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

How to Operate With a Blown Mind

Lo Fidelity Allstars

1998

How to Operate With a Blown Mind

Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

How to Operate with a Blown Mind is the debut studio album by Lo Fidelity Allstars, released on Skint Records in 1998. The Hartford Courant wrote that "there's something a little different about the Allstar approach, alternating the boomy, hooky dance tracks with spacy, equally melodic washes of instrumentals, over which are long, Beat poet-like rants." NME named How to Operate with a Blown Mind the 21st best album of 1998. In a rundown of "intelligent big beat", Simon Reynolds called the album an "oxymoronic masterpiece of 'darkside big beat'."

Wikipedia

Rating

2.81

Votes

63

Submitter

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Reviews

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Jun 23 2025
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3

This is a nice Big Beat album. It sounds somewhat outdated, but it's still groovy. Lo Fidelity Allstars was a good live band too.

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Jun 24 2025
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5

Well I really liked this, and I think it would have blown me away in the 90s. I don't feel it's aged too bad either. Great recommendation.

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Jun 19 2025
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4

Against all odds, I really enjoyed this British big beat edm album. I think the mix of traditional edm and instrumental stuff really helped since most albums like this I just get tired of them so fast.

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Jun 24 2025
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4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Warming up the brain farm, Blisters on my brain, I used to fall in love, Night time story

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Jun 19 2025
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3

Scungy UK 90s big beat! Haven't had any of this since the main list I think. And that was like 400 albums ago at this point. Still as formulaic and wearing out its welcome as ever, despite being catchy at first. 3/5.

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Jun 20 2025
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3

Big beat, dance-punk. Ni fu ni fa.

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Jun 20 2025
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3

Good as background music at work. Not something I would actively listen to

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Jun 21 2025
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3

Initially disliked this quite a bit. I thought the spoken word/skit components were sort of dumb and the music had the same issues I always have with this genre, repetition repetition repetition of someone else's work or dull rhythm textures. It got me back some heading into the middle third but I wouldn't go looking for more.

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Jun 23 2025
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3

It was pretty good. Maybe not quite what I’m in the market for but ok.

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Jun 24 2025
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3

I couldn’t remember if I had played this album and so I pulled it up again and I’m pretty sure I listened to it. So that’s the memorable factor for me

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Jun 25 2025
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3

Fun stuff, great energy. The contrast of the slow and the more upbeat tracks can make the overall sense of flow drag a bit, but I still enjoyed this. Fave Songs: Lazer Sheep Dip Funk, Blisters on My Brain, Kool Roc Bass, How to Operate with a Blown Mind, Vision Incision, Warming Up the Brain Farm, Kasparov's Revenge

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Jul 05 2025
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3

Not terrible, but I’m not suitably educated in these 90s-2000s electronica albums to discern anything special.

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Jun 21 2025
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2

Interesting addition but now if I ever need a British beat album to breakdance to I know my first choice to go with. This was fine for what it is big beats and lots of strong uptempo stuff. Just don’t see myself ever revisiting it. 4.0/10

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Jun 22 2025
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2

There were already multiple slots given to whatever this bland subgenre of UK breakbeat is called on the main 1001, I didn't find it interesting then and I sure don't find it interesting now. These tracks are meant to be mixed into DJ sets and played for dancefloors, not collected into a full sit-down listening experience. Made for decent background music on a long car ride, but that was all this LP had going for it.

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Jun 24 2025
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1

Wtf is this taste You wouldn't download a car-style beat 2 1 What an appalling album

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Jun 28 2025
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1

You thought a 69-minute album was a good idea? wtf is wrong with you, OP

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