- Audio CD (1 Sep 2000)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Junior Boys Own
- ASIN: B000024B9S
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 82,356 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream Of Love |
| 2. Banstyle/Sappys Curry |
| 3. Confusion The Waitress |
| 4. Rowla |
| 5. Pearls Girls |
| 6. Air Towel |
| 7. Blueski |
| 8. Stagger |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Second Toughest in the Infants came three years after Underworld's potent debut Dubnobasswithmyheadman. Following the group's massive Trainspotting soundtrack hit "Born Slippy", at first glance this offering seems to carry the same epic and elaborate edge of that huge hit.
Opening with an opulent triptych called "Juanita", "Kiteless" and "To Dream Of Love"--three tracks which segue seamlessly into each other and form a quite splendid 16-minute Underworld-a-thon--the trio certainly weren't afraid to indulge when making this LP. The next track, "Banstyle/Sappys Curry" seems to confirm this, weighing in at an impressive 15 minutes, though this time nose-diving into some atmospheric, oceanic drum & bass a la LTJ Bukem.
Throughout the rest of the album, Underworld alternate between assuaging their raging club beats with warm washes of sound and beatless splashes of colour, and offering more straight-up heavyweight club fodder. "Confusion the Waitress" carries a definite prog-rock feel in places, "Pearls Girl" takes a more breakbeat-fuelled route and is arguably one of the album's most thrilling moments, while tracks such as "Air Towel" are as insubstantial as their name suggests--flimsy, inconsequential "Detroitian" workouts lacking real punch. "Blueski" is a little better, straying as it does into an acoustic psychedelic roam while the final track "Stagger" is a similarly beatless meander, though more maudlin and electronic this time and featuring Hyde's best vocal performance of the album. Overall, there are some solid tracks here, but it's less sinewy and more indulgent feel make it not quite as essential as its predecessor. --Paul Sullivan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Second toughest? Who's the first!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Second Toughest in the Infants (Audio CD)
Well, Underworld have surpassed themselves. I started out with dubnobasswithmyheadman, and thought the world of it. Pumping bass, with some of the most intricate beats. Able to get up and dance to the fast drums, or chill out to the overlapping and intertwining drums and synths on the top.Then I got second toughest. My illusions of what underworld where/are expanded, whilst still having the chill or dance appeal. Underworld expanded the margins of dance music in my world. There are of course as with any record stand out tracks. They only stand out because of personal preference. Everybody has favorite stand out tracks. For me "Confusion, The Waitress" has the most amazing feel to it. with the heavy HEAVY beat and the definitely confusing synths, over the top is an almost lifeless voice with the best message to live by. Only bands with special talents can take you to places you've never seen or heard on the 40th time you listen to the cd.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tears of Joy,
By Tim Gardner (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Second Toughest in the Infants (Audio CD)
The first time I heard this album it brought tears to my eyes. This is one of the most sensitive and gentle yet danceable albums I have ever heard. It's all covered from techno and perfectly timed breaks of the first three mixed tracks of Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love- calming it right down to soft, ambient drum and bass of Banstyle/Sappys's curry-and that's just the first third of the album. Karl Hyde's lyrics are as poetic as any scene from Keats or Larkin and with Emerson and Smith make up a truly holy triumvirate. More sparkly and with more production experience that Dubnobasswithmyheadman and with more purity and etherial magic than the following albums, this is Underworlds finest piece of work among an entire crop of genius. Another massive recommendation would be the Everything, Everything world tour video for post-clubbing heightening and wonder.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and beautiful.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Second Toughest in the Infants (Audio CD)
Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream Of Love is a great three-track mix of trance, featuring vocals (both repetative at the start and emotional at the end), lovely piano and guitar-sounding backdrops and solid beats with plenty of well-made sound effects. The next track, Barnstyle/Sappy's Curry is more drum and bass, but with a definite chilled vibe. I don't enjoy it much, because I'm not a huge chillout fan and when it comes to DnB I like it dark and bass-heavy, so this combination doesn't really work for me, but it's still an OK track.Confusion The Waitress has a very cool, dark, almost 'secret agent' vibe to it, with a sparse feeling and a simple but seriously cool two-note synth refrain driving it along. Rowla is a fine track, taking one theme and wrapping it around some nice beats. Pearls Girl is a track I've known for a while but initially didn't enjoy much, but these days it's growing on me more and fast becoming one of my favourite Underworld tracks. It starts with a long pad sequence, moving into a broken beat and some typically random vocals, then these 3 main elements are put together over the rest of the track. Blueski and Air Towel are good tracks, although slightly unmemorable compared to the likes of J/K/T, Confusion and Pearl's Girl, and Stagger is a more ambient track with quite powerful vocals. I'll admit that when I first bought this album I was completely unimpressed and was ready to go to town and take it back the next day, but I gave it another chance and I'm so glad I did, it's dark and subtle but very good. I don't know if I'd recommend this as a first album for people getting into the band (these people might want to check out their "Everything, Everything Live" album, featuring some of their best work and not quite as long as the recent anthology, which is good too but might be bewildering), but if you're a fan of some of the band's other songs, or you like dark electronic music, you should check this album out, especially considering it's a very good price if you look in the right places (like here at Amazon)
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