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

oh hell yeah

I often think that Banstyle/Sappys Curry is my favourite track of the '90s. Bland is the last thing I'd describe it as. The first half hour of that record I think are amongst the best half hour of music I've ever heard. Not to worry, we're obviously looking for different things in it.

― KeithW, Friday, January 28, 2005 5:07 AM

I can empathise a bit with those who found Second Toughest a bit too sleepy, I did too at first, but I think you just need to listen closer...the section where Banstyle gradually morphs into Sappy's Curry is probably the most organic sounding bit of machine music I can think of ever, anywhere.

In fact, I think I've just convinced myself - the reason underworld are better is that orbital, for all their greatness, still always sound like they're making music with computers. Underworld manage to transcend that.

― JimD, Wednesday, November 3, 2004 12:19 AM

that opening line..."if they don't know, they don't know, they're gonna find out soon enough"

it's so hot

Should've been top 10

as if!

http://ghostfood.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u012-278778.png

12. Rowla and Cherry Pie
1226 combined points, 25 total votes
R: 1996 album track from Second Toughest In The Infants
CP: rewritten from Rowla or vice versa, released as a 1996 B-side: would have placed at 37 on solo votes

Cherry Pie audio
live audio 1996
Rowla Everything Everything DVD-only live audio

fave part of Cherry Pie is when those echo-ing cymbal crashes come in towards the end and it's somehow super emotional

13. Chonky Floof
1199 points, 18 votes, 1 #1
2003 exclusive track for Raubkatze Tierheim covermount

lmao

ICYMI:

Things are kind of overwhelming right now so I decided to make up some fake Underworld song titles to distract myself:

Chonky Floof
Two of Clubs/Go Fish
Mizerayray
A Floating Paper Bag
It's A That
Hatch
Frenumy
Bonivavirus
Sue City
Glimmerglass Menagerie

— DJP (@djperry1973) May 29, 2020

It's A That was robbed

^^^ secretly my favorite

I would like to rescind my #1 vote and transfer it to Glimmerglass Menagerie. i am brought to tears by the repeating 3-note vibraphone part on that track when it kicks in at 14:38 EVERY TIME

i feel as though i can tell what album each of those tracks is on

my only complaint: none of these songs have "thing" in the name

(really evenly split: 600 pts and 13 votes for Rowla, 626 pts and 12 votes for Cherry.)

I think I completely forgot to put Cherry Pie on my ballot

― DJP, Saturday, June 13, 2020 4:09 AM

https://i.imgur.com/YVpnv5p.jpg

Their masterpiece. Underworld could not improve on this track

This is one of the best records in the world for me. The jewel in the Underworld crown!

One of my favourite tracks of Underworld. With this song, the first thing I think of is Tetrisphere on the N64. xD

This tune sounds like a train! The squeep of the wheel flanges on the track at 1:06, the clack of the wheels on the rail joints, and even the train horn, with the train having come to a halt at the end. A great deal better than Rowla, the track that this tune uses as the backing track. All the extra sounds greatly improve it and stop it being tedious as Rowla was

This is a perfect song

https://i.imgur.com/llIgmm0.jpg

Easily one of the greatest techno tracks of all time

Thanks Dad in heaven, for somehow keeping the car on the road on long country drives when I played this!

Karl Hyde with his droning voice and whacky stream of consciousness narratives is so often the focal point of Underworld's keynote tracks, it's lovely to hear a short little instrumental where Darren Emerson can really shine.

pretty sure Squeep Of The Wheel Flanges is the album that Bonivavirus was on

The more STITI tracks that miss the top 10, the higher my hopes are that voters concentrated on pushing "Juanita" to #1.

Not really, I know the top 3 will all be from dubnobass.

The US primaries have broken Eric's spirit

"Tin There" for VP!

forgot about Chonky Floof, I'm back on Team Openers

http://ghostfood.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u011-639262.png

11. Appleshine Continuum
1259 combined points, 26 combined votes
2019 47 minute 18 second free-to-mailing-list MP3 by Underworld & The Necks as part of Drift

video by Simon Taylor
radio edit audio
fan edit of 3 different Appleshines

damn this got really high

With 897 points from 17 votes, Continuum would have placed at 19 without a boost from the Neckless version.

another collab with The Necks. it's 47 minutes long. and it's really good. a lot more going on than the other collab they did on Drift EP 1. the middle kinda reminds me of the Beastie Boys jamming out in the mid-90s

― frogbs, Friday, February 22, 2019 2:43 AM

that is fantastic. i need to start keeping up with these

― BradNelson, Friday, February 22, 2019 3:37 AM

ok i'm listening to drift 1 rn and this is fantastic

i love feeling like i made the right decision being an underworld fan

― BradNelson, Friday, February 22, 2019 3:51 AM

i'll get back to y'all when i can describe music as anything other than "fantastic"

― BradNelson, Friday, February 22, 2019 3:51 AM

Wow this is actually the best thing ever?

― Tim F, Tuesday, March 5, 2019 6:57 PM

https://i.imgur.com/0QeQYkt.jpg

it's 47 minutes long

Nope.

I promise you, it is!

Since nearly all of us have learnt about or had revelations regarding Underworld records during the poll, it's possible that plenty of folks aren't familiar with The Necks per se. Formed as an improv side-project by three Sydney-based jazz musicians, they've released about two dozen albums in the last three decades. Nearly all of their live shows consist of the three of them sitting down with nothing prepared, building a stirring and emotive storm of music out of listening to each other make a few tiny sounds, and winding down or resolving dramatically after 60-70 minutes. (Then doing it again after a wee break.)

Their records are sometimes made the same way, sometimes improvised from pre-discussed ideas, sometimes intricately crafted and layered with extensive studio work, and occasionally bring in other players.

Like Underworld, their approach to sounds, structures, rhythm and repetition has changed over the years, as the three men have changed and explored other musical interest outside the group.

Karl Hyde first crossed paths with them in Brian Eno's Pure Scenius improv project for the first Vivid arts festival at the Sydney Opera House in 2009. This blogger attended, and embedded some clips in his write-up.

Seven of The Necks studio albums, one live album, and a live quadruple album are on their Bandcamp for easy investigation.

(Vivid is having its first year off since then riiiight... now. This performance of Eno's Music For Airports was streamed live from the stage, without the audience attending, two days ago.)

https://media.giphy.com/media/KZNTPN1mKSHY2rlVTa/giphy.gif

crazy crazy crazy crazy crazy

if pearl's girl is placing next it's way too low

Even discounting Tin There, at whatever length or title, votes for Pearl's Girl ranged across versions and saw double-ups. The plain old title would have placed at 10 all by itself; let's listen here to the (Carp Dreams... Koi) mix, which received one lonely bollock vote.

CAN YOU FEEL IT?

https://i.ibb.co/4fV5hrf/karlhands01.gif

WHO IS READY FOR

https://i.ibb.co/pKJMBhV/karlhands02.gif

THE! TOP! TEN!

https://i.ibb.co/Vqd94MQ/karlhands03.gif

meeee

yeah I'm very curious

yeah

great

I'm ready (for the alkaline)

I also need to fix a few of the more recent images above but can't do it tonight. Imgur set tomorrow though hopefully.

http://ghostfood.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u010-916151.png

10. Dark Train
1338 points, 22 votes
1994 remix / rewrite / single / b-side / whatever

video by Graham Wood and John Hollis
official live video Glastonbury 1998

Hmmmm they played Dark Train last time and it was pretty amazing.

― Ronan, Saturday, September 21, 2002 7:51 PM

they never played Dark Train or Dark & Long the times i saw them - bastads

― blueski, Saturday, September 21, 2002 11:05 PM

live audio (instrumental) 2000
live audio (Nu Train) 2006

- I cannot remember the date, or time, or place, but it was in a field in the south of England in the early 90s. The blood was rushing through my veins, the lasers were pointing to a distant place, the strobes and lights enveloped me, the bass was agitating every ounce of my soul, i remember every molecule of my body entering into hyperspace and being mixed with the love of the universe. This tune takes me back there everytime, it makes me cry with joy. WOW!!! <3

-- I was born in 96, I wish I was there with ya bro.

fan cover
piano cover

"Dark and Long (Dark Train)" > "Born Slippy (NUXX)"

― DJP, Tuesday, June 23, 2020 1:37 AM

I didn’t vote because there’s way too much I haven’t heard but I feel it’s safe to say I would have #1’d dark train

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, June 23, 2020 1:50 AM

https://i.imgur.com/CwIUWp2.jpg

Immense tune and sounds amazing in a club.

Wonder if this is one of their most played out tracks as it seemed to be absolutely everywhere in the mid 90s, from the likes of Sasha's progressive house sets to Sven Vath/Billy Nasty techno ones

I first got Dark Train on the Tribal Gathering 95 comp and put it on a tape to listen to when I took the train to Southend for a college application interview. On the journey back it came on but my Walkman was slowly dying so played it at what sounded like a good 15 bpm or so slower. THAT WERE GOOD.

^ slow the train

https://media.giphy.com/media/lrP0eP4EG1ywQPO9Gh/giphy.gif

xxppys I was the "Banstyle" #1. Love all of those opening 32 minutes of course, but track 2 13:30 was always the moment I waited for most.

On purely standalone votes, Cowgirl would have placed at 8 with 1362 points. 3 of its 22 voters also voted for the Irish Pub In Kyoto mix, which would have pushed it to 1475 points.

Was Dark Hard ever on vinyl or exclusively the long CD? Not quite as monolithic as Dark Train but an excellent slice of urgent tribal trance nonetheless.

Only on the Scandinavian CD, apparently.

http://ghostfood.uk/public/ilx/underworld/u009-929473.png

9. Two Months Off
1371 points, 23 votes
2002 lead single from A Hundred Days Off

video
Big Day Out live video 2003