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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

You've Come a Long Way Baby

Fatboy Slim

1998

You've Come a Long Way Baby
Album Summary

You've Come a Long Way, Baby is the second studio album by Fatboy Slim, a project of English electronic music producer Norman Cook. It was first released on 19 October 1998 in the United Kingdom by Skint Records and a day later in the United States by Astralwerks. Cook recorded and produced the album at his home studio in Brighton, known as the House of Love, using an Atari ST computer, Creator software, and floppy disks. The photo on the album cover was originally taken at the 1983 Fat Peoples Festival in Danville, Virginia; for the North American release, the album cover was changed to an image of shelves stacked with records. You've Come a Long Way, Baby proved to be Cook's global breakthrough album, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number 34 on the US Billboard 200. Praised by critics for its sound and style, the album brought international attention to Cook, earning him a Brit Award in 1999, and was later certified four times platinum by the BPI and platinum by the RIAA. Four singles were released from the album: "The Rockafeller Skank", "Gangster Tripping", "Praise You", and "Right Here, Right Now", all of which peaked within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. "Build It Up – Tear It Down" was also released as a promotional single.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.36

Votes

15321

Genres

  • Electronica

Reviews

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Mar 27 2022
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3

Incredibly repetitive. Incredibly repetitive. Incredibly repetitive. Incredibly rep rep repetitive. Incredibly repetitive. Incredibly rep repetitive.

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Dec 06 2022
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2

This album spans the generations. It managed to annoy me AND a carpool full of middle schoolers.

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Oct 23 2020
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2

Sounded like sitting through an hour long Toyota Aygo advert.

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Apr 27 2021
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4

Oh man I forgot how much I loved The Rockafeller Skank when it came out. Really feelin it still. OH SHIT I never heard that last 2 minutes, that wasn't on the radio! I am remembering that my mom did not let me get this cd because of the parental advisory, which I understand now after hearing "In Heaven." Some of these songs are kind of stupid, but they are all fun. I really liked "Praise You" back in the day as well.

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Apr 29 2021
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1

Sounds like a GTA radio station if they couldn’t get the rights to anything good. Favorite track: “Gangster Trippin”

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Aug 28 2023
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2

Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Fucking- Annoying

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May 14 2022
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4

Who'd have thought we all be sat here in 2022 listening to Fatboy Slim and actually enjoying it? We have come a long way, but also we've barely moved at all, baby. I did enjoy him at Glastonbury 2019 too, but there may have been other reasons for that. Get me to Ayia Napa.

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Aug 18 2022
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4

Very enjoyable. An exercise in repetition, and how that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

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Feb 05 2021
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4

Great for progressive load trainer rides.

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Nov 06 2023
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5

This is an utter masterclass in infectious, compelling, completely fun electronic dance-pop. It's no wonder that Norman Cook is also a bass player. There's not much to say here (and that's coming from a guy who wrote 750 words about a Kid Rock album I found to be mediocre). You've Come A Long Way, Baby isn't terribly challenging (apart from the occasionally profuse cursing -- see In Heaven for a high-cadence string of F-bombs) is immediately accessible and never overstays its welcome. I'm not well-educated in this genre of music but this record connects directly to the reward centre of my brain and shuts off the part that knows I can't dance. One of the best things from the 90s.

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Nov 02 2023
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2

I want to like this but I think it's just too repetitive. Gangster Trippin is a forever banger though.

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Apr 01 2022
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3

solid music of the genre, but a genre I only want to listen to 1-2 songs from.

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Apr 15 2021
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5

(I listened to the original album, not the anniversary edition). Good start, Right Here Right Now is a ridiculous classic. 5 star track. Same goes for the 2nd track, Rockerfeller Skank. Ridiculous. 😂. Gangster Tripping a classic too. And Praise You is such a classic. Absolutely frothing 😂 there doesn't seem any way that you wouldn't give this album 5 stars.

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Nov 09 2021
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2

Apparently, John Terry was one of the co-writers on Rockafeller Skank. I plan on doing no further research to disabuse myself of the idea that this means the former Chelsea F.C. captain. While he had his ups and downs off the pitch, his career on it was first rate and remarkably consistent. Unlike this.

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Feb 11 2021
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1

Couldn't bear to finish it. Had mild hope for You're Note From Brighton because the name is silly, but no. I imagine overdosing on a stimulant is a lot like listening to this album

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Jan 26 2022
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5

I know it shouldn't have 5 stars but when I enjoyed it that much what exactly are 5 stars for?

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Apr 27 2021
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4

I remember when this came out it was like a new drug had been introduced. People reacted differently to it of course, but many, myself included, found it very addictive. Such a punchy, high-contrast sound. Expert layering/structuring of samples that keeps the fun and excitement up throughout.

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Nov 02 2023
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1

Not one song I ever want to hear again.

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Nov 02 2023
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1

You know the budget B movie when the protagonist has to enter the dive club to meet a contact. Perfect for that.

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May 18 2021
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4

This man is pretty fuckin' creative! I don't usually go in for electronic music, but the blend of real instruments and truly interesting sound effects and beats is pretty fun to hear. Incredible bangers on this album.

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May 14 2022
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3

just was not feeling this today. its good but a full album was a bit much.

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Mar 30 2021
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5

Even when I was a touch zoned put, I was still bobbing my head along. This is a great album.

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Oct 14 2021
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4

This album felt like a natural evolution of Homework by Daft Punk. It was still repetitive, catchy electronica but kept it fresher than Homework, in my opinion. Overall, sounded good the whole way though while still having quite a few standouts, with acid 8000 sounding like a Daft Punk song. Also the original album cover is way cooler than the American version. Fav songs: The Rockafeller Skank, Soul Surfing, Love Island

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Apr 05 2021
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4

Surprised by how good this was outside of the couple I already knew!

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Jun 23 2024
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5

Definitive. This, to me, is what big beat should sound like, in sampling, production, tempo, tone, energy—everything. Even in length, as much as I don't think everything needed to be 5+ minutes. If there's anymore big beat albums on this list, I doubt I'll like them as much as I do this. I mean, you name me another album with "Fucking In Heaven"—y'can't.

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Aug 12 2022
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5

The absolute genius of Fatboy Slim *chefs kiss*. What a seminal album with some amazing heavy-hitting all time bangers. I was relatively young when this record came out, but all of the singles released were EVERYWHERE, and inescapable. I'd argue that there wasn't a kid in the playground that hadn't at least heard of them - it was all over TV ads and throughout the radio. The Big Beat genre is a perfect mix of electronica, heavy drums, loops and impeccable use of sampling, and Fatboy Slim is one of its masters. Best: Right Here Right Now; Rockafeller Stank; Praise You Worst: Fucking in Heaven

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Mar 31 2021
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5

Drags a little bit but its a stone cold classic.

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Feb 03 2021
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4

Funky music, meh lyrics. Ultra Funky and Ultra meh.

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Jul 21 2024
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3

No. 219/1001 Right Here Right Now 4/5 Rockefeller Skank 4/5 Fucking In Heaven 2/5 Gangster Trippin 2/5 Build It Up, Tear It Down 2/5 Kalifornia 2/5 Soul Surfing 3/5 You're Not From Brighton 3/5 Praise You 4/5 Love Island 3/5 Acid 8000 2/5 Average: 2,82 Some iconic songs at the beginnig. Overall the repetitve elements aren't really my thing.

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Jul 16 2024
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3

This album is a double-edged sword, bringing a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. On one hand, it was really nice to revisit because I have a strong connection to it on a nostalgic level. The memories of my teenage years, living a carefree life and adapting easily to things, come flooding back. The album has some really cool parts that were enjoyable and fun at the time. However, there’s a flipside. Some tracks feel kind of sloppy, as if Fatboy Slim was still honing his production skills. I noticed this even when it first came out, but I was more accepting back then. Now, if I disconnect from the nostalgia, I find that this album hasn’t aged well. As I’ve grown older and my musical tastes have evolved, the flaws that were once minor annoyances have become stumbling blocks, making it harder to appreciate the album for what it’s meant to be.

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Dec 06 2022
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3

I’ve come a long long way since the time in my early college days when I found Fatboy Slim tolerable, or even enjoyable. And yet, I kind of dug this. Parts of it at least. Not just some songs but not others. Rather parts of songs. And not other parts of those same songs. To some extent, “Right Here, Right Now,” “Rockefeller Skank,” and “Praise You” all deserve the hype and airplay they got. But each is also a little too repetitive, wait a bit too long for the break, or promptly return right back to the repetition. I heard DJs use these songs, though, and they’re better when remixed and mixed quickly with other things. And I didn’t know why I knew “Gangster Trippin” until dmo pointed out that it was in the movie “Go,” and that took me back. But really, that says it all about Fatboy Slim - perfect for weird white wanna-be raver kids in search of drugs. Also, “In Heaven” is neither a good song nor something I want to listen to with a car full of middle schoolers.

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Oct 26 2023
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2

Not really my type of music but enjoyed Praise You a ton

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Jun 28 2024
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1

I owned this. I was so excited to see it on the list. But it’s awful, isn’t it? How did I ever endure it as a kid?

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Apr 26 2022
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5

I've just loved fatbot slim for so long. I used to get pumped on the bus to speech and debate tournaments on songs from this very album. so. uh. let's fucking go.

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May 19 2021
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5

I dont know why but I liked almost every second of it.

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Jan 25 2021
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5

4.5* way better than i expected and really got me moving

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Mar 23 2021
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5

So much love for this record. Just awesome.

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Feb 23 2021
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5

And on the day that daft punk breaks up

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Jun 25 2024
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4

Not a fan of the Heaven song but the rest are pretty good, if sometimes repetitive.

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Apr 07 2024
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4

I think in a parallel universe this might be my favourite record. However, in this one it gets a four.

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May 14 2022
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4

What a fat fuck that kid on the cover is. Grotesque, obese, ugly motherfucker. Can you imagine giving birth to such a beast? His mother must feel physically and mentally ill.

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May 14 2022
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4

Strong enough to really compete in a Eurovision semi final. Probably.

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Jul 18 2024
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3

Got me tapping my feet and nodding along

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Jul 16 2024
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3

Some great tracks but they all start to blend into one. Very repetitive, but somehow still, mostly, enjoyable.

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Jun 25 2024
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3

Funky hip hop instrumentals. Very bouncy. They’re nice, and this album is not bad at all, it’s just not my kinda music. Standouts: The Rockafeller Skank and Praise You.

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Apr 28 2024
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3

Not a bad listen at all I love this site I get to hear albums I wouldn’t normally gravitate to a solid 3/4

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Oct 31 2023
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3

Would listen to in the background while playing games.

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Sep 14 2021
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2

Again - every song starts out interesting and then runs itself into the ground. I'm not into it.

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Oct 30 2024
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1

One of the worst listening experiences I've ever had. So repetitive and monotonous.

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Oct 28 2024
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1

I only gave this album one star because zero stars was not an option

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Dec 20 2024
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5

Classic nostalgia fest. We don't get enough dance music in this list, although a solid ninety minutes of dance hits is hard to achieve.

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Dec 17 2024
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5

the biggest and phattest beats from the undisputed king of big beat. plenty of tracks, both ones you've heard on the radio at least a thousand times and more underground beats that are worth a deep dive into. quentin cook has truly mastered the big beatmaking process, every single flip from who knows what vinyl is done in a way so effectively, every loud thump of the drums and every repeating vocal chop is infectious. it's electronic genres like these that dominated the culture and style of the 1990s, and to this day it has a fresh sound unlike any other. fatboy slim is fucking in heaven.

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Dec 09 2024
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5

Timeless classic took me back to my youth

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Dec 02 2024
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5

Catchy as heck. Totally mainstream and this was everywhere back in the day. My wife says it was one of her favourite albums and enjoyed listening to it on our Christmas shopping trip today. It’s not high art but Norman really knows what he’s doing with music like this. Somewhere between a 4 and a 5. It can be a 5 just to piss anyone off who hates it - at least it isn’t fucking Rumours for the 576th time.

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Nov 26 2024
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5

Incredibly consistent album song-quality wise

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Nov 02 2024
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5

I mean, I was born in England in 1991, bangers bang, what am I supposed to say. It feels a little overstuffed at points, and I think it'd be like a 4.5 if we had more granular scoring available, but we're rounding up for just how high the highs are.

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Nov 02 2024
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5

"If this don't make your booty move, your booty must be dead!" As an elder millennial, I grew up hearing loads of these songs absolutely everywhere - and unlike many elder millennials, I still bloody love them! This album is not necessarily going to win any awards for lyrics, but you can't help but dance to it - the star rating is just for the personal party I have each and every time I listen to this, even twenty years after its release. Faves: Build Em Up, Break Em Down; Praise You; Right Here Right Now

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Oct 31 2024
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5

Right about now-the funk soul brother! I love this album. Instrumentally it’s perfection. Lyrically it’s just random phrases and words and they somehow make perfect sense. Quentin is a genius- his work with the Beasties, Tribe, even the incredible David Byrne should be a bio of its own.

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Oct 26 2024
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5

So nice, I listened twice! Fatboy Slim is top notch. 'Right Here, Right Now' wins my fave, though I love the album as a whole.

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Oct 22 2024
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5

Breakbeat samples delivered like a chocolate box: a sugary technicolor acid funk explosion.

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Oct 19 2024
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5

Fatboy Slim sure knows how to make a repetitive beat interesting all throughout. Nice build-up, nice production, banger tracks. That IS how you do an electronic album.

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Oct 01 2024
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5

This shit rules. Energy and hooks for days. Can't recommend enough.

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Sep 11 2024
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5

imagine the most annoying guy you know made an album but it was somehow a banger

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Aug 25 2024
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5

Grandioses Techno-Album, das es meisterhaft versteht, moderate Acid- und Rap-Aspekte im Techno zu integrieren. Es überzeugt durch drei herausragende Songs der Ära: “The Rockafeller Skank”, “Right Here, Right Now” und “Praise You”. Diese Tracks sind wahre Klassiker und definieren das Album. Neben diesen Meilensteinen bietet das Album weitere fantastische Techno-Schätze wie “Build It Up - Tear It Down”, “Kalifornia” und “Acid 8000”. Fatboy Slim, mit bürgerlichem Namen Norman Cook, ist ein britischer DJ und Musikproduzent, der maßgeblich zur Popularität des Big Beat-Genres beigetragen hat. Vor seiner Solokarriere war Cook Mitglied der u.a Bands The Housemartins und Beats International. “The Rockafeller Skank” ist einer der bekanntesten Tracks des Albums und wurde 1998 als Single veröffentlicht. Der Song zeichnet sich durch seine eingängigen Samples und den markanten “Right about now, the funk soul brother” Refrain aus. Diese Elemente machten den Track zu einem festen Bestandteil der Clubszene und trugen zur weltweiten Bekanntheit von Fat boy Slim bei. Das Albums für war ein Meilenstein für das Big Beat-Genre und half, elektronische Musik in den Mainstream zu bringen. Das Album kombinierte Elemente aus Acid House, Techno und Hip-Hop und schuf so einen einzigartigen Sound, der sowohl in Clubs als auch im aufkommenden Musik TV und im Radio begeisterte 😊👍

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Aug 23 2024
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5

Still a great album that made me smile so often while listening to it. Good vibes only!

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Aug 12 2024
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5

arguably brought pop electronica to the masses. white boys think they're cool.

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Jul 31 2024
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5

Love this album. Bought it the week it was released and enjoyed listening to it again for the first time in ages. Peak Big Beat party tunes

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Jul 30 2024
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5

You've Come a Long Way, Baby is Fatboy Slim's second album, and is his most successful studio work. Fatboy Slim makes techno or big beat dance tracks that are driven, and engaging. He weaves a variety of samples into a mixture with a consistent rhythm, and whimsical samples mixed around it. He developed a style that became a standard for producers and DJs all over the world. Fatboy Slim has recorded only four studio album, and released a number of singles. Most of his long career has been as a DJ, remixing his own track. This album includes a handful of tracks that made Fatboy Slim internationally famous.

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Jul 16 2024
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5

I grew up right next to Brighton, where Norman Cook is from. He is a local legend. His music was unavoidable in the late 90s and early-mid 00s. He played on the radio constantly, performed in Brighton regularly, and was always being played at gatherings. As has often been the case in this project, I've never actually listened to this album front to back so I'm looking forward to it! The transition from Right Here, Right Now to Rockafeller Skank is so good. I laughed as it happened. This was a great album to have on in the background. The songs are varied, while keeping the unmistakable Fatboy Slim sound. My favorites are the ones everyone knows. I enjoyed You're Not From Brighton & Kalifornia a lot as well. This album is iconic. 9/10

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Jul 07 2024
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5

Every time I hear an album that feels made for the club or at least uses heavy sampling and repetition as its main vibe, I’m continually surprised by how much I enjoy it. It’s a very specific vibe, a very specific mood, but it hits. For me, there isn’t much else to say except that this is just fun to listen to. It works as background music, it works as music you want to dance or groove to, and it works as music you can actually pick apart and think about to see how it works. I never thought I’d do this, but this gets five stars. And I’m pretty ok with that. Oh but I hate the cover. And “Kalifornia” and its robot voice. Robot voice is something I would remove from music entirely if I could. It sucks. Standout Tracks: The Rockefeller Skank, Fucking in Heaven, Gangster Trippin, Build it Up, Tear it Down, Soul Surfing, Praise You

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Jul 01 2024
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5

"Kids today don't know what it's like to get their hands dirty." - FatBoy Slim, on cratedigging

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Jun 23 2024
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5

Some of the best electronic tracks to come out of the 90s, bar none. Norman Cook is a genius behind the turntables.

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Jun 23 2024
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5

Well, that’s a masterclass in how to make repetition sound compelling. This is definitely getting a 5 from me; I thought the energy and the vibes were great here, and that’s why it’s getting a 5. In terms of the tracks by themselves, I would say a couple of them hit on the repetition for a bit long in a way where they began to really lose their luster, but most of them kept the energy throughout in a really strong way, even with the repetition. The only real thing I can nitpick this album for is the length; I don’t think that everything on here had to be around 5 minutes, and I especially don’t think Acid 8000 had to be 7 and a half minutes… but that’s a nitpick. The vibes are good, the energy is great, the sample work is immaculate, and I felt pretty captivated for most of those 62 minutes. Super cool album, and a hell of a proper introduction to Fatboy Slim for me – that was really fun. Easy 5.

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Jun 20 2024
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5

I have to celebrate you, "You've Come a Long Way Baby". I have to praise you like I should.

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Jun 18 2024
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5

I almost gave this one a 4/5, but then a bout of the 'tism hit at the same moment "praise you" started and I said fuck it we ball.

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Jun 17 2024
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5

Felt so happy that I discovered it! It feels like this albumhas inspired so much incredible music that I've lustened to. The songs are imperfect but bold, exploratory

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Jun 17 2024
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5

Those first two tracks are amazing

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Jun 17 2024
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5

Another album I don't even have to listen to. I know the whole thing front to back and back to front. Praise You is one of the low points of the album (and always has been). Starts with two absolute bangers. Track 3 is a meme before memes that I remember saying "Where is he?" "What's he doing" between the lyrics with my college housemates. Core memory unlocked. Overall this was one of the best albums I had ever heard at the time and was part of the small set of albums that drew me into the genre.

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Jun 12 2024
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5

Used to have this on CD back in the day. Singles are etched into my brain. Forgot how good the rest of it is. I may indeed have come a long way, baby, but my musical tastes haven't changed in the 25 years since this came out. Fatboy is fucking in heaven and so am I.

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Jun 02 2024
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5

To be honest i was really in the mood for some 90s music so this review is a little bit biased but overall really liked this

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Jun 02 2024
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5

What an album! In my head canon Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy make the big trio of electronic music from 90/2000s. And this record is just amazing from start to finish, with three bangers, that will stay on my favourite lists forever. 10/10

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