The Prodigy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the English band. For the American rapper, see Prodigy (rapper). For the horror film, see The Prodigy (film). For other uses, see Prodigy.

The Prodigy
FIB 2015 The Prodigy
FIB 2015 The Prodigy
Background information
OriginBraintree, Essex, England
Genres
Years active1990 (1990)–present
Labels
Websitetheprodigy.com
Members
Past members

The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band from Braintree, Essex, formed in 1990 by keyboardist and songwriter Liam Howlett. The band's line-up has included MC and vocalist Maxim, dancer and vocalist Keith Flint (until his death in March 2019), dancer and live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill (who left to pursue a solo career in 1999), and dancer and vocalist Sharky (1990–1991). Along with the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, the Prodigy are credited as pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s. Howlett's rock-inspired drum rhythms infused with electronic rave music beats/breaks were combined with Maxim's omnipresent mystique, Thornhill's shuffle dancing style and Flint's modern punk appearance.[2]

The Prodigy describe their style as "electronic punk",[3] being the pioneers in this rhythm, with a punk conceptual expression in many of their albums accompanied by strong and groundbreaking rhythms.[4]

The Prodigy emerged in the underground rave scene in the early 1990s and achieved popularity and worldwide recognition with UK number one singles such as "Firestarter" and "Breathe", both singles coming from their UK and US chart-topping album The Fat of the Land (1997). A third single from the album, “Smack My Bitch Up”, was also successful. They earned titles like "the premiere dance act for the alternative masses" and "the Godfathers of Rave",[5] and remain one of the most successful electronic acts of all time. They have sold an estimated 25 million records worldwide,[1] and won numerous music awards during their career, including two Brit Awards for Best British Dance Act, three MTV Video Music Awards, two Kerrang! Awards, five MTV Europe Music Awards, and received two Grammy Award nominations.[6][7]

History[]

Formation and "Charly" (1990–1991)[]

The band was named after the Moog Prodigy synthesiser

The Prodigy were founded in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by keyboardist and songwriter Liam Howlett. He had taken piano lessons in his youth and gained the ability to play difficult passages in just a few run-throughs.[8] After he decided to pursue a music career, Howlett met dancer and vocalist Keith Flint in mid-1989 at a rave at which Howlett was DJing. After Flint requested Howlett make a mix tape for him, Howlett obliged, returning a cassette several days later with a collection of his own songs on the other side.[9] Howlett had scratched the word "Prodigy" onto the cassette, the same name as the Moog Prodigy analogue synthesiser,[10] and Howlett's moniker.[11] The tape was well-received by Flint and keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill who developed new dance sequences to the music and suggested to Howlett they begin a group together.[11] They were soon joined by MC and vocalist Maxim, then known as Maxim Reality, and female dancer and vocalist Sharky, a friend of Flint's. Together they became the first line-up of the Prodigy.[11]

The group's first live gig occurred at Four Aces in Dalston, London.[12][11] With a group secured, Howlett wrote, produced, and mixed a 10-track demo tape on a Roland W-30 sampling workstation keyboard, and approached Tam Tam Records with the hope of securing a record deal, but they declined.[13] He then turned to XL Recordings, headed by Tim Palmer (Founder) and Nick Halkes (Head of A&R) who agreed to a meeting and subsequently picked up the demo and signed the group on a 4 x Single contract.[13] In February 1991, the band released the extended play What Evil Lurks on 12-inch vinyl, containing four songs that Howlett had produced on the demo.

In August 1991, the Prodigy released their debut single "Charly",[14] which samples dialogue from the Charley Says series of animated films produced by the Central Office of Information. It became a hit in the rave scene at the time,[15] and reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, thus catapulting the band into the wider public attention.[16] The success of "Charly" began a trend of mixing dance and "hardcore rave" tracks with cartoon samples, such as "A Trip to Trumpton" by Urban Hype and "Sesame's Treet" by Smart E's, which were a hit with clubbers, but not to reviewers and critics,[17] who dismissed the music as "kiddie rave" or "toytown techno".[18]

"Everybody in the Place" and Experience (1991–1993)[]

External video
video icon The Prodigy - Out of Space (Official Video)

The band's second single, "Everybody in the Place (Fairground Edit)", was released in December 1991.[14] It reached number 2 in the UK, beaten by a re-release of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen following the death of their singer Freddie Mercury.[19]

In September 1992, the band released their debut full-length album Experience, produced entirely by Howlett. The idea of making one originated from XL, and initially Howlett wanted to produce a "rave concept album" inspired by the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, but abandoned the idea due to the risk of limiting his musical ideas.[20] It peaked at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 300,000 copies.[21][22] The album contains many samples of songs from other artists, and closes with a live version of "Death of the Prodigy Dancers" featuring Maxim on vocals. As with "Charly", it became landmark release in the history of British rave music. Five singles spawned from the album: "Charly", "Everybody in the Place", "Fire/Jericho", "Out of Space", and "Wind It Up (Rewound)"; the latter a remix of "Wind It Up".

After Experience and the run of singles that accompanied it, the Prodigy moved to distance themselves from the "kiddie rave" reputation that now dogged them. The rave scene was beginning to move on from its hardcore phase, with the Criminal Justice Act's "anti-rave" legislation on the horizon, calling rave music "repetitive beats".[23] The Prodigy responded to the bill by writing "Their Law".

Music for the Jilted Generation (1993–1995)[]

In 1993, Howlett released an anonymous white label, bearing only the title "Earthbound I". Its hypnotic, hard-edged sound won wide underground approval. It was officially released as "One Love" later that year, and went on to chart at number 8 in the UK.[24] The following year, the Prodigy's second album, Music for the Jilted Generation, debuted in the UK Albums Chart at number one, and received positive reactions from album critics.[5] Adding elements of big beat and electro-industrial[citation needed] to the mix, the album expressed a wider spectrum of musical styles, with heavy breakbeat-based tracks complemented by the concept sequence The Narcotic Suite and a rock-oriented inclination, "Their Law", featuring Pop Will Eat Itself. The album was later described as a "complex, powerful record that propelled dance music into stadiums with rock’n’roll swagger".[25]

The album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, although Howlett had reaffirmed his dedication to making the Prodigy a 'hard dance band', commercially successful but without compromise.[26] The band managed to continue to prevent over-exposure in the media by refusing to appear on Top of the Pops or other television shows in the UK.[27] To date, their only studio appearance on British television came when they appeared on the BBC2 series Dance Energy in 1991, performing "Everybody in the Place". In the ensuing years, their videos received a strong level of support by MTV Europe, which boosted their popularity across the continent. Keith Flint himself hosted an episode of the MTV show 120 Minutes in 1995.

Following the international success of Music for the Jilted Generation, the band augmented their line-up with guitarist Jim Davies (a live band member who later joined the group Pitchshifter) in 1995 for tracks such as "Their Law", "Break and Enter 95", and various live-only interludes and versions. He was soon to be replaced by Gizz Butt of the band Janus Stark, who remained with the band for the next three years.[28]

A number of the songs from the album were used in the film Hackers which starred Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie.

The Fat of the Land (1996–2000)[]

External video
video icon The Prodigy - Firestarter (Official Video)

The release of "Firestarter" in 1996, featuring vocals for the first time courtesy of a new-look Keith Flint, helped the band break into the United States and other overseas markets, and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.[29] In this year the Prodigy also headlined the prestigious Lollapalooza festival.[30]

The long-awaited third Prodigy album, The Fat of the Land, was released in 1997, just as the band headlined the Glastonbury Festival on its opening night.[30] Featuring simplified melodies, sparser sampling, less rave music influences, and punk-like vocals supplied by a shockingly madeover Flint, the album nevertheless retained the bone-jarring breaks and buzzsaw synths so idiomatic of the band. The album cemented the band's position as one of the most internationally successful acts in the dance genre, entering the UK and US charts at number one.[29][31]

The Prodigy were getting considerable airplay on rock stations with their controversial track "Smack My Bitch Up"—and also a negative backlash for the song. The National Organization for Women (NOW) criticized the song and its music video. The song's lyrics consist entirely of the repeated phrase "Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up", which NOW stated are a "dangerous and offensive message advocating violence against women".[32] Howlett responded to the criticism by stating that the meaning of the song and its lyrics were being misinterpreted, and the phrase meant "doing anything intensely, like being on stage—going for extreme manic energy".[32] The band did not actually write the lyric, but rather, sampled it from the hip hop Ultramagnetic MCs' track "Give the Drummer Some"[33] which also appears on the Dirtchamber Sessions; they had also sampled another Ultramagnetic MCs song "Critical Beatdown" on their earlier "Out of Space" single.[34] The National Organization for Women also believed that the lyrics are in reference to administering heroin (smack) to another person.[35] Several radio stations limited the song's airplay to nighttime hours.[36] In September 1997, the Prodigy performed "Breathe" at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, and won the Viewer's Choice Award.[37][38]

During a performance at the Reading Festival on 29 August 1998, the Prodigy and the Beastie Boys had an onstage disagreement over the track, with the Beastie Boys requesting the song should be pulled from their set as it could be considered offensive to those who had suffered domestic abuse.[39] Choosing to ignore the Beastie Boys' plea, Maxim introduced "Smack My Bitch Up" with the declaration "They didn't want us to play this fucking tune. But the way things go, I do what the fuck I want".[40][41]

Wal-Mart and Kmart later announced they would pull The Fat of the Land off their shelves. Despite the fact that the LP had resided on their store shelves for over 20 weeks, and the fact that they had sold 150,000 copies of the album in total, the two stores found the marketing campaign for the new single release "offensive".[42] At the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, "Smack My Bitch Up" won two awards; Best Dance Video and Breakthrough Video.[43]

1999 saw the release of the Prodigy's The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One, a DJ mix album by Howlett, produced as an official record of a successful guest appearance on the British Radio 1.[44] The original session came into being following a conversation between journalism and band biographer Martin James and Breezeblock presenter Mary Anne Hobbs. They are subsequently both thanked on the album sleeve notes. In June of the same year, when the band had arguably reached their commercial peak, they parted company with guitarist Gizz Butt.

Following 1999, Thornhill departed from the group after splitting up with Sara Cox; the band's website was replaced with their logo and the words "We will be back..." set against a black background, which would remain until 2002.[45]

The band's website after Thornhill left in 2000.

Reunion (2001–2004)[]

In 2002, after the group performed some live shows in 2001, the single "Baby's Got a Temper" was released to critical disappointment. The original version of the song was written by Keith Flint's sideband, Flint and was called 'NNNN'. The Prodigy version was a total reworking of Flint's track with only a few of the lyrics and melody remaining from the original and produced by Howlett. The song also featured Jim Davies. Once again, the band courted controversy by including references to the so-called "date rape" drug Rohypnol in the song's lyrics.[46] The song's music video was also controversial, which featured barely covered women milking cows in a suggestive fashion. The complete, unedited video was aired on MTV2 in 2002 as part of a special late-night countdown showing the most controversial videos ever to air on MTV.[47] In the same year, however, Q magazine named the Prodigy one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die".[48]

Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004–2008)[]

Liam Howlett live in August 2005.

The Prodigy's fourth studio album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, was released on 23 August 2004, and 14 September 2004 in the US. A precursory and experimental single, "Memphis Bells", was released in very limited numbers, followed by the traditional release of the single "Girls". The US version of the studio album contained a bonus track; a remix of "Girls", entitled "More Girls". The album, which topped the UK Albums Chart in its debut week,[21] was promoted by a two-year-long tour.

5,000 digital copies of "Memphis Bells" were sold over the Internet. Each copy was a combination of customer-chosen instrumental, rhythmic, and melodic options, of which 39,600 choices were available. Five mixes were sold in three file formats, WAV, two audio mixes in MP3, and a 5.1 DTS surround sound mix, and all were free of digital rights management.[47]

In 2005, they released a compilation, Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005, which spawned a single containing new remixes of the songs "Out of Space" ("Audio Bullys Remix") and "Voodoo People" (the "Pendulum Remix"). The artwork represented drawn versions of the front covers of the "Out of Space" and "Voodoo People" single releases. The latter was also followed by a music video filmed in Romford Market, Essex, which featured on the DVD release of the compilation. Sharky, the group's only female member, is shown running and winning the race depicted in the video. Also in 2005, the song "You'll be Under my Wheels" from the Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned album was added to the soundtrack of Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The cover artwork included an extended essay by band biographer Martin James.

Maxim performing at the 2006 Sziget Festival

In 2006, the song "You'll be Under my Wheels" from the Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned album was added to the soundtrack of The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift.

The Prodigy's first two albums, 1992's Experience and 1994's Music for the Jilted Generation, were re-released in expanded, deluxe editions on 4 August 2008.[49] As well as being remastered, the new packages featured a bonus disc including mixes, rarities, and live tracks. The two albums also featured expanded artwork in addition to the new musical content.

When asked about the idea, Howlett responded that they were getting ready to make a new album:

No, we're all done with that [those albums] now, all the old material. We didn't actually want to do the Greatest Hits, we were ready to start our new record—until the record company pointed out that it was in the contract. But then we got into it, and tried to be creative with it as much as [we could]. And, you know, we ended up being really proud of it. You have to have a different brain when you're doing a record like that. It's more about [saying] "this is your achievement"; I could hold in one hand all the records we've released, so that was cool. We're moving on now, and getting on with the new record.[47]

Invaders Must Die (2008–2010)[]

The Prodigy tested a few of the new tracks at Rainbow Warehouse Birmingham and Plug in Sheffield in May 2008. The Prodigy showcased three new songs at the Oxegen Festival in the early hours of 13 July 2008. Among the tracks previewed were "Worlds on Fire", "Warriors Dance", and "Mescaline".

The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint and live member Rob Holliday

On 5 November 2008, it was announced that the band's fifth studio album would be called Invaders Must Die and would be released on the band's new label, Take Me to the hospital. It was released in the U.S. on 3 March 2009, and was the first Prodigy album since 1997's The Fat of the Land to feature all three members of the band.[50][51]

The album featured Dave Grohl on drums for "Run with the Wolves". The top five hit "Omen" and "Invaders Must Die" were co-produced with Does It Offend You, Yeah? frontman James Rushent.[52] The band said that the album would go back to their "old-school but cutting edge" roots.[citation needed] The album was released as a CD, CD-DVD set, double vinyl, digital download, and a luxury 7-inch vinyl box set including five 7-inches, CD-DVD, bonus CD, poster, stickers, and stencils.[53]

Invaders Must Die was released on 21 February 2009 in Australia and in Europe on 23 February 2009, charting at number one in the U.K. with week one sales of over 97,000—a higher figure than for either Always Outnumbered or their singles collection.[29] The album also reached the top five in Germany and Australia and top 10 in Norway and several other European countries.

Maxim performing in 2009.

To coincide with the release of the album, the band embarked on a nine-date UK arena tour, with support from Dizzee Rascal, Noisia, Herve, and DJ Kissy Sell Out. The tour included the first edition of the band's own annual dance gig, the Warriors Dance Festival. The single "Omen" debuted at number 1 on the Canadian Singles Chart the week of 25 February 2009 and won the Kerrang! Award for Best Single. The initial critical response to Invaders Must Die was somewhat mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 60, based on 20 reviews.[54] However, the album was well received by the fans, who welcomed it in a positive light compared to Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.[55] Two singles followed, "Warrior's Dance" and "Take Me to the Hospital", which were released on 11 May and 31 August 2009 respectively. The former song peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart,[29] while the latter included a VHS-filmed music video that premiered on VidZone.[56] A fourth single, "Invaders Must Die (Liam H Reamped Version)", from the Special Edition of the album, was released.[56] Howlett would later describe the album as "more of a celebration. We'd come back together and were like, 'Yeah! We're here, we're really buzzing!"[25]

In the same year, Howlett co-produced the song "Immunize" on Pendulum's third album, Immersion.[57]

They also played Glastonbury in 2009.[58]

The Day Is My Enemy (2010–2015)[]

In May 2011, the band released World's on Fire, their first live album and concert film documenting their 24 July 2010 show at the Milton Keynes Bowl as part of that year's Warriors Dance Festival.[59] The film screened to select theatres across Europe for one night.[60] On 16 November 2010, Howlett announced that after their American tour with Linkin Park, the Prodigy were to re-enter the studio to record new material.[61]

On 6 August 2011, the Prodigy headlined the Przystanek Woodstock in Poland,[62] while at their two final shows of 2011 in Brazil, they premiered two new tracks: "A.W.O.L" and "Dogbite".[63] They headlined the 2012 Download Festival on 8 June playing a regular setlist, with the addition of three new songs, "Jetfighter", "Dogbite" and "A.W.O.L",[64] accompanied by on-stage imagery of jet aircraft.[65] Howlett has confirmed this album will not be dubstep, but that it will feel "fresh" whilst darker.[66] In April 2012, to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of The Fat of the Land, the album was re-released alongside a remix EP, The Added Fat EP,[67] featuring remixes from multiple groups such as Major Lazer, Noisia, and Zeds Dead.

On 3 May 2012, the Prodigy announced the working title of their new album How to Steal a Jetfighter.[68] In December 2012, a new track titled "The Day" was debuted at Warrior's Brixton[citation needed] and in June 2013, a new track titled "Rockweiler" was debuted at Rock am Ring.[citation needed] The band headlined the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth in 2014.[69] On 2 July 2014, the band revealed their upcoming album would have a different name and a "violent sound".[70] In August 2014, they signed to the Three Six Zero Group for the United States,[71] returning to Warner Music for the first time since 2004. Maxim indicated in September 2014 that the new Prodigy album would be released in the first quarter of 2015.[72] It was later announced on 6 January 2015 that the next Prodigy album would be releasing 30 March 2015 and that it had been given the title The Day Is My Enemy.[73]

On 12 January 2015, the Prodigy released "Nasty" as the lead single off their upcoming album along with the title track on 26 January 2015. Howlett found that "violent is the word that keeps on coming up" when describing the album. The entire recording process took almost six years taking in a number of studios and a few restarts to establish that "angry, energetic sound".[25] Unlike previous efforts The Day Is My Enemy became a band-album where Flint and Maxim worked in tandem with Howlett. This created a degree of friction although Flint noted that "four years ago we sat down and talked about where the next album was gonna go, and we knew we had to bust out the most 'band' album we could create".[25]

The Prodigy at Festival Internacional de Benicàssim 2015

The band played at Future Music Festival Australia in February/March 2015 and toured Germany and France in April 2015[74] and the UK in May 2015.[75] They also performed at the Rock Werchter, Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Benicàssim and Isle of Wight festivals.

On 23 February 2015, the Prodigy released "Wild Frontier" as the second single off their upcoming album The Day Is My Enemy after announcing it three days earlier. The Stop-motion animation was directed by the Dutch filmmaker Mascha Halberstad[76] and animator Elmer Kaan.[77] The Cover Art was designed by Austrian artist and designer Moritz Resl.[78] In 2015, the Prodigy announced a winter 2015 UK and mainland Europe tour on 26 May, with Public Enemy as support.[79]

No Tourists and death of Flint (2016–present)[]

The Prodigy's seventh studio album, No Tourists, was released on 2 November 2018 under a new recording deal with BMG Rights Management.[80] The deal reunited the group with Howlett's song publishing, which BMG had acquired from EMI Music Publishing in 2012 as part of the Virgin Music catalogue.[81]

On 4 March 2019, Flint was found dead at his home in Essex,[82] weeks after the band had toured Australia and New Zealand.[83][84] The rest of the Prodigy's tour dates were cancelled.[85] Following Flint's death, fans began using the Twitter hashtag "Firestarter4Number1" on various social media platforms to get "Firestarter" to number one on the UK singles chart out of respect for Flint and to raise awareness of suicide among men.[86] In August 2020, Howlett said that the Prodigy will continue.[87] That Christmas Day, he confirmed that new music will be released at some point in 2021.[88] Former member Leeroy Thornhill said that Howlett had been working on a new Prodigy album at the time of Flint's death, and wishes to complete it as a tribute to Flint.[89] On 10 February 2021, the band announced their plans to begin production on a documentary film about the band's history, with a now unknown title and release date. It will be directed by long time collaborator Paul Dugdale and produced by Pulse Films.[90]

Musical style and influences[]

Along with the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, the Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s.[91] The Prodigy is not considered entirely representative of the genre, as their production "often reflected the more intelligent edge of trip-hop, and rarely broke into the mindless arena of true big beat" according to AllMusic.[91] The Prodigy are also considered alternative dance,[92][93] techno,[94][95][96] electronica,[94] breakbeat hardcore,[97] and rave.[98][99]

Liam Howlett cited early electro as a big influence, mentioning tunes like "Clear" by American music group Cybotron and "Al Naafiysh" by Hashim. He also cited The Bomb Squad, Public Enemy, and Rage Against the Machine as influences.[100]

Band members[]

Timeline

Awards and nominations[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by the Prodigy

Discography[]

Main article: The Prodigy discography

Studio albums

References[]

Specific

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Roach, Martin (2010). The Prodigy : electronic punks : the early years 1988-1994. Church Stretton: Independent Music. ISBN 978-1-906191-17-7. OCLC 1100929625.
  2. ^ "Big Beat". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Liam Howlett: Punk and disorderly". The Independent. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  4. ^ "The Prodigy interview: 'Calvin Harris? That's just waffle. That isn't real'". inews.co.uk. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b John Bush. "Music for the Jilted Generation – The Prodigy". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  6. ^ The Brit Awards: Prodigy Archived 1 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2012
  7. ^ The Prodigy Archived 13 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Rock on The Net. Retrieved 12 February 2012
  8. ^ James 2002, p. 15. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFJames2002 (help)
  9. ^ Roach 2010, p. 22. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFRoach2010 (help)
  10. ^ James 2002, p. 44. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFJames2002 (help)
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Roach 2010, p. 23. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFRoach2010 (help)
  12. ^ Emma Warren, "From the Dug Out and dreads to DMZ and dubstep: 10 classic club nights" Archived 12 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Roach 2010, p. 30. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFRoach2010 (help)
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b James 2002, p. 280. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFJames2002 (help)
  15. ^ Mike Schiller (23 December 2005). "The Prodigy: Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Songs like “Out of Space” and “Charly” turned into massive club hits
  16. ^ "PRODIGY". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  17. ^ Ben Gilman. "A short history of Drum and Bass". globaldarkness.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  18. ^ Thomas Inskeep (8 May 2006). "The Prodigy – Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 75 12 January 1992 - 18 January 1992". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  20. ^ Roach 2010, p. 56. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFRoach2010 (help)
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "UK Top 40 Hit Database". everyHit.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2011. Note: User must define search parameters as "Prodigy".
  22. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011. Note: Reader must type "Prodigy" into the Search box and hit Go.
  23. ^ Martin Bate. "Review". theprodigy.info. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  24. ^ "Promo". theprodigy.info. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c d McQuaid, Ian (17 January 2015). "The Prodigy: 'we should be as important as Oasis or Blur'". theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  26. ^ "Books". theprodigyfanboy.com. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  27. ^ "Prodigal son". The Guardian. 20 August 2004. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  28. ^ "Bands". gizzbutt.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b "Essex Boys Come First". Q. No. December 1997.
  31. ^ "The Fat of the Land review". Billboard. 1997.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Chuck Philips (4 December 1997). "Time Warner Again Faces the Music Over Song Lyrics". LA Times.
  33. ^ The Fat of the Land liner notes.
  34. ^ Liner notes from "Out of Space" single and Experience album.
  35. ^ "Music group, Prodigy, causing controversy with its new song and video". The Ottawa Citizen. 12 September 1997.
  36. ^ "Music: The Prodigy". Metropolis. No. 409.
  37. ^ 1997 MTV Video Music Awards Archived 26 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine MTV.com. Retrieved 5 December 2011
  38. ^ 1997 MTV VMAs Archived 20 July 2013 at WebCite Rock On The Net. Retrieved 5 December 2011
  39. ^ "Beastie Boys". rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  40. ^ "The Reading Incident". brainkiller.it. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  41. ^ "Prodigy". rockonthenet.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  42. ^ "The Prodigy and their prodigious talent". The Independent. 14 October 2005. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  43. ^ 1998 MTV Video Music Awards Archived 31 August 2012 at WebCite Rock On The Net. Retrieved 5 December 2011
  44. ^ Liam Howlett. "BBC Radio 1 Breezeblock". The Breezeblock (Interview). Archived from the original on 19 August 2004. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  45. ^ Dingwall, =John (2 March 2001). "I quit the Prodigy and life fell apart; Leeroy Thornhill tells how his split with DJ Sara Cox edged him close to a nervous breakdown..." Daily Record (Scotland). Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  46. ^ James, Martin (28 June 2002). "Liam Howlett: Punk and disorderly". The Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2011.[dead link]
  47. ^ Jump up to: a b c O'Neal, Tim. "So I Decided to Take My Work Underground: A Conversation with the Prodigy's Liam Howlett". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  48. ^ "Q Magazine Lists". Rocklist.net. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  49. ^ B. Van Isacker (14 July 2008). "The Prodigy reissue first 2 albums and play new songs live". side-line.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  50. ^ Liam Howlett (11 March 2008). "Take Me to the Hospital". Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  51. ^ "The Prodigy: Invaders Must Die New release date: March 3, 2009". idiomag.com. 30 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  52. ^ Invaders Must Die liner notes.
  53. ^ "Liam H blog". The Prodigy. 6 November 2008. Archived from the original on 9 November 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
  54. ^ "Invaders Must Die Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  55. ^ "Invaders Must Die User Reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  56. ^ Jump up to: a b "Take Me To The Hospital video exclusive". theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  57. ^ Immersion liner notes.
  58. ^ "Glastonbury 2009". Glastonbury Festivals. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  59. ^ "Pre-order World's on Fire CD/DVD/BLU-RAY". theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  60. ^ "World's on Fire". theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  61. ^ "The Prodigy Announce US Tour with Linkin Park". theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  62. ^ "News – Woodstock Festival Poland Safety Level Discussion". en.wosp.org.pl. 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  63. ^ "LH blog". Theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  64. ^ "The Prodigy Concert Setlist at Download 2012 on June 8, 2012". setlist.fm. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  65. ^ "Newsbeat – Prodigy announced as final Download Festival headliners". BBC. 18 November 2011. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  66. ^ "The Prodigy's Liam Howlett: 'Our new album won't be dubstep'". 9 January 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  67. ^ "The Prodigy re-release The Fat of the Land alongside remix EP". Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  68. ^ "The Prodigy name their new studio album How to Steal a Jetfighter". Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  69. ^ "The Prodigy announce they will be headlining at Sonisphere Festival in the UK". The Prodigy. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  70. ^ "The Prodigy reveal that 'violent-sounding' new album will be released this year". The Prodigy. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  71. ^ "The Prodigy". Billboard. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  72. ^ Kevin J (18 September 2014). "Maxim Overload: An Interview With Maxim of The Prodigy". EDM Sauce. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  73. ^ "The Day Is My Enemy – Album Announcement". theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  74. ^ "Live". theprodigy.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  75. ^ "The Prodigy: The Day Is My Enemy". Tour advertisement. Kerrang!. No. 1551. 17 January 2015. p. 11.
  76. ^ "The Prodigy announce single Wild Frontier". The Prodigy. 24 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  77. ^ "Elmer Kaan". Elmer Kaan. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  78. ^ "The Prodigy announce single Wild Frontier on their Facebook page". The Prodigy. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  79. ^ "The Prodigy announce UK and Europe tour with Public Enemy support". Never Enough Notes. Never Enough Notes. 26 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  80. ^ Tim Ingham, "THE PRODIGY SIGN WORLDWIDE DEAL WITH BMG FOR NEW ALBUM IN 2018" Archived 8 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Music Business Worldwide, 19 September 2017.
  81. ^ Scott Roxborough, "BMG Buys Virgin, Famous Music Catalog From Sony/ATV" Archived 14 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 December 2012.
  82. ^ "The Prodigy's Keith Flint dies aged 49". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  83. ^ Shepherd, Jack (4 March 2019). "Keith Flint death: Prodigy front man dies aged 49". The Independent. Archived from the original on 4 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  84. ^ brownypaul (4 March 2019). "BREAKING: The Prodigy's Keith Flint has died, age 49". Wall Of Sound. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  85. ^ @the_prodigy (5 March 2019). "Following the tragic death of Keith Flint all forthcoming Prodigy shows will be canceled with immediate effect" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  86. ^ "Prodigy fans launch 'Firestarter for Number 1' campaign in memory of Keith Flint". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  87. ^ "The Prodigy official". Instagram. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  88. ^ "The Prodigy official on Instagram: "happy holidays peoples across the world , see you in 2021 , stay safe, Respects The Prodigy x #weliveforever #thereturn2021"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  89. ^ "The Prodigy working on new album to honour Keith Flint's memory". NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News. 12 May 2020. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  90. ^ "The Prodigy working on their first-ever music documentary". NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  91. ^ Jump up to: a b "Big Beat". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  92. ^ Harrington, Richard (24 August 1997). "A Spark in Electronica? The Alternative Dance Genre Isn't Saving the Music Industry—Yet". The Washington Post. p. G5.
  93. ^ Roach, Martin (2010). The Prodigy: The Official Story. Music Press Books. ISBN 9781906191016.
  94. ^ Jump up to: a b Himmer, Alastair (18 August 2015). "Smack my DJ up! Techno 'treasures' Prodigy get nasty". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 20 August 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  95. ^ Herzogenrath, Bernd (2000). "Stop Making Sense: Fuck 'em and Their Law". Postmodern Culture. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  96. ^ McComber, Martin J. (15 January 1993). "Prodigy's Liam Howlett: Battling With Success : Pop music: As techno music catches the ear of the mainstream, the songwriter struggles to hang on to the genre's longtime faithful". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  97. ^ Muggs, Joe (13 June 2014). "20 Years On, The Prodigy's 'Music for the Jilted Generation' Is a Relevant Explosion of Madness". Vice. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  98. ^ Harrison, Andrew (21 May 2011). "The Prodigy didn't kill rave, they reanimated rock'n'roll". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  99. ^ Borthwick, Stuart (2002) [1999]. "Rave culture". In Childs, Peter; Storry, Mike (eds.). Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture. London and New York: Routledge. p. 449. ISBN 9781138006997.
  100. ^ Murphy, Tom (26 August 2015). "The Prodigy's Liam Howlett on Public Enemy and Electronic Music". Westword. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.

Books

  • James, Martin (2002). The "Prodigy" (Paperback ed.). Sanctuary Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-860-74356-6.
  • Roach, Martin (2010). The Prodigy: The Official Story – Electronic Punks. John Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1-784-18964-8.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""