I was just thinking about it. If we take all the big tracks liam have done.. How many of the riffs, melodies and basslines have he made himself.. and how much are his amazing way of recreate new stuff from samples?

I'd say probably 80% sampled/ stolen... if not more.

I beg to differ. Look at Breathe for example - (perhaps) Liam's best track. The only sample is the sword sound, which isn't even from a song. Poison doesn't have a lot of samples. The main sample from SMBU is the vocal, which is not the same as a bassline/riff. Also, I don't think Omen has any samples. There are a lot of examples...

U mention 4 songs...out of how many prodigy tracks ever released? ...3 tracks is probably like 5% of their songs which leaves 95% being heavily sampled Another thing, just because no samples have been spotted, doesn't mean Liam hasn't sampled or stolen riffs/ melodies.

...you forgot some samples.

Breathe
John Barry sample (guitar sample...either a direct sample, or influenced/ stolen like with Warrior's Dance/ Last Ninja, Voodoo People/ Very Ape)
...and probably more...


Poison
The Winstons - Amen, Brother (beat sample...the famous Amen Break)
Skull Snaps - It's A New Day (beat sample)
Bernard Pretty Purdie - Heavy Soul Slinger (beat sample)
...and probably more...

SMBU
Ultramagnetic MC's - Critical Beatdown (beat sample)
Randy Weston - In Memory Of (beat/bass line sample)
Ultramagnetic MC's - Give The Drummer Some (vocal sample)
Art Of Noise - Close to the Edit ("hey" vocal sample, same as in Firestarter)
Mixmaster Gee & The Turntable Orchestra - Like This (Full & Fresh) ("like this" vocal sample)
...maybe more?

Less and less samples for each album of course...hardly any of the experience samples are credited...imd samples are credited all over the place.

strings on the beginning are from one Andy Williams track
background "one-string" sound is from Nana & dreaming song
and prodigy's Crazy Man samples are there too


SMBU is more like Mash Up mix track, but this is something what only hardcore prodigy fans need to know! Rest of the world must reckon that Liam wrote all this.

OK, you might be right about the samples, I don't know about all of them.
For me the importnat thing is that most of the Prodigy's tracks sound nothing like the sampled tracks. Liam usually takes a sound, and uses it in a totally different perspective.

Omen - no samples at all
and its one of their best tracks.

it has a sample from beat 55

No, they aren't.

I really don't know. I read somewhere that sample at the beginning of SMBU is sample from beginning of "Andy Williams - Music to Watch Girls By" but probably refiltered and slowed down (like Kool Keith and Randy Weston sampls are too...).

Who knows...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKdOotrQ_Hw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbIFpDs_4TE

Ι don't think there is anything wrong about Liam using samples. He is a great DJ and using samples is one of the things DJs like to do. It has nothing to do with stealing or copying other songs.

I mean, all these melodies, these breakbeats that made his songs what they are, were inspired by him. For example in Voodoo people vocals are samples but the great electro melody is all Liam. In No good same thing. In wariors dance he sampled the womans vocals but thats it. The song is pure Liam's inspiration.

..

In Warriors Dance he re-created the bassline also..

Some of you are looking at this all of a sudden "revelation" that Liam samples or gets ideas from other tracks like its a bad thing. He wouldn't be embarrassed by it, so why should you? I think sometimes he gets a vibe off of something.. starts off imitating that vibe and then it evolves into something new.

It's the way he finds bits and pieces from all kinds of music, the kinds of music that most people wouldn't bother listening to and turns little sections which sound like nothing... into something. This is where his true talent lies. Thats not to say he isn't good at programming beats or anything else. We all know he does that well too!

He's always said the sampler was his real instrument, and its obvious when you hear how he treats samples and sound.. etc.

blah blah fuckity blah!

Yeah. Just to make it clear. This was not a "is Liam lazy" tread. If you see the way he makes tracks that are mostly sampled. The end result dont sound anything like the tunes the sampels comes from.

Just look at smack my bitch up. Thats a perfect example. A kick ass tune that are very much sampled. but still 100% Liam's work.

its a mistake to think that any piece of music was ever created without some reference to older music. there is no musician ever who invented his music all by himself. at least no good musician
and take OOS for example. i heard tons of tracks which used the same reggae sample, but they all sound crap compared to OOS. same goes for drums/beats. everyone knows where the beats of poison come from, but no one ever made a track that good using that sample