Music For The Jilted Generation

I love this. I always loved this. It's one of the world's great 'get up and go' albums for when some musical motivation is needed. Full volume in the club I worked at turned this album into a monster. So many tracks here made the crowd go nuts, we had to ration Prodigy for when we had enough doormen to handle it. Such power, I fucking love it.

Did not enkoy

An incredible dance record, which was hugely influential in its time and continues to sound great. Lots of energy and some really cool synth sounds. Some real standout tracks, particularly throughout the mid section of the album, though the whole thing flows well. The kind of music best listened to while off your face in a nightclub/warehouse/field. Too long though, like a lot of dance albums from this era.

What we're dealing with here is a total lack of respect for the law.

Blips, blops, snares, fireworks, drums, voices from beyond the veil, reverberations, passing UFOs, foghorns from ships 20 miless out at sea, drums, breaking glass, a carnival two streets over, looped organ music from a 40s horror flick, drums, drums, drums.

Prodigy, while electronic, couldn't be any further from the electronic band I reviewed yesterday (Heaven17). This album is dark, industrial, filled with great break beats, and actually has a ton of balls to it. What it DOESN'T have, unfortunately, is anything resembling melody or song structure. I vaguely remember liking their later album, "Invaders Must Die" so I was interested to give this a try. It's about what I expected but I did come across a couple of tracks that I actually knew ("Voodoo People" and "Poison") and liked. This album is great as high-energy background music. There are so many interesting layers of sonic texture going on that can be interesting to try to pick apart but, as a focused listening experience, it falls very short when one is sober.

I doubt I’m alone in saying that this album pushed a metal / grunge kid into the world of dance music and that’s exactly what this album did. Aggressive and fast and whilst I was initially drawn in by the likes of Their Law and Voodoo People it is actually tracks like Speedway, No Good, 3 kilos and Claustrophobic Sting that stuck with me. A stone cold classic album - one they never topped and never could

Thought I wouldn't like it but then it turned out to be excellent work music!

Way more 4/4 than I was anticipating, I like it. The BPM’s in general are lower than what is thought they’d be, but that’s no complaint. This album is very good, I can hear it’s influence. Slows down nicely in the back 1/3rd, gets nice and atmospheric. 3 Kilos is such an amazing song, a departure from the album, but it works brilliantly. My favorite song on the album. I’d buy this

Sounded like I was in a warehouse basement rave with a bunch of people from Zoolander. And I loved it.

A stone cold classic

I really don’t like electronic music. Goldie, Fatboy Slim, Moby, and others on this list were such a struggle to get through. So why do I love The Prodigy? This album is 78 minutes long, and I didn’t know any of the songs on it (I know quite a few from their other album on this list) but I was never bored and this album never felt like it dragged. I guess that’s why this album belongs on this list. It’s quite a feat to make someone love an album in a genre they hate. Kudos to The Prodigy. They’re clearly one of the best.

Big Beats are the best. Get high all the time.

1001 Albums Generator Day 17 I had so many associations with this record even before I put it on. I think of the rave scene from which The Prodigy emerged, and the radical free festival culture with which it cross-pollinated. Those who thought they could see a way to a more communal, compassionate way of life, and working class kids who spotted an opportunity to make something of themselves. The Criminal Justice Act versus the emission of a succession of repetitive beats. Lots of muddled thinking that would later curdle into paranoia. That self-proclaimed "Thatcher on drugs," Paul Staines, whose corrupt, ego-libertarian ethos has ultimately done more to shape the country we've become than either the kids he sold tickets to or Major. Mostly, though, I think of Keith. After years of going to DIY gigs and workshops, reading and making zines, and putting on exhibitions in disused Edwardian toilets, I have never experienced a single moment more punk rock than the first time I saw the Firestarter video on Top of the Pops. It's in the amazement that an adult could look like that, sound like that, be so wild, and not just be allowed to do it or get away with it, but to take people with him. To be so lovable. It's something I also found in the nonsense poetry of Spike Milligan and would later find in Syd Barrett and Pixies and Anton Henning: the sheer glee of people throwing things together that aren't supposed to be. It's also there in the culture-jamming collage of Oasis' Shakermaker, though I suspect I'll have an opportunity to persuade you of that one at a later date. I love the rough edges that capture the moment and energy of throwing paint around in the sweet spot between purpose and spontaneity. In Liam's choice of samples for Charly I can hear the playful resistance of people dancing in spite of the warning signs. I didn't realise in 1996 that the rage in Firestarter erupted from a movement arrested. Liam has since denied any political intent to Music for the Jilted Generation. I can see why he wouldn't want to limit the resonance of his work to one particular moment. However, the artwork, titles and vocal samples say otherwise. Also, with the caveat that this isn't my area at all and I'm probably missing something, I feel the politics of the moment have far more contemporary relevance - from modern protest movements to digital piracy and crypto scammers - than techno. These days, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the Prodigy is the friend who showed me a documentary about the band and pointed out that Keith Flint had the same speaking voice as her grandma. Similarly, this album belongs to a different generation and I can't always understand where it's coming from, but I'm sure it has a lot of good stories beneath the surface.

Some cool beats here. I could see this being a huge hit at a rave, and I would actually be into it there. But there’s no reason these songs (which most tracks barely qualify as) need to be this long.

Many childhood memories! Still one of the most important techno albums of that decade.

Pretty repetitive and dated.

i bet if you played this album for me in 1994 in a club while i was high on molly i’d give it a 5/5. but unfortunately i am employed by corporate america and did not enjoy this album

The prodigy. Een beetje als flossen; Je weet dat het goed is, maar je hebt er gewoon echt niet altijd zin in.

This is one of the worst things I've ever heard. Repetitive drums, similar in every song, combined with boring and annoying electronic noise.

This is not for me. Obviously there are people this is for, and I'm stoked for them that this exists for them. But it's not for me.

p750. 1994. 1 star So-so drum and bass with synths and samples. Probably brilliant for clubs at the time but not my thing at all. Just goes on and on and on...

WOOOOOOOOOOO

An album to put on if I ever wanna do cocaine and speed down a highway 😂 what an epic club / dance album! Cool band to learn about. Seems like a sister Oneohtrix Point Never.

An extraordinary album that was both brilliantly original yet completely of its time. Timeless in many ways this album did more to change the landscape of dance music and bring it to a wider audience than any other.

surprising. the first track came on and I was like "damn - my third crappy album in a row" but then it kicked in with some real, pumping music! Real club dance electronica beat! Hot! Where's the Molly at?! Close to a 4... but all tunes almost sound the same...(which is not a bad thing) Scratch that - listened a 2nd time -there are distinct difference *(truth be told, was I'm a meeting the first listen) they get the 4!

With one foot in the door that signaled what was yet to come while the other foot remained firmly in the place where most wouldn't recognize them, The Prodigy provided music for a jilted generation for close to eighty breakneck, blood pumping minutes. This album places itself alongside plenty other electronic dance releases of 1994 that further pushed on the door that was mainstream infiltration and acceptance, whether or not their government wanted to stifle the progression of the rave scene The Prodigy and their ilk occupied. All that was needed for the dam to burst was some trouble starting and instigating. Favorites: Break & Enter, Their Law, Voodoo People, Speedway, Poison, No Good (Start the Dance), One Love, 3 Kilos, Claustrophobic Sting.

What a monster this album is. Great beats throughout. Would have been absolutely bonkers in the club. For me also great to focus while working.

weird but fun

Prefer The Fat Of The Land but still very good. A 3.75/5

Fantastische Platte, auch wieder so ne Wegmarke am Übergang einer Band, in dem Fall von Liam Howletts Schlafzimmerprojekt mit seinen Raverfreunden zum Major Act mit Major Hits. Mich schocken nach wie vor am meisten die eher klassischen British Breakbeat/Hardcore/Jungle-Nummer mit natürlich allen voran Full Throttle, aber auch Break & Enter und das alles passenderweise ganz zum Schluss gesetzte (keine Gefangenen!) Claustrophobic Sting. Die Hits - Voodoo People, No Good und (hatte völlig vergessen dass die schon da drauf war!) Poison - dann schön in die Mitte gesetzt und schon klar auf die damalige MTV Crowd abgezieltz. Paar Filler drumherum (aber wer Filler wie Their Law hat, hat nun wirklich gar keine Probleme) - und schon haben wir die perfekte Platte für ihre Zeit. Habe mich immer gefragt, welche Drogen die Band selbst dazu eigentlich im Programm hatte - Kiffen und Alkohol kann ich aus Rezipientensicht aber wärmstens empfehlen. 4,4

4/1 Hard, hard beats on here, sounds more timeless than their next album and I certainly like this one more. Standout Tracks: Break & Enter, Full Throttle, Voodoo People, Poison, One Love, Claustrophobic Stings

I like Prodigy. It's fun music, though of course, it helps if you like the genre -- I understand it's not for everyone. I like this album, but it's not quite 4 star material -- there's only a couple of songs I really, really like, and the others are good, but not great. At times I found myself getting tired or a song (most are 6 to 7 minutes long) and skipping to the next song, so definitely not 4 stars, but good enough for 3.

I didn’t hate it, but I’ll be honest and say that I don’t think I ever considered giving The Fat of the Land a second listen. I just couldn’t ever justify a reason to go back. But I was surprised that they found their way into the list not only once, but twice. Kind of makes the fact that Daft Punk couldn’t even get two spots hurt even more. But The Prodigy are still important to how dance music has evolved, especially in the UK. “Jilted” means to suddenly reject or abandon. Rave culture was growing during this period of the 90s, and as it grew, it would eventually be made illegal. This album, and most specifically the song Their Law, is a direct opposition to this change. And no doubt, this album fully embraces the sound and energy of Rave culture. There isn’t really a moment of down time. It’s a consistent ride through the nastiest and most underground pits of the world of English Rave. I’ll just cut straight to the point for this. I think this is equally as good in the same places as the album that would come after it. And in ways, it even does a better job. I actually like the lack of vocals on most of these songs better. They weren’t bad on The Fat of the Land, but I can only hear the same bits said over and over again so much before I get tired of it. And I still think the production is top notch stuff. Every song has at least one aspect to it that I enjoy, even if I don’t like the whole song itself. I can appreciate the metal and rock influence coming in on songs like the aforementioned Their Law, or Voodoo People. And whatever that synth sound might be on the latter is basically iconic at this point. But all of the same issues that were present for me in my previous review still remain here. Maybe my attention span is just ruined, and has gone far beyond what it takes to appreciate something like this, but many of these tracks feel like they drag on to lengths longer than they need to be. It’s full of bloat, and even more so than The Fat of the Land, since this is nearly 80 minutes long. There is rarely enough going on keeping me interested that makes a 7 or 8 minute long track feel worthwhile. So even with their success and status as club classics, I would put both of those records on an even playing field of just decent. Rating: 6/10

This was a wild album, felt like I was in some 90's video game Tron type setting of just zipping through tunnels and night scapes. Very cool in that sense and makes me glad I listened to it, but beyond maybe catching these songs at a club I'll never go to or an underground street racing event, I'm not sure I'd listen to again. I did just finish watching Cyber Punk Edgerunners last night and they should have taken some songs from here.

This was surprisingly a smidge better than the crab album, even given its lack of crab. But only a smidge.

6/10. Musically, I definitely like this better than the crab album, but the crab album had a much more memorable album cover

So the hits and singles released from this album were (and still are) undeniably ace. As for the best of the rest: ‘Full Throttle’, ‘3 Kilos’ and ‘Claustrophobic Sting’ are both great, while ‘The Heat’ is interesting. What’s left is just a bit too one note for me. There are a lot of interesting ideas, but they never quite feel fully fleshed out, and on an album that’s already too long the padding get really noticeable at times.

This would be really good Saturday morning music if I lived in a meth dungeon and was currently on meth. Going to listen to it tomorrow. Some of the songs are just a bit too long but I find myself dancing it up in the car. Kinda enjoying the darkness of it but I wish I listened to it while it was raining. Overall not my type of shit but still enjoyable. Wish I could give 2.5 stars.

Awful. could not finish

Electronic noise

Nah.

I never thought it could be possible for an electronic album to be so boring.

1h20 of breakbeat and techno jams. Duuuuude, this is sooooo long for having so little to express and to say. What the hell was this?

I chose to listen to my hairdryer over this

Just didn’t do it for me.

This is like jazz but worse for my attention span

Not for me

Not for me

You can throw all the Prodigy albums at me that you want, but you're still just trying to make fetch happen.

Just no

First song should have ended after two minutes. So should have the album. Crappy music for a video game boss fight.

What the fuck.

This sounds like the worst Sonic the Hedgehog soundtrack ever made. If industrial soundscapes are your thing, you may enjoy it.

Classic

Instant five

Classic. Still does its thing

Manages to sound so very of it's era, and yet there is such freshness and energy in the music that it still leaves you in a state of awe. It's a towering achievement. The variety of tracks is astonishing given some of the boundaries of dance music usually. Everything from Jazz flute to Jean-Michel Jarre is put in the pot and the result is just staggering. Love it!

Banger Voodoo People (spesielt Pendulum remixen) er killer. No Good og 3 Kilos er krem.

Fuck ‘em, and their law Relisten to the first two Prodigy albums every few years, and think they’re still very good, especially Jilted Generation - in hindsight, a clear stepping stone on the way to Boards Of Canada (you could easily hide 3 Kilos in MHTRTC), the best to ever do it.

The epitome of “The DJ saved my life on the dance floor tonight.” Front to back, this is a transcendental experience: crushing, abrasive, rebellious, and yet, spiritual, contemplative, and nuanced. With little lyrics or themes to latch on to, all you have is the music, which feels like it is simultaneously timeless, of its time out of the rave scene, and could be released tomorrow and still sound fresh and mind-bending. I liked The Fat of the Land a lot, but Music for the Jilted Generation is something so much deeper. This is a special record, one that works well track by track, but can change your life when put together. 78 minutes have never felt so short and all-absorbing. My ass was SAT!!! I’m blown the fuck away. What a fucking masterpiece. Literally, words can’t explain what the music can with this one.

Excellent!!

Yes, yes, good for me...

Outstanding album!!! Still relevant, and always be.

I like it! Perfect album! Masterpiece! Voodoo People, The Heat and No Good are amazing!

CHOOOOON!

good for me

Boom, easy 5* for me. I totally get why other people might not like the Prodigy, particularly this album. It's abrasive and in your face, but it's trying to be. Not every album has to be 'beautiful', 'soulful' or a 'thoughtful masterpiece' - sometimes you just need punching in the face. "Yes, but so many people make music like that, why is this one 5*?" Virtually everyone that has made albums like this after the Prodigy did it worse, or said that they never would have been making music we're it not for Liam, Maxim and Keith. Jilted... Isn't just an album, it's a cornerstone in music history

Fantastic.

I went into this having already enjoyed the clusterfuck that is 1997's 'The Fat of the Land'. And this monster is certainly a clusterfuck in its own right but in a far less "obviously" charming way. Despite being released only 3 years before its more popular younger brother, I found this album's metal, electronic, and big-beat fusions to sound significantly more dated. It's a different thing entirely though, the songs here are longer and more repetitive, and there are barely any vocals. There's no standout banger like 'Firestarter' either. And yeah this album is fucking stupid, and I thought I was going to hate it, but no, I love it. And not even in a "it's so bad it's good" kinda way. Like the beats here are big, the sample choices are consistently interesting, and the vocal snippets with the "fuck 'em and their law" of 'Their Law' or the garbled "The Energy" on 'The Heat (The Energy)' or the "I've got the poison!" of 'Poison' are all utterly hilarious. The album is too long for its good, this album cover is atrocious, and certain switch-ups make absolutely no sense - but I was enjoying every minute of this nevertheless. Those break-neck speed drums and subtle switch-ups sound like cars blowing up beside you in a Tokyo street race, especially on 'Voodoo People', an absolute adrenaline rush with what sounds like a subtle fiddle hit guiding the track through its various phases. This song is so masterfully over the top, I love it. 'Poison' is relentlessly funky with those distorted bass hits and acid-house leanings. I love the bassline on 'No Good (Start the Dance)', maybe the most straight-up electronic cut here. '3 Kilos' is super chilled out compared to everything else here - it serves to round out the whole album experience quite nicely. But I understand I was just in the right headspace for this. If I was annoyed or irritated this could've easily ended up being my least favorite album, like ever. Instead, it ended up being one of my favorites from this list so far. Funny how things work. It's like the music "Resident Evil 4" if anyone gets that reference...a fundamental masterpiece masked in a layer of tack that only serves to make it more enjoyable.

I forgot how great this is. After the first few tracks I remembered and by the end I wanted to rave like there’s no morning.

I have this on CD (that's how old I am). As soon as I saw it come up, I knew it was a 5*. It's very gentle in places, 3kilos for instance, nice ones to dance to as well, with No Good (Start the dance) then Poison, which is a little more raucous and a bit more on what was to come with Fat of the Land. Love this album and I'll listen to it more again now.

This brings back so many memories. I listened to this album more times than I can remember. I can unashamedly say that these were the best years of my life. The Prodigy were so in tune with the youth of the time, these songs are timeless, like a soundtrack of the 90's to me. I think the lesser-known tracks are better than the hits.

Another in the 'this album changed my life' category.

We're back to extremely unsurprising ratings, but come on, this album has always whipped out loud.

Thinking back, I always considered this "the less good Prodigy album" compared to Fat of the Land, and listening back to it now I don't quite know why? It's got some absolute bangers on here, and despite it being the pre-Kieth Flint era it still pounds ahead with track after track of hard-dance furiosity. A hell of a listen, and I'll definitely be putting it back on in the near future! Faves: Speedway, Voodoo People, One Love, Their Law

ахуенчик

Saved Prior: Voodoo People Not Saved: 13. The Heat (The Energy) 12. One Love - Edit 11. Speedway (Theme from Fastlane) 10. Intro (works really well as a, well, intro for the album though) Off Rip: 9. Claustrophobic Sting 8. Skylined 7. Poison 6. No Good (Start the Dance) 5. Break & Enter 4. 3 Kilos 3. Voodoo People 2. Their Law 1. Full Throttle Overall Notes: When I was 16 I went on my first solo abroad trip to meet my extended German family. I stayed with my great aunt who had a 27 year old son who would hang out with me on the weekends when he wasn't teaching. Really cool guy but I was 16 and didn't really know how to socialize with someone that much older than me so I was pretty quiet most of the time. One day he took me into Hannover to show me the skatepark he used to fuck up as a kid and asked me what kind of music I listened to. When I said a little bit of everything, he said "Have you ever heard of The Prodigy?". My dad had "Breathe" on his road trip CD but I hadn't listened to anything outside of it. He told me "That's awesome I didn't know the kids still listened to The Prodigy. Ready to have your mind blown?" and he turned up the speakers in his beat up VW van to the max and B L A S T E D their stuff. Flying down the Autobahn, music so loud I couldn't do anything but laugh and headbob. One of my most formative music memories right there. In terms of this album, I know it's going to get slaughtered by the people not getting this on the right day but please please PLEASE crank this shit if you get the chance. 4.5 rounded up.

If aliens—or current toddlers—ever end up asking what rave sounds like, this is the album. It is to rave what Nevermind is to grunge. And 30 years later, rave as a concept, activity and culture, probably inarguably has the larger global significance. Plus, personally, I love this album. It sounds like being 14 again.

Wicked

What a sick album, just banging beats front to back. This is more pure beats and samples, very light on vocals compared to later Prodigy that most would be familiar with. Just a great time listening to this, couldn't sit still had to keep bopping along while getting some work done.

Love this. Great album.

Awesome. Powerful. Great album. Don’t need to say anything else.

Lots of bangers

Glorious!

9/10 I was a big fan of this when it came out, did not expect to to still sound so amazing. Testament to the production of Liam Howlett, a huge talent. Almost a perfect album, insanely good tunes with a few genuine classics in there. Great mix of breakbeat, rave, acid, techno. Clever stuff. Best: No Good (Start The Dance)

My favorite Prodigy album. Total banger. Pure energy.

Amazing, revolutionary, exceptional - one of my favourites! Love love love.

Im the law and you can't beat the law Fuck em and their law Crack down at sundown Fuck em and their law Revolutionary and foundational. Amazing album. 5/5

Knew them vaguely (Firestarter, Invaders Must Die, etc.) but hadn't done an in-depth listen to their work until now. This has started me down a musical rabbit hole that I ABSOLUTELY love.

As a young teenager introduced to The Prodigy via music videos and Wipeout 2097, I always had a preference for Fat of the Land, but in retrospect I do think this is their best album. A truly groundbreaking mix of techno/rave/big beat/electronica, it still managed to cross over to alt/rock nerds like me who'd never set foot inside a rave, through it's punk energy, aggressive beats, and impeccably layered production. There is some cringeworthy circa-1990 dance on this list that has aged extremely poorly. It's amazing the difference a few years make, this is anything but. It still sounds big, bold, fresh, interesting and utterly timeless.

Starkes Album, steht zum Glück bei mir im Regal

Samen met Bad van Michael Jackson is dit album denk ik door mij het meest beluisterd. Liam maakt een kunst van het hergebruik van muziek van anderen. Met het gebruik van een Nirvana riff voor Voodoo People als hoogtepunt. Niet alles heeft zo'n metamorfose. 3 Kilos is wellicht juist weer zo fijn omdat het zo dicht bij het origineel blijft. Naast deze nummers biedt het album ook nog de klassieker Poison met één van de beste manieren om de beat te droppen. Het is bijna alsof de tijd vertraagt. En het bevat de alleen op vol volume en bij voorkeur live te beluisteren energie-rammer Their Law. Als we dat op een rijtje zetten, zit er nogal wat verschil tussen de nummers. Their Law en 3 Kilo's zijn zo ongeveer uitersten in het breakbeat-genre. Ook opvallend voor mij. Als ik zo de top 4 eruit licht, zit de andere klassieker No Good daar niet eens bij. Wow, dan is de rest vet. 10 sterren!

"Klassenavond, lauwe cola, bakken met chips". En dan je nieuwe hakkoe-moves uitproberen. Al was dit dan niet gabber, maar de meer 'toegankelijke' techno en breakbeat van the Prodigy. Die herinnering heb ik aan No Good. Of op Romereis een oortje van de discman delen met die gast in dat Waxweazle t-shirt, terwijl we de gebouwen met historie negeerden en meer op weg waren naar de volgende kar om een ijsje te kopen. Of in Luxemburg op een camping staan, omdat daar blijkbaar een zonsverduistering gaat plaatsvinden. Al was het toen meer lauwe Bofferding ipv lauwe kola. (En dat was ook eigenlijk het volgende album, Fat of the Land). Oftewel, er zit enige nostalgie in de muziek van the Prodigy. Fat of the Land krijgen we nog als het goed is. Ik zou ze achter elkaar moeten draaien om nog eens goed te beoordelen welk album beter is. Voordeel is wel, dat ik allebei de albums vaak genoeg heb gehoord (al dan niet in de shuffle-bak van winamp) om eigenlijk alles te herkennen.

I forgot what kind of music Prodigy makes and was dreading this one. The cover looks metal but the music was groovy.

Haha! I listened to this just the other day anyway! It's probably my favourite Prodigy album and "Poison" is my favourite Prodigy song. It captures their sound having developed from a sort of tinny sound of the early rave scene like "Charlie says" and "Going to outer space, find another race" and all that, but before they got that bombastic metal/dance sound of "Firestarter" and the annoyingly antagonistic "Smack my Bitch Up" and so on. This was a time when the rave scene felt like it was actually revolutionary and allied to all sorts of counter-culture stuff. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't but after this it went into the mainstream.

Genre defining, possibly. Sounding better in 2024, definitely

Excellent rave music

love this!!!!!

made me want to go back to 90s techno and jungle. love this album and many other prodigies