Retrospect - "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim

The recent playing on a local radio station of Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" from 1999 bright back a flood of memories, as past tunes tend to do.  In a year of anticipation towards the new millennium dawning, every popular act of the day was trying to get noticed - as they should - by mixing old tricks (Steps covering the Bee Gees' "Tragedy") with new (Len's "Steal My Sunshine" pre-dating the Black Eyed Peas' mainstream success).  A healthy mix of fresh stars were mixed with returning veterans to both singles and album charts - so while The Vengaboys, Eiffel 65, Sugar Ray and a young starlet named Britney Spears dominated Radio 1's airways, the backbone of Blondie's "Maria", George Michael's "As" (with Mary J Blige) and the obvious re-release of Prince's "1999" bore new audiences to different generations.

Norman Cook, a 35-year old DJ from Bromley and one-time husband of broadcasting royalty Zoe Ball, was no stranger to the industry yet had often been portrayed as a background character or a low-profife collaborator.  First coming to attention as bass guitarist for The Housemartins in the mid-80s, he would later strike big under the guise of Beats International, with which "Dubs Be Good To Me" went to No.1 in the UK, thanks in part to teenage vocalist Lindy Layton's talents. As the 90s progressed, with projects under Freak Power and The Mighty Dub Katz coming and going  the persona of Fatboy Slim was created, with a dance style combining various samples and loops to produce some audible moments of genius.  In late '97 he would bag another chart-topper by remixing "Brimful Of Asha" by the Asian-influenced outfit Cornershop, thus re-establishing his musical credibility.

Cook's first album under the Slim guise, 'Better Living Through Chemistry', was released in 1996 but it was the follow-up, 'You've Come A Long Way, Baby' which caught the casual eye.  Hits were being churned out such as "The Rockafella Skank" and "Gangsta Trippin'" (No.6 and 3 respectively in 1998), with film producers more than happy to add them to their soundtracks. It was the third selection from the LP, the seminal "Praise You" that would leave a longer legacy with the listeners.  Comprising a slower tempo than the previous smashes and starting with a simple piano line, the song evolves through the electronic bubbling, cheekily-edited vocal and drum machine kicking in.  The accompanying music video, seemingly filmed on a camcorder, filming a dance troupe complete with verbal interaction, ensured the tune was an overall instant classic.

In the post-Britpop age, "Praise You" was THE alternative to the increasing number of boy and girl bands taking up TV time on Top Of The Pops.  It was no coincidence that the week of it's release, retailers like Virgin Megastores physically positioned the CD, cassette and 12" vinyl formats in front of the other new releases that week.  They were not so subtley predicting it's success by saying "Here is next week's No.1 right here" - the likes of Blockbuster's "You Should Be Dancing" (another Bee Gees cover) and Ultra's "Rescue Me" didn't stand a chance.  Naturally MTV adored it, playing the video on loop and awarding the track three times over at the '99 Video Music Awards.

When I purchased it myself - at the time a 13-year old aspiring basketball player and still rather introverted - I opted for the vinyl copy.  I had bought my first turntable over a year previously at a car boot sale and had become engrossed in popular music hanks to my parents' extensive record collection.  It made perfect sense: the sleeve of "Praise You" is a picture of records stacked against each other, presumably Cook's.  Having also just bought Oasis' "The Masterplan" B-sides compilation and comparing them both in my hands, one felt established whilst the other was fresh.  Was Fatboy Slim about to eclipse even the Gallagher brothers' popularity?  In hindsight it was doubtful: two different genres, effectively two different realms of the business. But what a time of be music fan, with that much a variety of creativity.