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Record Rewind: The Prodigy - 'The Fat Of The Land'

The Prodigy
The Fat Of The Land
Maverick Records (1997)

One of the earliest and best techno records to make major waves in America, The Prodigy's third LP traded in some of the druggier club vibes of Music For The Jilted Generation in favor of punchy, immediate punk rock energy and theatrics—much of which came courtesy of in-house vocalists Keith Flint and Maxim Reality. Featuring a slew of guest singers, manipulated samples and (of course) relentless, ruthless beats by producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Liam Howlett, the album boasted both now-classic singles ("Firestarter", "Smack My Bitch Up", "Breathe") and equally memorable album cuts ("Diesel Power", "Mindfields" and the transcendent "Climbatize"). Though the laughable controversy surrounding "Smack My Bitch" would ultimately outlast the album's impact in the U.S., The Fat Of The Land is rightly remembered as one of the best, most entertaining electronic records of the '90s.

^{(L-R) Liam Howlett, Leeroy Thornhill, Keith Flint and Maxim of The Prodigy}

"Smack My Bitch Up"

Fifteen years and multiple controversies later, it's still one of the all-time best electronic records of the '90s... everything from the faux-Bollywood intro to the larger-than-life synths and Shahin Badar's exotic breakdown vocals still sounds sharp, fresh and vibrant.

 

"Breathe"

Keith and Flint get to have a go over a bed of propulsive break-beats and action movie soundtrack-ready guitar riffs.

 

"Diesel Power"

The Kool Keith rap is a classic... sounds great over the repetitive but engaging synthesizer grit.

 

"Funky Shit"

The Beastie Boys sample is a little corny, and some of the synth textures are a little dated, but it's got plenty of flair and energy—the horns sample at 0:45 does it for me every time.

 

"Serial Thrilla"

Okay, so what—I'm a sucker for a balls-out heavy metal guitar riff. Maxim more or less steals the show, though Liam gets some credit for turning a slew of samples and a few turntable scratches into bona fide punk rock mayhem.

 

"Mindfields"

Famous immortalized in the first Matrix—the faux-sitar intro is pretty great... love the break-beats... the vocals are a little unnecessary, but no need to nit-pick.

 

"Narayan"

Euphoric keyboard intro segues into an expansive, nine-minute sprawl of aggressive big beat, pounding bass, and a great guest vocal by Crispian Mills.

 

"Firestarter"

Another indelible classic—you can't help but get revved up once that intro riff kicks in. Deservedly one of the group's biggest songs, not to mention Keith Flint's all-time finest hour...

 

"Climbatize"

My personal favorite—I can't get enough of how expertly Liam builds momentum from the manipulated orchestral intro through that fantastic bass line into a slew of stray percussion loops and exotic samples.

 

"Fuel My Fire"

We end on a buzzy, thrashing take on an old L7 favorite—Keith hisses and snarls over a ruthless, ugly bed of drum & bass breaks and lo-fi guitar riffs. A high-energy grand finale to one of the loudest, biggest, best dance records of all time.

 

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Follow Brett Warner on Twitter: @Erasurehead

 

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