I guess we've all come a long way, baby!
Fatboy Slim has announced a 20th anniversary reissue of
We've Come A Long Way, Baby, and it just makes us all feel old.
The fact that the album turns 20 this year is a big deal, it's mind blowing. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were throwing shapes in the club to tracks like "Gangster Trippin", or listening to "Rockafeller Skank" on repeat because we were stuck in menu mode on
Fifa '99 on the PS1.
An epic musical landmark, the opening song on
We've Come A Long Way, Baby, is "Right Here Right Now", a song that scored a generation. Featuring in movies, commercials, and God only knows what else, it wasn't the only song on the album that kicked the door in of conformity and sounded so far out there that you couldn't help but love it.
"Praise You". Yup, that full stop is there for a reason. It deserves it. It's a song that single-handedly converted those who weren't really fans of dance music - or so they thought - to consumers craving more of the creative DIY production techniques Fatboy Slim had in his repertoire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ULVQOneeZE
Aside from its spacey backdrop - a backdrop that contained a strong and simple key arrangement for a heartbeat - it was the gospel-inspired vocals that just repeated over and over again that took it over the edge, you weren't really sure what you were listening to, you just knew that you liked it, in fact, you loved it. And the video, what is there to say that hasn't already been said? Its simplicity was oddly groundbreaking.
First released in 1998,
You've Come a Long Way, Baby became one of the defining records of the 90s, irrespective of genre. Swinging from Hip Hop, to reggae and jangle pop, it's the album Norman Cook broke stylistic ground with and delivered a wildly original album, filled with imagination, huge hooks and even bigger beats.
Fast forward 20 years and Fatboy Slim remains one of the most groundbreaking and prolific of the original superstar DJs. Over the past eighteen months alone - as well as launching his own Beats 1 show and playing back to back with Eats Everything - he has played stages as diverse as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, his first Ibiza residency at Cream Amnesia and in December of this year, headlined The O2 - essentially turning the 20,000 capacity venue into the biggest nightclub London has ever seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG4XbK8GJ1E&feature=youtu.be
Released March 16th via BMG, the 20th Anniversary Edition of
You've Come A Long Way, Baby can be pre-ordered
here and will be available in both CD and LP formats, with various goodies depending on the version you purchase:
Deluxe Edition CD and LP formats. Format packaging including 180g gatefold vinyl, 6 page 12” roll-fold booklet (LP), 12” display art card (LP) and 28 page booklet (CD).
A limited edition Fatboy Slim Meal Deal product available exclusively to Fatboy Slim’s webstore which includes a hand screen printed, branded pizza box set, signed and numbered by Fatboy Slim, Anniversary 2LP and CD and authentic 'I’m #20 So Why Try Harder' XXL T-shirt, exclusive anniversary sleeve notes from Ralph Moore (Mixmag) and album timeline from Damian Harris (Skint Records).
Fatboy Slim will also be playing the following live dates:
Feb 24th - Alexandra Palace, London
March 17th - Snowboxx, Avoriaz, France
June 26th - Love Saves The Day, Bristol, UK
