison to Oasis' "Be Here Now" which sold 700,000 in 72 hours in the UK alone a month later, but the statistics are still extraordinary; the music scene in the 1990's was like nothing seen since the 1960's, because here was a new generation, open, free, expressing themselves, and buying music in droves. The Prodigy were a part of that most definitely.
The Fat Of The Land boasts ten tracks of fast-paced, hyper, adrenaline-fuelled anthems; a mish mash of Techno, Heavy Metal, Dance and Electronica. Critics were not quite sure what to make of this album, because it was unlike anything that preceded it. Definitely ground-breaking, but not quite a perfect album.
It opens with the deliberately controversial "Smack My Bitch Up." This song had women's rights groups up in arms, and rightly so. The lyrical content is not something I agree with, but the song itself is a masterpiece of hard-hitting techno-driven beats, and the female vocal section in the middle is incredible. The video is also very interesting, with a twist that makes you think about your preconceived notion of men as being evil and greedy pigs. "Breathe" became the band's second UK No.1 in November 1996. This is an amazing song with a hardcore beat and a very heavy chorus. The beats are raw and rough, almost steely with a whip-like rhythm section that scars itself along the intro. "Diesel Power" is a great song that has a foot-stomping beat that crashes through your headphones. With industrial beats crashing all over the bass, this is a very memorable song due to the hip-hop raps. "Funky S**t" is another great song that just blows me away every time I hear it. A lot of people don't seem to like this song, but I really like the way the deep bass is mixed with the static beats that pulsate along, all the way through.
"Serial Thriller" is an amazing song with very industrial beats that sound like sirens at a power plant. This is quite a heavy song that reminds me more of hardcore rock bands than anything, and the vocals are quite brilliant. "Mindfields" is probably my least favourite song on the album, but it's also probably the most electronic song on the album. The beats are rather fuzzy and scattered here which gives this effect. "Narayan" is the longest song on the album at just over nine minutes. The song is very different to anything else on the album because it has a clear and bright beat that just flows through your brain. The song actually features an ancient Hindu prayer towards the end, which is so unusual; to see this hardcore techno-rock song mixed with such a religious statement. Towards the end, the song becomes all mixed up until you can hardly pick it apart, before the beat rises to a climax, and then...
Ah, then comes the real star of the album. It is of course "Firestarter," and it is without a doubt one of the most popular songs in the UK of all time. This song stormed to No.1 in the UK in early 1996 and put the band at the forefront of the British music scene. This song scared grannies, infuriated protective parents, and made millions of teenagers all over the country go crazy with joy! The video to this song has to be seen to be believe, a true classic' the song is dirty, gritty and so anthemic. "Climbatize" is one of my favourite songs on the album, but it doesn't seem to get much recognition. I'm not sure why this is, maybe because it's an instrumental track, but this shouldn't distract from how brilliant it is. The song opens gently with a distant beat that grows heavier and louder until a full rhythm section is dancing and darting its way all over the set. Imagine watching the sun rise as you listen to this, it's amazing. The album closes with "Fuel My Fire," which is a cover version of the L7 original. This song is very heavy and dark and reminds more of the Sex Pistols.
OVERALL GRADE: 9/10
And there you have it, an album that was intended for the dance floor, but completely transcends the genre. The music on this album will always be remembered for being completely original and unique, like nothing before it and, because it also now sounds slightly dated, like nothing in the future. Keith Flint would take a further seven years to release the follow-up to this album. Maybe he just couldn't get it right, who knows. This album isn't perfect, and it's certainly not my favourite of 1997; Radiohead's "OK Computer" and Bjork's "Homogenic" run circles around it. It is, still, a great album and one that I feel is worthy of a place on any music lover's shelf, if not for the nostalgia.
Fat Of The Land, Best Prodigy CD, Best Electronic CD Ever! December 30, 1999
the enlightened one (under the tree of enlightenment)
25 out of 31 found this review helpful
Prodigy's music in The Fat of the Land portrays several scapes of electronica wrapped with traces of heavy metal and hip hop breakbeats. This CD shows just how talented Prodigy can really be. It is a complete representation of the mind, body, and soul that can be found in Electronic music.My personal favorite track on this CD is Climbatize. The song still remains as one of my all time favorites. Climbatize is some INCREDIBLE ambience with luscious melodies that will completely stir all your deepest emotions. Other great songs, such as Smack My Bitch Up, Breathe, and Firestarter are purely meant for the dancing crowd. Overall, this CD is amazing. You will never find anything like this, ever. Don't forget to look for the other two Prodigy CDs, Experience and Music For The Jilted Generation. Both CDs are very different styles from Fat of the Land, but still good.
Intense and Hypnotic August 1, 2001
24 out of 34 found this review helpful
I listen to all different genres of music, but I have found that, honestly, "Fat of the Land" is one of my favourite albums of all time, and certainly the best Prodigy album there is (Jilted Generation certainly gives it a run for its money, and is probably more experimental; but the genius of Fat lies in the fact that it has a very coherant theme running throughout the tracks, and most of the musical ideas work very well). Naturally, however, some tracks are better than others.Ranked from (1) to (10) (1 is the best track and 10 is the worst Smack my B-- up: Very urban and gritty, the only drawback of this song is that it takes overly long to get off the ground. The Indipop vocal bridge thing is awesome, though.(7) Breathe: Perhaps the most popular song on the album, but not really my favourite. Keith Flint's vocals don't work so well, nor does the rock-fusion effort. Serial Thrilla is a much better track in that regard.(8) Diesel Power: Might've been nice if it weren't for the lame guest rapper.(9) Funky S--: Awesome song; very fast-paced and aggressive, extensive sampling but all the samples work real well.(4) Serial Thrilla: Perfect metal/techno fusion track. The guitar part is great, and the vocals fit real well into the song (though I'm not sure that they mean anything). Definately this is the heaviest and most aggressive song on the album, as well as one of the best. The overall sound is very dark and gritty.(2) Mindfields: Another great track. Mindfields is based on a very simple theme, but it has a very earthy feel to it.(3) Narayan: Really mystical; this track best captures the trippiness of the latter part of the album in general. It would've been an awesome song, but unfortunately it's not as coherant as it might've been and could use a bit more cleaning up. The lyrics are disturbing and cryptic - they add alot to the overall feel of this track; and the Sanskritish vocal thing in the middle is also great.(6) Firestarter: Another techno/metal fusion track. Works very well overall; not quite as good as Serial Thrilla, but much better than Breathe. I saw the music video for this and it's also pretty cool.(5) Climbatize: All in all, I'd say this is by far the best track on the album. This song is very coherant musically, and it has all the elements that make the album great: it's trippy, mystical, exotic, dark, agressive, earthy... (1) Fuel my Fire: Probably the weakest overall. Fuel my Fire is a cover, adn it shows. The vocals are edgy and sorta irritating, similar to Breathe in alot of respects.(10)
Prodigy: Fat Bass, Fat Breaks, Fat Beats January 28, 2001
Greg (Maryland)
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
My personal favorite of all techno albums.Smack My Bitch Up: a fast-paced, vulgar collection of tunes which should have no problem getting you on your feet. My mom hates that song. Breathe: starts up with a James Bondish type sound and then a drum roll and bass beat smacks you in the face, this combined with a chain-hitting-metal pole sound from Wu-Tang and and dueling lyrics from Keith Flint and Maxim Reality really step it up. Diesel Power: Mad rap from Kool Kieth, trippy drum beat, and booming sound in background. Funky Shit: If you are a Beastie Boy fan, you'll recognize Adrock saying "Oh My God That's The Funky Shit" from Root Down in this lyricless fastpaced techno song. Serial Thrilla: heavy guitars, weird drum beat, and Keith Flint's nonsensical lyrical styling. Mindfields: Imagine yourself traveling through the Middle East with Maxim while dancing to this. Narayan: I must say this is my least favorite because it gets tedious in all respects because it is 9 minutes long. good beat though Firestarter: Possibly my favorite song on here, because it was the first prodigy song i ever heard. Best drum beat ever. Climbatize: also very tedious and that stupid horn in the song will drive you nuts. Fuel My Fire: Only song that stands out from the rest because of it's rock and roll like quality.
Amazing dance & techno, the best ever March 31, 2001
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Just when you think an artist can't get any better...they do. Prodigy's music has grown since their time in England's underground techno scene, during which their first album, "Experience", was released. Afterwards, they followed up with "Music For The Jilted Generation", with some of the greatest techno songs ever released on there. This album shows how far Prodigy has come though, and how truly refined their music is. The whole album has the amazing feature of blending so many different styles of music. Hard rock and heavy guitars bring out the energy in "Breathe" and "Fuel My Fire", more defined techno tracks like "Climbatize" and "Mindfields" are present, as well as "Diesel Power", featuring the hip-hop vocals of rapper Kool Keith.The purer techno sounds make up only a portion of the album, as said before, showing up in "Climbatize" and "Mindfields". "Narayan" is also a wonderfully crafted song, with some great vocals by Crispian Mills adding to the effect. All three of them show the genius writing and mixing of Liam Howlett, the genius behind The Prodigy. This album also goes to prove that house and dance music isn't dead and still has some hope. "Smack My B**** Up" is a fast-paced, amazingly crafted song with an Indian vocalist by the name of Shahin Bada contributing to the song's stellar performance. Also, "Funky S***", with samples taken from a Beastie Boys song, is a great, faster techno or dance song. As said before, "Diesel Power" is an amazing song which shows music that Prodigy hasn't dealt with on this level before, which is hip-hop. This song is just proof of how wide Prodigy's music range stretches, as this is a great rap and techno song at the same time. The two singles from the album, "Breathe" and "Firestarter" are unforgettable. The lyrics are loud, dramatic, and well-written and just go hand-in-hand with the amazing music. This goes for "Serial Thrilla" and the cover of "Fuel My Fire", which features some amazing guitars by Jim Davies. All in all, this album is nothing short of amazing and is the best techno can really get. I can only hope that Prodigy releases their rumored new album soon, and hope it will be as brilliant as this one.
|
|
|
|
| |
