The Prodigy | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The Prodigy navigated the high wire, balancing artistic merit and mainstream visibility with more flair than any electronica act of the 1990s. Ably defeating the image-unconscious attitude of most electronic artists in favor of a focus on frontmen Keith Flint and Maxim Reality, the group crossed over to the mainstream of pop music with an incendiary live experience that approximated the original atmosphere of the British rave scene, even while leaning close to arena rock showmanship and punk theatrics. Yet it was always producer Liam Howletts studio wizardry that launched the Prodigy to the top of the charts during the late-90s electronica boom, spinning a web of hard-hitting breakbeat techno with king-sized hooks and unmissable samples. Despite electronic musics diversity and quick progression during the 90s -- from rave/hardcore to ambient/downtempo and back again, thanks to the breakbeat/drumnbass movement -- Howlett modified the Prodigys sound only sparingly; swapping the rave-whistle effects and ragga samples for metal chords and chanted vocals proved the only major difference in the bands evolution from their debut to their worldwide breakthrough with third album The Fat of the Land in 1997. Even before the band took their place as the premiere dance act for the alternative masses, the Prodigy had proved a consistent entry in the British charts, with over a dozen consecutive singles in the Top 20. Howlett, the prodigy behind the groups name, was trained on the piano while growing up in Braintree, Essex. He began listening to hip-hop in the mid-80s and later DJed with the British rap act Cut to Kill before moving on to acid house later in the decade. The fledgling hardcore breakbeat sound was perfect for an old hip-hop fan fluent in uptempo dance music, and Howlett began producing tracks in his bedroom studio during 1988. His first release, the EP What Evil Lurks, became a major mover on the fledgling British rave scene in 1990. After Howlett met up with Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill (both Essex natives as well), the trio formed the Prodigy later that year. Howletts recordings gained the trio a contract with XL Records, which re-released What Evil Lurks in February 1991. Six months later, Howlett issued his second single, "Charly," built around a sample from a childrens public service announcement. It hit number one on the British dance charts, then crossed over to the pop charts, stalling only at number three. (It wasnt long before a copycat craze saw the launch of rave takeoffs on Speed Racer, The Magic Roundabout, and Sesame Street.) Two additional Prodigy singles, "Everybody in the Place" and "Fire/Jericho," charted in the U.K. during late 1991 and early 1992. The Prodigy showed they were no one-anthem wonders in late 1992 with the release of The Prodigy Experience, one of the first LPs by a rave act. Mixing chunky breakbeats with vocal samples from dub legend Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, it hit the Top Ten and easily went gold. During 1993, Howlett added a ragga/hip-hop MC named Maxim Reality (Keeti Palmer) and occupied himself with remix work for Front 242, Jesus Jones, and Art of Noise. He also released the white-label single "Earthbound" to fool image-conscious DJs who had written off the Prodigy as hopelessly commercial. Late 1993 brought the commercial release of "Earthbound" (as the groups seventh consecutive Top 20 singles entry, "One Love"). After several months of working on tracks, Howlett issued the next Prodigy single, "No Good (Start the Dance)." Despite the fact that the singles hook was a sped-up diva-vocal tag (an early rave staple), the following album, Music for the Jilted Generation, provided a transition for the group, from piano pieces and rave-signal tracks to more guitar-integrated singles like "Voodoo People." The album also continued the Prodigys allegiance to breakbeat drumnbass; though the style had only recently become commercially viable (after a long gestation period in the dance underground), Howlett had been incorporating it from the beginning of his career. Music for the Jilted Generation entered the British charts at number one and went gold in its first week of release. The album was also nominated for a Mercury Music Prize as one of the best albums of the year. The Prodigy spent much of 1994 and 1995 touring around the world, and made a splashy appearance at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival, proving that electronica could make it in a live venue. The group had already made a transition from the club/rave circuit to more traditional rock venues, and the Glastonbury show set in stone the fact that they were no longer just a dance group. Flints newly emerged persona -- the consummate in-your-face punk showman and master of ceremonies for the digital-age crowd -- provided a point of reference for rock critics uncomfortable covering Howlett (whom they saw as a glorified keyboard player). The Prodigys incessant road schedule left little time to record, but Howlett managed to bring out the next new Prodigy single in March 1996. "Firestarter" entered the British charts at number one, though the video was almost banned due to complaints about arson fixation; many Top of the Pops viewers also complained that Keith Flint had scared their children. An unmissable guitar hook and Flints catcall vocal antics -- his first on record -- made it a quick worldwide hit, and though "Firestarter" wasnt a major success in the U.S., its high-profile spot in MTVs Buzz Bin introduced the Prodigy to many Americans and helped fuel the major-label push for electronica during the following year (though the Prodigy did reject collaborative offers from David Bowie, U2, and Madonna). In the middle of the electronica buzz, the Prodigy dropped their third album, The Fat of the Land. Despite rather obvious attempts to court mainstream rock fans (including several guest vocalist spots and an L7 cover), the LP entered both British and American charts at number one, shifting several million units worldwide. The next Prodigy full-length was 1999s The Dirtchamber Sessions, a mix album helmed by Howlett. The "Babys Got a Temper" single -- one Howlett would later disown -- appeared in 2002, and soon after Leeroy Thornhill left the band. Maxim and Keith Flint were still in the band, but they werent to be found on 2004s Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned. Instead, the album featured guest spots from Oasis Liam Gallagher, Kool Keith, Twista, and actress Juliette Lewis. Flint and Maxim did join Howlett for a worldwide tour to support the album that launched in October 2004. Five years later, Invaders Must Die signaled a return to the rave sound of their debut, and also found both Flint and Maxim back as core members. The lead single, "Omen," reached number three on the British charts prior to the albums release, and Invaders Must Die debuted at the top spot on the British album charts. The live album Worlds on Fire followed, recorded in 2010 at the Prodigys own Warriors Dance festival. Early in 2015, the group announced their sixth studio album, The Day Is My Enemy. Preceded by the single "Nasty," the album featured guest appearances from Sleaford Mods and Flux Pavilion. Soon after, Howlett announced his intention to stop releasing albums and only put out EPs, with the promise that new music would arrive the following year. However, no EP ever materialized. Instead, years passed until 2018, when the Prodigy announced that they had signed to BMG Rights Management and would, after all, release another album. This seventh set was heralded by the singles "Need Some1" and "Light Up the Sky." Accompanied by guest artists Ho99o9 and Barns Courtney, No Tourists appeared that November and marked a return to a more synth-driven, less "rock," though no less aggressive sound. Their sixth consecutive U.K. chart-topper, No Tourists was supported by a brief international tour, which included plans to tour the U.S. in 2019. However, on March 4, Flint was found dead at his home in Dunmow, Essex; he was 49. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 12 Title: Experience Released: 1992-09-21 Tracks: 12 Duration: 59:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Jericho (03:44) 2 Music Reach (1/2/3/4) (04:12) 3 Wind It Up (04:33) 4 Your Love (remix) (05:31) 5 Hyperspeed (G-Force, Part 2) (05:15) 6 Charly (Trip Into Drum and Bass version) (05:12) 7 Out of Space (04:59) 8 Everybody in the Place (155 and Rising) (04:10) 9 Weather Experience (08:04) 10 Fire (Sunrise version) (04:58) 11 Ruff in the Jungle Bizness (05:10) 12 Death of the Prodigy Dancers (03:43) |
| Experience : Allmusic album Review : One of the few noncompilation rave albums of any worth, Experience balances a supply of top-this siren whistles and chipmunk divas with Liam Howletts surprising flair for constructing track after track of intense breakbeat techno. Almost every song sounds like a potential chart-topper (circa 1992, of course) while the true singles "Your Love," "Charly," "Music Reach," and "Out of Space" add that extra bit of energy to the fray. More than just a relic of the rave experience, Experience shows the Prodigy near the peak of their game from the get-go. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 12 Title: Music for the Jilted Generation Released: 1994-07-04 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:18:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:46) 2 Break & Enter (08:24) 3 Their Law (06:40) 4 Full Throttle (05:02) 5 Voodoo People (06:27) 6 Speedway (Theme From Fastlane) (08:56) 7 The Heat (The Energy) (04:27) 8 Poison (06:42) 9 No Good (Start the Dance) (original mix) (06:18) 10 One Love (edit) (03:53) 11 The Narcotic Suite: 3 Kilos (07:25) 12 The Narcotic Suite: Skylined (05:58) 13 The Narcotic Suite: Claustrophobic Sting (07:11) |
| Music for the Jilted Generation : Allmusic album Review : The Prodigys response to the sweeping legislation and crackdown on raves contained in 1994s Criminal Justice Bill is an effective statement of intent. Pure sonic terrorism, Music for the Jilted Generation employs the same rave energy that charged their debut, Experience, up the charts in Britain, but yokes it to a cause other than massive drug intake. Compared to their previous work, the sound is grubbier and less reliant on samples; the effect moved the Prodigy away from the American-influenced rave and acid house of the past and toward a uniquely British vision of breakbeat techno that was increasingly allied to the limey invention of drumnbass. As on Experience, there are so many great songs here that first-time listeners would be forgiven for thinking of a greatest-hits compilation instead of a proper studio album. After a short intro, the shattering of panes of glass on "Break & Enter" catapults the album ahead with a propulsive flair. Each of the four singles -- "Voodoo People," "Poison," "No Good (Start the Dance)," and "One Love" -- are excellent, though album tracks like "Speedway" and "Their Law" (with help from Pop Will Eat Itself) dont slip up either. If Experience seemed like an excellent fluke, Music for the Jilted Generation is the album that announced the Prodigy were on the charts to stay. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 12 Title: Selected Mixes for the Jilted Generation Released: 1995 Tracks: 9 Duration: 52:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 One Love (Jonny L remix) (05:02) 2 No Good (Start the Dance) (Bad for You mix) (06:50) 3 No Good (Start the Dance) (CJ Bolland’s Museum mix) (05:13) 4 Voodoo People (Dust Brothers remix) (05:56) 5 Voodoo People (Haiti Island remix) (05:22) 6 Goa (The Heat the Energy, Part 2) (06:05) 7 Poison (Environmental Science dub mix) (06:17) 8 Rat Poison (Monkey Boy remix) (05:32) 9 Scienide (05:50) |
 | Album: 4 of 12 Title: Spontaneous Human Combustion 2 Released: 1996 Tracks: 14 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Mr. Bartholemew and Moonpie (Beginning) (?) 2 Smack My Bitch Up (Nuge remix) (?) 3 No Good, Start the Dance (Bad for You Jetboy mix) (?) 4 One Man Army (?) 5 Serial Thrilla (?) 6 Jericho (Genaside 2 remix) (?) 7 Fuel My Fire (?) 8 Funky Shit (extended intro mix) (?) 9 Ruff in the Jungle Bizness (Uplifting Vibes mix) (?) 10 Weather Experience (Top Buzz remix) (?) 11 Diesel Power (?) 12 Poison (Live at the Tourhout + Werchter Fest. ’96) (?) 13 Narayan (?) 14 Jonathan and the Krays (The End) (?) |
 | Album: 5 of 12 Title: The Fat of the Land Released: 1997-06-30 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:23:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Smack My Bitch Up (05:42) 2 Breathe (05:34) 3 Diesel Power (04:17) 4 Funky Shit (05:16) 5 Serial Thrilla (05:11) 6 Mindfields (05:39) 7 Narayan (09:05) 8 Firestarter (04:40) 9 Climbatize (06:36) 10 Fuel My Fire (04:18) 1 Smack My Bitch Up (Noisia remix) (05:53) 2 Firestarter (Alvin Risk remix) (03:18) 3 Breathe (Zeds Dead remix) (04:36) 4 Mindfields (Baauer remix) (03:51) 5 Breathe (The Glitch Mob remix) (04:25) 6 Smack My Bitch Up (Major Lazer remix) (05:05) |
| The Fat of the Land : Allmusic album Review : Few albums were as eagerly anticipated as The Fat of the Land, the Prodigys long-awaited follow-up to Music for the Jilted Generation. By the time of its release, the group had two number one British singles with "Firestarter" and "Breathe" and had begun to make inroads in America. The Fat of the Land was touted as the album that would bring electronica/techno to a worldwide audience (Of course, in Britain, the group already had a staggeringly large following that was breathlessly awaiting the album.) The Fat of the Land falls short of masterpiece status, but that isnt because it doesnt deliver. Instead, it delivers exactly what anyone would expect: intense hip-hop-derived rhythms, imaginatively reconstructed samples, and meaningless shouted lyrics from Keith Flint and Maxim. Half of the album does sound quite similar to "Firestarter," especially when Flint is singing. Granted, Liam Howlett is an inventive producer, and he can make empty songs like "Smack My Bitch Up" and "Serial Thrilla" kick with a visceral power, but he is at his best on the funky hip-hop of "Diesel Power" (which is driven by an excellent Kool Keith rap) and "Funky Shit," as well as the mind-bending neo-psychedelia of "Narayan" (featuring guest vocals by Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker) and the blood-curdling cover of L7s "Fuel My Fire," which features vocals by Republicas Saffron. All those guest vocalists mean something -- Howlett is at his best when hes writing for himself or others, not his groups own vocalists. "Firestarter" and all of its rewrites capture the fire of the Prodigy at their peak, and the remaining songs have imagination that give the album weight. The Fat of the Land doesnt have quite enough depth or variety to qualify as a flat-out masterpiece, but what it does have to offer is damn good. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 12 Title: The Dirtchamber Sessions, Volume One Released: 1999-02-22 Tracks: 8 Duration: 51:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Section 1: Intro Beats / Punk Shock / Untitled / Chemical Beats / Kool Keith Housing Things / Sport / Give the Drummer Some / Wildstyle (07:18) 2 Section 2: Bug Powder Dust / Pump Me Up / How High / Poison / Been Caught Stealing / I Get Wrecked (06:44) 3 Section 3: The Mexican / Rock the House / The Best Part of Breaking Up / King Kut (06:03) 4 Section 4: Hey Can You Relate / What Time Is Love / Funky Acid Makossa / Shafted Off / And the Break Goes Again / Radio Babylon / Rockit / 900 Number / Spybreak / It’s the New Style (07:52) 5 Section 5: New York / Punk to Funk / I’m Sick (04:57) 6 Section 6: The Home of Hip-Hop / Strong Island / Kowalski / Time to Get Ill / I’m Gonna Love You a Little More Baby / Public Enemy Number One / Blow Your Head / Breakin’ Bells (05:48) 7 Section 7: Get Down / Humpty Dance / Dope On Plastic / Beats and Pieces (03:59) 8 Section 8: Sure Shot / Breakdance Electric Boogie / Doomsday of Rap / Ozone Breakdown / Funky Nassau / It’s Just Begun (08:40) |
| The Dirtchamber Sessions, Volume One : Allmusic album Review : As though he wasnt the feature player on each of the three Prodigy albums preceding it, The Dirtchamber Sessions presents Liam Howlett in a solo setting. But here, instead of showing off his production wizardry, his long history as a DJ and mixing abilities are on display. Theyre proved more than up to the task, as Howlett plays mix and match with over 50 records from his hip-hop and funk past. While the Chemical Brothers mix album (released the year before) showcased the duo digging deep in their record crates for a set of soul chestnuts and rare finds, Howletts selection and feel for the flow of a mix is superior. Including tracks by the JBs, Herbie Hancock, the 45 King, L.L. Cool J, the Sex Pistols, and Janes Addiction, Howlett chooses grooves familiar to all and improvises around them (as any old-school DJ would think obvious) instead of mixing between two tracks few have ever heard. The result is an enlightening, practically flawless mix album. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 12 Title: Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned Released: 2004-08-11 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:02:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Spitfire (05:08) 2 Girls (04:07) 3 Memphis Bells (04:28) 4 Get Up Get Off (04:20) 5 Hot Ride (04:36) 6 Wake Up Call (04:56) 7 Action Radar (05:32) 8 Medusa’s Path (06:08) 9 Phoenix (04:38) 10 You’ll Be Under My Wheels (03:56) 11 The Way It Is (05:46) 12 Shoot Down (04:32) 13 More Girls (04:26) |
| Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned : Allmusic album Review : The Prodigys main man, Liam Howlett, said in an interview that usual bandmembers Keith Flint and Maxim werent on the new album because this is a back-to-the-core record, one to find the soul of the Prodigy (dancer Leeroy Thornhill left the band years ago -- losing your dancer, always crippling). For anyone rooting for the band, it sounded like a good deal. Howlett came off as a mad beat scientist of great genius on his goin-it-alone CD The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1, rockin the beats with mad style and blowing the dust off Babe Ruths "The Mexican" just to prove how he was cooler than you. It was a sweet mix, but then nothing -- and then it got worse. But at least Howlett himself called 2002s dull "Babys Got a Temper" single an Fn piece of S. Seems like he was well aware things were going wrong and has gotten himself back on the right track, so lets all go nuts for Prodigy again. Twiddling the knobs and making noises fly every which way, Howlett is working hard throughout Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and with clean, punch-in-the-gut bass like this, there isnt a better record to sell those gigantic, "youll have to take your backseat out" kickboxes. But take someone who just barely follows electronic music, tell him or her this is an everyday KMFDM record, and theyll fall for it. Nothing against KMFDM. Theyve got their rightfully sleazy place, but this is the Prodigy and Always Outnumbered is just loud workout music for the jilted generation. Lyrics? Try "Gimme! gimme! gimme!" and "You got to push it!" Not that "Change my picture/Smack my bitch up" was brilliant, but it was incongruous enough to have you going, "why do I keep singing this?" Theres an inspired list of guest stars on this album -- Princess Superstar, Kool Keith, Liam Gallagher, Twista, Juliette Lewis -- but either their voices are so filtered it could be anyone or theyre given nothing more to do than yell "go, man, go." Howlett had been all "Ive got something to prove with this" in the press, but very little of that spirit comes through on the album. "Girls" is a good electro roller and steps ahead of "Babys Got a Temper," while the surprisingly different and slinky "Phoenix" is proof Howlett hasnt totally lost it. Plus, youre bound to fall for at least one of the generic fist-pumpers. They do have that whipping sting in the tail of which Howlett is the master. Thats barely enough for five years of waiting and hardly up to the old standard. That Always Outnumbered is no good reason for teens to put the Playstation controller down and rejoin the mainstream techno revolution is disappointing. As crazy as those glowstick kids could be, Prodigy concerts should have more than boring old farts who dont dance standing around. Theres little of that rebellious and over-the-top excitement here, and thats bad news for those on the fringe of Prodigy fandom. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 12 Title: Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 Released: 2005-10-14 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:12:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Firestarter (04:42) 2 Their Law (05:36) 3 Breathe (05:34) 4 Out of Space (04:59) 5 Smack My Bitch Up (05:42) 6 Poison (04:01) 7 Girls (04:07) 8 Voodoo People (03:40) 9 Charly (Alley Cat remix) (05:22) 10 No Good (Start the Dance) (original mix) (06:18) 11 Spitfire (03:26) 12 Jericho (03:44) 13 Everybody in the Place (Fairground remix) (05:09) 14 One Love (05:25) 15 Hot Ride (04:36) |
| Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 : Allmusic album Review : Even more so than the celebrated Chemical Brothers -- who began recording after Prodigy but received a hits compilation before -- Liam Howlett and co. were fantastic singles artists who also fashioned excellent full-lengths. As such, Their Law 1990-2005, the singles collection that could put the cap on their career, is a collection that will leave listeners breathless but also one that cant capture how special Prodigy were to the electronica and rave scenes. Their biggest single, "Firestarter," comes first, and its LP (The Fat of the Land) gets most of the early slots, although things right themselves by the end with no less than five singles -- all of them incredible -- from 1995s Music for the Jilted Generation and four from 1992s Experience. Although including three tracks from 2004s desultory Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned may help fans hear, for the first time, the best of a bad album, its nearly criminal that it comes at the expense of solid material from Music for the Jilted Generation and Experience (like "Break & Enter" and "Wind It Up"). Although there are no new tracks (perhaps a good thing), included is an Audio Bullys remix of "Out of Space." | ||
 | Album: 9 of 12 Title: Invaders Must Die Released: 2009-02-18 Tracks: 11 Duration: 46:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Invaders Must Die (04:55) 2 Omen (03:36) 3 Thunder (04:09) 4 Colours (03:27) 5 Take Me to the Hospital (03:40) 6 Warrior’s Dance (05:13) 7 Run With the Wolves (04:24) 8 Omen (reprise) (02:14) 9 World’s on Fire (04:50) 10 Piranha (04:04) 11 Stand Up (05:30) |
| Invaders Must Die : Allmusic album Review : Twenty years after Englands Summer of Love, rave had made a comeback -- at least in indie circles -- and Liam Howletts Prodigy, the only original rave group still going (anyone remember Altern-8?), could hardly have done worse than jump aboard. But Invaders Must Die is a curious nu-rave record, as though the sound of 1991 (such as their Top Ten hit "Charly") has been filtered through the sound of 1996 (such as their number one, "Firestarter") to emerge as nothing more than a hodgepodge of uptempo dance music with extroverted beats and grimy basslines. If that sounds basically like your average electronica record circa the turn of the millennium (albeit produced by one of its greatest heroes), then youre a long way towards understanding what this nu-rave record from the Prodigy sounds like. Add a few period-appropriate cues -- unfiltered synth or keyboard runs, ring-the-alarm effects, samples of divas or ragga chatters (sped-up and slowed-down, respectively) -- and you get a strange album indeed. The single "Omen" is a good example, although it has few qualities to recommend it beyond its basic energy; tellingly, its a rare co-production, with James Rushent from Does It Offend You, Yeah?. The other two tracks with the most rave signals are "Take Me to the Hospital" and "Warriors Dance," which both sound like follow-ups to "Charly" or "Out of Space" filtered through the darkside strains of latter-day hardcore techno (aka 4Heros "Mr. Kirks Nightmare"). And as usual with the Prodigy -- going back to Music for the Jilted Generation -- theres plenty of polemics and struggle, most of it delivered in shouted, sloganeering fashion by Keith Flint and Maxim (who are both back in the fold after being absent from the previous Prodigy record, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned). Howlett is no slouch in the production chair, and the sounds are mostly blinding, but the songs are strictly by-the-books. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 12 Title: World’s on Fire Released: 2011-05-23 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:05:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:32) 2 Breathe (05:02) 3 Omen (03:48) 4 Colours (04:06) 5 Thunder (02:52) 6 Warrior’s Dance (04:57) 7 Firestarter (04:39) 8 Run With the Wolves (04:24) 9 Weather Experience (03:57) 10 Voodoo People (03:45) 11 Omen (reprise) (01:21) 12 Invaders Must Die (03:45) 13 Smack My Bitch Up (05:04) 14 Take Me to the Hospital (04:08) 15 Everybody in the Place (03:16) 16 Their Law (05:28) 17 Out of Space (04:32) |
| World’s on Fire : Allmusic album Review : The Prodigy have been the most galvanizing live act in dance music for nearly as long as some of their present-day fans have been alive: from the early Experience days in the early 90s through "Firestarter" and right into the new millennium via Invaders Must Die, their 2009 return to form. Still, Worlds on Fire is their first official live recording. (Canny listeners might actually think the world’s on fire after a few minutes of listening to Maxim and Keith Flint’s nearly endless commands to the crowd -- "Stand up!," "Make some no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ise!" -- but they were on solid ground with fans, since this was the Prodigys own Warriors Dance festival at the Milton Keynes Bowl in July 2010.) All the hits are in attendance, spread throughout each major era, although most of the earliest and best come later, including the ending trifecta of "Everybody in the Place," "Their Law," and "Out of Space." The energy on display is impressive, and its hardly a bad keepsake of actually seeing Howlett & co. in action, but as usual for live albums from dance acts, there are few substitutes for the real thing. [A video on the CD/DVD edition includes the full show as well as other live highlights, including an excellent selection of tracks from all over the world as well as short tour films from Japan, the U.S., and the U.K.] | ||
 | Album: 11 of 12 Title: The Day Is My Enemy Released: 2015-03-27 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Day Is My Enemy (04:26) 2 Nasty (04:03) 3 Rebel Radio (03:52) 4 Ibiza (02:45) 5 Destroy (04:28) 6 Wild Frontier (04:28) 7 Rok-Weiler (03:50) 8 Beyond the Deathray (03:08) 9 Rhythm Bomb (04:12) 10 Roadblox (05:00) 11 Get Your Fight On (03:38) 12 Medicine (03:56) 13 Invisible Sun (04:16) 14 Wall of Death (04:04) |
| The Day Is My Enemy : Allmusic album Review : Refusing to grow old gracefully, veteran ravers the Prodigy offer a wobbly, angry album with their sixth studio effort The Day Is My Enemy, an LP that supports titles like "Nasty" and "Destroy" with stadium-sized beats and 90s chants, as if they were what the kids were clamoring for in 2015. Even if they werent, Liam Howlett and company have decided they need it, and collaborated in a way that makes this the most "band" Prodigy album in ages, something that benefits the twitchy disco number "Wild Frontier" and the aptly titled "Rhythm Bomb" with guest producer Flux Pavilion providing the rave sound of today. "Rok-Weiler" is a fashion-minded and fierce highlight that fits the bands catalog the same way the great "Paninaro" fit with the Pet Shop Boys, and as far as Howlett the musical innovator, there are plenty of new video game noises, wormholes of time, and tricky vocal edits that are razor-sharp. Add the way "Roadblox" provides the cinematic side of Prodigy thats often overlooked and the album seems a triumph, but lead single "Nasty" is a lesser "Firestarter" and at 14 cuts, this chunky effort is built for returning fan club members and not the EP-craving EDM crowd. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 12 Title: No Tourists Released: 2018-11-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 02:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Need Some1 (02:45) 2 Track 2 (?) 3 Track 3 (?) 4 Track 4 (?) 5 Track 5 (?) 6 Track 6 (?) 7 Track 7 (?) 8 Track 8 (?) 9 Track 9 (?) 10 Track 10 (?) |
| No Tourists : Allmusic album Review : Three years after the release of their fifth straight U.K. chart-topping album, original electronic bad boys the Prodigy returned with their seventh collection of high-octane rave-punk anthems, No Tourists. Much like preceding albums The Day Is My Enemy and Invaders Must Die, No Tourists leaves little space to breathe, delivering a short and sweet set of blows to the head that was designed specifically for performing live. For better or worse, there arent many new ideas here, but main man Liam Howlett is so adept at crafting explosive body-shakers that the lack of fresh concepts can be overlooked. Aggressive and pounding, No Tourists benefits from the tight track list, kicking off with the muscular swagger of "Need Some1" -- which combines the groups early devotion to hip-hop beats and the stabbing synths indicative of their late era -- and propelling without pause until closing highlight "Give Me a Signal," which features English singer/songwriter Barns Courtney on a surprisingly fitting union between Courtneys smoky blues voice and the Prodigys clattering mayhem. In between, its typically exhilarating, with songs such as "Light Up the Sky," "We Live Forever," and "Timebomb Zone" setting a straight trajectory toward festival headline stages. Keith Flint and Maxim appear when needed -- though they arent as crucial to the formula as during the glory days of Fat of the Land -- blending seamlessly between the breakbeats with animated mischief and ominous mantras. Elsewhere, spooky rap-punk duo Ho99o9 slather some grit onto a particularly threatening "Fight Fire with Fire," but the collaboration offers little, serving as the sole stretch where the energy is not as completely overwhelming. Even though No Tourists is yet another same-sounding entry in the Prodigys late-era discography, its also another satisfying dose of thrills designed to wreck the dancefloor and the mosh pit. | ||