A selection of interesting facts about the band The Prodigy
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The Prodigy is a cult British band, formed in the early 90s and conquered the world's rave scene with their dynamic tracks! The main members of the band have always been Keith Flint, Liam Howlett and Maxim Reality, although in addition to them the first line-up also included keyboardist Leroy Thornhill and dancer/vocalist Sharkey. Their music videos delighted and shocked the audience at the same time, and their spectacular concerts forever entered the history of music as grandiose events (for example, a performance in Moscow in 1997!) Unfortunately, on 4 March 2019, the fate of the project took a sharp turn: the icon of The Prodigy, Keith Flint, passed away... At the time of his death, the artist was 49 years old... To say that his death became shocking information for the fans of the band is like saying nothing. Today we decided to remember the most interesting and little known facts about this legendary band, about these pioneers of bigbeat genre! After all, we can rightfully say that The Prodigy is one of the most important bands in the history of electronic music.
Technically, at first, The Prodigy weren't a band....
Most people think of The Prodigy as a band or as a trio, but technically they're not! Apparently, when Howlett first formed the band in the 90s, he was the only person who signed their original recording contract. So it appears that technically The Prodigy were only Howlett's project at first... However, we all know that Keith and Maxim are equally integral to the band's success! As mentioned above, there were originally other members of the band. However, singer and dancer Sharkey left shortly after the band got their first recording contract.
About 20 people showed up for their first performance.....
Today it's hard to believe it, considering the fact that already in the 2000s they were filling stadiums of thousands of people (what's worth a performance on Red Square in 1997, which was attended by more than 250 thousand people...). But the first concert The Prodigy played in 1990 was attended by something like 20 people... They have come a long way since then, and as a result have even been nicknamed "The Godfathers of Rave" because of the popularity of their music. They are also pioneers of the "big beat" genre in electronic music.
Maxim needed at least 1.5 hours for hair and make-up....
The Prodigy have toured the world many times, putting on some really great shows... But of course, this always meant that they had to do their hair and make-up before they went on stage... And the time it took each member of the band varied a lot: Liam only needed two minutes, while Keith spent 10 minutes in front of the mirror. But Maxim was the winner, needing about an hour and a half!
Their first EP turned out to be a total flop....
Like most bands, The Prodigy have released a few "failure albums" in their time. Apparently, their first EP called "What Evil Lurks" was a total failure and did nothing for their career... However, after the band's success, copies of the record went up in price, as only 7000 copies were made!
They recorded all their tracks in a home studio called "The Dirtchamber"!
Yes, it's really true! The band recorded all their tracks in Liam Howlett's home studio, which they affectionately called "The Dirtchamber"... In 1999 Howlett even released a solo album called The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One.
Their album The Fat Of The Land became the best selling dance record in history!
The Prodigy broke some serious records! For example, their classic album The Fat Of The Land was the best-selling dance album of all time! First released in 1997, the album sold over 317,000 copies in its first week alone. As of 2019, over 10 million copies have been sold...
If that wasn't impressive enough, let's remind you that in 1996, 10 of their songs simultaneously made the UK Top 100 (including "Everybody In The Place", "Fire", "Out Of Space" and others...).
Liam Howlett was a member of a hip-hop group!
Since his teenage years, Howlett has been heavily influenced by hip-hop... So it's not surprising that early in his career he was a member of the same hip-hop band! The band was called Cut 2 Kill and had moderate success in the UK music scene... But eventually Howlett left the group in 1989 and formed The Prodigy.
Fans of The Prodigy include actor Jerry Seinfeld and Bono!
Prodigy are definitely enjoying widespread popularity not only with fans, but also with famous celebrities! Their show and after-party attracted some very interesting guests, including comedians Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as U2 legend Bono! The latter two made no secret of their admiration for the electronic band....
The Beastie Boys were up against The Prodigy...?
There's been a rather odd relationship between the Beastie Boys and The Prodigy over the years... But did you know that the American rap group once tried to kick their British rivals out of the 1998 Reading festival? They wanted The Prodigy to remove the song "Smack My Bitch Up" from their set because they didn't want to perform after such an offensive song to women! Of course, The Prodigy refused to do so.....
When the conflict between the two bands became known, everyone called the Beastie Boys hypocrites, considering how their early music was perceived in the 80s....
They refused to produce tracks for Madonna and U2!
Prodigy could have made good money producing tracks by artists like David Bowie, Madonna and U2... but they declined. These artists are known for their penchant for trying and experimenting with the "current sound". And when they approached The Prodigy in the hope that they would act as producers, the band coldly refused... Howlett later commented on their decision, saying:
"I was very flattered, to be honest, but I'm not going to do that under any circumstances... It's probably the worst move we could have made - giving Madonna our sound. I don't want to spread our sound. I'm just not willing to take that risk..."
