Me and a friend of mine value Liam and his music so much, because we believe he doesn't only make tracks and put them on a disc. He doesn't do one album per year that includes two or three good tracks and ten shit ones, he rather releases an album in every four or five years but puts only good tracks on them. And there is something else too. Like I said, he doesn't only make tracks and put them on a disc. Me and my friend believe that every album he has ever made has a story and every single track he has ever made has a story aswell.
The thing is, that we both agreed on what're the stories of the albums released by The Prodigy, except for AONO. Simply because none of us really ever liked it. But one day I was like "fuck, I don't even know what's this album about, it's only that it doesn't sound good, so I don't listen to it too much." And so I grabbed my AONO disc from the shelf, put it on and started listening it over while thinking what the story of this album might be.
And I believe I understood it, though I won't speak about every track, because there are some for what I still have no idea. I told the following tale to my friend too and he said somehow everything seems to be in its place now. Since then we both value AONO much more then before, though I have to admit, the album is still at the fifth place in our ranking, because we still say that the other four albums are all better.

In short, what is the story? I think AONO is about american life and most of all, american street life. There are different things to reinforce this: Liam was always proud that they did damage in America, even by their first album; AONO is titled after a novel by Walter Mosley (an american novelist) who had a novel titled Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned.

Though Spitfire is an english machine, the americans re-developed it, but still, it can be a statement that we are english and we'll talk about America. Don't really know.
"Imagine how it would be to be at the top making cash money" is a typical 'american dream' and even the video reinforces that this track is highly american: the disco ball is another typical american stuff, the city in which the video plays also and the characters also: huge amount of people do robot work every day, leading a gray life (two dimensional people hit the drums), a man who is "at the top making cash money" leads them all, it's only that by having a luxurious life he is no a man anymore [he misses a real head, only have a (big) face].
Memphis is an american city if I'm right.
Get up Get off is a typical street music: rap.
Hotride always sounded to me like a bar-track. You go in a bar and girls dance naked or clothed, whatever, you go to the counter and just drink.
Wake up Call might be the end of it that you wake up tomorrow and you have a bad hangover, or it can be even better! Since a lot of americans believe and live in the dream already stated in Girls, the lyrics fits it perfectly: "it's been a long time but I just can't wake up", so as they know this dream of theirs won't really come true, but they're still dreaming it, and Liam might criticise this by stating that "we're back on tour you better wake up".
Phoenix is another american city if I'm right.
You'll be Under my Wheels wasn't used in Need for Speed accidentally, cause that is really a track for car races, even the title states it. And which is the country in which the illegal speed races are from? Well, it's America if I'm right again.
The Way it is is a Michael Jackson song, who is, accidentally, american.
And finally, Shot down is a strange tracks. I guess we all can agree that the track has no end. It just stops at the middle of a the beats and rhythms. Why? Cause that is another american thing. Never finish things. "shot the gun to the bang bang bang", shot it till it just blows up, use it till it dies. Think about movie sessions for instance. "Saw". Can they stop making new parts for it? No. Or Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, etc. etc. Even when all the main characters die they still make another part for the movie. The lyrics tells it and the "end of the track" fits it also, cause it has no end.

Now I'm ready to take that american members will all send me to hell and say to go fuck myself, but I didn't think and say what I said in a negative way. I just believe this is what the album tells and I only wrote it down here, cause I'm curious what you will say about this, whether you find it stupid or you think I make everything more difficult than it is and why can't I just sit and listen to the music, or, in case, you'll say what my friend said: somehow, things are now in their places, the album is enlighted.
Anyhow it will be, I state once more: since then I can value the album much, much better.

That's some excellent interpretation, i've always thought that Juliette Lewis (her voice, rhythm, style) gives the album an 'American' flavor especially Hotride.

The conclusion of AONO is that liam writes the best music with the band around rather than getting a laptop and writing tunes in bed on his own, AONO is still a very good album in my opinion, inspiration for a number of bands including Justice, but as regards to what its about?? i think you have over analysed it totally, i dont believe its got anything to do with american street life whatsoever. Liam hated america until the recent tour. i dont believe there is any story attached to the album, perhaps wake up call as i remember liam saying he used the alarm clock sound as a wake up to make music etc etc...

that is why I think he criticises america with AONO. that is also why the whole album is so electronic, because america is also very electronic.
the fact is, I'm curious what's your version then? what is aono about then? you say it doenst have any story, so what does it have? anyway, as all his previous albums had stories, I think it would be nuts if aono wouldn't have anything. and no, it's not me who says the albums had stories. just think about the background history of experience, mftjg and fatland. they all have their reasons why they borned, so I believe aono also has a story. I cant agree with you saying it has no story.
And the conclusion of yours is also something I disagree. I don't belive just the fact of two more person being there would make him do better music. even by keith and maxim being there he was the man who wrote those great tunes we all enjoy, and he was it all alone. keith and maxim does nothing just vocals and stupid movements on the stage (so: nothing). and i can't believe just because they're in the studio too, liam would write better music.

You're way over-analyzing it.

There is no story to AONO; as in it isn't a start to finish album in the sense. It's just a random load of tracks Liam put together that are very creative. That's all.

Liam isn't the type of guy to go "OH! I'm gonna make an album about American culture!" He hears music, samples or creates his own using his wide range of equipment, then merges stuff together to see if they work.

And as for Keith and Maxim having no creative purpose? They bring inspirating to Liam through the music they hear, and samples they find. If Liam writes something and keef and maxim go "AHHHH THATS SHIT" then it wouldn't be on the record.

Indeed. Wasnt Shoot Down cut short due to the way it was pressed? pretty sure it was something like that.

you are way off mate, keith and maxim are vital for the success of the prodigy, we have proof of liam writing music alone and writing music as a band, there is NO comparison!!!!!!!

no disrespect to you but you have got this completely wrong mate, there is no story to AONO, it was a miss mash of sounds and vibes that was obvious he had written it alone and in various places because of how up and down it is, some great tracks some garbage ones. there maybe some back stories to other albums, the most famous being MFTJG, a response to the criminal justice bill, however i would say it was the bands trip to America and listening to Rage's album and The Chronic by Dr Dre inspired the writing and the sound of that album above any "story"

Show more respect to keith and maxim because without them we have fuck all, just a man writing tunes and fuck all else

Agree with this. AONO is one of my favourite records because it a raw back to basics sample/beat record. I love that the track vary soo much Girls>Spitfire>Action Radar>Phoenix>Shootdown, nice.

ow hell yeah! liam would be totally fucked if he was alone in the studio.. i believe it was maxim who broth brother culture in the studio to do lyrics on thunder, and it was keith who pinched "warrior's dance" idea to liam, and liam came up with "invaders must die" when he heard keith screaming those lines in the studio. they bring him samples, ideas and inspiration to write monster tunes!

I never tried to analyze Prodigy's albums that way (or any albums for that matter).. but I guess I probably have some kind of a story in my head when I listen to a certain album..

As for AONO, here is what Liam himself said about the tracks for Q Magazine in 2004, taken from Neko's site:
http://www.nekozine.co.uk/prodigy/info/ ... mag04.html

Some quotes:
Girls - "There's nothing deep about this track or this album. It's what Prodigy does best: big, dumb, rocking tunes. You're not going to get any meaningful stuff out of it."
Get Up Get Off - "I wanted a real London rap tune, and I think the street will respond to this."

Other than what he says here, if I remember correctly, about Spitfire lyrics he once said something like it's about him being proud that he's British, and about Phoenix he said that he kind of remixed the original so a friend oh his could play it in a club.

It was because of the CD text being added to the disc somehow taking up space off the end of the track. Japan version has the last second or two that was cut off in England...

^ yeah thats it

Still ended abruptly though didn't it? This how the japanese version ended?... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGnYWZ67hdQ