Customer Reviews

Dubnobasswithmyheadman

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As well as being Underworlds best album, Dubnobasswithmyheadman has to go down as one of my favoutrite albums of all time. It really is that good.

Timeless UK intelligent house/trance at it's very best. This album is the Rolls Royce of dance albums.

Darren Emmersons vocals on top of lush intelligent soundscapes and groovy basslines all go to make a musical journey of unparalleded quality. I have quite few decent dance albums including such stormers as BT's "ESCM" and "Movement in still" life. Of course there's the must haves such as Leftfields "Leftism" and Massive Attacks "Protection" but I would say this beats them............

It has everything: Chugging along 4/4 beats, superb vocals, fantastic basslines(Especially on M.E!), amazing fx and synths and superb breaks.

Buy it and enjoy.

i had to choose my favourite dance album i would plump for......errr Flukes " The Techno Rose Of Blighty " but... but it,s a jolly close call between that album and "Dubnobasswithmyheadman" by Underworld . As well as being that very rare thing- a dance album that works as a complete entity this album was also hugely influential , both in terms of music( most importantly ) and design ( it,s listed in the book "The Greatest Album Covers Of All Time)
Underworld were originally a duo formed by Rick Hyde and Karl Smith and were purveyors of anodyne white funk .The introduction of DJ whiz kid Darren Emerson saw the band make a timely change in direction . The groups dance music integrated disparate genres- dub, funk,house, techno, pop- but was also significant for the stream of consciousness vocals of karl Hyde which slip in and out of the music and are thus almost part of the music itself. Once their single "Rez"/ "Cowgirl" had taken clubs by storm their success was assured but who could have guessed at just how wonderful their debut album would be.
Released in 1993 "Dubnobasswithmyheadman" is also that very rare thing - a dance album that never becomes tiresome no matter how many times you listen to it. "Dark & Long" kicks things off with some slightly sinister harder edged funk and leads into the truly extraordinary "Mmm... Skyscraper I Love You". Almost a rambling pop song Skyscraper transcends the tumbling percussion, pulsing rhythms and flagrant synth strings to become a moving humanistic paean to something man made but beautiful ( Think of the cityscape shots of London in The Apprentice)
Elsewhere the piano heavy "M.E.", the choppy riffs of Tongue", the thumping but languid "Dirty Epic" and the propulsive "Spoonman" striate the album with true variety . The true dance floor gem though is "Cowgirl". Hyde,s vocals pepper the build and release anthemic arrangement . Its one of those tracks that even now , at my rapidly advancing years makes me want to jig around like one of Madonna,s backing dancers.
The only possible complaint that could be made about this album is the non-inclusion of the gyroscopic wonder "Rez" .Otherwise "Dubnobasswithmyheadman" is a perfect amalgamation of the multi-faceted dance genre . It somehow though , manages to infuse all this with the rhythms of a tremulous human heart to match the rhythms of the dance floor .It appeals to the head as well as the hips.

it is almost 10 years now since this album was first released and underworld have never bettered it - they've come close, yes, but none of their subsequent albums have quite had the consistency of their debut release - every single track here is superb.

furthermore the album hasn't dated at all - it still sounds fresh today, something borne out by the fact that so many of today’s leading djs are still playing cuts from this album in 2003: ‘cowgirl’ and ‘dark and long’ in particular.

the album starts with the wonderfully brooding ‘dark & long’ - nine minutes of hypnotic grooves with karl hydes now familiar surreal vocals over the top. after that we’re into the twelve minute epic that is ‘mmm skyscraper i love you’ - a downtempo masterpiece with the haunting refrain “30,000 feet above the earth, it’s a beautiful thing’, and it is indeed.

other highlights include the mellow, guitar based ‘tongue’, the wonderful ‘dirty epic’ with it’s tale of “phone sex” and “christ on crutches” which segues into the dancefloor killer ‘cowgirl’, the song that first brought underworld to everyone’s attention.

the closing tracks plough a more chilled vein – ‘river of bass’ is another hypnotic gem whilst ‘m.e.’ is a beautiful end to what is a seminal album.

if you’ve only heard last year’s somewhat disappointing ‘a hundred days off’ album then do yourself a favour and get this album to discover how underworld sound when they’re on top of their game.

electronica never sounded so good.

Very chill D&B/House album with a great sense of experiment without getting all to advanced. Much like Kruder&Dorfmeister but more melodic and relaxed. Almost perfect for any kind of Zendish modes - driving, coding, romanzing. When alone with this album U will be lifted from reality to experience true focusing.

Writing this after listing to 2nd Toughest in the Infants, as well as 'Fish, this album maybe shows its lack of production finesse. This, however, doesn't take the shine away from what is a superb mix of chilled out trip music which doesn't dare to be different.

From the wonderful opening of "Dark & Long" to the closing with "M.E.", you cannot disagree that you've been on a roller coaster ride all the way up a skyscraper and back down. Since getting this album I've found it hard to listen to much else.

Listen to this on a Sunday evening when you wish you could go out, but then this album makes it worth staying at home. Make sure it sits side by side to 2nd toughest though!

From the opening pulses of 'Dark and Long' through the wonderful melody of 'Dirty Epic' and the instant classic 'Cowgirl, you can be assured of a brilliant experience.

One of the few dance albums ever made that you won't find yourself pushing the 'skip' button, every song is enjoyable and different from each other.

It's also an album that you can listen to, as well as dance to, actually I find it more enjoyable just to listen to it. There are so many beautiful sounds and textures, it's good to take time out to appreciate the amount of work that has gone into this album.

This album is a shining light for the techno genre, it shows that not all techno is boring and loud. An album to savour.

Really cheap buy at 99 pence just right for background music not what you want when out running though its ok

Dubnobasswithmyheadman. What else is to be said about this album? It's not only one of the best electronic albums of all time, it's one of the best albums ever made. Just saying the name of this album and looking at the art cover, you know that it's going to be awesome.

Along with other electronic acts like Aphex Twin, Moby, Björk, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack, Underworld had revolutionized electronic music in the 1990s.

Memorable tracks like Dark & Long, MMM Skyscraper I Love You, Dirty Epic and Cowgirl, Karl Hyde's hypnotic lyrics; great music from Darren Emerson and Rick Smith and fantastic production values is what made this album so good.

This is a classic album that any music fan should pick up. It's one of my favourite albums of all time and I'll always keep coming back listening to this album over and over again.

Track Picks:

Dark & Long

Mmm...Skyscraper I Love You

Dirty Epic

Cowgirl

M.E.

DW Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

More reviews of mine at [...]

I've had this CD since the early 90s and subsequently most of Underworld's other albums. It has finally worn out so I am purchasing a used copy from Amazon, as I am sure I want to continue listening to it. I'm not one for dwelling on the past and my music taste keeps changing. However, this is such a nostalgic album I can't live without it. It's the best Underworld, and probably my favorite all time album.

The seminal work by Underworld, before the world got to know about "Lager, Lager" this album ripped into my life and remains my favorite album of all. Forget your Basement Jaxx and Chemical Brothers, this is the real way to give it some.