Among the many exciting releases that fueled the late 1990s and early 2000s "big-beat" movement, Fatboy Slim's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars is perhaps the most surprisingly overlooked. While Slim's previous album You've Come A Long Way, Baby may boast bigger (and better) songs, Halfway was where he really started to mature, while still making some irresistible club-ready music along the way. This maturity is evident right from the rather Moby-ish opener "Talking Bout My Baby", which is continued through the similary minded "Sunset (Bird Of Prey)", "Drop The Hate", "Demons", and the 11-minute closer "Song For Shelter". Despite these slightly unusual experimentations, however, Halfway is mostly just a great party record that pushes all the right buttons, not least on the massive hit "Weapon of Choice", the hilarious "shock" track "Star 69", and the funky "Retox".