Norman Cook's first foray into the music biz came as the bass player for 1980s U.K. pop/rock band the Housemartins, but once he got into the DJ world, he hung up his bass for good. As Fatboy Slim, he was at the forefront of the mid-'90s "big beat" movement. A reaction against the increasingly cerebral developments in electronica, big beat was pure body music, incorporating house production values, hip-hop samples, and simple, catchy hooks for what proved to be a highly successful approach. Along with the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy, Slim was one of the few U.K. dance/electronic artists to break into the mainstream in the U.S., scoring huge with the smash singles "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You." Cook would continue to be a force in dance music for years.
Japanese edition of the 1998 & second album by Norman Cooke (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) featuring 'The World Went Down' added as a bonus track, completely different artwork than the U.S.release & the hit singles 'The Rockafeller Skank' & 'Gangster Tripping'. 12 tracks total. A Skint Records release. The full title is 'You've Come A Long Way, Baby'.
Product Notes
Norman Cook's bubble-gum techno songs--put out under a variety of guises over the years, including Pizzaman and Freak Power--are essential staples on any international dance floor. Fatboy Slim, however, is the former Housemartin's most successful incarnation, launching a Top 40 crossover hit and popular advertising jingle with last year's "Going out of My Head." You've Come a Long Way, Baby picks up where the smash single left off, cheekily pairing acidic synthesizers and drum machines with big, dumb vocal samples. It takes considerable effort sitting through an entire album of these energized tunes, but taken in small doses, songs like "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Soul Surfing" are like rays of sunshine. --Aidin Vaziri
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