Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you like Fatboy Slim, even if you have all his albums, this is still worth a purchase. The two bonus tracks are pretty good, and its nice having a good solid compilation of these tracks without the blending into the next songs, etc. Not all the tracks are the radio edits, as Wonderful Night still drops the F-bomb, but Gangster Tripping cuts out the S-word. It's good to put on with a group of friends who don't want to hear the 7 minute extended mix of every song, you know?

Anyways, this is a fantastic compilation, and a good intro to the Fatboy, if you're new. The DVD is perfect as well.

Norman Cook, you're my heeeeero.

Fatboy Slim is by far my favorite musical artist, because I've never heard a song he's mixed that I haven't completely loved. Although there are only three tracks on this CD that I've actually heard on the radio (Praise You, The Rockafeller Skank, Wonderful Night), all of the songs on here are incredibly good and worthy of airplay. Extreme Fatboy Slim fans like me will likely already have purchased his four main albums and have most of these tunes, but this CD also offers a few songs that can't be found on any of them. Neither of the remixes are on his albums, and both are equally decent (very danceable too). "Sho Nuff" originally comes from a single for "Praise You", and has a rather catchy organ rhythm as well as some abrupt vocal excerpts for an overall nifty track. "Everybody Loves a Carnival" is one of the best non-album tracks on this CD, and it incorporates a humorous timpani beat with parts of Fatboy Slim's already existent songs "Everybody Needs a 303" from Better Living Through Chemistry and "Tweaker's Delight" from The Rockafeller Skank EP. Then there are the two brand new songs "Champion Sound" and "That Old Pair of Jeans", the better of the two being "Champion Sound". Both of them feature Lateef (I think), who sang for two songs on Fatboy Slim's Palookaville album, and his voice goes well with the sampled beats. "Champion Sound" mixes an unbelievably catchy chorus with a simple synthesized chord progression in the background, and leans more towards the rap genre than most of Fatboy Slim's mixes. "That Old Pair of Jeans" is not one of Fatboy Slim's stronger songs, but is sort of cool for its somewhat old-sounding samples blended with vocals from Lateef. The only problem I have with this compilation is its lack of my two favorite Fatboy Slim tunes "Jin Go Lo Ba", which has the best techno beat I've ever heard, and "Mad Flava", which is simply a spectacular mix. A few other real good tracks aren't hear either; Push & Shove, Illin in Heaven, You're Not From Brighton, and Talkin' Bout My Baby. Fanatics of this DJ will probably want to find this CD for cheap since the majority of it is songs from albums, but be aware that once you hear "Champion Sound" it's hard to keep away from it for long. For people just checking out Fatboy Slim now, it would be advisable to try this compilation first to see if you dig his sound before going onward to his albums, live performances, singles and such. Especially make sure you hear his CD "Halfway Between the Gutter & Stars", which is my favorite album of all time. "Palookaville" is also vital to own. Anyway, I'd give this compilation as well as every item Fatboy Slim has produced five stars! All hail the king of music!
P.S. If you like this style of music make sure you check out The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, and The Crystal Method also. They're quite good too.

I'll admit this freely: I'm not an obsessive Fatboy Slim fan who wants to own every single FBS song. I'm a casual fan, and I bought this disc for a good overview of FBS's most popular hits.

If that's the type of audience this disc is aimed toward, it definitely succeeds. The first six or so tracks are the ones that everybody's heard (and most people seem to like!), and the remaining twelve tracks lead the listener into songs that he or she hasn't likely heard on the ratio.

If you are one of those old Fatboy Slim fans like me that have been seriously dissapointed with Palookaville where Norman took a whole new direction most of us didn't like, then this is your chance to love him back. This compilation includes the best ever made by him, to remember the good old times.

Wow, i've never been the first reviewer in something. Nevermind let's get to the cd. Well this cd is a great start for a new Fatboy Slim fan. It has all his greatest hits from his debut "Better Living Through Chemistry" to "Palookaville" and some remixes. Fatboy Slim celebrates his 10 years of doing music and makes this compilation everyone who loves him should have.

P.S: Sorry for making such a short review, but soon this review will get lost...

If you want to hear, enjoy, and show off to others the genius that is Fatboy Slim, here you go.

As Matthew Blissmer said in his review, this is a GREAT CD to put on for friends that don't want to hear the (often excessively) long versions of each of the songs. I always ran into that problem... I loved the songs but they had awkward lead-in and lead-outs. In "Why Try Harder?", ALL the songs are beautifully edited, starting and stopping at exactly perfect times for the full effect of the song. No minute-long lead-out for "Going Out of My Head", and "Brimful of Asha" (one of my favorites) is cut perfectly down to size from the 7:30 full cut.

I can put this in a CD player and hit Shuffle and not be nervous about hitting an embarrassing song. They're all great.

If you're new to Fatboy Slim, or you've been following him for years, it doesn't matter, this is your CD. Clean up all those illegally-downloaded albums and mixes you were too hesitant to purchase, because this has it all in one neatly packaged, easily-purchasable CD! Time to pay your respects to the totally awesome Norman Cook in this totally awesome collection. Why look harder?

An excellent, fun collection that's great to listen to randomly (or shuffled). Fatboy's fresh approaches and celebration of fun-ness and absurdity are a great way to lighten any day.

I've been a casual fan of Fatboy Slim for years, but have never delved into their entire body of work. However, since I picked up this CD, I've become addicted. Why Try Harder is a great into to Fatboy Slim. Give it a try, and I'm sure you'll love it too. BTW - the new track "That Old Pair of Jeans" is the best FBS track yet.

I won't go into what the other reviewers have already said about this compilation. It's a great collection gathering some of Norman Cook's (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) finest work. My only complaint is, where's Fatboy's remixed version of "Body Movin'" by the Beastie Boys? In any case, it's a GREAT remix (better than the original in fact!). Oh well. Anyway, do go out and get this collection!

I love this collection of Fatboy Slim songs & remixes. Its a get-up-and-go kinda CD, often listen to it working out or cleaning.