Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars [PA] - Fatboy Slim > Reviews > Not bad, not great

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Lacking inspiration
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it rate alongside the competition	Unmemorable
Value for Money

Advantages:	Some great tracks
Disadvantages:	Some weak ones, very mixed bag

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

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.