Better Living Through Chemistry

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Editorial reviews

Album Description
U.S. debut for the first album by this ex-Housemartins and ex-Beats International instrumental act with two bonus cuts, 'Michael Jackson' and 'Next To Nothing', both previously only available as B-sides on the U.K. CD single for 'Going Out My Head'. 12 tracks total, also featuring 'Going Out Of My Head', 'Song For Lindy' and 'Everybody Needs A 303'. The album's full title is 'Better Living Through Chemistry'. 1997 Astralwerks release.

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Amazon.com
Fatboy Slim (also known as Norman Cook, formally of the Housemartins) has composed a collection of tracks so dependent on samples that they'll keep "Name That Tune" fans busy for hours. The single "Going out of My Head" is crafted with funky beats thrown down on top of the guitar riff from the Who's classic "I Can't Explain." Mr. Slim borrows, begs, and steals from some of the best. You'll hear obvious influences from every genre from industrial to house. But these songs do not mimic; rather, Cook takes the established and reinvents it, mixes it up, rearranges it. The result is an energized, motivating, even endearing big-beat album that feels, grooves, and moves from beginning to end. --Beth Bessmer

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Customer reviews

review by: Life enthusiast date: 2007-06-12 rating:
a good dance album
This is Fatboy Slim's first american debut, before he made it big. It's a good solid techo/dance album and can make anybody move around at your next party. It's full of samples and funky beats.

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review by: date: 2007-01-14 rating:
Musically weak - later work is far stronger
Having really enjoyed 'You've come a long way baby' - one of my favorite albums - I had high hopes for this work, after all, they are just a year or two apart. Oh, was I disappointed.

Perhaps if one were thrashing around at a rave party while out of their gourd on X, then this album would sound a little better, but stone cold sober I really had a hard time with this ensemble. The constant looped samples just repeat and repeat seemingly, in some instances, for ever. I see this album almost as a test case for Cook's later - and musically far better - work. One can really see the roots here of how this style and sound was massaged and refined into something much more musically coherent with 'You've come a long way baby'.

Song For Lindy stands out as one of the more tolerable tracks along with Going Out of My Head, Everybody Needs a 303 and Michael Jackson. The guitar riff in Santa Cruz never seems to stop and gives me a headache while the lyrics in Give a Po' Man a Break could do exactly that. The rest of the tracks are evidently an exercise in how to use a sequencer and are apparently written to cram as many repeated samples into each song as possible.

I really wanted to like this album, but it offers little of redeeming quality; quite simply it's dull. Ultimately, there is just not enough here to warrant its purchase.

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review by: Reformed Music Addict date: 2006-09-30 rating:
Norman Cook Becomes Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim AKA Norman Cook had been part of many projects though the years like Beats International, Housemartins, Pizzaman etc. But it was as Fatboy Slim he was going to become most succesful. "You've Come a Long Way Baby" became one of the most popular dance albums of the 90's and Norman Cook both had hit singles and won awards for his music. The music was fun, catchy and very commericial. "Better Living Through Chemistry" was where the Fatboy Slim experience started though, released in 1996 (two years prior to the big break) it was a fresh new dance album from an artist full of odd ideas. He does sample alot, The Who's riff from "I Can't Explain" is sampled on "What Goes Out Of My Head" and Negativeland's self titled song on his "Michael Jackson". But this is far from a commercial album, it's more of a underground big beat album like early Chemical Brothers or Propellerheads. It doesn't use many vocals either, it's mostly a mix between dance and Trip Hop with riff or beat oriented music. Not too surprising either, it didn't result in many hitsingles. "Everybody Needs a 303" whatever that is suppost to mean? was only a minor hit in UK in 1996 and that was the biggest hit from his debut album also. For those of you that think this will be a forgotten classic in the lines of his latter albums will be dissapointed. "Better Living Through Chemistry" is a bluprint for latter work but not commercial, it's very exprimental, funky and I bet if he would have added some more lyrics on these songs they could have been hit singles too. While some songs get a little repetitive, it's fun to see that Norman Cook wasn't always a sell out, he recorded music from the heart and it's quite fun to listen through his first outcast and realizing it's damn good without being particularry radio friendly. If you like dance music with big beats, like early Chemical Brothers, I defenitely recommend this.

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review by: date: 2005-09-08 rating:
Better Get Better Living Through Chemistry
Great CD. Great to listen to when working out or working through traffic.


review by: date: 2005-03-29 rating:
Classic Slim
Within the musical niche he's creating, he did a very good job. This was Norman's first big album, and I think he solidified his style with it. The sound of Better Living through Chemistry is synth-rock house with a very American, westward-looking feel to it. This album is for those who want thumping, rock-oriented, synthetic, energized, and inherently loud music. For people who criticize great tunes like "Everybody Needs a 303" and "Give the Po' Man a Break" as repetitive, I say that they're not listening to the way the song is developing over time. My favorite track is "Santa Cruz." It conjures great imagery and contains one of the longest and best builds I've ever heard from a song.

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