Vicki over at Radio 1 has reviewed The Prodigy’s 21st single release Take Me To The Hospital. She actually gave it only 3 stars. I would kind of agree, should have been a 4 star single. I must say tho, her review is fantastic and she makes some really good points.
Click the Heading of this Post or click the Read More link below to view the Hospital Review by Vicki Radio 1.
My Cousin Karen had always insisted she didn’t like the Prodigy, being "too dancey and hardcore" for her delicate, refined, Snow Patrol-esque tastes. But when my dad (yes, really, my dad), convinced her not to go back to the comfort of her hotel but to hang around for their live performance at the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this year… well, let’s put it like this: she threw shapes that you’re definitely not taught in geometry.
You see, this is what the Prodigy do to people.
Even Cousin Karen.
So, with the festival season well under way, it’s only fitting that the royal veterans (well, minus the walking sticks and cod liver oil) of live music choose to make their mark by releasing a single so explosive it’ll leave wannabies Pendulum quaking in their festival-ready wellie boots.
‘Take Me To The Hospital’ is, like, the billionth single by The Prodigy (okay, it’s their 21st; close…) and it’s everything you’d expect. It’s loud. It’s epic as you like. It’s got some serious beats. It’s perfectly designed for festivals and it shows everyone just how electro/dance is meant to be done. There’s just one problem with it… Err, haven’t we heard it somewhere before?
(Here’s the vid. Be warned, it’s dark. And yep, it’s shot on VHS: old school as you like.)
You see, this sounds like the Prodigy I discovered back in the day, when Fat Of The Land was the, erm, cassette to own – in fact, with it’s characteristic Prodigy beat, big, larger than life drops and dark feel, it’d not really seem out of place wedged between ‘Firestarter’, and ‘Smack My B***h Up’. It’s dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century with the "Push Up Your Hand If Your Lovin My Style" line; but this, dare I say, is only because it sounds remarkably like the "I’ll take your brain to another dimension" of their 2005 remixed single, ‘Out of Space’.
Don’t get me wrong though, this isn’t all old hat – Liam’s growly vocals do well to give the lyrics such as "along came a spider/he was creepy like dracula" an even darker feel, whilst the discordant ambulance sound effect and the massive breakdown add to this and make the song sound more fresh and current. There’s no doubt that this song will go down well at this weekend’s festivals, but it’s still hard to shake the feeling that this is a half-hearted attempt from the guys, designed purely to keep the Prodigy cogs turning.
Indeed, the Prodigy always were ahead of their time… but with this song, it almost feels they’re now stuck in that time. ‘Take Me To The Hosiptal’ is actually a great song; but the question is, is it really necessary? Live, maybe so. But in terms of a new single? Well, I think I’d rather listen to that old cassette.