evansec's Full Review: You've Come a Long Way, Baby [PA] by Fatboy Slim
In spite of my massive reviews of classic rock artists, I have a secret love for dance music. It was likely all those years in college going to dances, clubbing, and eventually becoming a DJ myself for a couple of years.
Fatboy Slim is one of those artists I look back on from my college years who still makes me groove.
Known in other realms as Norman Cook, Fatboy Slim is one of the finest DJs on the planet, making simple record-scratching, sampling and hip-hop into a new sound that isn't quite techno, isn't quite electronica, and isn't quite funk or rap or soul, but somehow takes a bit of each.
You've Come A Long Way, Baby was Fatboy Slim's most commercially successful album. Who went from September '98 to May '99 without hearing "The Rockafeller Skank" at least a billion times? In spite of its annoyances, the song gained popularity and piqued interest in one of the finest dance albums of all time.
Right Here, Right Now (Track 1): There isn't an existing stereo system that could capture the magic of this song. It begins with an electronic/mystical swirling sound akin to a keyboard being swept through a rainstorm. Hip-hop and techno-style vocals are thrown in, along with futuristic generated sounds, making this song as intricate as a fine work of visual art.
In Heaven (Track 3): A song that definitely lets you know this isn't an album to buy for the kidlets. Throughout the song, rapper Freddy Fresh repeats the phrase, "Fatboy Slim is F**king in Heaven" over and over again. Although this isn't one of my favorite songs from the album, I can't deny that it has an extremely funk-laden beat with rad guitar riffs and sweet, soulful samples. If James Brown became a DJ, he'd make a song like this.
Build It Up, Tear It Down (Track 5): One of my favorite tracks from the album. It's extremely high-energy but not as repetitive as techno. A loud, raging, metal-techno sound is occasionally broken by a funky, old school soul sample. Combining the new and old to make something different. That's what Norm's soooooo good at.
Soul Surfing (Track 7): When the song begins, it sounds like something you'd hear on a Jock Jams compilation. Only, thank heavens, it isn't "The Chicken Dance" or "Let Me Clear My Throat." It's good ol' Norman Cook with another loud, danceable song. It begins with someone shouting something in a language I unfortunately do not know how to speak, but slides into an extremely sweet, funky soul song from The Olympics. In many ways, the song sounds like a classic Motown song re-adjusted for the late 90's.
Love Island (Track 10): This one is right out of one of those breakdance movies from the 80's, like Beat Street,Crush Groove or Electric Boogaloo. Only it's sprinkled with a little bit of house, a little bit of modern electronica and a lot of creative sampling. The keyboards are the loudest part of the song, backed up by a classic funk beat popular in the days when Rob Bass and DJ EZ-Rock ruled the scene. I could probably dance to this one all night long.
I don't pick up my Fatboy Slim CD much anymore. Likely because I've grown a bit tired of the electronica scene (along with apparently the rest of the country). Still, whenever I do happen to come across it and place it in my CD player, I'm reminded of a time when the sounds of Fatboy Slim and others in his genre were fresh, new, and unique to music, influencing artists for years to come.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![You've Come a Long Way, Baby [PA] by Fatboy Slim](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/cc/09/56/2002105927-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.