Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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Groovy 90's electronica! This was a fun listen for me, a lot of these sounds are interesting when you consider where electronica is today, and the kind of tech that was being used back in the 90's to produce these.
Why not
Couldn’t get this album so listened to other FBS stuff - meh other than top 5
Going Out of My Head //
Morro 90-talls boom boom musikk
Interesting.
Super creative tracks with a lot of interesting breaks, samples, and direct and clear inspiration for modern breakbeat and DnB
Liked Santa Cruz, the rest really blended together
All the ingredients of Fatboy Slim are there, but not yet refined into the slick, radio friendly, mass appeal package that was his next album. Obviously abides by the Big Beat Manifesto: "Big Beats are the best. Get high all the time". At the time it felt like a much more all encompassing philosophy. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Going Out of My Head Date listened: 04/02/24
Really good, had never even heard of this album before and really preferred it to his later work.
Great album for a Friday afternoon
Decent enough, liked the one that sampled The Who
Good background music, very nineties.
Pretty meh. I found this quite boring and repetitive.
Enjoyable but was expecting more oomph.
Like a musical version of that Throbbing Gristle noise we listened to yesterday. I can definitely see the evolution.
Fun upbeat dance music that isn't awful to listen to while doing other things.
not my cup of tea..sorry
I find this instrumental album extremely relaxing. I can hear how it was integral to the DJ scene. It definitely carries the essence of the 90s with it, but in the best way possible. It makes me feel very nostalgic to hear music like this. Enjoyable but exhausting for a single listening period.
This album was sort of hit or miss for me. Some tracks were very fun, some were a slog to get through. When a track managed to avoid using the same 2 drum patterns and 4 electronic effects that kept popping up throughout I really enjoyed it. I'm also not a huge fan of how a lot of hip-hop and electronic music overuses vocal samples as part of the rhythm of a song and there's a lot of that so it just wasn't my style. Great producing and clearly ahead of its time. I can see what makes it great and why people love it, but it just isn't my favorite.
Fine for club music. Hard to listen to all the way through
Njeh... myndi ekki hafa þetta albúm á listanum. Alls ekki hans besta.
So I'm guessing this is on the list because it was one of the early electronica albums, so I'm okay with that... Less of an album, and more of a compilation of beats and loops - but at least it was rock-based... Best songs included "Going Out Of My Head" - which has samples of The Who's "I Can't Explain" throughout, "The Weekend Starts Here" - which was one of the more unique songs on the album (i.e. many of the drum beats from song to song are REALLY similar throughout the album - so this one was a bit of a variation...), and "First Down" - which was also more unique sounding... The last track - #12 on my TIDAL stream "Next To Nothing", was also pretty decent... Glad I listened, and probably a precursor that inspired much of the electronica that came after it, but just can't give it more than 2-stars...
I love you but i know that you love Kraftwerk dont you.
Kinda meh. Really repetitive and without the soul that You've Come A Long Way Baby has. Some of the songs are ok, but overall the albums doesn't really stand out to me much. 6/10
Although I do like a lot of electronic music, this just sounds like a constant drill of disco robot sounds. Really not into that.
Pretty chill, thought it would be more intense/ poppy. Good background shit.
Not my kind of music, I liked it better when he was still playing with the Hausmartins.
Rating: 8/10 Great album overall. Really enjoyed the sampling and drum beat/brakes implemented throughout. The guitar sampling was the highlight of the album, a lot of samples used by iconic artists in creative ways. The way Fatboy Slim incorporates synths to complement the guitar and drums was also done very well. This album is stellar when there are no vocal samples in the song, I think the vocal samples are not used creatively and instead oftentimes become a nuisance; the best songs were ones that are completely instrumental. Favorite songs: Song For Lindy, Santa Cruz, Going Out Of My Head, The Weekend Starts Here, First Down, The Sound Of Milwaukee, Michael Jackson, Next To Nothing. Worst songs: Everybody Needs a 303, Give The Po' Man A Break.
People are saying it's repetitive. It is. 2
Definitely "of it's time" but plenty of tracks still hold up.
Not nearly as bad as a lot of the other albums in this genre that I've heard. I can spot it a 3 I suppose. I'm not planning on returning to it but I didn't despise it. The bar is set low for electronica for these ears.
Every song is a loop of the first 15 seconds
Fun enough but fundamentally unserious, which must have suited its time. The derivative title – a joke which was old and stale full decades before the release – sets the tone. “Going Out of My Head” riffs on “Can’t Explain” in a finger-painting, “hey-look-how-clever” sort of way. Not much to it and anyway hadn’t Big Audio Dynamite already done this, like a week and a half previous? Really not worth one’s time, save for eliciting some fun, clubby memories (including memories of why one never much liked going to clubs in the first place, which had to do with music such as this).Goes on awfully long to be so generic and soulless. Same predictable structures – tension mounts with same cheesy studio techniques, and is then climaxed through the same sort of release point – time and again and song after song. Rounding down because it’s annoying and makes one miss the Housemartins which really should be in this book instead of this.
Do you think his good friends call him Fatboy, or do they call him Slim? Regardless, this isn't really my thing. I don't mind it, but I don't really dig it either. Kind of like muzak, it's pleasant enough but doesn't really connect with me in any meaningful way. A couple of the songs were absolutely annoying. The last song was quite pleasant, along with the Who song. 3 stars.
I really enjoyed the sound that this album created. This shit had me boogieing in the kitchen
It's engaging and energetic with an upbeat rhythm. You can almost anticipate what's coming next, and there's enough of a mix of elements to keep it from getting bogged down.
Definitely a bit more tolerable than the last Fatboy Slim album. The dance tracks find their groove without being too outlandish... unfortunately we start diving into the ibiza-crazed techno alien sounds with repeating lyrics later into the album that seriously temper my enthusiasm. Interesting; barely a pass.
Walk down memory lane, great album! It may sound a bit repetitive now, but I remember at the time it sounded really new and exciting.
Dull and dated. If I were being generous I'd say I'm sure a fully sober middle-aged woman listening to this at 7am is not the target audience, but I found it boring in 1995 too. Just makes me want to listen to the Beastie Boys.
Liked his next album more.
Det skulle bli bättre plattan efter men detta är bara trist.
Maybe I'm weird, but I just don't like Fatboy Slim.
It only takes a few tracks to realize you don't need to listen to the rest. Once you've heard one, you've heard them all.
Some hits,.some misses. Doesn't work as well as 90s Fatboy Slim does.
Nonsense music that I typically would not listen to but will gladly dance to.
More dated than it is enjoyable. That couldn't possibly have been the point, yet here we are.
I'm sure an interesting and influential electronic album at the time, but didn't feel like it held up as well as some of the other artists of the era (Daft Punk). Felt very "jock jams"
Fatboy Slim and his sirens can go fuck themselves.
cool
Sehr markanter und einzigartiger Sound. Finde dieses Album aber ehrlicherweise relativ repetitiv und langweilig. 5/10
I've always consumed Norman Cook in small doses. Am I going to get annoyed by a full Fatboy Slim album? Risky click of the day... Ok. Really digging Santa Cruz. Give the Po' Man a Break is unpleasantly repetitive. Really broke me out of the work focus trance. Yikes. 10th and Crenshaw immediately following. This is falling apart quickly. Welp, I gave it a chance. Started out strong, but whimpered across the finish line. A starting point for some of his absolute bangers later on.
This one's fun. I like it a lot more than I remember; maybe my tolerance for repetition has increased. My gut says this will be rated pretty low on this site, which is unfortunate.
Always been a fan of Fatboy Slim, but I don't know this album! Where have I been? Ok, it's not nearly as good as the others I know, but it is still good. There is a time and place where this album really fits. Standouts: Going Out of My Head, Song For Lindy, Everybody Needs a 303, Punk to Funk. 3.5
I feel fairly indifferent to this. I've expressed my admittedly retrograde skepticism of remix culture before. I can't fully escape the feeling that the real creators are just getting mined, catchy though these beats may be.
When I thought I was warming to electronica, Fatboy Slim made me return to my senses. Repetitive beyond belief, utter rubbish.
I guess this is probably good. I mean I didn't hate listening to it by any means. But it's just really not for me.
Sometimes this type of electro/sampling works for me. Most of the time it doesn't. Moby, and Mylo, are good examples of this. "Going Out of My Head" was the only track on this album that did anything for me at all. I think that this album will appeal to people who like to get high and look at flashing lights as well as people with short attention spans who have no concept for chord progressions or song development. Yes, that was me calling the 4 and 5-star voters a bunch of simpletons.
Almost archetypal of Big Beat, Norman Cook proves himself an absolute master of yet another genre. This is the dude from The Housemartins who went on to score Number 1s as Beats International (dub be good to me) and Freak Power (Turn on, tune in, cop out) before defining a (rather large) subset of the 90s UK music scene. Yes - this is repetitive. It's big beat, it's supposed to be. The beats are supported by often near incomprehensible vocal samples. Inevitably in the mainstream club scene, people would attempt to sing along to these vocals, and there was honestly something genuinely lovely about watching towny lads in the 90s, clad in their uniform Ben Sherman shirts, chanting "Gay porn gay porn gay porn" as "Give the po' man a break" spun on the Techniks. It's not Cook's best ever work, but it sure is some of his most influential.
Solid
Fatboy Slim really makes you think. Why would an overgrown man, who loves snooker, eat bees on a regular basis. @SHACK, what are you doing eating bees, mate?
ans von die besseren elektronischen alben da
Eltrapeze survend toujours les albums sans intérêt.
Fat Boy Slim revient nous fracasser la tête de ses sonorités ultra violentes.
Banger edm album Some skippable songs but some great classics too
ok but why
enjoyable 3.5
This is solid but also kind of boring. I don't think I'll be coming back to anything but it made for decent listening. Repeats:everybody needs a 303
Too drum and bass heavy for my taste. I feel like the second half shows more of his style that is more to my liking, I liked going out of my mind, but the rest was pretty meh.
I wasn’t familiar with any of these songs. Some of them had the same kind of 60’s groove that I recognize from his other songs, and like. But a good portion is techno-monotonous and best suited for the dance floor, less so for background listening.
Fine. I probably would have given one of his next 2 albums a 4 star rating, but this lacks the stand out tracks that push it beyond drum and bass background music.
So many good memories of college house parties, Timo Maas at the Showbox, mix CDs of Heller & Farley, Paul Oakenfold in my discman headphones, and being young & feeling cooler than I was.
There are elements of this music that I like, but every song on this record is just too long and too repetitive for my tastes. 2/5
far too repetitive. not a fan of this style
This is like the wikipedia summary of dance music from the 90's. Opens with piano old school, then trance, then DnB then breakbeat, then I gave up. There are some nice hooks in here, but the actual music produced this is aping was actually done with care, this is just a sample from a sub genre repeated over and over and then another sub genre picked
Excellent little Tuesday morning rinse up. First Down gives me big Jungle Love 2017 feelings
I'm 4 electronic albums in (out of 26 total so far) and am quite tired of them. Repetitive. Boring. Minimal thought, not engaging. Doesn't sound good. A 10 second clip in a movie, sure, but 71 minutes straight absolutely not. Speaking of, Wikipedia states the UK version is 58 minutes and excludes the two bonus tracks. Making it longer is just cruelty.
Surprised I really enjoyed it. Sounded a lot more raw than later FBS.
Mediocre, but sometimes catchy.
I didn't think this album would appeal to me in any shape or form. I was wrong. I found it very listenable and quite interesting/intriguing. A good example was First Down. I'll listen to the album again to see what else I get out of it. For now, it's a 3
Fatboy Slim heeft echt geweldige muziek gemaakt, maar dit is niet echt een heel overtuigend plaatje.
Het is voor dance redelijk alternatief, maar toch kan ik er maar weinig mee. Teveel gebiep en getoeter en ook geen zang. Dan houdt het voor mij snel op.
Catchy en leuke samples.
A little boring and repetitive.
I find that most Fatboy tracks,good as they are sound very similar to me so this album is like one long drum beat with a couple samples thrown in.
It was better than the usual Fatboyslim songs I’ve heard on the radio
Love FBS but I don't know this album at all. It is heavily instrumental and beat-based. Standouts: Going Out of My Head, Michael Jackson 3/5
I was scratching my head trying to think of where I heard this artist before. I thought it was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, but upon checking my iTunes, there is a song called Rockafeller Skank from Now 3 (and also Praise You on Now 2). I really like both of those songs, and neither of them are on this album. This is the debut album and it certainly isn't bad, just an alternative instrumental type album. I'd equate it to electronic/dance type music. But it was at that time where you don't really know what to do with this music. Do you dance? It doesn't really have the best rhythm. You can't really sing. All you can do is listen, and according to this, listen before you die.
I do know Fatboy Slim for a few hits ("Rockafeller Skank," "Weapon of Choice," "Praise You"), but none of those are on here. Instead, it's a debut, but it's pretty solid. Overall an enjoyable listen, and it was fun to hear a few samples and sounds that I recognized, especially the harmonica from Black Sabbath's "The Wizard" all over "The Weekend Starts Here." I like this guy. Favorite tracks: Santa Cruz, The Weekend Starts Here. Album art: A floppy disk, labeled with the artist and album name. Nothing special to me, but the color is pretty good. 3/5
This is not a review of an album. You want to know why? Because Better Living Through Chemistry by Fatboy Slim is not an album. It is a collection of random beats. That's it. Let me just say that I don't have a problem with instrumental songs or albums. I haven't listened to any other instrumental albums, but I do know that they can be good and meaningful. You don't need to use lyrics to have emotion in a song. You can use aspects of the musical composition like chord progression to tell a story. This collection of beats does not tell a story or do anything unique of the sort. It's just beats. The beats aren't bad. I could see these making for good songs. That's just the thing. These could make good songs. However they do not stand out enough on their own to constitute as good songs. They're serviceable background noise I guess, but they don't really have much value beyond that. Why is this album even on the list? Fatboy Slim apparently has better albums, one of which is also on this list! I think it's just another classic case of "We wanted to represent an artist so we used their debut album even if it's far from their best work." Overall, I don't care about this one. It's well made, but it doesn't mean anything to me. 2/5.
A little too long. The beats are cool, but not so cool I can see myself revisiting it.
Lievästi tylsempi kuin toinen listan Fatboy Slim. Kuitenkin virkistävää aina kuunnella tällaista vanhanliiton konemusaa! 3/5
Happotekno on jees ja fatboy slimin muussa tuotannossa on kunnon bängereitä, mutta tää oli kyllä todella väsynyttä.
Huoh, elektronista on listalla aika vähän ja nää valinnat on kanssa usein outoja. No tietty big beat muistuttaa mukavasti rockia, niin siksi sitä on varmaan eniten... Mutta sanattomaksi vetää, jos tämä on listalla eikä yhtään esim. Autechrea, Boards of Canadaa tai Burialia.
Jotkut biisit ihan jees, mutta ei ehkä parhaiten vanhentunutta konemusaa. 2/5
I guess for some people in some context in 1996 it made some sense
It's a fine early big beat record, the most true to jungle and DnB, but also carries his signature funk touches. It's pretty tame and directionless compared to his next 2 releases which had a lot more energy and personality going on. There're a lot of good ideas on here, and he shows his immense talent straight away. But it does repeat itself a bit without going anywhere (in many but not all tracks), and he hasn't matured enough as a confident enough producer. Favorites: Going Out of My Head, Everybody Needs a 303, First Down
3.5. Great debut album but far from his best work. Still sounds rather ‘fresh’ for 1996!
I've always liked a bit of Norman but surely this isn't his best album?
Lyrics: One notable aspect of "Better Living Through Chemistry" is its limited use of traditional lyrics. Instead, the album relies heavily on vocal samples strategically placed throughout the tracks. This approach allows the music to transcend language barriers, appealing to a global audience. The snippets of speech and singing serve as additional instruments, contributing to the overall sonic experience. While this lack of traditional lyrical content may be considered a drawback for those seeking narrative-driven songs, it aligns with the album's emphasis on rhythm and atmosphere. Music: The musical landscape of "Better Living Through Chemistry" is a kaleidoscope of electronic genres, ranging from big beat and house to funk and hip-hop. Fatboy Slim showcases his prowess in creating infectious hooks and memorable melodies. The album's dynamic range is impressive, with tracks like "Rockafeller Skank" boasting energetic, dance-inducing beats, while others, such as "Take It In," exhibit a more introspective and laid-back vibe. The diversity of musical styles keeps the listening experience engaging and unpredictable. Production: Fatboy Slim's production skills shine on "Better Living Through Chemistry." The meticulous layering of samples, beats, and synths creates a rich, textured sound that feels both futuristic and timeless. The album is a masterclass in sample-based production, with Cook skillfully weaving together disparate elements into a cohesive sonic tapestry. The seamless transitions between tracks contribute to the album's immersive quality, making it suitable for both attentive listening and as a backdrop for energetic dance floors. Themes: While "Better Living Through Chemistry" doesn't adhere to a specific lyrical narrative, its title hints at a thematic exploration of societal attitudes toward substance use and technological advancement. The album captures the zeitgeist of the late 20th century, where the promise of a better life through chemistry reflected both the optimism and concerns surrounding scientific and cultural progress. The eclectic nature of the music mirrors the complexity of the era, offering a sonic snapshot of a time characterized by rapid change and experimentation. Influence: "Better Living Through Chemistry" had a profound impact on the electronic music landscape, solidifying Fatboy Slim's status as a pioneer in the genre. The album's fusion of eclectic samples and innovative production techniques inspired countless artists to push the boundaries of electronic music. Its influence is evident in subsequent works across various genres, from the mainstream success of big beat to the underground experimentation of electronic artists. Fatboy Slim's approach to production continues to resonate with musicians exploring the intersection of electronic and traditional instrumentation. Pros: Innovative Production: Fatboy Slim's expert use of samples and production techniques showcases a forward-thinking approach. Diverse Musical Styles: The album's versatility appeals to a broad audience, making it suitable for various moods and settings. Timeless Appeal: The album's fusion of electronic and sample-based elements has ensured its enduring popularity, standing the test of time. Cons: Limited Lyrical Content: For listeners who prefer lyrically-driven music, the reliance on vocal samples may be perceived as a drawback. Uneven Pacing: While the album's diversity is a strength, some may find the pacing uneven, with energetic tracks followed by more subdued ones. In conclusion, "Better Living Through Chemistry" remains a landmark album in electronic music, showcasing Fatboy Slim's innovative production and contributing to the evolution of the genre. Its enduring influence is a testament to its timeless appeal, making it a must-listen for fans of electronic music and a crucial chapter in the genre's history.
Not a fan of this one.
Enjoyable. I like Praise you more though.
Very samey
I was hoping to like this album and be exposed to some different Fatboy Slim songs beyond the usual hits that I know, but the album was disappointing. It feels very dated, I did not recognize a single song, and it was just overly repetitive beeps and boops. I can appreciate the influence this had in the 90s as a fresh new electronic sound, but unfortunately it doesn't really have the same impact anymore to me. It's like a first draft of Daft Punk. And at over an hour, it just goes on far too long and you start to feel every loop. Maybe I need to hear these jams in da clurb to really understand it.
Great.
Who knew that Fat Boy Slim had multiple albums? Who knew that two of these albums are so good that you needed to listen to them before you died? Anyone besides the editor of this book? I will generously round up.
Good background music that doesn't require much from the listener except to sit back and enjoy the ride.
To say that Fatboy Slim had his own style in the 90's is enough to praise him. It was a difficult task to have own style when you had so many DJs trying to get to the top. They all sounded bland, Slim didn't.
Don't really care for electronic music in general, but its fine. Background noise.
Some mid-90s electronic that didn't live up to their contemporaries. Not that I was all that into this genre back then but these guys never really did it for me.
1.10, 10%
Ikke min kop te. Mindede mig lidt om chemical Brothers men federe pga mere melodisk og guitar riffs
I enjoyed this, but then again, I was helping promoting small scale raves and house parties in the mid 1990s in the San Francisco Bay area, so this came just after that, and I understand where this material is coming from and why. I typically don't listen to this sort of thing for pleasure, it's great to dance to, and that can leave some people cold. That said, it's creative, good loops, interesting breaks, and in a genre where a lot of stuff is really repetitive and formulaic, this isn't.
Not his biggest, yet still excellent
Niet echt van onder de indruk
Excellent big drum beats and occasionally actual song progression just without singing. Drawbacks are over use of the squelchy acid sound from I think the 808. A pity as it gets quite irritating. Overall pretty upbeat. A high three stars
8/10 not as good as YCALWB, but still pretty great
Simply excellent. Maintains energy without falling into incomprehensibility. Wish I had discovered this album earlier. Five stars.
I’ve never been much of an uppers guy, so this isn’t exactly the kind of music that I’d choose to dance to regularly. Still, it’s fun for a change occasionally. None of the songs have the same kind of impact as Fatboy Slim’s big hits, but they’re all still pleasant, well produced, and danceable, which is really what it’s all about
Big Beat at its best. Cracking
Good for running, with a good beat throughout, but it does not have any of Fatboy Slim's best songs.
Norman Cook’s best work was yet to come, but as an intro to the Fatboy Slim machine you could do a lot worse. The beats are usually hard hitting right where they should be.
Not the fat boy slim you would see Christopher walker dancing to but still fat boy slim. This was pretty repetitive and not too interesting over all. I guess if you’re into sampling and electronic music this may be for you but it is not for me. 2.6/10
(Techno) Dance music is meant to be danced to and isn't something I'd ever reach for for a listening experience. It gets so repetitive and tedious and I get kind of annoyed waiting for it to change or resolve and it never comes. The first song sounded like it sampled Chicago's "I'm A Man" and I kept waiting for that song to start and play out. There's also something cold and soulless about music made without any musicians or instruments so I find it difficult to get on board with that. I aged out of this type of music before it even existed but I'll give it two stars as an appreciation for some of the grooves.
Check it out now the funk soul brother right about now
Bien que Fatboy Slim est selon moi le meilleur dans ce style, le big beat reste un son qui ne m'attire pas tellement. Je trouve ça trop répétitif, le style de beat ne me correspond juste pas. J'apprécie l'effort mais pas pour moi. 6/10
Suck
ничего с него знала и конечно не успела проникнуться. потом как-нибудь потанцую под него)
not quite my tempo. not great on headphones but might be better on speakers
While I prefer the second album, this was a great debut and great listen.
Solid big beat goodness. Hard to go wrong with Fatboy Slim.
Solid dance house music. Definitely the type of thing you need to be in the mood for. 3.5 stars
Cool music! I can definitely appreciate this album, but it's not my jam.
Repetetive, but in a good way. You'd think it would be more annoying but it's not.
I have always liked their music although in small doses. This album was cool though and I enjoyed it
Boa sequencia de hits com batidas interessantes.
Quite good
Honestly really better than I thought but once again, not really, my ally of what type of music would normally listen to. no complaints, however, and good enough length.
My audible groan when I saw today's album artist very literally scared my poor dog. I'd rather continue to listen to her not-so-silent farts of varying pitch than be subjected to *another* (jfc wasn't 1 enough) bullshit album by Fatboy Slim. Awful. -- ...admittedly that was all written before i listened to a note of this so in the spirit of an open mind... -- Yup - after 2 tracks it's probably the same - I like electronic music quite a bit. BUT. Not repetitive drill-a-fake-kick-drum-through-your-head with the same pattern for 16 (or more!) bars, then ooooh! change it up a little bit ... here's the drop ... 16 more bars with an added cool snare ... ooo add an EQ filter here to create the cool swirly-phasing sensation zzzzz Any random 20 second sampling of this album sounds fine and yet that is the big joke. It's a huge fake-out. idk maybe I'm being intentionally sarcastic and avoiding the aspect that this was one of the first to loop to such effect. Was he? If so does it even matter? I don't care or like it enough to look it up - in the end for me this is terribly-droning-repetitive-music-on-autopilot. Just struck me - this album is more akin or suite to being a user's manual / sound palette on: "these are some cool things you *can* do with your music!" Hmmm...now if this had been marketed as such - e.g. given away as a freebie with the latest Akai controller or Ableton version - that would be a cool/valuable resourse. As a commercial album to purchase? GTFO. Musicians: listen and try all of these admittedly neat tricks and sounds and use like...*THREE*... interspersed within actually interesting music. 2/10 1 star.
It was ok
BORING
Good electronic music
More important to listen to than a full album. You can clearly see the influence this had on electronic music. 3.5/5
Not bad but none of their hits
Fun listen. I’m almost surprised that it is dated. Still a fun listen.
4/10. I didn't really care for this, but it was so much more tolerable than his other album on here, so definitely a pleasant surprise.
Ahhhh, Better Living Through Chemistry by Fatboy Slim. One of my all time favorites. Such classics as "the Michael Jackson song", "the song where he makes it sound like the sample is saying gay porn", and "that one song where the beat sounded like farts" make this a big beat masterpiece. On the scale of music overall, however, that means this is a mediocre record at best. 5/10
Loved it
Weak synth
I like Fatboy Slim, but I think that by this album we got the point.
I love good techno. This is good. Brings me back to the 90's
crazy sounds. felt like surfing the web in 1999. fingerless glove type beats. funky techno shizzlewizzle
Fatboy Slim without any of the hits
One of my first ever Amazon.com purchases (back when they had first expanded to selling music in addition to books). I don't even know why I wanted it, but I did. Still slaps top to bottom.
Je trouve ca très entrainant et pour vrai je me suis surpris a aimé quand meme les album de Fat boy slim sur cette liste, car oui, i y en a plusieurs. celui-ci est osn premier et ca déménage quand meme. Surtout pour motivaiton de course. 4
Better Living is notably more abstract than Long Way, but it has every bit as much punch. An exhaustively impressive debut.
Terrible. I can't believe not one but two fatboy slim albums are on this list. Terrible music and terrible album choice. May god have mercy on the person that decided to put fatboy slim on here.
This one was a little better, but still, no chance I needed to hear this shit.
3.75
Un maître du rythme, du timing et de la composition. Simplement un style que je n'écouterais pas tous les jours
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: First down, Going out of my head
Música electrónica con abundancia de drum'n'bass, con ritmo, con percusión. Sin casi voces. Escuchable, sin más. Ritmo para escuchar tranquilamente
Seems to encapsulate the mid-90s Big Beat style. Overall enjoyable and inventive. I liked the opening song a lot, but some of the rest was kind of mid, like “The Weekend Starts Here” which just seems like an extended radio promo.
It sounds a bit like the other fatboy slim album we had without all the catchy hits. Okay as background music
I love Fatboy Slim but you can tell this is an early work. The sampling isn't quite as catchy or iconic as his later work, and that joyous pop sound isn't quite perfected. It's still v enjoyable and as a huge fan of 90s big beat/electronic sounds in the UK, its really good background listening. Best suited as a soundtrack to relaxed, monotonous office work, to spice up your life and get your foot tapping, imagining yourself in a 90s underground rave. 04/10/23
It's the album before Fatboy Slim truly became Fatboy Slim. There are a couple of big hints that he's about to explode, but there are also some pretty regular tracks on there too.
Not a fan of this one.
Another mindless beats album. Must be 20% of this list by now.
Not sure why this is considered music
Just jangle noise. Norman has a better record collection than you and usually finds some smart samples but curiously not here - you’ve heard these beats and hooks before elsewhere. An exhausting listen in truth, all with a tiring, albeit bright sameness.
energique. but not my type of electro. a bit too repetitive. mais comprend l'influence que ca pu avoir dans les années 90 5.5/10
Neat to listen to once, but not my kind of music.
I liked this but a I’ve never really of this as album music. A full album sometimes feels a bit much for me.
4/5. A quite enjoyable and danceable electronic album, somehow better than his sophomore album. Although his second one definitely has some better induvial songs, this one flows so nicely and each has some passion and drive behind it. It also never slows down which is a plus. Although it is a little long, it's still really good.
I liked most of the tracks. Name was familiar but I am not sure if I’d heard any of this music before. Some of the songs get a bit too screechy and frenetic for my tastes but overall I enjoyed listening to it. Catchy and fun. Great album art.
Plenty of great memories on this one. I just don't listen to Fatboy Slim casually though
I've not heard this FBS album, certainly not as iconic as his next one.
Enjoyable but only in the broadest and most obvious kinda way.
2.9 - Some AI bot will gladly shit out these types of songs for you. Just remember to say “please.”
Saying this kind of music falls into the same familiar structure of “build up and drop” as a criticism would be rather hypocritical as most other music falls into its own structure specific to genre. But I’ll make an exception this time because I don’t like this music.
I found it fun but also can't disagree with the repetitive assessments
Good dance music. I didn’t really think it would be any different, since I liked the one I heard already, but whatever (I prefer that one, just so you know). Something interesting about this one is that I think it was mistakenly thought to be one of the albums here that wasn’t on the list when it really was, since I’m only the fifth or so review since 2021. Cool.
Not a huge fan
Big Beats = Best Beats
Electrónica. Algunas cosas interesantes, otras, un coñazo repetitivo.
I don't know who needs the Fatboy Slim origin story, but it ain't me. Best track: Going out of My Head
Seems like this was foreshadowing or leading the way to late 90's / early 00's dance music. A fun listen, but that's where it ends for me.
A fun ride.
Definitely feels like a compilation, for sure.
I'm not quite sure I understand the inclusion of this album on this list. It's ok, but meh. Fave: First Down for the Chemical Brother vibes.
Maybe if I was at a rave with Molly, but doesn't work with headphones while working
Not for me. Perhaps I'd like it more if I were playing laser tag instead of working.
blid house, kan minde om en tidlig moby, ægte 90'er
You can almost feel where each song is going before it goes there. Haters may call this "predictable" but I call it a "goddamn good time". [Looks directly at camera to address Haters] Lighten up, Haters, this guy's name is Fatboy. He named himself Fatboy. Were you expecting restraint? Did you think Fatboy was gonna sit down at the control table and slowly, tastefully nibble and sample. This is a feast of repetition. A-
YAWN. Electronic rarely does it for me. I will admit there were a few toe tappers, but where were the samples that really shine like his hits weapon of choice, praise you and funk soul brother, not in this album, that’s for sure. This album started out too housy and industrial, at its best Matrix fight scene, it was a 2, but then it got a little more poppy and won me over to a 3. PS could Fatboy Slim be cancelled today for appropriating the word “fat?”
Fun album, not as fun as some slightly later stuff, but certainly set the stage for a lot that followed in the 90s and 00s
I. Hate. Techno.
Favoriete nummers: - Santa Cruz
It happens that I was given two Fatboy Slim albums over the course of two days, this album and You've Come a Long Way Baby. I'd like to judge this one solely on its own merits and not overly in comparison to the other. But that's kind of unavoidable. Of the two, I think You've Come a Long Way probably played better in the clubs, while I think Better Living Through Chemistry plays better for everyday listening. Some of the songs are just incredibly pretty to listen to, like "Song for Lindy" and "Santa Cruz." The sampling is a little less sophisticated on this album. I can recognize a lot of the samples FS used. But I actually enjoy being able to catch them, so I don't hold it against him. My main critique would be that FS tends to make some of his songs overly long without really adding anything to them to justify the 5+ minute length and they just draaaag ("The Weekend Starts Here" and "Everybody Needs a 303" are examples of this). If a song is really in the groove, I'm not going to be looking for the escape hatch three minutes in. Fave songs: Song for Lindy, Santa Cruz, The Sound of Milwaukee, Punk to Funk
Santa Cruz is the best song but the whole album is pretty tender.
Gets a bit samey and doesn't seem to have the layers that Slim's next album possesses.
Strong 3
‘Twas ok. No bangers but I bet I would like it if I was in the right frame of mind/location
3.5 really. A lotta fun and very enjoyable but not something that I am likely to return to.
not my fav
2.5
I should go back to Fatboy Slim more often. Really takes me back and reminds me of the Jet Set Radio soundtrack
2/10
2/5 didn't really like it.
matias if you ever see this i am very dissapointed
I only know of Fatboy Slim through his bigger singles (Weapon of Choice, The Rockafeller Skank), but this is still very listenable.
Overreliant on one to two vocal samples to drive each track, this album fails to impress in terms of originality and variation no matter how catchy some of the underlying DnB is. The sampling and arrangement brilliance of the last two songs show how the others could have been so much better.
Ehhh. Pass.
Didn't get anything from this. Odd, I thought I would like it more
real funky bass. 8/10 but not for me
Adios que asco
Me molan las canciones que se acercan más al d&b en general, me recuerda a cuando jugaba a la Wii a algún juego de estos de carreras de monster trucks, todo lo que sea algo de percusión acelerada que recuerde a videojuego pa dentro. Por otro lado hay otras canciones que me recuerdan a alguna intro de serie de animación cutre de Jetix o algo así pseudo-edgy y eso es más palmada. En mi opinión: La mejor es "Everybody needs a 303" y la peor Going out of my head. Yo que se peña, pues palante, chico gordo slim. Bobby Out.
Da un poco las vibes de que si lo escuchas, ella es demasiado madura para su edad no? Me siento como si tuviese 50 años y bebiese burn
Disfruton sin duda, seguramente ganaría con más escuchas. Casi todo me gustó pero diría que nada me flipo. Pongo 3 pero deberían ser 3,5.
Dated, but some nostalgia with "Santa Cruz" "Going Out of My Head" "The Weekend Starts Here"
Fat boy slim albums back to back…enjoyed this one better than you’ve come a long way baby
läuft gut nebenbei
I liked this a lot more than I thought I was going to.
Great first half love that part, kind of goofy back half that hasn't aged well
I think I may be missing the gene to truly enjoy EDM. Absolutely sure it would sound better in a club than it did while walking my dog in the woods.
I listened to Fatboy Slim a fair amount decades ago, but I realized I recognized these songs more from commercials. It might be considered unfair that his music is commodified, but it's a good guess that he's been fairly compensated.
I caaaaaan't. So repetitive.
random sound, no lyrics
Not my favourite of his albums. Worth a listen, not sure on another
I dunno, this album just feels pretty "basic" to me. Not my thing so I won't judge too harshly. It seems like goofy fun spring break music for white college kids who like to drink beer. Probably not a fair comparison but given the music coming out around this time from Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Kruder + Dorfmeister, Third Eye Foundation, or Nightmares on Wax this just feels really Half-assed.
Ok dance album. Not very interesting. But if brainless fun
A couple of decent tracks on this. 'Song For Lindy' is great, as well as 'Everybody Needs A 303'. 'First Down' is also fun. Rest of this album is repetitive filler and hasn't aged all that well.
Very cool album!
Säkert bra om man lyssnar på fest eller vid något mer lättsamt tillställning. Funkar inte alls till jobb dock
Decent. One of the first dance albums I bought. A lot of it seems to have predicted what would come over the next few years. First half better than second half.
The title is a dead giveaway. This might be OK if you are full of E's but otherwise it's just someone messing about in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Utter tripe.
Pretty good. Definitely not an expert on dance music, but I think it's well mixed, good sampling. Each of the tracks is a little bit long, but nothing major. May or may not listen to it again
horrível
Magnífico, old class dj magic.
Not a fan.
Various electronic music in the one album. A pleasant combination of a lot of sounds in each track. But this isn't Fatboy Slim best album.
So far I only knew Fatboy Slim by name. I'm not entirely sure what I expected his music to sound like, but it wasn't this. I sort of liked it though, I think. I'll need to listen to this one more than once to be able to deliver a final verdict, but for now a 4 will do.
Fun jams and fat beats, but they tend to drag on a little. I wish this was a more concise record.
Decent. One of the first dance albums I bought. A lot of it seems to have predicted what would come over the next few years. First half better than second half.
War nichts für mich. Zu wenig Struktur und zu viel Krach.
Feels like being stuck inside a washing machine.
Enjoyable enough but not a type of music I would ever really choose to listen to. I need a little bit more going on
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Song For Lindy, Santa Cruz, Going Out Of My Head, Everybody Needs A 303, Give The Po' Man A Break, First Down Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: I had prior exposure to his bigger hits, but this was fun head-bopping dance music. The repetition hits perfectly and this would be super fun to dance to at a party. Not what I would call essential listening, but a fun listen nonetheless.
energetic, diverse, and very 90s. really enjoyed it. some of these will be in rotation on workout playlists
The start, Song for Lindy, had my attention but he lost me for the next two songs. I was starting to write some negative shit based on where I thought this was headed but then Going out of my Head also worked for me. I'm such a big "Can't Explain" fan I had to take myself with a grain of salt. The next couple of songs on the album kept moving in good directions. One thing that piqued my curiosity was the song title "Everyone Needs a 303". FBS is a brit and certainly doesn't look like the type to make songs about rifles. It turns out a 303 is also a bass synthesizer and presumably provides the excellent bass lines on the track. 10th and Crenshaw was a low point on the album; it was noisy and lasted for way too long. The album didn't recover from that. I found most of the distorted voices on various tracks to be largely boring. I was pleasantly surprised by the bits I liked but a higher rating was never contemplated.
One to see live...in 97 lol
Production: 12/20 Songwriting: 7/20 Innovation: 15/20 Bangers: 5/20 Emotional response: 10/20 =49 Give po man a break =
This album came out around the time I started at university and was the soundtrack to plenty of student house parties (okay, mostly nights spent on my own in my university room). Despite that element of nostalgia, listening back now it all feels a bit thin. You can see glimpses of where he started to take the whole Big Beat thing mainstream, but I think, for my money, others were probably doing it in more interesting ways. At the time I preferred label mates ‘Lo Fidelity Allstars’ but now I’m a bit nervous of going back and finding out they weren’t as good as I thought they were at the time. Maybe it’s best to leave some albums in the past. It’s a two and a half stars album for me, but I’ll give it an extra half for the sake of nostalgia.
Good radio
I’ve always thought that many DJ/Producers were better DJs than producers. FBS definitely broke that rule on his next (1998) release, but we can talk about that later. This LP has a more stripped-down sound. The singles are energetic, the sampling is clever, the use of breaks keeps the momentum going. Back in the day this was pretty cutting edge.
2.5, mir zu stumpf insgesamt, paar gute parts reißen es nicht raus.
Boring ! Wenigstens erscheint vorm inneren Auge eine Montage mit Szenen aus romcoms feat. Cameron Diaz
Ja ok. Wirkt insgesamt bisschen beliebig, mit schlimmen Fillern dazwischen (The Weekend Starts Here). Everybody Love's A 303 hab ich aber geliebt damals, Give The Po' Man ... und Santa Cruz gefallen mir sehr gut, und Michael Jackson war zwar auf dem Original nicht drauf, erinnert mich aber trotzdem daran wie super ich Mr. Cook und seinen Hang zu Smiley-Paraphernalia und MDMA damals fand. Und klar, El Sympatico isser ja auch immer noch. 2,7. Kennt ihr die Geschichte, wie damals nach der Trennung der Housemartins (Bassist Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim hatte die Band verlassen um erstmal als Mighty Dub Katz und Pizzaman die Solokarriere zu starten), wütende/beleidigte Fans sein Haus belagerten und dabei immer wieder Panic/"Hang the DJ" von den Smiths sangen? Ich fands lustig.
I would say I liked this a bit more than You've Come a Long Way Baby, but only by a hair as the sound broadly was slightly more enticing.
Conocida Going Out of My Head. Me ralla un poco el disco. Guay Sunset 303.
You really need to be at a rave, sweating and high on acid to be into this music. Sitting at home reading the paper it was a bit too high NRG and it got really repetitive. It’s better than Chemical Bros but not as good as say Daft Punk or the OGs Kraftwerk
This was probably a very important album for its time, and electronic music, but didn't connect with me.
Too repetitive
Klassisk electronica-album dette. Jeg var kanskje hakket mer team chemical brothers enn fatboy slim i gamledager, men er jo noen flotte låter her med big beat souffle, everybody loves a filter, song for lindy og going out of my head.
never heard this one before. I'ts great even though its not full of hits as YCALWB.
Each song has interesting build ups
Good, but I preferred "You've Come A Long Way, Baby"
Meh
Really enjoyed this. Made me feel like an extra in a rave scene. Good working music. Fun. Easy. Not my genre at all but it clicked with me today for some reason.
This doesn't quite do it for me, I'm not sure why. I like his later albums more. Fave track - "Santa Cruz"
There are better Fat Bot Slim albums than this one.
Some cool tracks, but more annoying than not.
I’m not chewing my face off in a club in the 90s, where this music fits in. It’s not really my bag in general and is very out of place in my ‘working from home on a wed morning’ playlist.
1
It sounds like fatboy slim, but it’s just not quite there yet
Thumbs up
Wel lekker maar mij iets te electronisch
The weekend starts here Give po man a break 10th and crenshaw Punk to funk
Not the best Fatboy Slim album and hasn't aged as well as others from the big beat genre IMO. "Going Out Of My Head" is the big song that I remembered from this album, and it's decent at best. "Song For Lindy" sounded familiar for another reason, turns out was sampled in the much better Love Island on his next album.
Long, repetitive, a bit grating by the end. Wish it had more lyrics. 2.5
the soundtrack to a 90s movie chase
Not really my style -- funky and metallic, without much lyrical substance or 'groove'. It just felt empty to me and a bit boring. Some cool moments, but overall not my thing.
Solid album.
Fun! Catchy, energetic dance music. Good for working and staying energized.
I don’t believe this has aged very well although I was never really a fan even in the 90s.
Love Fatboy Slim, but this isn't his best album.
Slim fitting!
These 90s dance albums are always so good as individual songs, but they're always like an hour long, so that takes away from them in my eye
Really interesting album. This album is convincing me that I should give more of their stuff more listens. I'm giving this one 4 stars.
I liked it, but I can't really just listen to 45 minutes of dance music. I didn't listen to the whole project. It seemed like it pulled from some serious hip hop influences and I liked give the po man a break. Good album, just not for me, 4/8.
Just beats and loops...
Okie as good for a workout, wouldn’t listen at any other time though.
Started with Fatboy Slim and listened to prodigy after. The difference for me is so huge that I can't give more than 3/5. I like the genre and listen to it regularly but fatboy is often a bit too boring for me.
Santa cruz would be good for a "Sunrise over Siskiyou" playlist
Lepposa kokonaisuus ja muuta helmi.
Listened to some of it, and it was very cool, but I was in a slower paced mood.
Repetitive.
Pretty good for the genre. Definitely fun to listen to, would return to. 7/10.
Most of us lack the privilege of enjoying this in a party context but what I can say as an armchair listener is that Fatboy Slim possesses a lot of youthful energy and creativity and knows what he wants out of a record but I'd enjoy this more if it were 20 minutes shorter. But again, this wasn't made for me to enjoy as an album, it was made to provide an hours worth of ass shaking for DJs. Also sounds like you could flip some dope samples off this.