Fat Boy Slim – You’ve Come A long Way Baby, 10th Anniversary Edition
It was ten years ago that, with pocket money was all saved up, my 11-year-old self, made the wise decision to purchase Fat Boy Slim’s dance classic You’ve Come A Long Way Baby as my very first record. A lot has happened in those ten years since.
Personally, I’ve gone to university and lived in America whilst dance music now seems to be focussed on tedious Basshunter type tedium that lacks any of the ingenuity found in Fat Boy’s visionary classic. Back then, it shattered dance preconceptions, conjuring critical and commercial acclaim. Listening to it now, it’s no less fresh nor fun despite how many times Praise You may have been played on MTV.
What’s of most interest here though, at least in theory, is the second disc of B-sides and rarities of Norman Cook’s work over the past ten years. However, in practice, it just shows how unpredictable his work has been since.
Cowboy, recorded for the Blade 2 soundtrack with Eve on guest vocals, is a tedious dance/rap combination that reeks of misogyny. At least it sparks up comment though, which is more than can be said for such dead-ends as Always Read the Label and Don’t Forget Your Teeth. Infuriatingly, the only two tracks on here up to the quality of the attached album, Radioactivity and Because We Can, must surely already be in any Fat Boy fan’s collection.
A classic album worthy of re-release of course, but a rather disappointing package.
9.0/10 for disc 1
4.3/10 for disc 2
Release Date: 3 Nov
