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

First minute of Underneath The Radar is easily the beat thing MkI did, love the perfectly timed mix in / mix out as the first guitar note hits, was just thinking about how Blockbuster by The Sweet pulls off exactly the same trick.

Don't think I've ever listened to the two MkI albums but that song's actually pretty good and the chorus is already stuck in my head

what's astonishing to me is that MkI had one good song and padded it out to two not-very-good albums over three years, then MkII put out enough amazing material to fill four CDs over their first two years.

Is that their one good song then?

(so not worth listening to anything else from that phase?)

I liked the whole album (and not the second) as a kid, as noted upthread, but that's the best one. It's probably interesting to hear them mixing woinging electronic sounds, and Karl making weirdish vocalisations and inflections, in a rock band context, when you're coming from the other direction.

I don't care how much everybody hates it, I think "Underneath the Radar" is a fucking GREAT 80s pop song.

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, January 8, 2004 4:32 AM

You know who likes the way Snrub thinks? Melbourne, Australia covers band Radio 80s.
The song could stand up in many other eras, too, as Melbourne jazz band Vintage Roots ably prove.
Of course, it wasn't that much of a stretch for Melbourne's Gotcha Funk'n Covered.
Fewer of us might have predicted middle-aged ska punk by The Blessed Eddies, though.

But it's not only Melbourne, Australia that knows Underworld are a classic floor-filling band whose material everyone loves.


For instance, here's an Adelaide, South Australia covers band called This Way Up at the Arkaba Hotel in 2009.
And here's an Adelaide, South Australia covers band called Clearway on a booze cruise in 2017.
Not to mention an Adelaide, South Australia covers band called The Buzz in a 115-year old pub sometime in the '10s.
Also back in 2009, the market had room for this Adelaide, South Australia covers band called The Exmen to bust it out too.

Is that their one good song then?
(so not worth listening to anything else from that phase?)

http://ghostable.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u096-919895.png

96. Ramajama
162 points, 5 votes
1999 track, released on the 2017 Beaucoup Fish Super Deluxe box set
audio
live audio 1999 (link at 09:40)

I was at that Glasto 99 set tho have just never remembered Ramajama from it but cool they finally released it.

It's very Dave Angel

nice one. I've really enjoyed the new old things from the three boxes, but I'm not expecting any of it to place higher than Ramajama. Thots?!

"Ramajama" on the deluxe edition is revving me up lately.

― Eric H., Tuesday, August 29, 2017 6:12 AM

https://i.imgur.com/7XF6frb.jpg

Such an underrated record. Gem!

This is SO awesome. They played this at several live concerts, usually before "King of Snake" (hence its former title before we knew the real name, "King of Snake Part 1")

Oh shit I just remembered the insane 20 minute KoS they did in 99, fucking awesome

Btw one song I always kinda liked from UtR is “I Need a Doctor” which has the hilarious line “in the city...life is shitty...that’s a fact!!!”

http://ghostable.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u095-013095.png

95. S T A R
165 points, 5 votes inc one for (Rebel Tech)
2019 digital single as part of Drift

video

The Rebel Tech remake is the only track exclusive to the one-CD Drift Sampler.
Rebel Tech audio

Ramajama first of mine to show up and maybe the only completely new thing to me listening as part of the ballot process. It's a hit!

S T A R was quite entertaining the first time I heard it but has no replay value

Preview of the last track sounds awesome, I believe that’s the Lenny Penne beat

― frogbs, Thursday, September 12, 2019 9:33 AM

early form as Lenny Penne, here in a different recording from the one on Pizza For Eggs

I like how they list the decibels for each track :-)

― StanM, Saturday, November 23, 2019 6:39 PM

lol

assuming they're BPMs which means STAR is in happy hardcore territory

― groovypanda, Saturday, November 23, 2019 6:41 PM

Oh I love S T A R - hard and subtle and sounds like nothing else

https://i.imgur.com/NcuV7f0.jpg

Who is your S T A R ? London video
Who is your S T A R ? Mexico City video

Yet again Underworld gift us One big waaaaaaave of hyperconsciousness gargantua from there hideout far faaaaaar beyond our oort cloud 🤴👌

the lyrics get pretty goofy but i think this one grows on me more every time i hear it. It's really Lenne Penne with its priorities straight.

kind of a victory lap but I love it

http://ghostable.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u094-218271.png

94. Doscientos
166 points, 7 votes
2019 album track from the Drift Series 1 box set

audio

love the sax on this one

this is my fav new track from the drift box

7 votes? damn

Story checks out.

..."doscientos " which is prob my favorite of the new new tracks

― BradNelson, Thursday, November 7, 2019 11:08 AM

Wonderfully hypnotic. I'd say this is like part of the soundtrack to a mesmerising movie, except it's more like the soundtrack and the movie in one.

LOVING this poll so far. Great job. The live "Underneath the Radar" video linked above with all those letters on Karl's guitar is an absolute scream.

I voted for this one. I put one box/non-single track ahead of it, i wonder if we'll see that one. 7 voters is probably not far from the number who have listened to the entire box?

https://i.ibb.co/MsdM2cM/laser-girldance.gif

just looking at my ballot and most of my highest placing Drift tracks are non Sampler ones xp

http://ghostable.uk/public/ilx/underworld/interupt-jamscraper.png

Votes for different versions of Mmm... Skyscraper I Love You have been combined in this poll. However, if every title voted on were tallied separately, then Jam Scraper would have appeared at #102. With 167 points from 4 votes, though, lets acknowledge it here.

audio

http://ghostable.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u093-101614.png

93. Puppies
170 points, 5 votes
1996 b-side to Pearl's Girl CD2
audio
demo audio

If we are acknowledging Jam Scraper, does that mean that it got more votes than Telegraph 6.11.92? In which case humpfh.

Puppies is one of those tracks that sounds like nothing else they’ve ever done, it’s floaty underwater magic

jam scraper rules i voted for it

I can actually remember the first time I heard it. I think I downloaded it from Kazaa and thought it was like a sequel to Kittens. Still can recall how weird it made me feel the first time I heard it

Love that the first 3 seconds has a hard kick drum that's immediately abandoned.

Let's acknowledge the adorable aptness of nashwan's image for Puppies, too.

I honestly find it surprising that they went with the 1994 version instead of the later 1996 album version of this piece

https://i.imgur.com/czeG2zu.jpg

If we are acknowledging Jam Scraper, does that mean that it got more votes than Telegraph 6.11.92? In which case humpfh.

no spoilers!!¡!

but yes, twice as many votes, and nearly twice as many points

more than twice as many points

what's this about 94 and 96?

I dunno tbh, when there aren't any sourced quotes from ILX I've grabbed some comments from youtube or elsewhere, and I wondered if someone here would be prompted by that!

oh it's about Puppies? No idea.

Puppies into Mosaic = their most unsettling two track run

heebies & jeebies. Wonder if we'll see Mosaic here

Puppies is great, very interesting sounds. The Pearls Girl US CD was another release I really underrated

Love that the first 3 seconds has a hard kick drum that's immediately abandoned.

yeah I really think this is brilliant

http://ghostable.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u092-068376.png

92. Ancient Phat Farm Coat
171 points, 3 votes
2005 b-side to JAL To Tokyo, a small excerpt also appears on Pizza For Eggs

audio