Ain't no good for me? (Music for the Jilted Generation - Prodigy)

Member Name: Skrolk

Product:	Music for the Jilted Generation - Prodigy
Date:	10/04/01 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Original, Intriguing, Pounding, Intelligent

Disadvantages: None really.

Released back in 1994, this album is something of a breakthrough. From strength to strength, the Prodigy were the masters of their field and completely unbeatable. After the superb "Prodigy Experience" everyone expecting something in a similar vein. This album both suprised existing fans and earned them no end of new ones.

Original, fascinating and full to the brim with superb ideas, superior electronica and unbeaten use of samples and equipment, this album is from the golden age of the Prodigy, at the height of their popularity, and is something of a milestone, and quite rightly so.

Opening with a bizarre, eccentric intro, with warped eletronic warblings over the sound of someone typing, and the spoken vocal "...so I've decided to take my work back underground, to stop it falling into the wrong hands". This album never fails to fascinate throughout.

The first track, "Break and Enter" is a punchy, addictive and superior dance number. Impressive samples of wailing, broken glass, bizarre use of 808's and similar, pulsing electronica, this track sounds like nothing before it, and to that matter, nothing after either. Fantastic, completely original and utterly addictive, difficult to describe and superior in its eccentricity, this track can't fail to appeal.

Next in line is "Their Law" featuring Pop will eat itself. This is a more downbeat, angry and intense affair. Brimming with superior ideas, whacky samples and with a angry vocal, this is boppy, superior and clever, with a pounding, angry bassline. Excellent.

"Full Throttle" is at a much higher tempo, a fast paced number with plenty of breakbeats, this is a likeable enough affair but doesen't really stand out against the quality of the other tracks on offer here. This has a 'Drum N Bass' quality about it, and when the chorus comes in, it's both punchy and quality, but not the best track on the en
tire CD.

"Voodoo People" on the other hand, is brilliant. One of the best dance tracks ever in fact, a real anthem. Played almost continiously throughout the club circuit at the time, and featured in the film "Hackers" this is a loud, driven and intense, unfeasibly addictive and superior number with some of the most bizarre samples ever. Absolute class.

"Speedway", the theme from 'Fastlane' is next in line. This is a lot slower to begin with, and works fantastically as computer game music. Ambient, loud and brimming with originality, this, yet again, is a very attractive and likeable track.

"The Heat (The Energy)" is a pulsating, trancey and upbeat number. A superior dance track, this one promises a lot and delivers throughout. A fun and interesting effort.

On the other hand, "Poison" is a stand out track, with an intriguing phonecall introduction. Limited in vocal content, which doesen't damage the overall appeal of the tune at all, this is loud, likeable and intense, this is one of the bassiest songs on the entire CD, and will rock your speakers like few others. A very superior effort, this is brilliance. Of course, the samples are all superb and neither overused, nor out of place.

"No Good, Start the Dance" is even better. One of the most airplayed dance tunes at the time, anywhere, this is a bass filled, rocking, loud, slightly silly, very danceable and pounding track.
A real anthem, with one of the most recognisable choruses ever, this track can't fail to appeal. Complete and unequivocable excellence.

"One Love" is of a similar quality, but is a much more ambient, trancey and slow paced affair. Much more relaxing than the song proceeding, this is an edit of the original, and this version is loud, with a great, prominent backing track and superior use of warbling interludes and 808 drum machines. Very likeable, and very,
very silly.

Beyond this point on the album, the final three songs are labelled as the "Narcotic Suite". Perhaps due to their eccentric and unusual qualities, these tracks are all quite bizarre.

"3 Kilos" is a repetitive and interesting affair with plenty of use of disortion and a catchy, pulsating interlude once in a while. Loud and very bizarre, this is a nice little number.

Which leads on to "Skylined" a much louder affair, with a odd, helicopter-esque sound introducing proceedings, with the sound of waves crashing over the beach in the background, before the tribal drums begin. This is packed with great ideas, and is of the typical level of Prodigy strangeness, that is, can never be emulated effectively, or dare I say, at all by anyone else.

The final track "Claustrophobic Sting" features the Joker's laugh from Batman against a evil, futuristic background of science fiction FX, before the loud and sweeping drum machines and wailing babies come to bare. A very interesting track, very well suited as computer game music, this is loud, full of promise and is a very superior way to conclude this unequalled and magnificent modern day triumph.

Whenever I write these reviews for dooyoo, I always try to avoid giving an item a 5/5 rating unless I feel that it is either unequalled in quality, or of such a level of greatness that it seems almost unfeasible to be improved upon. However, in this instance, I feel I can justify giving that rating to this album, for both reasons. Aside from Aphex Twin, their is no other artist I can think of who can come close to the sheer level of electronica expertise that is going on here. This is an unparalled and unbeaten CD from the Prodigy of old, and belongs in every self respecting music owners collection. A true moment of brilliance.

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