Today I want to do something a little different. In this little series i’ll be doing i’m going to be taking a look at an artist’s discography and rank the albums from my least favorite up to my absolute favorite. And I wanted to start with The Prodigy. I was a bit late to the party in listening to their music, which I started last year. And by all accounts The Prodigy is one of the most unique groups to have come out in recent years. Of course this series will take me some time to do, but i’ll keep sharing my ranked lists as i’ve completed a band’s discography.
A little bit about who The Prodigy are: The Prodigy features leading man with the brain behind the music Liam Howlett. His incredible deep knowledge of sampling and configuring an entire original composition is spectacular. And it all started on his keyboard. Next is the face and hypeman of the group Keith Flint. He’s dubbed as the “twisted firestarter” in his own right by getting the crowds electrified with a buzz for the music. And his punky appearance with his distinct features like his green reverse mohawk and piercings tells the world he will never conform to the societal norms. Next up is Maxim, he is also a hypeman for the group alongside Flint. Both Flint and Maxim have also contributed vocals for a few of the Prodigy’s songs. And lastly we have keyboardist and dancer Leeroy Thornhill. Now, let’s dive deep into ranking their albums.
- Artist: The Prodigy
- Origin: Essex, UK
- Genre: Electronic, Dance, Hip-Hop, Industrial, Big Beat
- Years Active: 1990 – Present
- Number of Current Studio Albums: 7
#7: No Tourists (2018)
Rating: 7/10
No Tourists is the most recent album The Prodigy have released. Now, I found it to be alright when you compare this album to the other ones. The most notable songs on No Tourists that I do really like are Need Some1, No Tourists, and Timebomb Zone. I gave this one a 7 out of 10, and that’s still a high rating considering it is the lowest on my list. By all accounts The Prodigy have yet to release an album that’s a flop, and I don’t think they ever will. However, for me, most of the contents of No Tourists kind of left me hanging just a little bit.
#6: The Day Is My Enemy (2015)
Rating: 8/10
The Day Is My Enemy, absolutely a step above No Tourists. However it still places at second to last at the bottom. The beats on this album are so nasty and gritty, you can’t help but consider this album a blast from their past. But just like my issue with No Tourists, most of the album here leaves me wanting more. A good portion of the album didn’t fully capture my attention. But the standout tunes on here are The Day Is My Enemy, Destroy, Rhythm Bomb, and Wall of Death. Out of all the songs they added onto the extended version of the album on spotify I thought that Shut ‘Em Up was also a really great tune. The opener song with the same title as the album is probably the best on the whole album! It leans more on the hard rock spectrum of the Prodigy. Perfection.
#5: Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004)
Rating: 8.5/10
It’s so strange to me that a lot of people don’t think highly of this album. I’m still not sure why that is. But it’s usually last on people’s list. For me this album is fantastic, and it finally gives me everything I could be looking for from The Prodigy in that 2000s period. What’s also strange is how coveted the vinyl is. It’s going for hundreds of dollars on ebay and discogs! Rattles my brain. But, wow this album is very high on my list. What stops me from putting it even higher is while it certainly stands on its own it still doesn’t hold a candle to classic Prodigy. Some of the best tunes on this album just to name a few are Spitfire, Girls, Hotride, You’ll Be Under My Wheels, and Shoot Down. If you’re a Liam Gallagher fan you know that he was featured on Shoot Down for the vocals. Double the ratings for me on that song alone.
#4: Invaders Must Die (2009)
Rating: 9/10
Invaders Must Die is the perfect Prodigy album if you’re more of a fan of the industrial alternative rock married with electro. To be honest it’s not an album that I go back to often but a good handful of the songs on here are some of their best. You have Omen, Thunder, Warriors Dance, and The Big Gundown that are my standout tunes on Invaders Must Die.
#3: Music For The Jilted Generation (1994)
Ranting: 9.5/10
These next three albums were so difficult to rank honestly. They each have their own distinctive style but these three albums are masterpieces. Jilted Generation was the breakout album for the Prodigy in a lot of ways. This was the first time Liam Howlett implemented rock elements into the music. This was also a direct response to England cracking down on underground raves and discriminating against the youths that took drugs, went to raves, and listened to music like The Prodigy. The name of the album coupled with the album artwork and the lyrical content inside makes this almost like a concept album. They were not fooling around here, and they wanted to also in some respect break away from some aspects of rave music with this album. So, if industrial rock centered electro music is more your scene then Jilted Generation is the album for you. Some standout songs on here are Their Law, Voodoo People, Poison, and No Good (Start the Dance).
#2: Experience (1992)
Rating: 9.5/10
Experience is The Prodigy’s debut album. I also gave this album a 9.5 out of 10 because it is definitely on par with Jilted Generation. The main difference between the two is Experience is your basic straight up electronic dance album, and Jilted Generation was a huge leap into blending rock elements into their music. So it all depends on what you feel like listening to that particular day. However, because I forced myself to rank these albums I put Experience slightly higher up because Jilted Generation has some very expansive songs on there and sometimes on my more casual listening days I just want to listen to a short and sweet tune. And Experience does that. The standout songs on Experience are Jericho, Charly, Out of Space, and Everybody In The Place.
#1: The Fat of The Land (1997)
Rating: 10/10
And here we go! It all came down to this. The Fat of The Land. This is their third album and it’s basically flawless. Every song on here I love, and it’s a cohesive listening experience. This album is like Experience and Jilted Generation blended into one. So, if you can’t decide on which album to listen to then The Fat of The Land has you covered on both sides of the electronic breakbeat spectrum. Some of the top tunes on this album for me are Smack My Bitch Up, Breathe, and Firestarter. Seriously a perfect album from start to finish. If you’re new to The Prodigy i’d suggest listening to this one first to get your feet wet.
The Prodigy have said on their social media that they’re going on tour (which I believe the tickets for that are all sold out, but still check their website anyway!), a possible album is in the works, and a documentary about the group is also in the works behind the scenes.
If you want to follow The Prodigy for any upcoming news and events then you can do so here.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprodigyofficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_prodigy
Website: https://theprodigy.com/
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