Music for the Jilted Generation
Encyclopedia
Music for the Jilted Generation is the second album by English electronic dance music
band The Prodigy
. The album was released through XL Recordings
in July 1994. The album was re-released in 2008 as More Music for the Jilted Generation, including remastered and bonus tracks.
scene in Britain by its mainstream status as well as Great Britain's Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
, which effectively criminalised raves, rave culture, and by implication, rave music itself. The latter is exemplified in the song "Their Law" with the spoken word intro and the predominant lyric, the "Fuck 'em and their law" sample. Many years later, after the controversy died down, Liam Howlett
derided the title of the album, which he referred to as "stupid", and maintained that the album was never meant to be political in the first place.
Many of the samples featured on the album are sound clips from movies. "Intro" features a sample from the film The Lawnmower Man, "Their Law" samples Smokey and the Bandit
, "Full Throttle" features a reverse sample from the original Star Wars movie, "The Heat (The Energy)" features a sample for Poltergeist III
, and "Claustrophobic Sting" features a sample from the film 2001.
When Liam Howlett came to the cutting room for the final phase in the album production he realized that all the tracks he had originally planned for wouldn't fit onto a CD, so "One Love" had to be edited, "The Heat (The Energy)" was slightly cut, and the track called "We Eat Rhythm" was left out. "We Eat Rhythm" was later released on a free cassette with Select Magazine
in October 1994 entitled Select Future Tracks. Liam Howlett later asserted that he felt the edit of "One Love" and "Full Throttle" could have been dropped from the track listing.
"The Narcotic Suite" includes live flute parts, played by Phil Bent
. Originally, Howlett asked Ian Anderson
of Jethro Tull
to play this part or to give permission to use samples of one of his flute parts; according to Anderson, the letter from Howlett got stuck in his office and when Ian found it, the album was already released.
The cover of the inner artwork of the record was analyzed in an article published in 2008 in the techno underground Magazine Datacide. The author compares the picture with a persiflage which was published in 2003 on the Kid606
album Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You
. The article not only describes the representation of raves in graphic artwork but also describes the marketing strategy of the band with the album and criticizes it:
gave it three-and-a-half stars, calling it "truly trippy" and that it "generates universal dance fever". Alternative Press said it "throws much darker shapes than its predecessor" and "slams harder and rawer and covers more ground". Robert Christgau
called it "one of the rare records that's damn near everything you want cheap music to be". Mojo
ranked it number 83 in their "100 Modern Classics" list.
Spin
ranked it number 60 in their "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" list. NME
ranked it number 9 in their "Top 50 Albums of 1994" list. Q
readers voted it the 62nd greatest album of all time in early 1998 and ranked it as one of the best British albums of the last 50 years in 2008. On 4 December 2008, radio presenter Zane Lowe
inducted it into his 'masterpieces' by playing the album in full on his BBC Radio 1
show. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
.
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
band The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
. The album was released through XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
in July 1994. The album was re-released in 2008 as More Music for the Jilted Generation, including remastered and bonus tracks.
Album information
The album is largely a response to the corruption of the raveRave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
scene in Britain by its mainstream status as well as Great Britain's Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It introduced a number of changes to the existing law, most notably in the restriction and reduction of existing rights and in greater penalties for certain "anti-social" behaviours...
, which effectively criminalised raves, rave culture, and by implication, rave music itself. The latter is exemplified in the song "Their Law" with the spoken word intro and the predominant lyric, the "Fuck 'em and their law" sample. Many years later, after the controversy died down, Liam Howlett
Liam Howlett
Liam Paris Howlett known as Liam Howlett , is a member of the English band The Prodigy, occasional DJ, and a music producer.-Life and career:...
derided the title of the album, which he referred to as "stupid", and maintained that the album was never meant to be political in the first place.
Many of the samples featured on the album are sound clips from movies. "Intro" features a sample from the film The Lawnmower Man, "Their Law" samples Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. It inspired several other trucking films, including two sequels, Smokey and the Bandit II, and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3...
, "Full Throttle" features a reverse sample from the original Star Wars movie, "The Heat (The Energy)" features a sample for Poltergeist III
Poltergeist III
Poltergeist III is a 1988 American horror film. It is the third and final film of the Poltergeist film series...
, and "Claustrophobic Sting" features a sample from the film 2001.
When Liam Howlett came to the cutting room for the final phase in the album production he realized that all the tracks he had originally planned for wouldn't fit onto a CD, so "One Love" had to be edited, "The Heat (The Energy)" was slightly cut, and the track called "We Eat Rhythm" was left out. "We Eat Rhythm" was later released on a free cassette with Select Magazine
Select Magazine
Select was a United Kingdom music magazine of the 1990s which was particularly known for covering Britpop, a term coined in the magazine by Stuart Maconie...
in October 1994 entitled Select Future Tracks. Liam Howlett later asserted that he felt the edit of "One Love" and "Full Throttle" could have been dropped from the track listing.
"The Narcotic Suite" includes live flute parts, played by Phil Bent
Phillip Bent
Phillip Bent is a Jazz flautist from London.He was a member of the GRP All-Star Big Band in the 1980s, and then was also part of the Jazz Warriors, a London based Jazz group, and has also made some solo releases, The Pressure was an album released in 1993, and then in 2007 he released The Magic of...
. Originally, Howlett asked Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson may refer to:* In music:**Ian Anderson , head of the rock band Jethro Tull**Ian A. Anderson , folk musician and editor of Roots magazine**Ian M...
of Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
to play this part or to give permission to use samples of one of his flute parts; according to Anderson, the letter from Howlett got stuck in his office and when Ian found it, the album was already released.
The cover of the inner artwork of the record was analyzed in an article published in 2008 in the techno underground Magazine Datacide. The author compares the picture with a persiflage which was published in 2003 on the Kid606
Kid606
Kid606 is the stage name of Miguel Trost De Pedro, an electronic musician who was born 1979 July in Caracas, Venezuela, raised in San Diego and later moved to San Francisco...
album Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You
Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You
Kill Sound Before Sound Kills You is an album by Electronic music artist Kid 606. It was released on vinyl by Tigerbeat6 and on compact disc on Ipecac.-Track listing:# "The Illness [Album Mix]" – 5:19# "Who Wah Kill Sound? " – 6:29...
. The article not only describes the representation of raves in graphic artwork but also describes the marketing strategy of the band with the album and criticizes it:
With the picture The Prodigy are taking a stance in the conflict of ravers versus the police in those days. At the same time this statement is used to market a rebellious attitude. The picture is part of the artwork of a record - which is of course a commodity. The teenage (and male) consumer ought to identify himself with the presented rebellion. With the help of the artwork a certain image of The Prodigy is established: They should be seen as anti-stars, who define themselves through refusal and opposition [...].
Reception
Music for the Jilted Generation has received critical acclaim. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave it three-and-a-half stars, calling it "truly trippy" and that it "generates universal dance fever". Alternative Press said it "throws much darker shapes than its predecessor" and "slams harder and rawer and covers more ground". Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
called it "one of the rare records that's damn near everything you want cheap music to be". Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
ranked it number 83 in their "100 Modern Classics" list.
Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
ranked it number 60 in their "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s" list. NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
ranked it number 9 in their "Top 50 Albums of 1994" list. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
readers voted it the 62nd greatest album of all time in early 1998 and ranked it as one of the best British albums of the last 50 years in 2008. On 4 December 2008, radio presenter Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
inducted it into his 'masterpieces' by playing the album in full on his BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show. It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
Track listing
The Narcotic SuiteChart positions
- UK album chartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
- No. 1 - Norwegian VG-listaVG-listaVG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
- No. 12 - The Billboard 200 - No. 198
- Heatseekers - No. 15
Personnel
- Liam Howlett - performer, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
(on tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 11, 12, and 13) at Earthbound studios, co-producer (other tracks) at The Strongroom - Neil McLellan - co-producer (on tracks 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10) at The Strongroom
- Maxim Reality - vocals on "Poison"
- Pop Will Eat ItselfPop Will Eat ItselfPop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
- performer on "Their Law" - Phil Bent - live flute
- Lance Riddler - live guitar on "Voodoo People"
Artwork
- Les Edwards – inside sleeve painting
- Stuart Haygarth – front cover
- Jamie Fry – rear sleeve