music for the jilted generation is a work of genius

Totally agree! This album got me into electronic music.

I will always have a soft spot for 'Experience', and 'Out of Space' is perhaps the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, drunk in the student union bar in 1993. Around that time, the Prodigy had that underground real-ness that shone over everyone who came out of the rave scene. Unlike a lot of their rave contemporaries, Liam actually understood music, and that along with his evident production skills gave them a huge advantage.

I bought 'Music for the Jilted Generation' as soon as it came out. The first time I heard Break and Enter, the production blew me away. But after a few listens, it felt a bit too overdone. That sample about going 'back underground'. The way the phrase 'break and enter' sounds edgy and cool and is sung by a session singer with admirable energy and oomph, but ultimately just doesn't _mean_ anything. Throw in the sound of tinkling glass. "Do you see what I did there?" smirks Liam. "Their Law" featuring PWEI was an admirable sentiment, but you're left with the sneaking suspicion that politics has only encroached on the radar of The Prodigy because it directly affects _their_ way of life. If the government had cracked down on, say, womens rights rather than ravers rights (as a matter of fact, in 1994, the Government probably were) do you think The Prodigy would have made a song about it? Come to that, would they have even known about it? The liner notes on the album ("How can the government stop people from having a good time. Fight this bollocks.") and that infamous painting doesn't inspire me with the confidence that The Prodigy have really thought about the necessary conditions for a harmonious society.

That, along with the rather forced album title (that Liam himself later disowned) just left me with the taste of The Prodigy just trying a bit too hard with their production, their attempts to be edgy and their desire to be perceived as 'underground'. They stepped all of that up a notch with Fat of the Land, Firestarter and so on.

That said, "No Good" and "One Love" and most of the the Narcotic Suite are beautiful pieces of work.

"One Love" is notable for two reasons - first, Liam released it as an anonymous white label where it was a big hit with 'underground' DJs until they realised who was behind it. Secondly, it samples the muslim call-to-prayer (muezzin) and the sample is actually saying 'allah' but it sounds a bit like 'one love' hence the title of the track. Looking at that today, it seems like an act of sheer sampling genius, but I suspect (I'd love to be proved wrong) that Liam just used it because it sounded like some cool 'tribal' shit.

In summary: I quite like some old prodigy tracks but have mixed feelings about them. Is MFTJG a work of genius? Liam is certainly talented, but when looking at the recent history of electronic music you should keep this in mind:

Liam and RDJ and the early Warp people were all great in their day, but there is literally so much more decent stuff around now. I like the Experience album but in truth something contemporary like Kettel's Myam James Part 1 is consistently a much more rewarding and inspiring musical journey than anything I liked in the 1990s, and these days isn't even hailed as a classic, its just yet another good record among the avalanche of electronica we are now perpetually engulfed by.

I rest my case.

  On 1/6/2014 at 1:21 AM, zazen said:

but you're left with the sneaking suspicion that politics has only encroached on the radar of The Prodigy because it directly affects _their_ way of life. If the government had cracked down on, say, womens rights rather than ravers rights (as a matter of fact, in 1994, the Government probably were) do you think The Prodigy would have made a song about it?

funny, I thought that was how people get involved in politics? because something directly affects them, they are moved to make a statement or do something about it.

either I'm missing something, or you're missing something.

no, that's not always why people get involved in politics.

The album seems a chore to listen to for me, these days. I prefer dig your own hole by far, or even earlier chem bros. The whole 'edgy' as a marketing tactic thing just doesn't produce works of actual lasting depth imo

  On 1/6/2014 at 2:21 AM, zaphod said:

no, that's not always why people get involved in politics.

for sure

Definately one of my favourite albums. Howlett was in inspired form at this point. I reckon it`s a good achievement to make a massive dance music album still listenable and enjoyable 20 years later.

My introduction to active fandom of electronic music as a teenager began with belated fascination of The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and other "big beat" artists, including Prodigy. I've mentioned elsewhere that I now find the way they produced their sounds more say, AFX or AE, because I've exhausted my knowledge of their production methods. Back in 2003 or so I listened to big beat instead of the then current trance and euro-dance stuff that all my less-knowledgeable peers in school listened to. My appreciation only grew when I realized just how novel and unique the music was when it first came out. 2005 was such a slump for those artists as well.

When I read Generation Ecstasy, it was interesting to learn of Prodigy's "rebirth" as a big beat act, at least that's how it's framed:

http://books.google.com/books?id=bAvy3S242wQC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=simon+reynolds+prodigy&source=bl&ots=cIXKZttrTW&sig=mKdfNfV0CRFo0zG1HbKaYoy-jhk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fjjMUpiTPIGK2gWukIDIBA&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=simon%20reynolds%20prodigy&f=false

  On 1/6/2014 at 1:21 AM, zazen said:

Liam and RDJ and the early Warp people were all great in their day, but there is literally so much more decent stuff around now. I like the Experience album but in truth something contemporary like Kettel's Myam James Part 1 is consistently a much more rewarding and inspiring musical journey than anything I liked in the 1990s, and these days isn't even hailed as a classic, its just yet another good record among the avalanche of electronica we are now perpetually engulfed by.

I rest my case.

Brilliant diagram. Recently I've felt with all of the recent retro and throwback production lately: specifically 80s synth-pop and 90s rave aesthetics, the music of late 90s/early 00s is seemingly overlooked more than ever: big beat, turntablism, illbient, bedroom IDM and "indietronica" etc. There's a watershed of unique and underrated/overlooked music from back then. In fact, most of the unique stuff I hear now seems more akin to music from that era.

I have to give respect to this album. To me it reminds me of that early '90s vibe and always makes me think of the movie Hackers and those days when technology had not fully been embraced by everyone yet.

Also a tidbit for you old game fans: Grand Theft Auto 1 for PC plays audio from whatever CD is in your computers drive, and this album is on par with how perfect the songs are as, say, DSOTM + Wizard of Oz. You steal a cop car and it's all "what we're dealing with here is a total lack of respect for the law..." and when you jump into the superbike it goes right to the upbeat part of Voodoo People where he says "the voodoo!"

This album is good times.

Damn not played this album through in ages. Got some cravings now for poison!

had break and enter running through my head a few weeks ago after I did a track which had a really similar opening, didn't realize until it got stuck in my head.. I still reeally like that track. don't like their current output that much.. must be nice to party to or something.

  On 1/6/2014 at 2:21 AM, zaphod said:

no, that's not always why people get involved in politics.

this is true, but i could see why zazen's rant about that would irk people. It's very common way for people who maybe aren't so political to dismiss other's political activism or approaches.

I think we all can agree that his is one of the most beautiful electronic tracks ever made

  On 1/8/2014 at 8:41 PM, John Ehrlichman said:

 

  On 1/6/2014 at 2:21 AM, zaphod said:

no, that's not always why people get involved in politics.

this is true, but i could see why zazen's rant about that would irk people. It's very common way for people who maybe aren't so political to dismiss other's political activism or approaches.

 

Yeah ok perhaps I was a bit harsh on that point.

Since writing my rant I've boiled it down to this:

- I think The Prodigy do happy/euphoric more convincingly than they do dark, edgy or political

- Experience has much more happy/euphoric tracks so I prefer that album

- Ultimately Experience sounds more genuine to me

  On 1/8/2014 at 9:14 PM, zazen said:

 

  On 1/8/2014 at 8:41 PM, John Ehrlichman said:

 

  On 1/6/2014 at 2:21 AM, zaphod said:

no, that's not always why people get involved in politics.

this is true, but i could see why zazen's rant about that would irk people. It's very common way for people who maybe aren't so political to dismiss other's political activism or approaches.

 

Yeah ok perhaps I was a bit harsh on that point.

 

Since writing my rant I've boiled it down to this:

 

- I think The Prodigy do happy/euphoric more convincingly than they do dark, edgy or political

- Experience has much more happy/euphoric tracks so I prefer that album

- Ultimately Experience sounds more genuine to me

 

Experience is definitely more of a party album. The expanded version with all of the b-sides is super bangin'.

I do love Jilted Generation though. I didn't really care about the political side of things; I just enjoyed the music.

Then again, I genuinely like most of what they put out. Even parts of Always Numbered and most of Invaders Must Die, even though the latter sounded a bit too much like a forced 'return to form', or whatever. Can't deny that this is a wicked track though:

Experience is also a masterpiece. I just think jilted is THE masterpiece.

Jilted, dig, and surrender are my favorite albums from that time. Not many people will probably appreciate them forever but for me they will definitely remain timeless. Like I love these albums so much... They're really a part of me. I try not to say that about much. I spent so much time listening to them as a kid, and I still do. Jilted hasn't aged quite as well as some of the chemical brothers work... It's still fantastic. In some ways it's even more out there. Skylined for instance is similar to the track surrender by c bros. psychedelic excursion.

I think ppl these days listen to this music analytically and can only hear repetition and loops. For me, it has always been about the weirdness of the sounds. Imagination. The music sounded unlike absolutely everything else. The combination of sounds and transformations... The vibes. That rave feeling is timeless and it has not left the music. It can transport you to the same feelings you used to have listening to it. Wipeout for PSX. Headphones. Walkman. Trips to the beach.

So it is something like nostalgia for me. I'm something of an expert these days on trip hop and other genres that tend to be neglected by hipsters... For instance "beats and pieces" by cold cut was something I always enjoyed as a kid, howie b is another title. I like all sorts of obscure and abstract music as well. But I still consider those three albums to reach more interesting levels. Maybe it's my need for speed or something. The sounds and progressions of the tracks are very enjoyable for me. I feel like we've lost some of that in our music.

I just remember hearing those albums in 98 or whatever when big beat was a thing, around the same time as nap steer and realplayer and spinner radio and such... It was a fucking revelation. I don't even know. I can't imagine hearing music like that today. I'm sure there are kids out there now who find things that make them say "holy shit" but idk.

I distinctly remember the first time I heard "it doesn't matter" off dig your own hole. That moment changed my life. No joke. I can't get over that. I was utterly obsessed with the chemical brothers for like eight years. I remember telling kids at school they were my favorite band and getting laughed at bc their music was electronic when I showed ppl. It was this weird thing, I feel. The chemical brothers were the shit. I feel they're under appreciated.

  On 1/8/2014 at 8:46 PM, logakght said:

I think we all can agree that his is one of the most beautiful electronic tracks ever made

 

yeah dude.. this song is fucking amazing. ive got da 6 min version. really is fantastic

  On 1/10/2014 at 7:38 AM, Chris Toffer said:

 

  On 1/8/2014 at 8:46 PM, logakght said:

I think we all can agree that his is one of the most beautiful electronic tracks ever made

 

 

yeah dude.. this song is fucking amazing. ive got da 6 min version. really is fantastic

 

I love the Chemical Brothers. One of the coolest videos ever made too.

My favorite version of this song is a live mix they did where they mashed it up with a riff another favorite song of mine, "Temptation" by New Order. I had a mp3 version off this from limewire years before I saw the video for it. So simple but so beautiful.

Music For The Jilted Generation opened lots of people's eyes/ears being such a crossover hit, and I still love it for that. But in retrospect I agree with zazen that Experience has a better and perhaps more "genuine" vibe going throughout, whereas Jilted is more about a few standout tracks for me. I think its failing may be that it was too good at what it was trying to be, in a way, to the point of feeling forced or too obvious.

Nothing but love for the Chemical Brothers as well, their first three albums were ace and the fourth one was more than decent too. Few tracks transport me back to a very specific period in my life the way The Private Psychedelic Reel does (uncanny title, really).

it's pretty shocking when you consider that the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy were the 90s version of 'EDM' in terms of marketing power and money behind it. Such a far cry from the Skrillex's and Deadmau5's of today

  On 1/10/2014 at 11:06 PM, John Ehrlichman said:

it's pretty shocking when you consider that the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy were the 90s version of 'EDM' in terms of marketing power and money behind it. Such a far cry from the Skrillex's and Deadmau5's of today

yeah.. what happened? I think skrillex and deadmau5 are more aimed towards children whereas prodigy and chemical bros were aimed at an older audience.. correct me if im wrong though. didnt get to live thru the 90s as an adult unfortunately 8-(

i think in the 90s the idea of music still being slightly cerebral with psychedelic vibes was actually marketable, at least in the eyes of the big labels and marketing execs. Now they are trying to hit a broader audience. Even when Electronica was heavily pushed on the public, it was still in some sense a limited hangout genre. IT's really weird to think of the era when they played 'The box' by orbital on the biggest alternative rock station in the bay area sometimes multiple times a day.

Experience used to be my favorite Prodigy album but over time, Jilted did slowly take that role. As much as I love experience - Jilted is the more matured Prodigy.

Whilst I do like this album, nothing compares to Experience. It has a raw quality to it that I feel they lost on later albums. This is still good music though. I really should give it another listen