The Fat of the Land

Description

The ProdigyThe Fat Of The Landon 2LP

Few albums were as eagerly anticipated asThe Fat of the Land, theProdigyslong-awaited follow-up toMusic for the Jilted Generation.The Fat of the Landwas touted as the album that would bring electronica/techno to a wide American audience; and indeed it went on to sell 2.8 million copies in the US.The Fat of the Landdelivers exactly what anyone would expect: intense hip-hop-derived rhythms, imaginatively reconstructed samples, and meaningless shouted lyrics from Keith Flint and Maxim.

Half of the album does sound quite similar to Firestarter, especially when Flint is singing. Still, Liam Howlett is an inventive producer, and he can make songs like Smack My Bitch Up and Serial Thrilla kick with a visceral power, but he is at his best on the funky hip-hop of Diesel Power (which is driven by an excellent Kool Keith rap) and Funky Shit, as well as the mind-bending neo-psychedelia of Narayan (featuring guest vocals by Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker) and the blood-curdling cover of L7s Fuel My Fire, which features vocals by Republicas Saffron.

All those guest vocalists mean something, Howlett is at his best when hes writing for himself or others. Firestarter and all of its rewrites capture the fire of theProdigyat their peak, and the remaining songs have imagination that give the album weight.The Fat of the Landis damn good! Double vinyl reissue fromXL Recordings.

The ProdigyThe Fat Of The LandTrack Listing:

1. Smack My Bitch Up
2. Breathe
3. Diesel Power
4. Funky Shit
5. Serial Thrilla
6. Mindfields
7. Narayan
8. Firestarter
9. Climbatize
10. Fuel My Fire