01 Intro 0:45
music: Liam
A short opener, under a minute.
Not played on the 1994–1995 tour
1994
Music for the Jilted Generation
The second album came out on 4 July 1994 and went straight to number one in the UK. One Love, No Good, Voodoo People and Poison — a response to the bill aimed at raves.
By day you can move the stickers. At night the spotlights come on and the four take the stage.
The 1994 line-up
ACCESS ALL AREAS
ACCESS ALL AREAS
ACCESS ALL AREAS
ACCESS ALL AREAS
The album, track by track
Tap a track — the record spins and the needle drops onto its groove.
Listen
Spotify player: once it’s on, Spotify gets your IP address and sets its own cookies.
No connection: the Spotify player needs the internet. You can find the album on the services below.
The cover. The sticker beside it is our own drawing: a sledgehammer and a record with a blank white label. Liam smashes a wall with a sledgehammer in the No Good video, and One Love first came out on white labels.
The title. Music for the Jilted Generation: largely a response to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill, which gave police powers to break up open-air raves (it became law in November 1994). Liam later called the title “stupid” and said he never meant it to be political.
02 Break & Enter 8:24
music: Liam
One of the two longest tracks on the album, over eight minutes. It samples Baby D’s Casanova, a song Liam also remixed.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 21 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Baby D — Casanova
03 Their Law 6:40
feat. Pop Will Eat Itself
Recorded with the British band Pop Will Eat Itself. The Prodigy’s 2005 compilation shares the name Their Law.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 30 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Techno Grooves — Drop That Bassline
04 Full Throttle 5:02
music: Liam; mixed with Neil McLellan
It uses a reversed sample from Star Wars.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 7 of 35 shows
05 Voodoo People 6:27
guitar: Lance Riddler
The third single: number 13 in the UK, number one in Finland, platinum with the BPI. Lance Riddler played the guitar riff live; it is based on Nirvana’s Very Ape.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 33 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Johnny Pate — You’re Starting Too Fast
06 Speedway (Theme from Fastlane) 8:56
music: Liam
The longest track on the album, at almost nine minutes.
Not played on the 1994–1995 tour
07 The Heat (The Energy) 4:27
music: Liam; mixed with Neil McLellan
The album has a shortened version. The film sample comes from Poltergeist III.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 5 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Lil Louis — Why’d U Fall
- Moby — Thousand
- 2-Mad — Don’t Hold Back The Feeling
08 Poison 6:42
vocals: Maxim
The fourth and last single from the album, number 15 in the UK. Maxim is credited as co-writer and vocalist on it.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 29 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Skull Snaps — It’s a New Day
- The Winstons — Amen, Brother
- Bernard Purdie — Heavy Soul Slinger
09 No Good (Start the Dance) 6:17
sampled vocal by Kelly Charles
The second single (16 May 1994) reached number 4 in the UK in its fourth week, on 12 June 1994. The repeating vocal is a sample of Kelly Charles’s 1987 song.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 32 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Kelly Charles — You’re No Good for Me
- The Beginning of the End — Funky Nassau
10 One Love 3:53
single edit
The album has the single edit: the first single (4 October 1993), number 8 in the UK. It first came out on two white labels, Earthbound 1 and 2.
On the 1994–1995 tour: 23 of 35 shows
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Zero G sample CD (Time + Space) — Arabic muezzin
11 The Narcotic Suite: 3 Kilos 7:25
music: Liam
The first part of the three-track Narcotic Suite that closes the album, built on a riff sampled from Bernard Purdie’s Good Livin’ (Good Lovin’).
Not played on the 1994–1995 tour
What’s this track loaded with? Scratch to see where the samples come from
- Bernard Purdie — Good Livin’ (Good Lovin’)
12 The Narcotic Suite: Skylined 5:56
music: Liam
The second part of the Narcotic Suite.
Not played on the 1994–1995 tour
13 The Narcotic Suite: Claustrophobic Sting 7:13
music: Liam
The album’s finale. Its dialogue recreates a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Not played on the 1994–1995 tour
- №1Number one on the UK Albums Chart and in Finland. Certified 2× platinum in the UK (BPI, 600,000 units).
- 1993–94Recorded at Strongroom (London) and Earthbound (Braintree). Produced by Liam and Neil McLellan, who also co-produced and mixed tracks 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10.
- 78:07It wouldn’t all fit on one CD: One Love is the single edit, The Heat is shortened and We Eat Rhythm was left off. It came out in October 1994 on a free Select magazine cassette.
- 3Three artists on the sleeve: the cover is by Stuart Haygarth, the inner artwork of ravers clashing with police by Les Edwards, the back by Jamie Fry.
- №9NME ranked it the ninth-best album of 1994. It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and is in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Track battle
Tracks from the album: pick the stronger one. The ranking uses Elo is a rating system from chess. Every track starts at 1500 points. The track you pick takes points from its rival: beating a strong track earns a lot, beating a weak one earns little, and an upset earns the most. The more votes, the more accurate the ranking. “Your ranking” uses your votes, “Overall ranking” uses every fan’s votes..
or
votes: 0
- Intro1500
- Break & Enter1500
- Their Law1500
- Full Throttle1500
- Voodoo People1500
Video shop: the era’s clips
Slide a tape into the VCR.
One Love 1993
- Director
- Hyperbolic Systems
- Shot at
- Computer graphics: a world built entirely in the computer.
The video is computer graphics by Hyperbolic Systems, with occasional shots of the band dancing among tribal figures.
Outcome. Single: UK number 8, number 5 on the UK dance chart.
Find it on YouTube ↗No Good (Start the Dance) 1994
- Director
- Walter Stern
- Shot at
- A disused cellar beneath Spitalfields market in London’s East End.
Characters dance while the band prowl the cellar. Liam breaks a plaster wall with a sledgehammer, and Keith, in a straitjacket, is locked in a Plexiglas box-prison that starts to fill with smoke.
Outcome. Single: UK number 4.
Find it on YouTube ↗Voodoo People 1994
- Director
- Walter Stern
- Shot at
- Saint Lucia, an island in the eastern Caribbean.
Leeroy plays a voodoo priest. The video was inspired by voodoo films such as Live and Let Die.
Scandal. Scenes with real witch doctors were cut from the original because of TV censorship problems; more graphic versions exist.
Outcome. Single: UK number 13, number one in Finland, platinum with the BPI. Remixed by the Dust Brothers.
Find it on YouTube ↗Poison 1995
- Director
- Walter Stern
- Shot at
- A basement-like space that ends up as a mud bath.
The band plays the track in the basement; by the end the floor is a mud bath and Keith is mud wrestling with other band members.
Outcome. Single: UK number 15, number 22 on the UK dance chart.
Find it on YouTube ↗The 1994–1995 tour on a map
Drag the slider or press “Play tour” — shows light up date by date. Tap a dot to see its setlist.
- shows
- 167
- countries
- 25
- km as the crow flies
- 193,423
Tap a dot on the map.
What they played
Out of 35 full setlists. Tap a song to see where it was played.
Era timeline
Flip a card.
Test yourself
5 questions on the era. Get 4 right and the secret “Archaeologist” stamp is yours.
Show your friends and tag us:Facebook (opens in a new tab)Instagram (opens in a new tab)
?