ONE LOVE!! (Music for the Jilted Generation - Prodigy)

Member Name: Wiseguy

Product:	Music for the Jilted Generation - Prodigy
Date:	14/12/01 (145 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: innovative, raw, hard

Disadvantages: not too much really

Music for the Jilted Generation is, without a doubt, one of the seminal albums of the 90's. Produced in 1994 it is an explosive, angry, dirty, raw album with an unparalelled sense of energy. Music for the Jilted Generation draws heavily on the breakbeat and hip hop influences that produced 'Experience' whilst fusing the myriad of syles Liam Howlet and the Prodigy heared during their first tour of America.

The sampled intro states 'So...I've decided to take my work back underground to stop it falling into th wrong hands'. The Prodigy started out as an underground dance act signed with XL recordings but the success of their music - most notably Charlie - led to them accidently slipping 'overground'. It was an unwelcome commercialism, represented by the bands adamant refusal to appear on top of the pops, that ultimately led to allegations that the prodigy 'killed rave'. Liams intro advocates the essence of the music and that its roots clearly lie underground so that is where he is taking it again. Away from the dirty hands of top of the pops.

The into melts into 'Break and Enter' a furiously pounding song with samples from Cassanova. Its raw energy is punctuated by short almost euphoric interludes always undercut by a dark and sinister bass paving the way for that incessant angry beat.

The second track 'Their Law' contains samples from pop will eat iself and is an powerful angy song illustrated by progressive guitar riffs and the Prodigy's. now infamous beat. The combination of the two creates an energy only rivalled in No Good Start the Dance. The title of the song is a reference to government legislation that was being intoduced to stop illegal raves. It is a manifestation of the prodigy's statement on their inlay cover 'How can the governemnt stop young people having a good time. Fight this bollocks'. The song therefore has a peverse energy derived from, believe it o
r not, political discontent.

'Full Throttle' is more reminiscent of the speed and nature of tracks produced for 'Experience' and stands out as one of the weaker tracks because of this. None the less the fast tempo and repetitive piano chords provides an inevitably energetic song complemented by a relentlessly enthusiastic bass line.

'Voodoo people' again uses live guitars combined with powerful synth sound to create an insanely nightmareish track that that drives forward with unrelenting energy seeping into the very core of you mind. It is impossible not to dance to this one.

'Speedway' is, suprisingly, a fast track with lots of trade mark 'bleep' type synth sounds. It builds up to a strartling cresendo in which a wailing siren sound combines wtih a energetic beat that quite literally drives the track forward. Again reminiscent of tracks on Experience it lacks the musical innovation that makes the other tracks so prominant but still manages to mainatin that infectous energy that laces every track.

'The Heat (the energy)' has a heartbeat like beat with ecstatic interludes in which strings wrestle with darker sounds and beats intill the beat predominates and the forces the pace of te track to continue with the pac an energy that the prodigy seem to have perfected.

'Poison' is a refreshing slow paced track (supposedly by Leeroys request) that has made it one of the Prodigys most popular songs to date. The slow tempo works superbly in providing a sinister and menacing track complemented by Maxims equally dark lyrics. This beat on this track is explicitly sampled allowing experimentation with the bell like sound of the ride symbol that further creates poisons slightly uneasy atmosphere.

'No Good Start The Dance' is, in my opinion, the most powerful dance track ever written. Forget 'Firestarter'. The immense power of this track is intectuous. The r
ythmic tune created by the synth, the simple implicit little bass,the strange female voice and strings all combine to create a track that assaults the ears with its originality, power, euphoric nature and intensity. This songs whips you into a frenzy and leaves you exhausted.

'One Love' again harnesses all those addictive bleeping synth sounds to create another fast paced energetic song, albeit this time with a stragly uplifting feel.

The Narcotic Suite is an interesting finale designed to represent the Initial high, euphoria and claustophbia and comedown of drugs. '3 kilo's' is therefore a strange but incredible fairly tale like track using flutes to create a strange childlike track. 'Skylined' is incessant and repetitive and stragely surreal using bongos, gentle strings and samples of crashing waves to create a sense of ease and euphoria that is distanced and almost calming. 'Claustrophibic Sting' is, however, an uneasy and menacing track with samples of insane laughter that sit uneasy on the mind when listenned to.

Music for the Jilted Generation is unrivalled in terms of pioneering innovative dance music creating an energetic, often euphoric but strangely disconcerting, combination of tracks providing a raw pace energy and originality.

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