Explorations: Diesel Power

Original video located here. Accessed 8th May 2019

Song title: Diesel Power

Artist: The Prodigy

Year: 1997

Why I like this song:

Spike vs The Prodigy: Round 3
Album: The Fat of the Land
Year: 1997

Well here we are: I've been mentioning this album and it's big hit (Firestarter) but really there's no escaping it. Firestarter was a huge hit, Fat of the Land was a monumental seller and, for a lot of people, it was the beginning for the Prodigy - just as it was the end of the Prodigy for just as many people.

When i was a teenager I listened to a lot of punk rock. When i entered adulthood I flirted with metal - the reason I mention this is because both are music genres that thrive on freaking people out. Thus one listen to the Fat of the Land indicates that this is an attempt to freak people out with electronic/dance music - not a genre one would associate with freaking people out (seems the dangers posed by raves and rave culture weren't enough).

Even when faced with the challenge of divorcing the Prodigy from their image of 'freaky guys and equally freaky videos' this album does come across as being the odd one out when compared to it's predecessors: there are more guests, more samples, more Keith and less of this being the sound of one guy messing about with a whole lotta electronic gear. That being said, whereas the previous albums seem more pure in electronic, Fat of the Land seem more anarchic. Booming beats, scary noises and the late Keith Flint selling his 'madman' persona for all it's worth. Are there times when Liam was trying to replicate the lightning in the bottle success of Firestarter? Perhaps but you can't deny there is certainly some muscle behind this album.

And so concludes this experiment. I have to say it has certainly been a challenge stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing a band I have had little interest in prior and - oh wait, the Chemical Brothers have a new album out? I'm there!