The Fat Of The Land
by The Prodigy

From Strangel TOP 100 COMMENTER 07/14/2016 12:49 | #171282 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

This shit was incredibly edgy when it first came out. There was an intensity and attitude that, while dwelling in a seedy undercurrent, was lifted somewhat euphorically by a breakbeat, in-your-face, bouncyness that drew shadowy characters to the dance floor. In fact it connected with the 'jilted generation' better than their album with that same title.

Breathe is a classic track. The intro still gives me chills when I hear it as I remember the energy that the song is about to trigger. Some other songs on the album fail to measure up to such high standards as this incredible song but in their own right they still form the basis of a very solid album.

When you consider that a melding of electronic and punk rock had never previously been so well produced as this album you would have to consider it as a groundbreaking, progressive classic in many ways.

From paladisiac TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/12/2011 19:59 | #32778 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

The cutesyness of their debut album is gone, replaced by a gritty toughness first displayed on music for the jilted generation but perfected here. The first 4 songs are the best contiguous 4 in the prodigy catalog. These are ass-kickers where you shout the word "ass" outside a rave with the confidence of any predominant movie villain. "smack my bitch up" recontextualized kool keith wonderfully. "breathe" is heavy in synth and for the "psychosomatic, addict insane" in all of us. "diesel power" starts soft then HITS with its android march. "funky shit" is funky shit all the way down to the beasties sample. Looking this up online, i found that there are at least 3 songs each sampling a james bond theme song or movie clip. (Other movies / tv shows lifted or inspired by include SWAT and The Shining.) "serial thrilla" and "mindfields" also kick arse. "narayan" temporarily stifles momentum with its unnecessary length before the over-the-top "firestarter", vocalist declaring "I'm the trouble starter, punkin' instigator!" The song smashes your face. "fuel my fire" is a good "middle finger at the world" type of closer.

Despite the genre, this is an album that will appeal to just about everyone. Throughout these 10 tracks lies an array of audio genius, attention grabbing tracks and an overall addictive quality. Now, to say this is an album that just misses the classic status would be fair to say; ‘Fuel My Fire’ does fall short of the mark, and both ‘Serial Thrilla’ and ‘Mindfields’ don’t hold up as well as the rest, but this is an album that everyone needs to hear. Forget any assumptions you may have about the whole ‘electronic’ scene, this is a bona fide rock album masquerading as something more. It’s sinister, brooding and full in atmosphere, and to say that you need to hear this; well if that doesn’t justify a “classic” album, then what does?

The record starts off with a blast and after 'Breathe' the blast continues! Although 'Diesel Power' and 'Funky Shit' don't reach the highs of the first two songs they still keep up the tempo and introduce new ideas and sounds without a flaw. I noticed that after 'Funky Shit' the songs start to blend into one another. Though this new idea doesn't go that well with the following track 'Serial Thrilla' which is mega dated :D sounds like a videogame soundtrack for a monster truck simulator. The chorus ain't that good either and the guitars don't sound good at all. After it though 'Minefields' picks up the pace quite nicely and I really like the instrumentation on the chorus. 'Narayan' really doesn't feel like a 9 minute track and its vocals are really the highlight here. It transitions the maybe the best climax for an album ever?! I feel like the whole album by this point has been building up for 'Firestarter'! Absolutely stunning, aggressive, thick bass monster of a track. Everything about it is great, literally! 'Climbatize' leaves me speechless too, the instrumental is one of the best on the whole album and also doesn't feel 7 minutes long. It would be a perfect closer, but for some reason the band goes for 'Fuel my fire' to tie things up? It's a good song, but not as a closer - more like a bonus track.
I also gotta mention a few things for the whole album that made an impression on me. Firstly, although the album is 1 hour long it really doesn't feel like it and it makes me listen to it again and again! The second thing is that at times it feels kinda dated - thats both in its advantage and disadvantage maybe. It's charming sometimes and really boring at other times.
(Edited)

The three big hits are absolutely phenomenal with the rest of the album not being up to the same level but there are a few hidden gems scattered amongst the record. The opening track perfectly encapsulates the music and sound of this album for me and it is a song I can't stop repeating every time I hear it. They know how to make catchy songs and this is best evidenced on this release. The whole album is just pure energy which they harness and use to create great music. However, the record can drag a little especially on a few of the weaker cuts where it seems a little elongated and you do find yourself waiting for the next big track. Overall, there is a lot of brilliance on here and the music is a lot of fun to listen to if you allow yourself to get into it.