Halfway Between Middling and Mediocre
 Jan 9th, 2003
Advantages:
'Bird Of Prey' and Macy Gray's contributions are pretty cool . . .
Disadvantages:
some weak tracks, familiar sounding formula in places
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it rate alongside the competition
Value for Money
more
  stoffy
About me:
Er, what more can I say other than I have an incurable and irrational addiction to 80's things...
Member since:24.08.2001
Reviews:95
Members who trust:27
Review rated by 19 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
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 Way Baby', there was much anticipation for his third album '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 on the album, it sets the tone for an eclectic and disjointed set of songs. 'Star 69' is up next, which features a relentless dance backing peppered with the gruff male vocal of 'what the f***' on dozens of occasions. A bit gimmicky
and insubstantial, it was the forgotten flipside to 'Weapon of Choice', the third release to be taken from the album. Inevitably banned by most radio stations, it has only curiosity appeal and isn't really a tune that would have any great appeal outside of a club.
Oddly juxtaposed with 'Star 69' is the Jim Morrison sampling 'Sunset (Bird Of Prey)'. With many of The Doors' fans up in arms about anyone sampling their heroes work, it received a mixed reception, and was certainly a bit of a risky choice as the lead single. Tipped as a number one, it stalled at number 9 in October 2000, which seemed to pre-empt the commercial disaster that the album was. However, I think it's actually one the finest, if not the finest, work of Fatboy Slim to date. Many of Cook's songs are perhaps guilty of being over-reliant on the sample, but I think that the balance is neatly struck here between Morrison's whimsical strains and the accompanying electronica to create a lush and vivid soundscape. Aided by a memorable video of a Vietnam pilot (far superior to the acclaimed and overrated 'Weapon of Choice' promo), it is the highlight of the album, although some may find it overlong at 6 and a half minutes... 'Love Life' goes back to the 70's-influenced sounds of his previous albums and is given a fresh sound by the unique vocals of Macy Gray. Used on a car advert recently, it is a retro-slab of P-Funk that's only real negative point is that it is once again a bit on the long side. A more dance orientated style can be found in 'Ya Mama', which reached number 30 in the charts. Featuring the characteristic Fatboy guitar loops, and a nagging vocal of 'push the tempo, raise the tempo' is doesn't really offer us anything original, and does smack of a cast off from his earlier outings.
'Mad Flava' is jazz-funk fodder that lacks any distinctive elements to make it any more than a bog-standard album track and can get quite grating on repeated listens. 'Retox' is a faster outing, again revolved around a short loop. Sounding as though it has taken its inspiration from 80's Chicago House, it lacks any interesting vocal sections to make it any more than run of the mill. After this pair of anonymous tracks, we arrive at 'Weapon of Choice', known to many for it's comedy video of Hollywood actor Christopher Walken dancing. Despite being voted by viewers of VH1 as the best promo ever, it has probably suffered from over-play, and once it is taken away from the video, the song itself sounds a little sparse and dull.
'Drop The Hate' returns back to the preachy vocal stylings that have been used by Cook and his imitators on a number of occasions. Repetitive and lacking in inspiration yet again, it really isn't something that you'd want to play over and over. A brief oasis in the desert of mediocrity is the gorgeous 'Demons', once again featuring the gravel voiced Macy Gray on vocals. Despite it's obvious drug metaphors, it has a delicate charm that is lacking in so much of 'Halfway Between The Gutter and The Stars'. Much more sedate and downtempo than the previous trio of tracks, it is melancholy and uplifting at the same time, and has some refreshingly understated gospel snippets too. Another relative flop commercially, it is perhaps a grower rather than an instant winner.
The 11-minute epic is rounded up by 'Song For Shelter'. Like most 11-minute epics, it is very self-indulgent. The requisite loops and the snatches of male speech are accompanied here by some Indian instrumentation and a thumping dance beat. However, instead of sounding fresh and creative, it just appears to be messy and is pretty unlistenable. Not the best way to end an album... Although 'Halfway Between The Gutter and The Stars' is not without its highlights and clearly shows the hallmarks of a maverick, it tries too hard to incorporate too many different sounds into the mix. The result is that is falls between many stools. Too disjointed to be considered either a club album or one that you can easily listen to at home without having to flick through the less accessible tracks, it is not surprising to see why the public didn't warm to it like they did to the more flowing 'You've Come A Long Way Baby'.
That said, it is often on sale extremely cheaply. A second hand copy can be picked up for a couple of quid on Ebay, whilst HMV has had it priced at £2.99 on a number of occasions. Worth buying for 'Sunset (Bird Of Prey' and 'Demons' alone, it comes recommended as a bargain if not a classic.
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10.01.2003 17:55
While I had never heard of Fatboy Slim, he had a hand in the Moulin Rouge soundtrack that I fell in love with and so tried listening to some of his other works, since I loved the soundtrack so much. But I found that he really wasn't my thing. Great op. Peace, Kimber
10.01.2003 14:59
Not really my thing - although your review is - another brilliant one!
09.01.2003 23:33
I have this album as well.