Better Living Through Chemistry (album)
| Better Living Through Chemistry | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Fatboy Slim | ||||
| Released | 23 September 1996 | |||
| Genre | Big beat, breakbeat | |||
| Length |
57:47 (UK version) 70:52 (US version) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Fatboy Slim | |||
| Fatboy Slim chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Better Living Through Chemistry | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.8/10)[3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
Better Living Through Chemistry is the debut studio album by the English big beat producer Fatboy Slim, released on 23 September 1996 by Skint Records internationally and by Astralwerks in the United States and Canada. The founder of Skint Records, Damian Harris, has described the album as having been "more of a compilation than an album", as some of the tracks had been recorded some time before its release, due to Norman Cook's other musical projects. Three songs from the album were previously released in Skint's first volume of their Brassic Beats compilation album series, which is advertised in the album's booklet. The album cover features an image of a 3.5-inch floppy disk, paying homage to the cover of New Order's "Blue Monday" single, which featured a 5.25-inch disk. The album's title is a variation of a DuPont advertising slogan.
The song "Give the Po' Man a Break" is featured in the 2000 film Traffic.
The song "The Weekend Starts Here" is featured in the first episode of the British sitcom, Spaced.
Legacy
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Song for Lindy" | Norman Cook | 4:50 |
| 2. | "Santa Cruz" | Cook | 7:30 |
| 3. | "Going Out of My Head" | Cook, Pete Townshend | 5:14 |
| 4. | "The Weekend Starts Here" | Cook, Idris Muhammad | 6:41 |
| 5. | "Everybody Needs a 303" | Cook, Edwin Starr | 5:49 |
| 6. | "Give the Po' Man a Break" | Cook | 5:50 |
| 7. | "10th & Crenshaw" | Cook | 4:20 |
| 8. | "First Down" | Cook | 6:18 |
| 9. | "Punk to Funk" | Cook, Keith Mansfield | 4:57 |
| 10. | "The Sound of Milwaukee" | Cook | 6:18 |
| US Astralwerks release bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 11. | "Michael Jackson" | Cook, Negativland | 5:49 |
| 12. | "Next to Nothing" | Cook | 7:16 |
| Japanese bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Es Paradis" | 5:44 |
| Vinyl-only LP release bonus track | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 11. | "Crenshaw Siren Beats" (reprise of "10th & Crenshaw") | Cook | 2:50 |
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] | 50 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[7] | 69 |
References
- ↑ Greg Prato. "Better Living Through Chemistry - Fatboy Slim". Allmusic. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ↑ Robert Christgau. "Fatboy Slim". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20041009225547/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/f/fatboy-slim/better-living-through-chem.shtml
- ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/better-living-through-chemistry-19971007
- ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Fatboy Slim – Better Living Through Chemistry". Hung Medien. Retrieved 09 Oktober 1996.
- ↑ "Fatboy Slim | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 28 Oktober 1996.