Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

- Franklin P. Jones

Album: Experience
Artist: The Prodigy
Label: XL Recordings
Year: 1992
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Amateur sounding but fun and great to dance to.

By the time The Prodigy's first full-length album came out, Charly and Everybody In the Place had already achieved success in the UK singles chart thanks to the popularity of the rave scene. For once, completists could let out a sigh of relief, however: the album featured different remixes of the songs. It's a shame this great idea didn't continue throughout The Prodigy's subsequent releases.

Like a lot of rave music, this album is easy enough to fault, should you want to pick holes in it. It's littered with short vocal samples, although they're less irritating than most, with the possible exception of Charly the cat. Several synthesiser presets are used, which some musicians might consider cheating. The production feels amateur, pumping out far too much sub-bass and generally sounding rough around the edges. If you don't like rave music with its quick house pianos and fast breakbeats, this won't exactly convert you.

Such criticisms are missing the point, however. Experience came long before Liam Howlett's dark, moody and professional sounding later work. It was made back when he was part of the rave scene, and perfectly reflects the happy, fun, naive culture that his contemporaries had created. It's very much a young person's album, sounding energetic and carefree.

Above all, Experience serves a purpose: it puts you in an upbeat mood. While there's nothing stopping you from sitting down and listening to it, it's much better suited to spurring you on when you're dancing, working out at the gym, or trying to cram a full day's work into a couple of hours.

As flawed as it is, Experience is a shining example of the kind of music that can be created in a youthful culture built on love, drugs and dancing.

Ex*pe"ri*ence (?), n. [F. exp'erience, L. experientia, tr. experiens, entis, p. pr. of experiri, expertus, to try; ex out + the root of pertus experienced. See Peril, and cf. Expert.]

1.

Trial, as a test or experiment.

[Obs.]

She caused him to make experience Upon wild beasts. Spenser.

2.

The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and direct impressions as contrasted with description or fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or suffering.

"Guided by other's experiences."

Shak.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. P. Henry

To most men experience is like the stern lights of a ship, which illumine only the track it has passed. Coleridge.

When the consuls . . . came in . . . they knew soon by experience how slenderly guarded against danger the majesty of rulers is where force is wanting. Holland.

Those that undertook the religion of our Savior upon his preaching, had no experience of it. Sharp.

3.

An act of knowledge, one or more, by which single facts or general truths are ascertained; experimental or inductive knowledge; hence, implying skill, facility, or practical wisdom gained by personal knowledge, feeling or action; as, a king without experience of war.

Whence hath the mind all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer in one word, from experience. Locke.

Experience may be acquired in two ways; either, first by noticing facts without any attempt to influence the frequency of their occurrence or to vary the circumstances under which they occur; this is observation or, secondly, by putting in action causes or agents over which we have control, and purposely varying their combinations, and noticing what effects take place; this is experiment. Sir J. Herschel.

 

© Webster 1913.

Ex*pe"ri*ence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Experienced (-enst); p. pr. & vb. n. Experiencing (-en-s?ng).]

1.

To make practical acquaintance with; to try personally; to prove by use or trial; to have trial of; to have the lot or fortune of; to have befall one; to be affected by; to feel; as, to experience pain or pleasure; to experience poverty; to experience a change of views.

The partial failure and disappointment which he had experienced in India. Thirwall.

2.

To exercise; to train by practice.

The youthful sailors thus with early care

Their arms experience, and for sea prepare. Harte.

To experience religion Theol., to become a convert to the diatribes of Christianity; to yield to the power of religions truth.

 

© Webster 1913.

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