Customer Reviews

Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a huge fan of The Prodigy, it's hard to find the right way to review this phenomenal collection. Do I review it as a fan or as a casual music lover? Because this album spans their entire career I think it's necessary that this review also span what brought us to this point at least.
Most Americans only have a passing knowledge or memory of the Prodigy when they seemingly invaded MTV and the radio airwaves in the late nineties with their monster hits "Firestarter", "Breathe", and the hugely controversial "Smack My Bitch Up". If you haven't heard of them since, it's not your fault. Following the milestone release of "Fat of the Land", which went number one in forty countries, The Prodigy went into a long hibernation. Prior to "The Fat of The Land", however, The Prodigy made a name for themselves in the underground rave scene of the late eighties and early nineties with the 1992 release of "Experience", followed by the hugely successful "Music for the Jilted Generation" which featured, what many consider the Prodigy's calling card, the single 'Voodoo People', made popular by the cult film "Hackers".
In 2002, seemingly out of nowhere, The Prodigy released the single "Baby's Got A Temper" and it seemed that after a five-year absence, the Prodigy were back in form. That single, however, was to be the last gasp of a dying era. Leading man Liam Howlett (not the guy with the horns) decided that particular single to be his 'wake up call' that a change was due. Not content with trying to rehash the success of "Fat of the Land" with a sequel, Liam scrapped the work he had done on a follow up album and started anew, sans vocalists Keith Flint (the one with the horns) and Maxim.
After a seven-year hiatus, "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned" was released in late 2004 with hardly any American publicity. The album was poorly received by most, being a spiritually solo effort on the part of Liam Howlett with only a handful of outside collaborators, it was perhaps a departure from what many expected from the mad mind who unleashed "Fat of the Land" upon the world. That sentiment, however, is a testament to the essence of The Prodigy. Unlike other bands who are content with treading on the same waters of success, The Prodigy have always forced themselves to evolve and push the envelope and that is precisely what keeps their fans coming back for more after sixteen years.
"Their Law: The Singles" is a mix of many styles and genres that are almost impossible to define or categorize. You shouldn't try either. The music is daring and wild and truly inspired. From the rave era classics "Out of Space" and "Charly", to the sinister, hip hop inspired favorite "Poison", all the way to the recent World War 3 inspired epic "Spitfire", you really cannot find a single boring track. The one glaring omission from the album, "Baby's got a Temper", is missed, but in the grand scheme of things, The Prodigy present to us their proudest efforts. Disc two features two new tracks, various b-sides, a few unreleased remixes, and a taste of what the Prodigy can do as a live act with four live recorded tracks. These extras compliment the first disc well and while a casual fan may not realize the significance of the tracks, the second disc is just as hard hitting and furious as the first.
In terms of historical importance, I dare say that The Prodigy are on a level with The Clash as one the most influential bands of our time. If you've never bought a Prodigy record before, buy this album. If you only own "Fat of the Land", buy this album. No matter what kind of music you enjoy, buy this album, put it your home or car stereo, and turn the volume up, all the way up. Let your whole neighborhood hear it. And, if your system is up to par, let them feel it as well. They'll never know what hit them.

It's something unusual for me to buy compilations from my favourite bands; most of the times they are not destined for those who already have the original records and so I generally see it as a waste of money just for a couple of remixes or new tracks you can easily get separately these days; even more unusual is to play compilations for more than a few days... But that's not the case here - I'm listening to Their Law: The Singles for a 2nd week on a row and things tend to carry on like this in the near future.
The look of the box did one part of the job on the store; the presence of a 2nd CD with live material on it did the other. All landmark tracks from The Prodigy can be found on disc 1 - if possible I would only add the rest of the tracks of "The Fat of the Land" but for that is better to get the album, of course... As for disc 2, the remix of "Voodoo People" gives this classic a second life and - speaking about second life, all 5 live-songs are tremendous (Their Law in particular!), raising their original power even further. Excellent compilation!

I liked this compilation, it has all the hits I was looking for. I am not a hard core fan, so this is good enough for me.

When I got this Album, I thought that is was going to be like "Fat of the Land" style, but nope. They had really good songs that made through the 90's, most of them Unknown for me, but when I got this album, I just decided to the take the risk, and I don't regret. Just get this album If you want to enjoy something different.

Awesome CD - if you want to pump some energy into your day, this CD will do it. The Prodigy is one of the best dance/techno groups out there! Highly recommend this CD!

I believe that The Prodigy is underrated. If you like techno I highly recommend this, or if you like The Prodigy. This does NOT disappoint!

At last we have new album in 2009, but for a few years this album is what many expected would be the last offering from the inventors of modern punk and shock value music. From top to bottom, disc one is a rundown of major singles (as the name implies, of course)... for long-time fans or people who have been around since the roots of electronica it feels like a trip down memory lane. After all, it's been almost 2 decades (jeez) since their initial splash, and a lot of our original CDs are probably lost or scratched or stolen by now. Here's an easy remedy. Though entirely expected, more casual fans will be happy to hear ear-bleeding controversials like 'Firestarter' once again.

Disc two is strictly for fans but is really a great collection of B-Sides and rare remixes that you would have needed to import UK singles to get in the past in North America to hear. Not really the quality of the major studio singles, but a polite nod to fans. Quite enjoyable is a run of 5 tracks performed live which will leave a smile on your face when you think about how much you might have enjoyed the music... be it a decade ago or ever since. Taking the time listening through several times really presents a great view of the progressive and unconventional style over the years, and it's interesting to piece together where certain influences have mixed into today's music of all genres.

If you are only going to buy one CD with Prodigy, this is the one to buy. A good compilation of their best songs, add some remixes and live performances. The only thing that would have made this product any better is 5 channel surround remix and with videos included, however then it wouldn't play in my cars CD player..

I received The Prodigy - Their Law double-CD around Christmas (import version) and ever since, the CD has not left my player in my car. The first CD contains all the hits - or rather best known tracks - from the band with the exception of 'Baby's Got A Temper' which is a big shame, as it is a great single. Good news for those who will buy the DVD - that one does have 'Baby'
The second CD contains remixes and a few live tracks, which doesn't add too much to this compilation, except some curiosity to known versions. The live songs are ok, although it leaves you hungry for more live material - can we have a live album, please??.
Anyway, this is a great compilation from a great dance band and will keep you toe-tapping along for a long time. If only 'Baby's Got A Temper' was on this CD, then I could've given it 5 stars

My daughter is 17 years old and she asked me about this album and I told her "BUY IT". I listened with her and it reminded me of my rave days back in the UK. It is awesome dance music. I didn't feel that it had aged all that much, it still sounded pretty fresh.