why don't you poll me I feel like flying to... the UNDERWORLD Poll Results thread -- produced by Smith & Hyde for ILM Artist Poll #102

B&E soundtrack is pretty good but I didn't vote for it sadly

11. MANCHESTER STREET POEM
26 points, 3 votes
2017* digital album, 64:50

it's short...but! there is apparently an entire album of this stuff.

https://i.imgur.com/Q4ZiKm3.jpg

I just didn't have time to listen to collaborative LPs, sadly.

Did nobody vote for Change The Weather then?

* played in situ 2017, released as purchase for charity 2019

Did nobody vote for Change The Weather then?

whoa we're really asking for spoilers this early?

Surprise #1?

I listed it. and got piled on really bad in the voting thread for mentioning it

but I will continue to

https://youtu.be/nxdNS8WNSOY

Stand Up isn't bad exactly, but that video! Just because you've had a hit in Australia doesn't mean you need to turn into Midnight Oil.

btw nice writeup at top, sic. That "two people..." business that was in the Listen To Their No copy is too sweet.

10. RIVERRUN
77 points, 8 votes
2005-2006 digital EP and physical singles project, approx 90 minutes in most common form

New Underworld EP Release: 'Pizza For Eggs'

https://i.imgur.com/f6KFBcF.jpg

Only 8 votes? Did some people decide to go tracks or movements only since it's not really an "album"? Whatever. Love it all together but didn't come up with much from it in my track ballot at the end.

My #10. Ending of Pizza For Eggs is the best bit.

#6 here

i voted for it pretty high

it's alright sober too

I didn't cross-reference the ballots, but I assume most people chose to either vote per "song," per EP-as-track, or in albums for Riverrun*... but also it's just way less known, and was one of their least-visible projects to begin with.

*though I did one of each

9. BARKING
142 points, 6 votes
2010 Cooking Vinyl 2xLP, 54 minutes
Top chart position: #26, UK

Underworld - Barking (Sept 13 2010)

https://i.imgur.com/jnO5oC8.jpg

(slightly) too low!

Too many songs with the same palette and purpose was this album's undoing for me. Hamburg Hotel possibly my favourite thing on it as a result.

Not meaning to undersell the evident variety of at least 50% of it.

Rediscovered "Between Stars" here. I loved "Scribble" at the time but now I get the fan love for "You Do Scribble" over the single/vocal version. Massive track. I had the album at an even lower rank, but still so much to love. Crazy.

Crazy.

― maffew12, Thursday, June 4, 2020 2:21 PM (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy

hey my internet is back! guess my hacking the results joke led to some bad webkarma

huge points jump from 11 to 9!* (*i don't pretend to know how points work)

love Barking and I agree 9 is too low but idk what I'd bump for it

i had it at 4 but i think i was being challopsy putting it above 2 stone cold classics

the version of Barking that exists only in my head is definitely one of their best albums though

so, who's been to Barking?

I voted for Riverrun, I hadn't heard any of it prior to this poll but as a whole thing I like it more than any of the proper post-'90s albums.

i've been to barking for years WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP WOOP

What's the version in your head like?

8. A HUNDRED DAYS OFF
160 points, 7 votes
2002 JBO/V2 2xLP, 62 mins
Top chart position: #6, Belgium

Underworld: a hundred days off, leftism part II

https://i.imgur.com/n6DthPk.jpg

ooh now that's really too low. my #4

rated PG for some pretty sinister beats

underrated record that i've personally underrated in the past that remains underrated

Cruel, cruel math

this is one of the ones that just gets lost in the shuffle for me (aside from the incredible sort-of title track) but thats prob on me

fun fact: this album cover makes a cameo in, of all movies, EUROTRIP

https://i.imgur.com/HSbh6Rx.png

I guess scotty doesn't know......... ABOUT ALL THE OTHER GREAT RECORDS IN THEIR CATALOGUE

It was just the newest at the time. The math works.

What's the version in your head like?

ALAF with the groovy bassline, You Do Scribble with vocals, Diamond Jigsaw with the synth, and the original Moon in Water

Barking (Mad Version)

nice!

7. EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING
162 points, 13 votes
2000 live DVD, 101 minutes
Top chart position: #12, Netherlands

https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boar did=41&threadid=19530

https://i.imgur.com/wfEPIib.jpg

& Strumpet instead of Bird 1. Bird 1 is good, but it's not as good as Strumpet live was.

everything everything too low

agreed

Don't blame me it was my number 1!!! Probably the reason I got as into underworld as I did

6. BARBARA, BARBARA, WE FACE A SHINING FUTURE
174 points, 16 votes
2016 Caroline LP, 45 mins
Top chart position: #7, Belgium

Underworld - Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (Coming March 18, 2016)

https://i.imgur.com/gDaWWvF.jpg

Aren't # of #1's usually indicated? You got hacked, Will!

It's fantastic but it's still a live album... I couldn't put it ahead of much of any original material.

from here it gets really interesting!

expected but too low!!!!

practically a reunion album, the start of this phase. The joy of it. Love all of it.

LOVE Barbara Barbara, I exhale is humongous

practically a reunion album, the start of this phase. The joy of it.

Yes, I've noticed that they talked about it like that - though they'd been working on lots of projects that came out of the Underworld office, and played live still*, this was the first time they'd either made music together or been good friends in six years. And the floodgates opened!

* though in Karl's new preferred festival-format shows

my nighttime routine with my 6 year old daughter now involves playing music on my phone, she really likes ambient stuff and luckily my phone is loaded with it. the other day I decided to play some Underworld, first the track "Most 'Ospitable" which was always a favorite of mine. listening close I noticed a number of things - first of all, I guess I get why it's called a "Dark & Long" remix, it does have the same choral noise in it. so there *is* a little similarity there. secondly a lot of the odd noises that float in and out - specifically that ka-thunk guitar noise, I think actually dates back to their mk1/Freur days. I think that aspect makes their ambient stuff unique, not just the sounds but also the way snippets of Karl's voice and recorded conversations weave around everything, reminds me more of what The Orb does than anything else. next up I put on "Wedge/Showlder" and realized it's kind of the same template. such a beautiful piece of music too.

Americans discussing purchasing a vest

is Hyde not the "nice little vest, light" guy?

boring finish

i think this poll ended the same way, by combining Rez and Cowgirl's votes?

The real answer is Rez.

is Hyde not the "nice little vest, light" guy?

I really don't think so, idk who it is though. I thought it was just some overheard conversation Karl recorded, iirc he used to carry around tape recorders a lot in those days which is where a lot of the weird dialogue you hear in UW tunes comes from

though it could be Rick as well? I remember once upon a time he did a sound installation for something which was mostly ambient music but there was a really cool aspect to it, he was using these emotionless robot-sounding voices that seemed to be having real mundane conversations, almost as though he had recorded like 15 minutes worth of small talk over dinner and input every word into a text-to-speech app, it sounded pretty unnerving actually

Most Ospitable is so great, still can't believe that it wasn't until the poll that I acquainted with it properly.

What is "Wedge/Showlder" ? Google not giving me any results

they're tracks on i'm a big sister...

I still think “If Rah” is the Barbara track of choice

I don't have much of a problem with that list ... or at least I don't have much of a problem with its top 8

If Rah is boneheaded trash imo. It’s jock jams / big beat shit to my ears. This list was pretty trash too actually. First 8 are ok, the rest are from someone who must have lost the ability to hear or they are intentionally trolling.

i feel that way about Dinosaur Adventure 3D, though i loved it at the time.

i like the sentiment of a completely alternate top 20, above, but cmon the heavy hitters are undeniable

Yeah I mean an alternate top 20 wouldn't necessarily be 100% accurate, my own number one would probably be Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love.

My top 20 might lean slightly more on OWB and BBWHASF.

What is "Wedge/Showlder" ? Google not giving me any results

― I am using your worlds, Saturday, January 13, 2024 2:45 AM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxK7AyNMUBQ

the entire EP is very much worth a listen but the bit I'm referring to starts around 15:00

also very much recommend the first two tracks on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Y6KBSukHU

and this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-CyQ6pAgrk

hints at a more New Wavey direction they could've gone in but didn't. always cemented for me how different these guys were than the rest of the 90s UK dance scene, none of 'em would've come up with tracks like this

Ah thanks. I have the riverrun eps downloaded, but hadn’t split and tagged the individual tracks. I’ll listen again.

Wish these were cds that were widely available rather than 192kb mp3s

Yeah I mean an alternate top 20 wouldn't necessarily be 100% accurate, my own number one would probably be Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love

Turns out your number one is 100% accurate omar

I couldn't even stomach a fully alternate top twenty, I'd be lying to myself and God without that one at the top.

looked back at my ballot and had completely forgotten "beautiful burnout" was my no. 1. i'm right

would put "peach tree" at no. 2 these days tho

despite what i said yesterday, Juanita was my #1 too

hmm, you could put Juanita 2022 on top as kind of a cheat for your alt list. in isolation (not putting on STITI) i prefer it!

an alternate top 20, off the top of my head:

Thing in a Book
Most 'Ospitable
Oich Oich
Cherry Pie
Banstyle/Sappy's Curry
Mo Move
Luetin
Food a Ready/Back in the Fears
Peach Tree
Wedge/Showlder
Holding the Moth
Faxed Invitation
Between Stars
Bird 1
You Do Scribble
Ova Nova
Parc
Get Your Shirt
Custard Speedtalk
Listen to their No

can we redo this poll so i can put "denver luna" in my top 20

ok

I too will try to game how to make "Tin There" place higher if we repoll

you wanna know something crazy I played "Custard Speedtalk" during my DJ set yesterday and someone correctly identified it as "the guy from Freur", adding "it's too bad he passed away"

OMG, lol!

Whilst I love both tracks, I'm still bitter that Rez and Cowgirl's votes were combined

I spent most of the drive home trying to figure out who he could've been thinking of and my best guess is Keith Flint