The Prodigy Album: “Fat of the Land [PA]”

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.

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.

I first heard Prodigy in Chicago last year. My buddy and I were going to see Meat Beat Manifesto and we arrivied late. We saw Prodigy. That was the loudest, heaviest, head banging music I have ever heard. My ears were ringing for daze! I loved it! I just recently bought the cd because I have not been getting enough techno in my diet. I bought several cd's and Fat of the Land is by far the deepest bass that will rock your neighborhood. Turn it up and your friends will hear you coming from miles away! I've been told that this music kills more brain cells then mushrooms but has less calories than a Guniess!

Before we begin the review, let's get one thing straight - Liam Howlett is a genius. A genius! Okay, now that we've said that, let's get on with the review.

The Fat of the Land is the title for Prodigy's third album. What we have here is an incredible array of sound and walls of noise from none other than synth master Liam Howlett himself. This man has got rythm down. He knows how to make you move. This is the record that will have you bouncing off the walls. However, this time around, Liam has been wise enough to utilize talents from other people. This means a more vocal, dare we say "rock" oriented approach on several of the songs.

This album sold a lot of copies. It is, to my knowledge, the fastest-selling record of all time.

Why, one might ask, did the record sell so much? Because it's good. Plain and simple. Let's look at some of the songs.

First off, this album, while good musically, has some songs that were controversial. These include the first track, "Smack," and "Firestarter." Say what you will on these songs. "Smack" uses a rap sample from the group Ultramagnetic MC's. "Firestarter" is about Keith Flint and his manic zaniness.

The first track, "Smack," features a propulsive beat, nice bass, nice sound, it's all nice. It's hard and in-your-face. The song breaks down to feature an Indian vocalist. This is a cohesive, memorable track.

The second track, "Breathe," was, to me upon first listen, quite confrontational. It features Maxim (the Prodigy's MC) and Keith Flint on vocals. This song is about drug psychosis. However, you don't need to know that to enjoy it... This one will get you moving. This was one of the two hit singles on this album ("Breathe" and "Firestarter.") The vocals on this song have been likened to the Sex Pistols, and they are somewhat similar. The beat is fast and crazy.

"Diesel Power" is a rap number with, also, a really nice beat, and Kool Keith (also known as Dr. Octagon) on vocals. A nice song, but not quite as memorable to me.

"Funky Sh**" is a fast techno thriller. It has a menacing sound, and includes well-used samples, such as a disco sample.

"Mindfields" is an excellent song with a slightly Japanese feel, a really nice rap sort of beat, and nice electronic effects.

"Narayan" is perhaps one of my favorite songs on this album. It has Crispian Mills, from the band Kula Shaker, on vocals, but the charm of this song lies in Liam Howlett's production and orchestration. This is an Eastern sounding number, but it's really quite hard-hitting... It even has a spooky piano line, and the whole thing sounds kind of emotional. At some points in the track you feel like you are being sonically whipped. Mind-bending.

And then there's "Firestarter," a stomper and burner of a track, with Keith Flint's manic British accent vocal delivery. Has a good beat, good guitar, good vocals. A good cohesive track. This was the second of the two hit singles.

Climbatize was the last song Liam made for the album. It's an instrumental track, with a Middle Eastern feel. It's good, but not one of my favorites. They played it on the commercial for the Tomb Raider movie...

The album ends on somewhat of a surprise note - a cover of an L7 song. This song is very "thrashy," and almost purely rock. It has electronic effects, but is in essense a thrash rock song. So-so. My sister liked it.

In my opinion, about the only thing this album has against it, and what keeps me from listening to it as much as Music for the Jilted Generation (Prodigy's second album) is the lack of variety in it. Some of the songs can sound a little too similar, even though they are all good. Also, the album as a whole is pretty hard-hitting, and maybe could have used a few "breathers," as well. After a while it may begin to grate on you.

However, despite the harsh, urban, underground, hardcore feel of the album, there lies a beauty in it, a deep beauty, and one that has stayed with me and not left me. A lot of work went into this album, and it shows. When I put the cd into the cd player and let it play, it's pure sonic bliss. In fact, often just by putting it in, I find I may end up listening to the whole album - it's that cohesive. Each track is well-made, and they fit together and flow nicely.

My second favorite Prodigy album, after Music for the Jilted Generation. Excellent production. If you like rock, chances are you will like this album. If you like a variety of music, such as rock and hip hop, chances are even higher that you will like it.

I'm one of the few people in the world who really views a review of five out of five stars to be a work of perfection. Well, let me break the news to you this way: The Fat of the Land is not perfect. However, nonperfection means that the record can still be very very good: it is.

I won't bother rehashing the familiar reviews, critiques, and prises of an album nearly eight years old. I will, however, add my take on a song that VERY few people have mentioned: Narayan. Narayan is an opus that delivers what I believe to be the perfect touch to one of my favorite albums of all time. On a CD immersed in dance-heavy beats and power chords, Narayan is a breath of fresh air. The Prodigy incorporated aspects of musical taste completely unlike anything else on the album while lacing it with a Hindu theme in the chanting. Yes, it is a Hindu prayer at the end of the song.

I feel as though this song really makes the difference between an above-average CD to one that still makes a frequent visit to my rotation after years of use. Do yourself a favor and pick up The Fat of the Land.