Today, 23rd of August 2004 this album was released in the UK!
(August 11th in Japan, September 15th in US)

A very controversial and discussed album!

What you all think of it now that 10 years has passed?

Though I still wish we got AONO Ver. 1.0 in some form. Perhaps a future anniversary expanded edition? Out of all of the albums, this is the most interesting one when it comes to having an expanded edition. There's a lot of known never to be released stuff and alternate mixes plus an entire scrapped batch of songs.

But after all that, AONO is still an album that was needed at this point in the boys' career.

For me, it's 50/50... half of it solid, banging tracks and the other half filler. Not that it's a bad album... it's just not as good when comparing it to their other records. But for all of the other garbage electronic music out at the time, AONO still shits all over them.

Sure, several years had already passed since The Fat Of The Land... but I think if Liam held off the release a little longer in order to do a quick tour to test out the album tracks that would be released, I think he would have seen what worked and what needed to be reworked to make it a solid album from start to finish. A lot of the later reworkings/alternate mixes of AONO tracks were better than the original album versions... especially "Spitfire ('05 Version)," "Under My Wheels (Remix)," "Hot Ride (El Batori Mix)," "The Way It Is (Live Mix)," "Girls/More Girls," etc. Possibly work in tracks like "Back 2 Skool," "Razor," "Warning," etc.

With a little more attention, I think AONO could have been less filler and much more solid from start to finish. The album mix of "Spitfire" loses steam after a bit, feels like it drags on. But the 2005 version would have been a proper, epic start to the album. I love "Girls." I even love "More Girls." Would have been sweet to get a mash up of both worlds like Liam did live. But "Girls" can stay as is. I know "Get Up Get Off" gets slammed a lot by fans, but I actually really like this track and this it's one of the few solid, proper moments on AONO. But I can never forgive Liam for what he did to "Trigger" with "Shoot Down." I guess the "Guns" version was slightly, just slightly better, but I don't know what he was thinking with "Shoot Down." It ruins the end of AONO for me. "Trigger" is still one of my favorite tracks. I think AONO kinda looses steam after "Medusa's Path." The version of "Under My Wheels" from Their Law could have helped a little with bringing the energy up. "The Way It Is" is a cool idea, but for me it just feels like it never really peaks. Like it's missing a proper hook and the rest is all building to a pay off that never actually comes. "Phoenix" is just blah... this is where you need a tune with some balls like "Back 2 Skool" or "Warning" to get pick up the pace.

I like AONO, although as Neorev points out, a lot of the tracks should have been tested live and reworked for the album, not released on the album and reworked for live gigs
To me, the perfect AONO would be like
Spitfire 05 version
Girls + More Girls (the live version)
Memphis Bells (the album version)
Get Up Get Off (alternative version)
hotride el batori mix 1
warning 2004 version
wake up call
action radar
medusas path
phoenix
youll be under my wheels original mix
shoot down

and no stupid michael jackson rework, that's just puke puked out again.

im proud to have this as a vinyl on my shelf. first prodigy album i waited to be released as a fan. a bit dissapointing at first since i was into fat of the land at that time, but it stands through time and i still really love it. its much different to the previous albums and really stands out on its own - it has a lot of collabs, a new sound and for me, was ahead of its time. + the design is epic.

shortly - underrated masterpiece which only gets dissed because it has "prodigy" written on it

I also think it was ahead of its time! When I first heard the Girls single, I thought; 'wtf is this' ! But with alot music, sometimes you just have to digest it a little bit first!
Probably one of those albums I've listened to the most over the years!

The Prodigy woke up to a new reality with this album; The Internet!
This album got leaked a couple of months ahead of the release date! Don't remember where it came from though! Only difference from the actual release was Medusas Path, which was cut in half on the leaked copy!

And I agree with Neorev! Give us an expanded version of this album!
Someone email XL Recordings and remind them it's the 10th anniversary

some tracks on that album are still unbearable for me but the album grew on me over time. think i kinda understand now what liam tried to do at the time. but prodigy is like a marvel contradictions that somehow manage to workout eventually. he did the best he could to fuck things up but the album wasnt that bad in the end

I first listened to the leaked AONO and had a shock - totally different than what I was expecting which was something along FOTL/Baby s Got a Temper. And the following days i kept listening to it and wanting to get into it and slowly some tracks started to sound interesting.

Now, I consider this album in it's own league, quite original, ahead of what was happening in 2004. With the exception of Phoenix and The Way It is which I almost always skip the rest of the tracks are really good (some being highlights).

I loved More Girls when it came out and the striped down version of You'll be Under My Wheels which is Under My Wheels. And when I heard Spitfire05 I thought that Liam is finally back in full form.

All in all an awesome Prodigy album, that was necessary to move on from TFOTL and with a understandable gap of 7 years (it could of been smaller though).

Well said. Not much to add. Im glad he stayed true to himself. i respect Liam because he doesnt give a fuck. I mean he could not deliver all those great albums if he gave in in hes principles. he is slower when back in the 90s but all albums also AONO is exactly what it had to be. and future album will be.

When i first heard this album i wanted to love it so much, i listened and listened but i could never be blown away by it. After Spitfire ends it loses the edge. I suppose the best way i can describe it is that i 'understand' the album. Its an autobiographical piece by Liam in that period of time. I don't believe he was in the same headspace as he was 5-6 years before or after. It was a middle finger to everyone, the rest of the band, the record label and probably us fans to some extent. We will never hear anything so personal from Liam again.

After 10 years i still want to love it.......

It's just not a good album.

But there are a few good tunes and ideas in there.

Last time i listened to it i just got bored quickly.

Uh oh, I disagree. Its a fantastic album. Sure, it drags here and there but that record is oozing with originality and was definitely a couple of years ahead of its time. Had it come a couple of years later (insane, right?) it would have "smashed" the scene once again. I guess Im one of the few people that didnt think highly of Trigger, Nuclear, etc.

It is oozing with originality, i'll give it that.

It actually inspired groups like Justice and other fellas on the Ed Banger label...

so...

Even Liam's turds are inspirational.

Haha, who knew! :D

Happy Anniversary AONO

tbh I don't play it that much, sounds unfinished. Hotride is sexy.

I tihink the same of Trigger and Nuclear (I just can't get into them, I stoped listening to the tracks a long time ago).