Music For The Jilted Generation by The Prodigy (1994)
Before The Prodigy became a worldwide sensation, with Keith Flint becoming a cyber-punk poster boy and even your granny knowing the lyrics to "Firestarter", there was this: four maniacs from the illegal rave scene in deepest Essex. Their first album ('Experience', 1992) took the rave from the abandoned warehouses and shot it into the mainstream. Their unexpected breakout hits 'Charly' and 'Out of Space' made them instant stars of the genre and the whole vibe was one of hippy, dippy drug-fueled fun.
This album immediately takes a darker tone, opening with weird industrial groans that sound like they are coming from a subterranean lair somewhere, followed by the noise of a typewriter and a man saying the words that open this review, thus immediately vaulting you into some sort of post-apocalyptic dungeon party put on by a mad genius. This is not a "dance" record in the traditional sense, so don't expect 3-minute bangers to get a party started, instead this is a dark and meandering odyssey, constantly pushing the boundaries of what electronic music can be.
Whatever music you are into, it's hard to deny the talent that Liam Howlett has for composition. Yes, technically the group was made of four people at this time, but Howlett was and has always been the nucleus. His skill at crafting music is a marvel and all this with not a pro-tools in sight. This is all expertly crafted through analogue mastery of beat-looping, sampling, and live instrumentation. Indeed there is not much he won't sample and make an amazing track out of. Whether it be window smashing sounds on 'Break & Enter', maniacal laughter on 'Claustrophobic Sting', or simply a car whizzing by ('Speedway'). He somehow manages to build and weave a tapestry of sounds that is utterly mesmerising.
This album also marked a departure into different styles of music. 'Experience', as brilliant as it is, stuck pretty much to the hyperspeed jungle rave formula of the time. Here we start to see glimpses of what the band would eventually become, especially with 'Their Law' - which is a hard, heavy, uncompromising battle cry for the kids. The refrain is simply "f*ck them...and their law" and it hits as hard as any punk track. This style would be further developed on their 10x Platinum-Selling next release 'Fat of the Land' but it's exciting to see the genesis here. Another track that veers from traditional 140 BPM madness is 'Poison' which is surely one of the most bizarre songs to ever be released as a single. The only vocals are Maxim Reality barking to himself "I got the poison" and answering (again, to himself) "I got the remedy" all being delivered over a driving industrial beat that sounds like it was forged in a steel mill. You find yourself marveling at the way Liam constructs this music and it ultimately adds up to something unlike anything you've ever heard before. By this point you are eight tracks in and it is becoming clear that you're in the midst of something special.
'No Good (Start The Dance)' ended up being a massive hit and will forever go down as a dance classic. Which is weird because this version doesn't really stand out in the album. Everything is put together so seamlessly that this just feels like another high in a series of highs. But it was the first song that truly made the entire music world, including superfan David Bowie, sit up and take notice of this band as a tour de force. It is a timeless track that my generation will hopefully still be cutting shapes to in 50 years from now. The other singles 'One Love' and 'Voodoo People' are again brilliant, innovative, and highly unique songs. The former being possibly the one call back to the old rave days, the latter being a kung-fu flute-wielding insane banger.
At 78 minutes, this album is not for the faint of heart. You are about to enter a chamber inside Liam Howlett's mind and, if you let it, the music will sweep you across an endless landscape of sounds. For example, the last three tracks are called "The Narcotic Suite" and with good reason. '3 Kilos' is the one song that slows the pace somewhat allowing you to take a little breather, and you will need it because the last two tracks launch you full speed back into the dark and mildly terrifying soundscape you thought you might've just escaped. 'Skylined' is potentially the best song on the album, which is saying a lot. Searing synths giving way to a thumping cacophony of drums, which kick you around, slap you around the chops a bit, and spit you out. Once that has had it's way with you, a maniacal laugh starts to creep it's way into your ears - dragging you into 'Claustrophobic Sting' which is as dark and unsettling as anything else on the album. The sample of a woman spookily whispering "my mind is glowing" is allegedly from a 1960s acid experiment and was said, I'm sure, as a positive at the time. Here, however, it's flipped to sound like your personal end is nigh.
As mentioned earlier, this isn't the sort of album you throw on at a family gathering. None of it could be considered easy, or even casual, listening. Most of it could probably be considered the polar opposite. But, to borrow a quote from the band themselves, with this record they weren't looking to make you happy, they wanted to "cave your head in", and they go about it here in stunning fashion. This is an record to shut the phone off, play from start to finish, and see what mad journey the music takes you on. A seminal record that has been many times duplicated, but never bettered.
★★★★★
JB.
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