Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was first released on 11 August 2004 in Japan, on 23 August 2004 in the United Kingdom by XL Recordings, and on 15 September 2004 in the United States by Maverick Records. Recorded almost entirely using PropellerheadReason and mastered with Pro Tools, the album contrasts with the group's previous releases, and features a larger use of vocals than their previous album The Fat of the Land (1997). Keith Flint and Maxim Reality do not provide any contribution to the official record, which leaves Liam Howlett as the sole band member to do so for the only time in the group's history.
In 1996, the Prodigy rose to fame outside their native UK with "Firestarter", the lead single from The Fat of the Land, which was released in 1997 and topped several charts, including the Billboard 200.[3] The band ended the tour that promoted the album, taking a break from touring and recording and writing material for their fourth studio album. To coincide with the departure of Leeroy Thornhill during the period, the band shut down their official website for over two years, with its home page replaced with a logo of the band and the text "We will be back" set against a black background, leading to rumours that the band went on hiatus. The website was relaunched prior to releasing a new single in 2002.
The single released in that year, and one of the songs intended to be featured on the album was "Baby's Got a Temper". Generating controversy upon release for the lyrics by Keith Flint, which heavily focused on the misuse of the drug rohypnol, the song was met with mostly negative reviews from critics. Liam Howlett has since disowned the song.[4] Despite its apparently low popularity, the song reached the top five of the Canadian Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart.[5][6] It was intended to be released as a single from the then-upcoming album. Eventually, the group went in another direction, and the plan to include the song on the album was cancelled. Because it was left a non-album single, in 2008, the band's official website's discography classified it as an EP.[7]
Recording
Pre-production was done at Mews Recording Studios, while recording began in September 1998 and ended in April 2004. Unlike their predecessors, which featured contributions from the entire band, with Keith Flint only appearing on the group's third album at the time, Liam Howlett recorded the album mostly by himself in similar vein to Experience (1992), using the PropellerheadReason program installed on his Macintoshlaptop. Moet Mastered, Damian Taylor, and Emily Lazar mastered the album via Pro Tools on the same computer.[8]
Although the production process started in 1998, Howlett disliked the sound of the new album. He initially took a break in 2000, to "go out with my mates and get drunk". He returned to Essex in 2001 to resume work on the record, but after six songs were written, he hired producer Neil McLellan, moving to a house after four months and then returning to the original studio:
My studio is crammed with equipment, but I ended up feeling I was being overcome by it all—it was just too much. I used to go to bed every night thinking 'Tomorrow, I'm going to write the tune. Tomorrow is going to be the day', but nothing ever happened. Eventually Neil McLellan pointed out that we'd been in the studio for four months without having anything to show for it. [...] Nat (his wife and All Saints member) was doing her own record so we weren't spending a lot of time together, but there were always dogs to stroke and videos to watch and gardens to walk 'round, so I didn't ever feel like I was at work—I was too laid-back. [...] Neil [McLellan] said we had to get out, get back to London. I knew I physically couldn't sit in my room any more, and for the first time in my life I listened to someone else and realised I actually needed help. It wasn't that I needed help with the writing, just that I needed help finding the right headspace to get into the right frame of mind. I wanted to write a good album—one I was happy with—but to do that I knew I'd have to jerk myself out of [the] situation I was in and start again.[9]
Howlett purchased and brought a laptop, a copy of the Reason program and selected a "Thermionic Culture Phoenix valve compressor and Culture Vulture distortion unit, a Korg Micro Keyboard, a Manley Laboratories valve EQ and a 1970s Korg MS20 analogue keyboard". He would write the songs in "his bed", and then create them using the equipment. After the recording was finished, Taylor, Mastered and Lazar mixed the album with Pro Tools, completing development on the album.[9]
Of the three members of the Prodigy, only Howlett is present on the album musically. Actress Juliette Lewis, Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher, Kool Keith of the Ultramagnetic MCs, who was previously featured on "Diesel Power" from The Fat of the Land, American rapper Twista, Shahin Badar, American hip hop musician Princess Superstar and the Magnificent Ping Pong Bitches were guest musicians on the album. "This album is about reminding people what The Prodigy was always about—the beats and the music", Howlett wrote on a blog of a fansite after finishing the album. He also noted that his intention was to use vocals mostly as an extension of the sound rather than the main focal point, as was the case on The Fat of the Land.[10]
Composition
Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned is a shift in style that differs from previous releases. Although it was recorded heavily using Propellerhead Reason, the album features contributions from various musicians.
Other tracks include elements unusual for a song from the Prodigy. "Get Up Get Off" features Twista (who co-wrote the song) on lead vocals. "Hotride" (whose music video was rejected by Howlett after completion) interpolates elements from "Up, Up and Away", while "Wake Up Call" was about waking up in the morning and getting "back on tour". "Action Radar"'s beat was influenced by early hip hop music, but Howlett does not mention this, even in the booklet. [citation needed]
"Medusa's Path" was inspired by "[Damian] Taylor's parents'" trip to Iran. This song is a six-minute instrumental that shares elements from "Elahaye Naz", and samples a remix of a Jaydee song titled "Plastic Dreams". What Howlett called "analogue shit" was the synthesizer that was used for "Phoenix". When "Medusa's Path" segues to this track, the synthesizer enters. The song is accompanied by a repeating sample of the Shocking Blue song "Love Buzz". Following the track is "You'll Be Under My Wheels", the second time Kool Keith collaborated with the band, though his only lyrics are "I rock, I roll." "You'll Be Under My Wheels" would be later used for the soundtrack of the 2005 racing video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted and the film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. "The Way It Is", samples Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Thriller", follows, while the album's final track, "Shoot Down", includes a sample from "My World Fell Down", a song performed by Sagittarius.[8] This sample had been used earlier on the unreleased live track "Trigger".[citation needed]
Promotion
"Girls" was released on 30 August 2004 as the lead single from Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, entering the UK singles chart at No. 19.[13] "Hotride", released on 1 November 2004 in the United Kingdom, was not eligible to enter the UK charts as the CD was released in extended play format with three additional B-sides, and so did not conform to chart regulations. "Spitfire" was released on 4 April 2005 as the album's third and final single. "Memphis Bells", released on 28 June 2004, was exclusively available online as a digital download via a website promoting the album, in a limited edition of 5,000 copies. Each copy was a combination of customer-chosen instrumental, rhythmic, and melodic options, of which 39,600[14] choices were available. Five mixes were sold in three file formats, WAV, two audio mixes in MP3, and a 5.1 DTSsurround sound mix and all were free of digital rights management. The experiment was a success, with all copies being sold out in over 36 hours, despite server problems from the demand.[citation needed]
Release
Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned debuted at the top spot on the UK Albums Chart in its first week,[15] and performed well in Australia, reaching number five on the ARIA Album Chart.[16] However, with three singles, the album did not have any major hits worldwide. A limited edition of 5,000 copies of the album was released, sporting a black, inverted cover variant and no other extras.[citation needed] In Japan and the United States, the album contained a reworked version of "Girls", entitled "More Girls", which features Maxim Reality on vocals. It was promoted by a promotional double A-sided 12" vinyl of "Girls" and "Memphis Bells", released in very limited numbers on 21 June 2004, as well as a tour that lasted over two years.[citation needed]
The album was released to mixed reviews, despite being commercially successful. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 53, based on 23 reviews.[17]Drowned in Sound critic Adam Anonymous described the album's overall sound thus: "while Howlett may show his age occasionally throughout Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, minus the circus-freak sideshow, all that remains is some very slightly contemporary dance music to get down to."[11] Tim O'Neil of PopMatters felt that the album, while "not bereft of highlights", is nonetheless "the first Prodigy album that does not in some way build of its predecessor, and it suffers".[26] In contrast, Pitchfork, as well as Rolling Stone, Q, The Guardian, AllMusic and several other publications were more critical, stating that the album sounded like an underdeveloped recording.[citation needed]
In February 2012, French electronic duo Justice included it in the NME list of "100 Great Albums You've Never Heard".[27]
"Girls" contains elements from "Style of the Street" performed by Broken Glass licensed courtesy of Abyss Music Ltd. Written by J. Martinez/F. Cooke, published by Abyss Music Ltd, and elements from "You're the One for Me" written by Hubert Barlay Eaves III/James Williams, published by Zella Music (BMI) and Blue Image Music (PRO) (and as administrator fro Diesel Music (BMI)), both divisions of Unidisc Music Inc.
"Hot Ride" contains elements from "Up Up and Away" written and composed by Jim Webb. Published by EMI Sosaha Music Inc/Jonathan Three Music Co.
"Medusa's Path" contains elements from "Elahaye Naz" composed by Rooholah Khaleghi and performed by Gholamhossein Banan, the copyright in the composition and sound recording of which is owned by Iran Seda Art and Cultural Company. This title includes a sample of "Plastic Dreams (Hohner Retro Mix)" performed by Jaydee licensed courtesy of Antler-Subway Records[nl], division EMI Music BV. Written by Robin Albers, published by TBM Publishing/EMI Music Publishing Holland BV.
"Phoenix" contains elements from "Love Buzz" performed by Shocking Blue licensed courtesy of Red Bullet Productions BV written by Robert van Leeuwen and published by Nada Music BV.
"The Way It Is" based upon "Thriller" written by Rod Temperton and published by Rodsongs/Almo Music Corp (ASCAP).
Music for the Jilted Generation is the second studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was first released on 4 July 1994 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and by Mute Records in the United States. As with the group's debut album, Experience (1992), Maxim Reality and Liam Howlett were the only official members of the group to contribute to the album. The other two members, Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill, were not credited on any tracks.
Experience is the debut studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was released on 28 September 1992 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States.
The Fat of the Land is the third studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 30 June 1997 through XL Recordings. The album received critical acclaim and topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide as of 2019. It is their best-selling album.
In It for the Money is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released in 1997. NME called it "more fun than watching a wombat in a washing machine" and named it the 10th best album of the year. In 1998, Q readers voted it the 68th greatest album of all time, while in 2000 the same magazine placed it at number 57 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
Keith Charles Flint was an English singer and a vocalist of the electronic dance act The Prodigy. Starting out as a dancer for the group, he became the vocalist and performed on the group's two UK number-one singles, "Firestarter" and "Breathe", both released in 1996. He was also the singer of his own band, Flint.
Keith Andrew Palmer, better known by his stage name Maxim, is a British-Jamaican musician, known for being a vocalist of electronic music band the Prodigy.
Shahin Badar is an English singer and songwriter who is best known in Europe and North America for her vocals on the Prodigy's single "Smack My Bitch Up" (1997), which went platinum.
Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005 is a singles collection from the UK band the Prodigy. It was released on 17 October 2005, and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 on 23 October.
James Donald Davies is the former live and studio guitarist for English band the Prodigy. He is also a former member of Pitchshifter.
"Baby's Got a Temper" is a song by English electronica group the Prodigy, released as a non-album single on 1 July 2002 by record labels XL and Maverick. It was the band's first single in five years after 1997's "Smack My Bitch Up", and was also their first release after dancer Leeroy Thornhill left the band in 2000.
"Hotride" is the fifteenth single released by the British electronic music trio the Prodigy on 1 November 2004. It was the second single from the album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned and did not enter the UK Singles Chart as the CD was released in EP format with three additional B-sides and so did not conform to chart regulations. In Ireland, however, the song was eligible to chart, debuting and peaking at number 40 on the week dated 11 November.
English electronic music group the Prodigy has released seven studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, one mix album, three extended plays, twenty-one singles, and twenty-two music videos. Hailed as pioneers of genres such as rave, techno, and big beat, the group have sold over 20 million albums worldwide. As of 9 November 2018 their UK album sales stood at 4,707,982.
Let It Be... Naked is an alternative mix of the Beatles' 1970 album Let It Be, released on 17 November 2003 by Apple Records. The project was initiated by Paul McCartney, who felt that the original album's producer, Phil Spector, did not capture the group's stripped-down, live-to-tape aesthetic intended for the album. Naked consists largely of newly mixed versions of the Let It Be tracks while omitting the excerpts of incidental studio chatter and most of Spector's embellishments. It also omits two tracks from the 1970 release – "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae" – replacing them with "Don't Let Me Down", which was the non-album B-side of the "Get Back" single.
Invaders Must Die is the fifth studio album by English electronic dance music group The Prodigy. The album was released on 23 February 2009 on the band's new record label Take Me to the hospital, and was distributed by Cooking Vinyl. Although Liam Howlett, Maxim and Keith Flint all contributed material for The Fat of the Land, Invaders Must Die is the first Prodigy record where, given the departure of Leeroy Thornhill, all band members took part in the creative process. It is their first and currently only album to not contain any explicit songs.
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and vocalist Keith Flint, dancer and live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, dancer Sharky, and MC and vocalist Maxim. They are pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, and describe their style as electronic punk.
Immersion is the third studio album by Australian band Pendulum. The album was announced in early 2009, with the name being confirmed in December 2009. The album was released on 21 May 2010 in Australia and Ireland, and on 24 May for the rest of the world, followed by a UK tour of the album. In January 2010, Pendulum hosted the album preview Ear Storm event at Matter in London in which many top DJs performed sets of their own with Pendulum being the headliners.
Palookaville is the fourth studio album by English electronic music producer Fatboy Slim. It was first released on 4 October 2004 in the United Kingdom by Skint Records and a day later in the United States by Astralwerks. The album was nominated for the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album.
World's on Fire is the first live album and second DVD by English electronic dance music band the Prodigy, released on 11 May 2011.
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