Underworld - dubnobasswithmyheadman POLL

Dirty Epic

everything here is pretty good-great though apart from M.E. which is absolutely terrible.

dirty epic

i love everything here though

actually listened to M.E. again and it's not terrible, it's just not good.

Dirty Epic into Cowgirl is all time. Voted for the latter.

Dark & Long or Spoonman.

Gotta be Cowgirl

Voting Dirty Epic is a cliche but sometimes cliche is undeniable.

this is almost too difficult for me, it's either Dark and Long, Skyscraper, Dirty Epic, or Cowgirl, but how to choose?

I disagree that M.E. is trash - IMO this album works for me because it's an intersection of electro, prog, and New Wave, three of my favorite genres, and M.E. fits squarely into that last one. worth mentioning that it was originally an mk1 tune (you probably could guess that) and I'm not totally down on that.

I really like M.E. tbqf, but I like the whole album. Not quite as much as STITI or BF though. Btw DJP I'm still waiting for you to come around on the former.

I tried to listen to "Confusion the Waitress" a couple of weekends ago and got super irritated with its meandering; still really only into "Pearl's Girl" from that album

"Air Towel" is the only shrug on that album for me.

i think i like the icier atmosphere on that album more than their other ones, and the songs are all i think super insistent and propulsive in a really compelling way.

I think I ruined the album for myself by seeing them live in a relatively small club when they were touring on it and doing versions of the album material that were just way, way, way superior to the recorded versions before ever hearing the album

my only issue with the CD is it's incredibly quiet and i have to crank it up twice as loud to hear it well. i suspect the remastered version will be a big improvement.

and you may yet like it, D. you may yet.

I love "Juanita/Kiteless" on Everything, Everything but that's partially because it turns into "Cups"

Knowingly acquiescing to the Groundhogs Day that is ILM's ongoing STITI discussion, I hate hate hate hate hate the Everything, Everything version of "Juanita," which destroys its spell completely.

lol come on

i don't get that at all

but i do sort of get djp's issue with second toughest bc it took that record forever to unfold for me

Voting 'Dirty Epic' but 'Tongue' deserves a mention - there's post rock stuff I like mainly because it reminds me of that track.

What's so hard to get about someone liking a hypnotic track and then objecting when its live version turns it into a hyperventilating lager-lager anthem?

The dryness of the backbeat cymbal snaps in the right channel when they come in? The rave-next-door "is that a choral wash" of the undulating chords when they finally come in about 3 minutes in? C'mon. No contest.

But on record they did all of that much better on "Born Slippy (original)" anyway

Wrong cymbal. Wrong chords.

when its live version turns it into a hyperventilating lager-lager anthem?

i argue that it does not

it is maybe slightly inflated

also every beat-heavy thing they did in this time period was a lager-lager anthem in one way or another

I hear no subtlety in the live version at all, and what I value the most about Underworld (at least prior to Beaucoup) is their droning om cred.

Which is why I'm probably voting "Spoonman" here.

Soz, but another big 'Dirty Epic' for me

Dirty Epic into Cowgirl is all time. Voted for the latter.

― kraudive,

Between these two for me.

Think I'll listen to the whole thing while I do the tidying tomorrow and decide then (maybe not the last two tracks).

Voting 'Dirty Epic' but 'Tongue' deserves a mention

― Gavin, Leeds

Came here to post exactly this. Tongue is a really beautiful song. Never thought of it as post rock but it really doesn't sound that far away from someone like Bark Psychosis at all.

Remaster is pretty ace. I think all UW albums sound great but those first two were so unusually quiet. Very noticeable difference. If they do this for all 6 of their albums I will be in paradise, not that any of them really need a remaster (STITI is quiet but sounds absolutely amazing) Underworld is the sort of band where opening the vaults is a very very good thing, as in addition to their many many amazing B-sides there are a ton of rare tunes out there that just kill

Did you get the 5-disc? Man it's tempting.

yeah - it's one of my favorite albums ever so I figured I would jump on it. but I haven't listened to discs 2-5 yet.

Mmmm Skyscraper... for me. I started listening to the bonus material yesterday, some interesting re-works there.

Dirty Epic is the heart of the album for me - real sadness in the grimy nightcrawling. Surfboy's the only one that underwhelms. ME, I recently learned, was their attempt at doing something like Steve Miller's Fly Like an Eagle. I like it because it's the last trace of their Balearic phase.

Remaster is pretty ace. I think all UW albums sound great but those first two were so unusually quiet. Very noticeable difference. If they do this for all 6 of their albums I will be in paradise, not that any of them really need a remaster (STITI is quiet but sounds absolutely amazing) Underworld is the sort of band where opening the vaults is a very very good thing, as in addition to their many many amazing B-sides there are a ton of rare tunes out there that just kill

Hoping they do something similar for STITI in a couple of years - that would probably be the only other 5 CD version I'd buy though.

Beaucoup Fish had some interesting remixes IIRC- Dave Clarke, Chemical Bros etc. which would make the expanded version of that worth hearing, if they bother.

From memory wasn't BF the first time they got others in to remix their work. Previously it was mainly just Rick wasn't it?

Born Slippy Nuxx and Banstyle were remixed by Darren Price and Alex Reece prior to BS LP but yeah surprising lack of remixes from others before that.

Listened and decided: it is Cowgirl.

This reissue and gig sent me scurrying to find digital copies of their old remixes of other acts. I wish there was a compilation of the best ones but they were so long it would have to run for hours.

From memory wasn't BF the first time they got others in to remix their work. Previously it was mainly just Rick wasn't it?

Yeah and this is where things get a little spotty, Rick's own remixes of UW material have been amazing and often result in tunes very different from the originals while some of the outside remixes feel a little substandard. I got the BF singles boxset way back when and I remember really liking one track per disc but kinda forgetting the rest. That said if it has stuff like "Five Points" or "Cappe Ffuno" I will gladly shell out for it.

Ditto for Barking (if they get that far) - I'm suddenly reminded of how many excellent versions of "Always Loved a Film" there was. The only time UW have disappointed me was on that 2-disc version with all the "alternate" takes that more of a "works in progress" disc more than the nearly-finished versions they were playing live and on radio broadcasts.

This reissue and gig sent me scurrying to find digital copies of their old remixes of other acts. I wish there was a compilation of the best ones but they were so long it would have to run for hours.

Was the Cafe Del Mar one "Second Hand"?

Dirty Epic will surely walk this, but am tempted to vote River of Bass just to give it a look-in

Was the Cafe Del Mar one "Second Hand"?

No. Second Hand was an 'edit' of their 20 minute long Thing In A Book mix of Dark & Long that appeared on the first Cafe Del Mar comp.

I meant their actual remix of the track Cafe Del Mar by Mental Generation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DJg5ABvk-E

ah. was confused about that one. never heard many of those early UW remixes, maybe I should seek 'em out.

I still think "Dirty Epic" will be #1 here, but I'm getting the feeling that everyone's just going to vote for their second favorite? "Dirty Epic" is just so massive and all-encompassing, it has so many layers and such a wealth of great moments, I find it hard to believe that it began life as just a remix; to me it's one of the greatest songs ever recorded. Like the ultimate Pet Shop Boys tune that the PSBs couldn't write themselves.

I actually prefer both the "Dirty" and "Dirty Guitar" versions to the album mix. (Sorry, not ducking.)

I'm waiting for my 5CD to arrive, it's starting to feel like it's stuck or lost somewhere. Got a download code but that's only for the album itself.

i love "dirty guitar" but i can't imagine preferring the og "dirty"

sorry eric apparently u baffle me on the reg

I actually prefer both the "Dirty" and "Dirty Guitar" versions to the album mix. (Sorry, not ducking.)

I prefer "Thing In A Book" to anything else they've made but it's not on this album either.

Is it just me or are there 3 different versions of Dark Train? 9'52" / 10'24" / 10'53"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

this 5-disc remaster is so good; never realized what a jam "Dogman Go Woof" is

I finally received it this week - when the guy at the post office returned with it I thought "you idiot, you ordered the vinyl" to myself - hadn't looked at the pictures of the package in detail before :-)

But yeah, it's very good indeed, I hope they do 5-disc versions of the next two albums too.

Yeah, that was like when my Kraftwerk box arrived, was totally expecting a five-inch square thing

I would probably order a 5-disc version of all of their albums. As I've mentioned a dozen times they have sooo much good stuff squared away.

This 3rd disc, with "Thing in a Book" and "Most 'Ospitable" is so ace. TiaB would probably be a top 5 for me track if we did a poll right now. Maybe even like, #1.

Put on the Steppin Razor mix of Song of Life yesterday while going through Underworld remixes on vinyl and holy cow, what an awesome remix. That and Schmoo remix sounded incredible.

'Dirty Epic' and 'Cowgirl' back to back = the peak of this album, for me. Just fucking sublime. Although I don't understand why folks are so down on 'M.E.' ... I love that one!

M.E is ace. One of my favourite tracks of theirs.

"Surfboy" is underrated IMO

As is 'Tongue', which is probably their best track in that mould.