WE AREN'T THE WORLD

20 November 1999

Here is a news report from NME news, about Prodigy’s refusal to take part in a Perfect Day-style charity record (http://www.nme.com/newsdesk/19991118161449.html):

WE AREN’T THE WORLD:
Prodigy have not commented on their decision to withhold permission for a sample to be used on the BBC-sponsored children’s charity record It’s Only Rock And Roll. Artists like Iggy Pop, Kid Rock and Status Quo had all recorded segments for the record. It was also planned that there would be a Prodigy sample used.

But four days before the record was due to be pressed and debuted, while it was still being edited together, they demanded that the sample not be used. ”The word I got back was that they didn’t like the original song,” producer Arthur Baker, who put the record together, said this week in Heat magazine. The record’s a charity record for children. The hipness factor doesn’t come into it".” A spokeswoman for Prodigy could not make any comment other than that she believed that there was a question over clearance of the sample. She could not tell nme.com what the sample actually was.

Baker slammed UK pop stars such as Oasis, Robbie Williams and Jarvis Cocker for refusing to be involved with the record. ”I guess they don’t think it’s cool,” he said. ”And in England, there is so much worrying about whether you’re cool or not, especially with artists like that””