One record at a time: 42. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole

So we come to the last record on the first shelf: The Chemical Brothers "Dig Your Own Hole". Despite this album being released in 1997, I have to admit, I didn't buy it until 2007. The version I am listening to here moves us another decade on as it is the 20th anniversary silver vinyl edition. This is a double album in a gatefold sleeve and includes a download card. The sound quality is OK but nothing to write home about.

Even though "Block Rockin' Beats" was everywhere back in the day, I saw it as a flash in the pan. I was content with the CD singles and, as far as I could see, there was nothing to justify buying the parent album. I also think the release of  "Setting Sun" increased my reluctance to buy "Dig Your Own Hole" as it was all a bit noisy and more particularly, the vocals really weren't to my taste. 

So when I did finally buy this album I was fully prepared for it to be an underwhelming experience. Whilst this will never be my favourite album by the Chemicals, it deserves praise. "It Doesn't Matter" and "Don't Stop The Rock" are my favourites here, but nothing quite tops "Block Rockin' Beats". Much like the vinyl version of "Exit Planet Dust" I reviewed previously, the necessity of splitting tracks across sides means that some of the flow of the album is lost when compared to the CD. As we aren't gaining much in terms of audio fidelity or dynamics with this pressing, you may be better sticking with the CD. 3/5