Fatboy Slim- Better Living Through Chemistry

This is the 1996 debut album that shot Fatboy Slim to fame.

And it starts out quite badly for me. The funky percussion and beats are brilliant, but the main melodic element of the song is a letdown. For example, the keyboard riff of Song For Lindy is charmless right from the outset. Similarly, Santa Cruz's cheesy glam-rock guitar riff quickly wears out its welcome and the song ends up sounding like a watered-down attempt at The Prodigy's style. I actually quite enjoy the riff from Going Out of my Head, but since it's forced to carry the whole song with very little assistance, in the end it also gets tedious.

Things improve dramatically when the phat synth melody (sounding a bit like a tesla coil!) kicks in for  The Weekend Starts Here. The menacing, slower tempo also works a treat. The only gripe is I don't like the vocal sample, but the wonderful contrasts provided by the gentle harmonica sections more than makes up for it.

As for the recording quality, I always find electronica hard to judge. The highly-processed sound of the instruments (eg drums, guitars) isn't my cup of tea, but I guess this goes with the genre.

Not relying on a lead melody allows Give the Po' Man a Break to shine through as a wonderfully layered song. With the backbone of a great percussion beat, I really dig the multitude of sounds thrown into the mix throughout the song.

First Down would have been perfect on the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack! The bebop influences are brilliantly combined with the funky beat and electric elements. The end result is a song which is uniquely mysterious and catchy.

Favourite songs

The Weekend Starts Here, Give the Po' Man a Break, First Down

Worthwhile?

For me, it is a nice addition to the small electronica part of my collection.

But the lesson from this album is that when a single riff is used to carry the whole song, it gets old very quickly. However, when the limelight is shared around more equally, brilliance ensues.