The Fat of the Land

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The Fat of the Land is the third studio album by English electronic music group The Prodigy, released on 30 June 1997 through XL Recordings. The album received critical acclaim and topped the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. Template:As of it has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, and is their best-selling album.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Background, artwork and album title

While Liam Howlett is generally responsible for the compositions and Maxim Reality is featured on two tracks, this is the first record to include contributions by Keith Flint. The Fat of the Land album cover featured an image of a moon crab<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and a new logo, dropping "The" and adding an ant silhouette. The photo of the crab was taken on the Playa Las Gemelas in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album title comes from the old English phrase 'living off the fat of the land', which means living well or being wealthy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Release

Released in the first week of July, the album hit number one on the Billboard chart on 19 July 1997. Certified double platinum on 2 December that year,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> it sold 2,600,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1999, The Fat of the Land entered the Guinness World Records as the fastest-selling dance album in the UK. The album was also nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Radiohead's OK Computer.

Controversy

The National Organization for Women objected to the seeming misogyny of "Smack My Bitch Up", though the band maintains that its true interpretation is "doing anything intensely".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Liam Howlett observed, "That record was for the fans. Only brainless people get some stupid message out of it… I'm often misquoted. Some magazine said, 'Liam Howlett says his band are dangerous.' What I said was, 'For this band to survive, it has to be dangerous for us'… I wasn't saying we were dangerous because we're firestarters and we have spiky hair."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Reception

Template:Music ratings The album has been featured in a number of music publication lists:

• In 1998, Q readers voted The Fat of the Land the ninth greatest album of all time. In 2000, Q placed it at number 47 in its list of the 100 greatest British albums ever.Template:Citation needed It has also been ranked number 43 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime" list,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and was included in their "90 Best Albums of the 1990s"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and "50 Best Albums of 1997" lists.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Rolling Stone included it in their "Essential Recordings of the 90s" list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Spin ranked it number 20 on their list of the "Top 20 Albums of the Year [1997]" list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• Melody Maker ranked it number 13 on their list of "Albums of the Year" for 1997<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and number 29 in their 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• NME ranked it number 17 in their 1997 Critics' Poll.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• In 2000 it was voted number 269 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.<ref name="Larkin">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Heavy metal-focused magazine Metal Hammer included it in their 2020 list of the top 10 1997 albums, citing it as "the point at which rave culture collided with metal culture".<ref name="mhtop1097">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and was nominated for the 1997 Mercury Music Prize.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Following Flint's death on 4 March 2019, fans used the hashtag 'Firestarter4Number1' on various social media platforms to replicate the song's success by getting it to the number one spot again; which was done out of respect for Keith Flint and to raise awareness of suicide among men.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Shortly afterwards, "Firestarter" returned to the Billboard charts, entering number 13 on its Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart in its 26 March 2019 issue, marking the first time that this song has appeared on a dance chart of any kind.<ref>"The Prodigy Return to Billboard's Charts After Keith Flint's Death" from Billboard (13 March 2019)</ref>

Personnel

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 The Prodigy

• Keith Flint – vocals on "Breathe", "Serial Thrilla", "Firestarter", "Fuel My Fire"
• Liam Howlett – keyboards, synthesizers, sampling, programming
• Maxim Reality – vocals on "Breathe", "Mindfields"
• Leeroy Thornhill – dancing (no musical contributions, appears in liner note photos and music videos only)

Additional musicians

• Kool Keith – vocals on "Diesel Power"
• Crispian Mills – vocals on "Narayan"
• Saffron – vocals on "Fuel My Fire"
• Gizz Butt – guitars on "Fuel My Fire"
• Jim Davies – guitars on "Breathe", "Firestarter"
• Matt Cameron – drums on "Narayan"
• Tom Morello – guitars on "No Man Army"

Template:Col-2 Other personnel

• Liam Howlett – production, engineering, mixing, art direction
• Neil McLellan – engineering
• Christian Ammann – photography
• JAKe – illustrations
• Alex Jenkins – art direction, design, photography
• Pat Pope – photography
• Alex Scaglia – photography
• Lou Smith – photography
• Terry Whittaker – photography
• Konrad Wothe – photography
• Mike Champion – management

Cover versions

• In 2004, Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons covered "Firestarter" on his second solo album, Asshole. "Firestarter" was also covered by Sepultura on their album Kairos, and by Jimmy Eat World on their EP Firestarter.
• In 2007, Kula Shaker, led by Crispian Mills, incorporated elements from "Climbatize" and "Narayan" (the lyrics of which were written by Mills) in the song "Song of Love / Narayana" from the album Strangefolk.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Charts

Weekly charts

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Weekly chart performance for The Fat of the Land

Chart (1997–98)	Peak position
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2
European Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	1
Irish Albums (IRMA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	6
Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
Spanish Albums (AFYVE)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	1

Year-end charts

1997 year-end chart performance for The Fat of the Land

Chart (1997)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	23
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	27
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	13
European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	34
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	18
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	29
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	6
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	37

1998 year-end chart performance for The Fat of the Land

Chart (1998)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	74
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	78
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	128

Singles

Year	Song	Chart	Peak position
1996	"Firestarter"	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1
1996	"Breathe"	UK Singles Chart<ref name="UK"/>	1
1996	"Firestarter"	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	22
1996	"Breathe"	Australian ARIA Singles Chart<ref name="Australian"/>	2
1997	"Smack My Bitch Up"	UK Singles Chart<ref name="UK"/>	8
1997	"Smack My Bitch Up"	Australian ARIA Singles Chart<ref name="Australian"/>	41
1997	"Smack My Bitch Up"	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	12
1997	"Firestarter"	US Billboard Hot 100<ref name="US"/>	30
1997	"Firestarter"	US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales<ref name="US"/>	11
1997	"Firestarter"	US Modern Rock Tracks<ref name="US"/>	24
1997	"Breathe"	US Modern Rock Tracks<ref name="US"/>	18
1997	"Breathe"	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	65
1997	"Smack My Bitch Up"	US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales<ref name="US"/>	19
1998	"Smack My Bitch Up"	US Billboard Hot 100<ref name="US"/>	89

Further reading

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:Discogs master