This was Liam Howlett's career apex. The magical maestro of dancefloor electronica and beats, and his band, dancers Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill, along with MC Maxim, announced themselves upon the wider public with their underground hit album 'The Prodigy Experience', which was blamed for single-handedly killing rave.
Not a bad way to start! Many critics felt Liam's brand of tongue-in-cheek rave satire would see them sink without trace were it to be repeated. Luckily for The Prodigy, and the wider record-buying public, it wasn't. Howlett embraced and straddled various dance sub-genres within this LP. Elements of house, techno, hip-hop, jungle and trance all rear their heads, with the result being a near-flawless album to dance, bang your head, and get off your head to.
1. 'Intro.' A dark-sounding sample guides us in, with a tongue-in-cheek sample from a movie i don't know the name of; "I'm
taking my work back underground, to prevent it falling into the wrong hands"
2. 'Break and enter' A great opener, with many 'time-changes' (if that's what you call them in dance music!) and layers of sounds and samples colliding. From a bleeping opening, with the effect of breaking glass dominating the track, we eventually have a scratched female vocal falsetto line (a sample from Baby D), contrasting with a pulsing 'guitary' rhythm. The theme? Look at the title.
3. 'Their law' A superb and memorable lead rhythm is a highlight of this collaboration with Pop Will Eat Itself, a gutsy mid-tempo rebel anthem against the police and government as a whole. Supreme scratching too.
4. 'Full throttle' A fast-paced drum and bass flavoured track with minimal vocal samples of space shuttle team getting their message across, as well as evil laughter! Highly inventive percussion drives this very dancable gem along.
5. 'Voodoo people' My favourite track, and a hit single for obvious reasons. I can't do justice to it with a description, but it is a monster mix of techno, jungle and trance, with the lead rhythm a sublime mixture of bleeps, an electric guitar loop and synth sound effects. Maniacal vocals add to the voodoo 'feel' of this frantic masterpiece.
6. 'Speedway' Clocking in at over seven minutes, this is the theme from 'Fastlane', a minimal atmospheric piece, with plenty of racing car sound effects giving it an adrenaline-charged kick.
7. 'The heat (the energy)' Throbbing beats and scratching kick this stomper into gear, before an orchestral keyboard adds a touch of euphoric trance to the melting pot. More vocal samples aplenty.
8. 'Poison' One of the major highlights, this highly recognisable single includes impressive vocals by MC Maxim, and unforgettable percussion. The bass and beats imbed themselves in your head, and won't be extracted anytime soon. Neither will the 'crow squawk' effect that dominates it.
9. 'No good (start the dance)' The biggest hit from the album, this is dancefloor paradise, the perfect blend of drums and mixing, with an unforgettable vocal sample. Fast-paced and adrenaline-charged, this is a gift from the dance Gods.
10. 'One love' (edit) Another hit, this is highly impressive and thickly layered techno-trance, with thumping drums, and a wailing tribal vocal sample. Unique video too!
11/12/13. 'The Narcotics Suite' A stroke of genius completes this phenomenal album; 3 tracks dedicated to the three levels of drug consumption. Beginning with; 'Three Kilos', an ode to scoring said substances, this is a classy, jazzy house track with a memorable melody, including a classic flute signature. Next is 'Skylined'; ode to the kick and following high, a hypnotic, swirling trance piece with funky drums and an uplifting euphoric section. And finally; 'Claustrophobic sting'; a superb and darkly atmospheric ode to the uncomfortable comedown. With techno bleeps and throbbing beats, it includes a distinctive, whispered panicky vocal: "My mind is glowing!" The tense and paranoid atmosphere is continued throughout.
After the terrific highs, the 'comedown' track rounds it off nicely. A groundbreaking 'must-have' album for any and all appreciators of dance, of various genres. Liam Howlett outdoes himself, and captures the spirit and rebellious nature of youth very nicely.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Crawling out of the end of the rave scene, the Prodigy's second album went straight in at ... more
number one in the charts. All the tracks have the unique stamp of Liam Howlett and the boys, from the hypnotic atmosphere of aggression and attitude on "Poison" a...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Crawling out of the end of the rave scene, the Prodigy's second album went straight in at ... more
number one in the charts. All the tracks have the unique stamp of Liam Howlett and the boys, from the hypnotic atmosphere of aggression and attitude on "Poison" a...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: A mindblowing album for its time and still sounds very fresh today. Disadvantages: Playing this album at load volumes may blow your speakers!!!
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