Their Law: Singles 1990-2005 (CD - 2005)

The Prodigy was the highest profile electronic dance act of the 1990s, balancing the heavy breakbeat sound of hardcore rave music with a flashy image and memorable hooks. Although they crafted excellent studio albums, the Prodigy were primarily a singles act, racking up a long string of charting hits, a feat unparalleled by any electronica act. THEIR LAW: THE SINGLES 1990-2005 collects those sides and acts as a definitive overview of the outfit's merits.

The 2-disc set kicks off with the smash hit "Firestarter" (which will conjure images of frontman Keith Flint's spike-haired, leering head for anyone who has seen the video), and continues with several cuts from 1997's THE FAT OF THE LAND. Selections from the group's excellent 1992 full-length debut, EXPERIENCE, and 1996's MUSIC FOR THE JILTED GENERATION, arguably the group's masterpiece, will please long-time fans. Thanks to group mastermind and producer Liam Howlett, the Prodigy's mix of drum 'n' bass assault, frantic sampling, and infectious chants was among the most distinctive and vital on the scene, and this set--beautifully packaged with a full-color booklet--represents their best.

Even more so than the celebrated Chemical Brothers -- who began recording after Prodigy but received a hits compilation before -- Liam Howlett and co. were fantastic singles artists who also fashioned excellent full-lengths. As such, Their Law 1990-2005, the singles collection that could put the cap on their career, is a collection that will leave listeners breathless but also one that can't capture how special Prodigy were to the electronica and rave scenes. Their biggest single, "Firestarter," comes first, and its LP (The Fat of the Land) gets most of the early slots, although things right themselves by the end with no less than five singles -- all of them incredible -- from 1995's Music for the Jilted Generation and four from 1992's Experience. Although including three tracks from 2004's desultory Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned may help fans hear, for the first time, the best of a bad album, it's nearly criminal that it comes at the expense of solid material from Music for the Jilted Generation and Experience (like "Break & Enter" and "Wind It Up"). Although there are no new tracks (perhaps a good thing), included is an Audio Bullys remix of "Out of Space." ~ John Bush minimize