Mega Mega Vote Thing - UNDERWORLD (Smith/Hyde) in ILM Artist Poll #102 - Campaigning, Discussion, Equivocating until 22nd May

Voting for this (not high up), think it's obscure enough that a few people here won't have heard it, so here's the signal boost -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LDgHJq1LDw

Stoked for this.

And I think I'm right in assuming that once you've voted for 20 tracks you could, for example, have both Dark Train and Dark & Long in your Top 20?

And I guess Edgeland etc is admissible?

Everything Everything is in there as an album, and ppl are welcome to add notes about favourite live versions of compositions to their ballots

Anything that ensures that the version of "Juanita" that officially ranks is the album/single version gets my whole-hearted support.

will be surprised if that's not #1 tbh. An independent Rez will split the Cowgirl vote.

And I think I'm right in assuming that once you've voted for 20 tracks you could, for example, have both Dark Train and Dark & Long in your Top 20?

If you're nerdy enough to list 20 tracks at all, you unlock the power-up of listing multiple versions. If you really want to, you can then have your entire top eight be tracks that at some point were released on a CD with the words "Dark & Long" on the spine.

studio Juanita is excellent but the one on Everything Everything just sounds like the perfection of house music to me

here's my super obscure track of choice. iirc I think one of the fans convinced them to put this out on underworldlive.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OWy4NlAdV8

will be surprised if that's not #1 tbh. An independent Rez will split the Cowgirl vote.

If ppl have particular opinions that they don’t mind thinking of them as one, or Definitely Object to such revisionism, feel very welcome to add notes about this and other distinctions to your ballot. (You can just vote for them one point apart if yr especially keen to keep ‘en together in the results, of course.)

i'm definitely gonna do a 77 song ballot and i'm already tired

xp
i think it's appropriate they're distinct... if nothing else, they were both singles. Just when I think of what the real big ones are among fans, J/K/TDOL and Cowgirl/Rez are right at the top.

i'm learning a lot here already... this is great, thanks again!

man... they were gold from the moment "spikee" dropped

the whole EP is great but "Wedge"/"Showlder" is really some of the most gorgeous music I've ever heard in my life

I never learned the names of the songs within Riverrun... and just now I can't track down a list of what times they all start at. Anyone have one? Cuesheets or anything? Would be great for thread. Or I'll listen through and check them off as I go :p

nevermind, found em!

Riverrun track times:

1:

PERFORMER "Underworld"
TITLE "LovelyBrokenThing"
FILE "audio.mp3" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "JAL To Tokyo"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Billy Goat"
INDEX 01 05:37:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Peggy Sussed"
INDEX 01 11:39:00
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Dub Shepherd"
INDEX 01 14:00:00
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Lenny Penne"
INDEX 01 16:30:00
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Monkey Wink"
INDEX 01 23:33:00
TRACK 07 AUDIO
TITLE "Witness"
INDEX 01 26:55:00

2:

PERFORMER "Underworld"
TITLE "Pizza For Eggs"
FILE "audio.mp3" WAVE
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Food A Ready"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Back In The Fears"
INDEX 01 06:58:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Vanilla Monkey"
INDEX 01 09:14:00
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Flatz"
INDEX 01 13:42:00
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "Ancient Phat Farm Coat"
INDEX 01 14:16:00
TRACK 06 AUDIO
TITLE "Play Pig"
INDEX 01 22:22:00

3:

TITLE "I'm a Big Sister, and I'm a Girl, and I'm a Princess, and This Is My Horse"
PERFORMER "Underworld"
FILE "05 I'm a Big Sister, and I'm a Girl, and I'm a Princess, and this is my Horse.mp3" MP3
TRACK 01 AUDIO
TITLE "Peach Tree"
PERFORMER "Underworld"
INDEX 01 00:00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO
TITLE "Mowed Path"
PERFORMER "Underworld"
INDEX 01 10:03:00
TRACK 03 AUDIO
TITLE "Showlder"
PERFORMER "Underworld"
INDEX 01 14:58:70
TRACK 04 AUDIO
TITLE "Wedge"
PERFORMER "Underworld"
INDEX 01 18:35:27
TRACK 05 AUDIO
TITLE "11 Hundred Hz"
PERFORMER "Underworld"
INDEX 01 28:12:44

nearly forgot how amazing "most 'ospitable" is

selected ambient works quality ambient

studio Juanita is excellent but the one on Everything Everything just sounds like the perfection of house music to me

It is still fascinating to me how much most Underworld fans seem to prefer one over the other. This is not a new fight to me here at all.

move to combine points for STAR and Lenny Penne

*votes for every "dark & long" "remix"*

hell yes

really wish the deluxe reissues of the records were more exhaustive in their remix inclusions. i can't get rid of my singles for fear of losing "spoon deep"

"spoon deep" goes really well with this playthrough of system shock 2 i've been watching

And I guess Edgeland etc is admissible?

Songs are, album isn’t.

Tempted to vote for every track in that case.

even "dark hard" is ridiculously great!!! i hate this!!!!!

Ted Lopez
3 years ago
I dropped this track (respect to underworld) in summer 1994 san fernando california, at a warehouse event. .. shit was underground back then thanx.....

Not sure how anyone can possibly vote for less than 20 tracks.

I'll be doing the full 77 and already think there'll be some tough choices about what i want to leave out

Spoon Deep
215 Miles
Most Ospitible
Thing In A Book

All the Dark and Long “remixes” are career bests for any other band

I didn't include track times for the Riverruns because they're just what one rando with free editing software made up, but at least you posted them in the clearest, most practical way possible ;)

man... they were gold from the moment "spikee" dropped

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Thursday, May 7, 2020 11:57 PM (yesterday)

I also called up [the radio, as a teenager, to huff] when an announcer played something off dubnobasswithmyheadman and said "Nothing to do with the group that had a #1 single with Underneath The Radar! Completely different band."

― Elon's musk (sic), Wednesday, May 6, 2020 8:36 AM (two days ago)

Seriously considering sitting this out since ranking their tracks seems impossible.

Vote!

Imagine the hardest part will be ranking the Top 20 or so - after that it'll be fairly arbitrary anyway

I haven't even got to dubnobasswithmyheadman and I've already found a case where I much prefer a different mix, hmm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCKJWdIdHTM

I didn't include track times for the Riverruns because they're just what one rando with free editing software made up, but at least you posted them in the clearest, most practical way possible ;)

yall fucks with cuesheets, don't front

UND3RWORLD: big rooms, bass & collabs era

Downpipe (Original Club Mix) • [Mark Knight & D.Ramirez v Underworld, 2009] 8:10
Downpipe (Original Dub Mix) • [Mark Knight & D.Ramirez v Underworld, 2009] 8:10


Scribble • single and Barking [2010] 6:58
You Do Scribble • [broadcast 2008, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 8:04
You Do Scribble (Abbey Road version) • [iTunes bonus track 2010] 5:49
Scribble (Instrumental) [b-side] • [b-side 2010] 6:42
Scribble (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 7:05

Always Loved a Film • single and Barking [2010] 6:52
Always Loved A Film (Extended Club Mix) [2010] • [2010 remix] 7:52
Always Loved A Film (Lemonworld Mix) • [broadcast 2003, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 7:24
Always Loved A Film (Instrumental) • [b-side & promo 2010] 7:45

Bird 1 • Barking [2010] 6:51
Strumpet Groove • [c. 2008, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 7:10
Bird 1 (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 6:53
Hamburg Hotel • Barking [2010] 5:18
Hamburg Hotel Essex • [early version, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 3:21
Hamburg Hotel (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 5:16
Grace • Barking [2010] 5:11
Grace (Telematic Peal Mix) • [c. 2008-09, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 7:37
Grace (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 7:13
Between Stars • Barking [2010] 6:06
Between Stars (Lemonworld Mix) • [DJed 2009, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 4:55
Between Stars (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 6:35
Diamond Jigsaw • Barking [2010] 5:36
Diamond Jigsaw (Demo Mix) • [early version, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 3:51
Diamond Jigsaw (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 5:51
Moon in Water • Barking [2010] 5:42
Moon in Water (Lemonworld Mix) • [c. 2008, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 5:53
Moon In Water (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 5:50
Louisiana • Barking [2010] 5:05
Louisiana (Jumping the Cran) • [broadcast 2008, Barking Alternative Versions 2010] 2:05
Louisiana (Instrumental) • [promo 2010] 4:54

(every track bar Louisiana was finished by or with an outside producer; the Alternative Versions disc presents versions in varying developmental stages, but all from before they left Smith's desk.)


Simple Peal • [Japanese exclusive 2010] 4:32

The First Note Is Silent • [High Contrast feat. Tiesto & Underworld, 2011] 5:58


Caliban's Dream (feat. Dockhead Choir, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Only Men Aloud!, Elizabeth Roberts, Alex Trimble) • [Isles Of Wonder, 2012] 7:16
And I Will Kiss (feat. Dame Evelyn Glennie) • [Isles Of Wonder, 2012] 17:16
And I Will Kiss [A Collection 2 version] • [different intro on 2016 anthology version] 17:13

238 Days • [High Contrast feat. Underworld, 2012] 5:12

Ten (Club Mix) • [Sander van Doorn, Mark Knight & Underworld 2013] 6:08

Barking is surely their weakest record

I liked Barking a lot initially but some of the tracks are too straightforward to invite repeat listens. I'll probably still make room on my ballot for one or two tracks

Barking contains some incredible music. The lyrics to Bird 1 are my favorite 'story' songs of Karl's. There aren't many, but this one is very evocative. It was much better live as Strumpet. It ended up getting ruined for the album, same with Holding the Moth on Oblivion. Much better live. They ended up ruining the groove for it on the album. Also, I'll rep for both Moon In Water and Louisiana. I know remixes don't count, but their remix of William's Last Words by Manic Street Preachers is beautiful and fits the same vibe as those two. I'm pretty sure Karl re-did the vocals on that remix too, so it's essentially an Underworld cover of the Manic Street Preachers.

all the outside collaborations didn't really do them any favours by making them sound less like underworld

maybe it's wrong but i'll more readily listen to barking than a hundred days off

both great

a hundred days off is their second weakest imo but at least it has "two months off" and "sola sistem"

re: barking, the concept is cool if imperfectly executed, the songs are all pretty awesome. "between stars" is gonna be on my ballot

Only knew the singles, so familarising myself with Barking by listening to the instrumental version of the album, then the just-Underworld demos album, before the final version.

I'm pretty sure Karl re-did the vocals on that remix too, so it's essentially an Underworld cover of the Manic Street Preachers.

I ID3-tagged the two versions into two of my mega-compilations of non-album/non-era Underworld, rather than at the end of my two mega-compilations of UW remixes. Missing my ipod this week tbh, RIP.

looking forward to playing Barking again... fully expect it to place last but agree that it has a lot going for it. I guess they were in a rough time around then, almost breaking up around the Olympics (I'm not sure Karl worked on that stuff at all?). Apparently they found their spark again around the 2014 dubnobass reissue. I'm almost finished Karl's book (fun read).

Hundred Days, Barking, and Beaucoup Fish will all be a close call for me. I'm sure the latter will place high, but to me it's 4 absolute classics followed by a bunch of filler. Wonder if anything after that point could crack the list at all.

Looking forward to seeing all the ballots eventually!

Barking is a fine album on its own merits but it really could've been better - the only track the outside remixing really works on is "Between Stars". I like "Scribble" a lot too but man the original they played on that Live in Tokyo album, what a corker. also really love the original "Diamond Jigsaw" with the Van Halen synth though the one on the album is pretty sweet as well. original "Moon in Water" - gold, obviously, the remixed version is just a totally different tune

in retrospect the real disappointment was the bonus disc, I wanted something like Barking w/o the outside collaborators, but this was just a bunch of demos

Oblivion with Bells is the only proper album that I felt had truly nothing for me.

And A Hundred Days Off I think much more belongs with the three that cake before it than anything that came after.

Cake, came, both are good.

"crocodile" into "beautiful burnout" is a real high-point and while the rest never reaches the same heights the only track that doesn't work for me is "ring road" which is a sort of underworld track that's never done anything for me (don't like "bruce lee" etc. much either)

Holding the Moth & Best Mamgu Ever are also incredible

the thing with both 100 Days Off & OWB is that they're both incredible sounding albums. I mean they all are really but those two have so much depth to them

revisited Barking and my opinion hasn't really changed. it's not bad by any means but never particularly memorable and feels quite anonymous. doubt anything from it will make my ballot

is the Karl Hyde solo album at all worthwhile? as mentioned before i really love the Eno/Hyde records

ok A Hundred Days Off is a lot better than i remember. still probably one of their weaker albums, but that's more about how strong their discography is. the percussion on this album rules so much.

I like Barking a lot. ALAF is an out and out banger and there's some other good tracks too.

For me, Oblivion With Bells is their weakest by a country mile. Apart from Best Mamgu Ever I'd be happy never listening to any of the other tracks again.

"ess gee" is the best underworld guitar interlude