Why Try Harder: The Greatest Hits

Fatboy Slim has changed the face of dance music

An exhausted businessman dressed in a suit and tie has collapsed into a hotel lobby armchair. All of a sudden he is stirred by the strains of Weapon of Choice coming from a radio. Revived by the music, he slowly rises from his chair. Then with a sudden burst if energy and with the grace of Fred Astaire he launches into a dance routine that takes him throughout the entire hotel That man is Christopher Walken. And that video is Fatboy Slim’s Weapon of Choice. The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder marks a decade in the illustrious career of Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim. As one of the prime movers of the big-beat genre, Cook has arguably done more to popularize global dance music culture than any other artist. This collection highlights songs that have become not only club anthems but staples on mainstream radio, MTV, and throughout pop culture in general. Fatboy Slim's formula for chart-topping success is then all the more surprising since his tracks are not usually "songs" in the traditional sense – rather, they consist mostly of breakbeats and vocal samples from classic soul and R&B.

18 biggest tracks

From the raw, sample-laden sounds of his debut, through the polished, commercial releases, to the more organic, song-based work of late, this provides an excellent introduction to the career of a hugely popular and successful artist. Love him or hate him, Norman Cook knows what makes a hit. Even people who claim to dislike "dance music" can point to at least one Fatboy Slim track they have a weakness for. The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder brings together all the huge records that helped make Fatboy Slim the biggest dance artist and DJ on the planet. The album includes all the hit singles, alongside remixes for Cornershop and Groove Armada, plus two exclusive new tracks: Champion Sound and the forthcoming single That Old Pair Of Jeans. Across the 18 tracks, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder contains ten top 20 singles and, with classic cuts Brimful Of Asha and Praise You, it has two number 1's. This is a celebration of dance music’s biggest moments from one of the biggest names around.

Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder is a bookmark in Fatboy Slim’s career

Who could have predicted that the bass player from an indie-pop combo called the Housemartins could change the face of dance music? He can’t sing and he doesn’t write lyrics. Yet with more than 4 million albums scanned in the US he has outdrawn most rock stars, Fatboy Slim has become an undeniable part of the musical backdrop. Phrases like “Right about now, the funk soul brother,” “Right here, right now”, and “I’ve got to praise you” have all become part of the vernacular while images of Christopher Walken dancing and Spike Jonze spastically shimmying have become indelible images. With 5 Grammy nominations (including one win) and an unprecedented 9 MTV video awards, it is little wonder that Fatboy Slim’s audience crosses over into the rock, pop and dance worlds. The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder could prove to be either a bookmark at this stage of Cook's career, the point where he takes stock and decides where to go from here or the moment where he decides he's had a good run and should just settle down and enjoy his millions, with the odd bit of production work and occasional party here and there. Whatever he decides, these tracks will prove a fitting legacy.