from the LP Better Living Through Chemistry, Skint Records, 1996It was no accident that Fatboy Slim (born Quentin Leo Cook) arose to become one of the biggest electronica producers of all time, as this debut solo LP from him finds Fatty already a full decade into his music career; a former member of ‘80s British one-hit wonders the Housemartins, Mr. Cook spent the first half of the ‘90s building his reputation as a DJ, collaborator and behind-the-scenes man---wise choice of him to decide to cut out on his own, eh?! This track was his introduction to American audiences, released at the behest of pals the Chemical Brothers, and what good advice it was; the samples he employed here (guitar from the Who’s “I Can’t Explain”, and the drums from Zeppelin’s “The Crunge”) assured him a place in our hearts, even though it got him in some legal troubles. Although he went on to become exponentially bigger as his tunes became fodder for television commercials and soundtracks for hip clothing stores, it’s this middle period of his discography that I connect with the most.
