... Be warned it is a mixed bag, I have very eclectic taste when it comes to music so I liked many of the songs! ‘Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars’ is an album which has a lot of contrasting reviews and I just had to add my opinion.
‘H.B.T.G.A.T.S’ begins with ... Read review
Fatboy Slim has come a long way since his debut album, Better Living Through Chemistry, ... more
saw him bring big beat to the masses. His first offering of the new millennium, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars was his most ambitious project to date. Mar...
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Fatboy Slim has come a long way since his debut album,Better Living Through Chemistry, saw ... more
him bring big beat to the masses. His first offering of the new millennium,Halfway Between the Gutter and the Starswas his most ambitious project to date. Marrie...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Fatboy Slim has come a long way since his debut album,Better Living Through Chemistry, saw ... more
him bring big beat to the masses. His first offering of the new millennium,Halfway Between the Gutter and the Starswas his most ambitious project to date. Marrie...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Fatboy Slim has come a long way since his debut album, Better Living Through Chemistry, ... more
saw him bring big beat to the masses. His first offering of the new millennium, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars was his most ambitious project to date. Mar...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Fatboy Slim has come a long way since his debut album, Better Living Through Chemistry, ... more
saw him bring big beat to the masses. His first offering of the new millennium, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars was his most ambitious project to date. Mar...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Fatboy Slim has come a long way since his debut album,Better Living Through Chemistry, saw ... more
him bring big beat to the masses. His first offering of the new millennium,Halfway Between the Gutter and the Starswas his most ambitious project to date. Marrie...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Song For Lindy Santa Cruz Going Out Of My Head Weekend Starts Here Everybody Needs A 303 ... more
Give The Po' Man A Break 10th And Crenshaw First Down Punk To Funk Sound Of Milwaukee Crenshaw Siren Beats Sunset (Bird Of Prey) Ya Mama Talkin' 'bout My Baby Demons - Fatboy Slim & Macy Gray Song For Shelter - Fatboy Slim & Roland Clarke Retox Weapon Of Choice - Fatboy Slim & Bootsy Collins Drop The Hate Star 69 Love Life - Fatboy Slim & Macy Gray Mad Flava - Fatboy Slim & Macy Gray
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Advantages: Some great tracks Disadvantages: Some weak ones, very mixed bag
Okay I admit it I bought this album mostly because it was £2.99 in the big HMV sale. I also got it because I like ‘Star 69’ and ‘Weapon Of Choice’ but I was surprised with it. Be warned it is a mixed bag, I have very eclectic taste when it comes to music so I liked many of the songs! ‘Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars’ is an album which has a lot of contrasting reviews and I just had to add my opinion. ...which although has a strong melody and vocals isn’t long enough to make any real impression on you. Not the best start off to the album really. It also doesn’t mix well into ‘Star 69’ which is the next track, it just jumps out at you from nowhere. ‘Star 69’ has some brilliant mixes and I feel that one should’ve been included on the album as a bonus track (There’s excellent mixes by Timo Maas and X-Press ... more
Okay I admit it I bought this album mostly because it was £2.99 in the big HMV sale. I also got it because I like ‘Star 69’ and ‘Weapon Of Choice’ but I was surprised with it. Be warned it is a mixed bag, I have very eclectic taste when it comes to music so I liked many of the songs! ‘Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars’ is an album which has a lot of contrasting reviews and I just had to add my opinion.
‘H.B.T.G.A.T.S’ begins with ‘Talking Bout My Baby’ which although has a strong melody and vocals isn’t long enough to make any real impression on you. Not the best start off to the album really. It also doesn’t mix well into ‘Star 69’ which is the next track, it just jumps out at you from nowhere. ‘Star 69’ has some brilliant mixes and I feel that one should’ve been included on the album as a bonus track (There’s excellent mixes by Timo Maas and X-Press 2).
Things get better with the next track ‘Sunset (Bird of Prey)’ which is a track that grows on you with the Jim Morrison samples.
When discussing this album Norman Cook describes why his style of music has changed:
"Sometimes over the last two years I've found myself doing things I don't really enjoy and forget why I'm doing this," he explains. "And I'm normally in a nightclub when I remember why. Every foray I've had into the pop world has been based on support and respect from the dance community. I didn't want to end up just pop."
It is a slightly more relaxed and soulful track which makes way for the next track ‘Lovelife’ This has vocals by Macy Gray and the lyrics take second place, with the music taking centre stage. Unfortunately this is one of those forgettable tracks, I do like it but I wouldn’t get the album out specifically to listen to it or put it on any compilation (it gets a little repetitive).
‘Push the tempo, push the tempo, push the tempo…’
And here’s the fifth track 'Ya Mama', a guitar-filled, fast paced number which never fails to get me jumping around the room. This is always a good thing. The lyrics are more shouted then sung, and I love the electronic sounds in it too.
Unfortunately I hate the next track, it is one that’ll never grow on me- ‘Mad Flava’ a truly average track and it shouldn’t have been included on the album. Thankfully my misery ends with the skip button- the next song is the excellent ‘Retox’. Another catchy song which will get the blood rushing to your head with the big beats and robotic vocals. The fantastic ‘Weapon Of Choice’ is the next song, where another robotic voice takes over and the music gets going- it has an excellent balance of both. This is a song which the Fatboy has got completely perfect. Austin Powers fans will be aware of this track, and how anyone can not like this foot-tapping number is beyond me.
The ninth track is ‘Drop The Hate’ with a scratchy, underground feel which has actually grown on me a great deal. The music at times seems to be Prodigy- inspired and that is probably what has made me like the track. The vocals contrast a lot with the music – it sounds like a male jazz/r’n’b singer (no idea who it is), I think it works well. And next comes Macy Gray with ‘Demons’ – to be honest I’m not a fan of hers and this song is no exception. The lyrics and music is great (it’s not a surprise that it’s been a hit song) but her voice makes me want to shove cotton wool in my ears and hide in a dark corner. I’m sorry.
The last track is the humungous 11 minute ‘Song For Shelter’ which has parts of ‘I get Deep’ performed by Roland Clark and it fails to hit the spot. I don’t understand what Cook has tried to achieve by this track, it just doesn’t work with the other songs and is not one to end an album with. The first and last tracks of an album are crucial to making the whole package work and this is where the Fatboy has let himself down. At times the mixing is erratic and a few songs are just not good enough to be on the album at all.
I know I’m probably being a pain but the CD booklet included could’ve been better. There’s some beautiful photos inside of clouds, however it would’ve been nice to see something more personal from Cook. Also there’s a page with details of guest vocalists and samples, however the writing is tiny and it’s really difficult to read. These are things that make the CD look sloppy.
Overall I feel that there’s a lot of potential on this album, but it seems to be rushed. It could have been a brilliant album if Cook had been clear from the start what kind of mood he is trying to create. If he wanted a more soulful, older feel then his mixing and choice of tracks should’ve reflected this. Instead the result is an uncertain listing of tracks, where it’s unlikely that any listener will like more than two or three songs. It’s a huge shame because Fatboy Slim can do much better.
chocoholic 24.07.2002
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Review of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim
Advantages: 'Bird Of Prey' and Macy Gray's contributions are pretty cool... Disadvantages: some weak tracks, familiar sounding formula in places
Norman Cook has recorded music is more guises than most people have had hot dinners. He had been a member of the chart-topping bands The Housemartins and Beats International, as well as scoring dance hits under the monikers Pizzaman and Mighty Dub Katz before arguably reaching the peak of his critical acclaim as Fatboy Slim. After releasing his debut 'Better Living Through Chemistry' and the critically acclaimed and bestselling 'You've Come A Long ... ...'Halfway Between The Gutter and The Stars', which was released in 2000. However, it sold a fraction of what it was expected to and was widely received as being disappointing. Somewhat more adult orientated than his previous efforts, the album starts off with 'Talking Bout My Baby', which features a simple piano melody with a repetitive vocal sampled from 'Macon Hambone Blues' by the interestingly titled band 'Wet Willie'. Not the strongest track ...
stoffy 09.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim
Advantages: Half decent tracks featuring Macy Gray, with Demons being the undoubted highlight Disadvantages: Overall its quite dull compared to his previous efforts
After the worldwide success of “You’ve come a long way baby” it can be said that Fatboy Slim (a.k.a. Norman Cook) was heralded as the shining example of dance music DJs crossing over into the mainstream. His subsequent marriage to media darling Zoe Ball didn’t help in calming down the hype surrounding him. Putting the hype aside “You’ve come a long way baby” was a great album with many unforgettable tracks ... ...So when I heard the next album was due for release I put my reservation in sharpish. “Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars” does not unfortunately live up to the high expectations I had. The album opens up with “Talking Bout My Baby” which just doesn’t get going. The next track “Star” amplifies my fears that I have bought the wrong album. It is dire and littered with the ‘F’ word for no apparent ...
Slim_Lee 06.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim
Advantages: Great album Disadvantages: Lose MACY GRAY!
...music exists for very different reasons. And in reaching for this higher ground, Cook risks losing the dancefloor-centred fun that's made his Fatboy Slim music so infectiously effective, but the risk he took and man did he pull it off!
Leaving him precisely halfway between somewhere and the top. ...
ExothermicBoy 16.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim
Advantages: Some tracks Disadvantages: Too many to list!!!
When I first got this album I was really excited. I'd got "you've come a long way baby" when it came out and loved it. It's really cool with some great tunes. But this is different and I don't think it's that good. Some of the tracks are really boring and you REALLY want them to finish.
But the album has some really tracks but also some really terrible songs. If he spent more time on this album and took the rubbish tracks out and left the others ... ...go like this:
1 : Talking bout my baby
This track has a good beat to it and great background sounds. When the vocals first come in they start of weird but once you listen more this is quite a good song. It does get quite boring and you'll wish you had a gun if it went on any longer.
2 : Star 69
This track is really good, I mean without all the swearing!! I don't mind a little bit of swearing but this track just gets annoying: "They know what ...
Milleniben 18.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim
Advantages: The collaborations with Macy Gray Disadvantages: None
This is a much more satisfying record than Fatboy Slim's previous album. Whereas about a third of the songs on 'You've come a long way baby' simply sounded loud and repetitive, every track on 'Halfway between the gutter and the stars' is good.
The loudness is still there, but a manifest hip-hop influence gives this album a much more relaxed over all groove. Reviews in magazines and at other web sites cite Norman Cook's marriage and fatherhood as ... ...seem that he has calmed down somewhat since his last offering. All songs stand up well on their own, but this album is much better enjoyed if played all the way through since the tracks are blended together nicely. The strong piano introduction and almost screaming vocals of 'Talking bout my baby' gets things off to an attention grabbing start. It is interesting that the Jim Morrison sample 'Bird of Prey' was the first single to be released because ...
Karaoke_James 13.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim
Product Information for "Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim" »
Product details
Title
Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA]
Performer
Fatboy Slim
Genre
Electronic
Sub Genre
Trip Hop / Big Beat
Release Date
06/11/2000
Original Release Year
2000
Label / Distributor
Skint / Republic Of Music/Universal Music
Producer
Fatboy Slim
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
5025425552052
Additional notes
Album Notes
Full title: Halfway Between The Gutter & The Stars. Personnel includes: Fatboy Slim, Ashley Slater, Roger Sanchez, Macy Gray, Bootsy Collins, Roland Clark, Shinehead. HALFWAY BETWEEN THE GUTTER & THE STARS was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Norman Cook, AKA Fatboy Slim, drops the overwrought fratboy party appeal of his previous releases for this subdued take on the "Big Beat" formula. Cook conjures up soulful, gospel-inflected music that draws equally from classic rock as it does from acid house. Cook's samples vary wildly, from Jim Morrison to Bill Withers, but are part of considered arrangements and beautifully restrained production. Things get off to a contemplative start with the opening track "Talking Bout My Baby." It sets the tone for the rest of the album, a contrast of introspective emotions and peak hour party stompers perfectly illustrated by the track "Sunset (Bird Of Prey)," which samples a Doors acapella over an ambient breakbeat track to great effect. The pace of the record is generally upbeat, especially on the sleazy funk track featuring Macy Gray "Love Life" and the hip-hop bossanova of "Weapons of Choice," which includes a performance by a heavily vocodered Bootsy Collins. The gospel influence extends to the final track "Song For Shelter," an exuberant statement for global house culture making implicit the connection between dance music and spiritual experience.
Album Reviews
Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000". Spin (12/00, pp.213-4) - 6 out of 10 - "...A post-masterpiece puzzler....it finds an edge and cuts itself open, almost shocked at its own capacity to say something new..." Q (12/00, p.122) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Dance music for grown-ups..." Muzik (11/00, p.83) - 5 out of 5 - "... Deeper and more introspective....Both thumping and atmospheric, every groove is permeated with a warm glow..." Entertainment Weekly (11/10/00, p.88) - "...An assortment of sampled or live funk-soul brothers, from Bootsy Collins to the more obscure Roland Clark...wed to club-ready tracks that are grittier, loopier, and more driving than...YOU"VE COME A LONG WAY BABY..." - Rating: B- Melody Maker (11/14/00, p.51) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Dares to go out on a potential lethal limb....Old-skool Fatboy fans will lap up the gritty, Prodigy-esque 'Yo Mama' and the kooky, slap-happy beats of 'Weapon Of Choice'..." Alternative Press (12/00, p.89) - 3 out of 5 - "...A genteel album that's as typified by expansive breakbeats and dirty funk as it is by hard dance rhythms and Big-Beat nostalgia..." Mojo (12/00, p.114) - "...Great pop music..." NME (11/4/00, p.45) - 9 out of 10 - "...It's ace True Fatboy concrete handbag-style disco-metal Yeah..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Sunset (Bird Of Prey)
2.
Ya Mama
3.
Talkin' 'bout My Baby
4.
Demons - Fatboy Slim & Macy Gray
5.
Song For Shelter - Fatboy Slim & Roland Clarke
6.
Retox
7.
Weapon Of Choice - Fatboy Slim & Bootsy Collins
8.
Drop The Hate
9.
Star 69
10.
Love Life - Fatboy Slim & Macy Gray
11.
Mad Flava - Fatboy Slim & Macy Gray
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Listed on Ciao since
11/11/2000
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