The Prodigy's "Experience" Vs. The Prodigy's "The Fat of the Land"

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...mmh?

Experience rocks.

― Regular John (Regular John), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:38 (eighteen years ago) link

pfffffffffffffft. so clearly 'experience'.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:42 (eighteen years ago) link

experience

― älänbänänä (alanbanana), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago) link

experience!!!

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago) link

so classic

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago) link

this isn't even a contest.

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:48 (eighteen years ago) link

their law (the best-of) makes fat of the land totally unnecessary.

― älänbänänä (alanbanana), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:49 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm trying to think of any album from the past ten years has aged more than TFOTL, and I can't.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:52 (eighteen years ago) link

Music for the Jilted Generation beats both though. Experience is great but a bit samey, it's not really an album rather than a singles collection.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 15:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Experience has "Music Reach" but Jilted has "Claustrophobic Sting".

― Dan (And So On) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Weird how I found 'Experience' (AND 'Jilted') disappointments on first listen, being such a giddy fan at the time (but never seeing them live until TFOTL). The big criticism with original 'Experience' remains that it doesn't feature the versions of the singles bar 'Out Of Space' but I do love the album versions and it all still sounds good today.

I'm trying to think of any album from the past ten years has aged more than TFOTL, and I can't.

Urban Hymns and Everything Must Go

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:11 (eighteen years ago) link

how was 'jilted' a disappointment?

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:18 (eighteen years ago) link

yeh, i found i had to grow to love Experience, because of what Stevem said, but Jilted blew me away completely. Fat of the Land is pretty much pure shite apart from maybe the odd single.

― Wogan Lenin (dog latin), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Vaguely remember thinking it was a bit too trancey/repetetive and hadn't wanted that at the time. Was bemused by tracks like 'Poison' and '3 Kilos' at first thinking them a bit pointless but six months later absolutely loved them and the whole thing generally.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Poison was a fun track at the time, but in retrospect an omen of the disaster to come.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Anyway, Jilted surely is less repetetive than Experience?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link

The last album has as many good tracks on it as The Fat Of The Land does.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:28 (eighteen years ago) link

but then I don't want to hear 'Firestarter' or 'Breathe' ever again.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:28 (eighteen years ago) link

The last album is BETTER than Fat!

― Dan (Seriously!) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:29 (eighteen years ago) link

'poison' rox. 'breathe' is just about listenable, but 'fat' is basically shit.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Why though?

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:32 (eighteen years ago) link

serial thread killa

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:37 (eighteen years ago) link

"fat" is basically shit because it don't groove, maaaan

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:38 (eighteen years ago) link

it feels incredibly lumpy in retrospect

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:38 (eighteen years ago) link

these statements mean nothing! lumpy like...DJ Shadow? Metallica? Nirvana? Shut Up And Dance?

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:40 (eighteen years ago) link

groove is groove, man

― cancer prone fat guy (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:40 (eighteen years ago) link

it has man like that cunt out of kula shaker and her from republica 'doing' L7. need i say more?

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:41 (eighteen years ago) link

'breathe' is ok because the bass is pretty incredible, for a #1 single.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:42 (eighteen years ago) link

The track with the cunt out of Kula Shaker is excellent, though, so you kind of don't have a point.

― Dan (Your Rhetoric-Fu Is Weak) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:42 (eighteen years ago) link

i don't think it's excellent.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:42 (eighteen years ago) link

'mindfields' is pretty good (why not a single?).

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:43 (eighteen years ago) link

Maybe the problem is when your production style is so loop-based with the hooks being such simplistic synth or guitar riffs, it'll sound less sophisticated over breakbeats (whether self-written or sampled) at 120-130bpm rather than at 140bpm and above. Howlett did pack it in though, and he got the weight right more often than not. 'Diesel Power' for example doesn't sound lumpier than 'Mama Said Knock You Out' or 'Brother's Gonna Work It Out' - I think it's inferior to those two tracks for different reasons, maybe reasons not related at all to the actual sound or production.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:44 (eighteen years ago) link

The Kula Shaker dude track is the worst on the LP. Overlong and boring.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Take Mills vocals off 'Narayan' and it's maybe better than 'Firestarter' - a bit more going on in the track.

My like of 'Diesel Power' started at 100% and has since ebbed over the last seven and a half years to about 74%.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:46 (eighteen years ago) link

The problem with "Diesel Power" is that it hacks a look.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:47 (eighteen years ago) link

'smack my bitch up' is a bit boring. i newver really thought about it being a slower elpee, but i guess it is, good point.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:48 (eighteen years ago) link

was there ever a non-live 'death of a prodigy dancer'?

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:48 (eighteen years ago) link

Fat is an underrated/overrated album, but Experience takes.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:51 (eighteen years ago) link

There is no possible way that any track besides "Serial Thrilla" could be seriously considered to be the worst track on that album. "Naryan" and "Climbatize" are both criminally underrated.

― Dan (God Bless My Magic Ears) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 16:59 (eighteen years ago) link

You've wiped 'Fuel My Fire' from memory I see. Good work!

My big problem with TFOTL was that it was 2 years late and for only ten tracks seemed quite a con and a big disappointment, but with only one man at the controls and quite a bit of pressure it's understandable at least.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:07 (eighteen years ago) link

Diesel Power is easily the best track on TFOTL. I remember being really into the whole album when it came out, but agreed it's aged badly and I'll reach for Experience first. The two most recent albums (not including Their Law, that is) strike me as being cheap thrills that sound initially good but leave you feeling a bit empty and soulless over the long term. Like quickly knocking one off to cheap porn, or snorting cocaine.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:12 (eighteen years ago) link

I like the really corny ambient one on TFOTL, in fact I will steal it off the interweb tonight. Thanks thread.

Experience is pretty much all gold. "Hyperspeed"!!!!!

OMG fuel my fire. :(

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 17:21 (eighteen years ago) link

You've wiped 'Fuel My Fire' from memory I see. Good work!

-- Sororah T Massacre

Was that the Cosmic Psychos/L7 cover?

― ratty, Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:35 (eighteen years ago) link

"Fuel My Fire" kind of doesn't count, much in the same way "Light My Fire" doesn't count when figuring out which is the worst song on Protection (ie, it's at the end of the album and so completely in a league of its own in terms of sheer nail-biting awfulness that it doesn't even merit mentioning).

― Dan (Seriously) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:42 (eighteen years ago) link

"Jilted Generation" is obviously their best, but I think I will choose "Fat Of The Land" ahead of "Experience". Both are patchy affairs that have their bad and good moments.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 5 January 2006 00:00 (eighteen years ago) link

(Moley: yep.)

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 5 January 2006 00:27 (eighteen years ago) link

I didn't much like the Prodge's version, but damn I love both the Cosmic Psychos and the L7 versions.

― ratty, Thursday, 5 January 2006 00:28 (eighteen years ago) link

The Fat of the Land is brilliant and I will brook no argument. Honestly Experience felt pretty patchy to me for a very long time, if only because I rather liked the singles better.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 January 2006 01:41 (eighteen years ago) link

I love the idea of treating Geir's opinion on The Prodigy as definitive.

I never bought The Fat Of The Love (loved the first two singles to death but had lost interest by the time the album appeared) but every time I've heard tracks from it I'm surprised at how little it sucks (I think I bought the mythology of its suckitude wholesale).

Howlett should have gone in more of a technoid direction I reckon, like, he should have returned the favour of the Prodge homage on Orbital's "Know Where To Run". Or maybe that's what Jilted was? Only before time?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 5 January 2006 09:13 (eighteen years ago) link

the first interview i ever read with them was in select, just after 'jilted'. i was quite shocked to find howlett wuvved RHCP. an omen.

i probably didn't give 'FOTL' a fair hearing, but by then it just felt out of step (as stevem says, two years late), and i'd just seen them at glasto when it dropped, and they SUCKED live.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Thursday, 5 January 2006 09:36 (eighteen years ago) link

FOTL is not a bad album if you don't play Firestarter, and convince yourself that you've never seen Keith Flint. Similarly, Narayan is a good track if you can forget who Crispian Mills was.

Experience is absolutely fucking brilliant for the first five tracks or so, but tails off after that.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 5 January 2006 09:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Experience

― latebloomer: Grab my puffy nipples and make a wish. (latebloomer), Thursday, 5 January 2006 10:10 (eighteen years ago) link

I will continue saying it, like I'm in Twelve Angry Men, but "Light My Fire" is the best thing on that album.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Thursday, 5 January 2006 13:54 (eighteen years ago) link

The Fat Of The Love

That is a brilliant error.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 5 January 2006 14:02 (eighteen years ago) link

'protection'?

it's definitely not the worst track.

xpost

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Thursday, 5 January 2006 14:02 (eighteen years ago) link

Okay, what on Protection could POSSIBLY be worse than "Light My Fire"????

― Dan (Inquiring Minds Want To Know) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 5 January 2006 14:24 (eighteen years ago) link

all the really boring, overproduced ones i never listen to!

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Thursday, 5 January 2006 14:29 (eighteen years ago) link

The End

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 5 January 2006 14:45 (eighteen years ago) link

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