Determine Your Favorite Underworld Album - With SCIENCE!

[ultradave]

Originally Posted by khouri

For some dumb insomnia reason...

I get those all the time. Great post! I always end up listening to UW while visiting the forum. I'm going w/your science. I've listed the tracks in my calculation for LP's that do not get my 100%. It doesn't mean that I do not like these tracks, they are just the weakest links to my for each LP.

I'm also including the 2 previous UW LP's which obviously have fallen through the cracks...

Underneath The Radar
50% (Call Me No. 1, Miracle Party, I Need A Doctor, Bright White Flame, The God Song) - Overall not a terrible release for the sound they were going for, however, I think Freur was a bit better.

Change The Weather
30% (Fever, Mercy, Mr. Universe, Texas, Thrash, Sole Survivor, Beach) - This LP marks the end of a New Wave/Pop/Funk era and likely could have been the end of UW...

dubnobasswithmyheadman
100% - Pivotal.

Second Toughest In The Infants
100% - Going strong with a hard beats and thus reaching Techno King status.

Beaucoup Fish
64% (Winjer, Skym, Kittens, Something Like a Mama) - I do like this whole LP, it was really when I got into them and I was fortunate enough to see them perform live when they came to the U.S. and played a show in Santa Monica, CA. It's what ignited my desire to see them every time I could when they make it out to the west coast.

A Hundred Days Off
50% (Twist, Little Speaker, Ess Gee, Dinosaur Adv 3D, Ballet Lane) - Exit Emerson. As a duo, this LP was a test to their creativity and whether or not they could survive. It had some very strong tracks, which still stand as a few of my favourites.

Oblivion With Bells
73% (To Heal, Cuddle Bunny..., Faxed Invitation, Good Morning Cockerel) - My % may be boosted because I included Loads of Birds, which should have been released on every version of OWB because it's one of their better tracks.

Barking
60% (Hamburg Hotel, Diamond Jigsaw, Moon In Water, Louisiana) - Most of the tracks that I don't mind, I just feel like they would have been fine as a B-Side... You Do Scribble and some of the other River Run tracks would have been more successful had they been released w/this LP... IMO...

Barbara, Barbara...
80% (If Rah, Santiago Cuatro) - I still rank it a 10 because Twenty Three Blue is absolutely amazing and Nylon Strung is still an instant repeat almost every time I play it.

Well, this has been fun!

[darmok]

OK, I'll bite:

dubno:

d&l: 10/10 | mmm skyscraper: 10/10 | surfboy: 8/10 | spoonman: 6/10 | tongue: 9/10 | dirty epic: 10/10 | cowgirl: 10/10 | river of bass: 8/10 | me: 7/10

total = 78/90 = 87%

STITI:

Juanita/Kiteless/TDOL: 10/10 | Banstyle / Sappys Curry: 7/10 | Confusion: 7/10 | Rowla: 5/10 | Pearls Girl: 10/10 | Air Towel: 7/10 | Blueski: 6/10 | Stagger: 7/10

total = 59/80 = 74%

BF:

Cups: 10/10 | Push: 10/10 | Jumbo: 10/10 | King of Snake: 9/10 | Winjer: 7/10 | Skym: 5/10 | Bruce Lee: 10/10 | Kittens: 9/10 | Push Downstairs: 2/10 | Something Like a Mama: 8/10 | Moaner: 9/10

total = 89/110 = 81%


EE: not an album, but rating it just to give Nuxx no points out of spite

Juanita / Kiteless: 10/10 | Cups: 10/10 | Push: 10/10 | Pearls: 10/10 | Jumbo: 9/10 | King of Snake: 10/10 | Nuxx: 0/10 | Rez/Cowgirl: 10/10

total = 69/80 = 86%

AHDO:

Mo Move: 9/10 | TMO: 9/10 | Twist: 5/10 | Sola Sistim: 3/10 | Little Speaker: 5/10 | Trim: 3/10 | Ess Gee: 2/10 | Dino Adventure 3D: 8/10 | Ballet Lane: 5/10 | Luetin: 6/10

total = 55 / 100 = 55%

riverrun: not going to try to rate this, it's not an album

OWB:

Crocodile: 10/10 | BB: 10/10 | Holding the Moth: 7/10 | To Heal: 0/10 | Ring Road: 9/10 | Glam Bucket: 9/10 | BBB: 7/10 | Cuddle Bunny: 6/10 | Faxed Invitation: 9/10 | Good Morning Cockerel: 7/10 | Best Magmu: 8/10

(not including Loads of Birds because it was never part of the album for me, I got the JP version way later, and it wouldn't change the score anyway)

total = 82/110 = 75%

Barking:

Bird 1: 7/10 | ALAF: 10/10 | Scribble: 7/10 | HH: 6/10 | Grace: 4/10 | Between Stars: 9/10 | Diamond Jigsaw: 0/10 | Moon In Water: 7/10 | Louisiana: 9/10

total = 59/90 = 66%

BB:

I Exhale: 7/10 | If Rah: 9/10 | Low Burn: 7/10 | Santiago Cuatro: 5/10 | Motorhome: 0/10 | Ova Nova: 8/10 | Nylon Strung: 6/10 | 23 Blue: 9/10

total = 51/80 = 64%

======================================

That puts my bythenumbers ranking at: dubno, BF, OWB, STITI, Barking, Barbara, AHDO

[joethelion]

okay, so if we're ranking each individual song...

If a track gets a 10, does that mean we think that there's not a better edit or remix of the track?

Or just that you really like it?

And, if it's a track that you always skip - does that mean that it'd have to be ranked '5' or lower?

[khouri]

Originally Posted by joethelion

okay, so if we're ranking each individual song...

If a track gets a 10, does that mean we think that there's not a better edit or remix of the track?

Or just that you really like it?

And, if it's a track that you always skip - does that mean that it'd have to be ranked '5' or lower?

YOU MUST BE RUTHLESS. Rate only the album versions of tracks. No skipping tracks. You must listen and rate it with ruthless honesty. If you always skip the track, is it a 1? A ZERO?

[khouri]

I was at that Santa Monica show! It started an hour late.

[dubman]

Originally Posted by purlieu

Ok then

The most obvious differences are M.E., Diamond Jigsaw, Louisiana, and the bulk of OWB.

it's interesting because you don't seem to be into the quieter, textural tracks off their early albums as you are into their later ones. and for me that's almost completely flipped

Originally Posted by joethelion

okay, so if we're ranking each individual song...

If a track gets a 10, does that mean we think that there's not a better edit or remix of the track?

Or just that you really like it?

And, if it's a track that you always skip - does that mean that it'd have to be ranked '5' or lower?

SOME THINGS YOU DON'T GET TO KNOW.

Originally Posted by darmok

Nuxx: 0/10
Little Speaker: 5/10

Luetin: 6/10
ALAF: 10/10

Louisiana: 9/10
Motorhome: 0/10

.........huh.

is hating on Nuxx really a thing?

[darmok]

Originally Posted by dubman

.........huh.

is hating on Nuxx really a thing?

It is for me I guess? All opinions subject to the whims of my idiosyncratic brain.

[purlieu]

Originally Posted by dubman

it's interesting because you don't seem to be into the quieter, textural tracks off their early albums as you are into their later ones. and for me that's almost completely flipped

I dunno, I rate M.E. and Tongue, and not Santiago Cuatro. But I get what you mean: I love stuff like Ess Gee, Good Morning Cockerel and Louisiana. Maybe it's the more acoustic sounds of these that appeal to me, and my love of music at the point where ambient / classical / folk / post rock meets. Stuff like Stagger is nice but doesn't quite grab me in the same way. I suppose it's less conventionally pretty / emotional. I'm a sucker for that stuff. It might be Edgeland is my second favourite thing Karl's been on (behind OWB).

is hating on Nuxx really a thing?

I get finding its over-exposure grating (as a FSOL fanboy I've had my moments of disliking Papua New Guinea), but giving it a 0/10 no redeeming features score seems baffling to me.

[joethelion]

Okay - this was harder than I thought it'd be... and plus I kept going "well, if I gave 'song A' an 8 then I can't give 'song B' an 8 too"

Dark & Long - 8
Mmm Skyscraper - 10
Surfboy - 2 (it only gets points for the last 3 minutes, but even that goes on a bit too long)
Spoonman - 7
Tongue - 9
Dirty Epic - 10
Cowgirl - 10
River of Bass - 9
M.E. - 6

Juanita / Kiteless / To Dream of Love - 10
Banstyle / Sappys Curry - 8 (“Sappys Curry” goes on a bit too long)
Confusion the Waitress - 8
Rowla - 7
Pearls Girl - 10
Air Towel - 6
Blueski - 8
Stagger - 7.5

Cups / Pins - 10
Push Upstairs - 10
Jumbo - 9
King of Snake - 6.5… although it’s hard for me to rank it, as it’s fantastic live… but it’s missing something on the studio version.
Winjer - 7
Skym - 7.25
Bruce Lee - 8
Kittens - 7
Push Downstairs - 9
Something Like a Mama - 7
Moaner - 10

Momove - 8
Two Months Off - 9
Twist - 6 (prefer the early version, or the live version)
Sola Sistim - 8
Little Speaker - 7
Trim - 3
Ess Gee - 7
Dinosaur Adventure 3D - 6 (prefer the RCM, or when they played it live)
Ballet Lane - 4
Luetin - 10

Crocodile - 7
Beautiful Burnout - 8
Holding the Moth - 9
To Heal - 3
Ring Road - 9
Glam Bucket - 9
Boy Boy Boy - 5
Cuddle Bunny - 7
Faxed Invitation - 4
Good Morning Cockerel - 6
Best Mamgu Ever - 8
Loads of Birds - 7

Bird 1 - 9
ALAF - 5
Scribble - 4
Hamburg Hotel - 6.5
Grace - 7.75
Between Stars - 6
Diamond Jigsaw - 6.5
Moon in Water - 4
Louisiana - 5


I Exhale - 8
If Rah - 1 (the only version that I can stand is the Herbert remix)
Low Burn - 7
Santiago Cuatro - 8
Motorhome - 3
Ova Nova - 6
Nylon Strung - 5
Twenty Three Blue - 10

[dubman]

Originally Posted by joethelion

Air Towel - 6
Faxed Invitation - 4
If Rah - 1 (the only version that I can stand is the Herbert remix)

YOWZAH
good to see another River of Bass fan though.


i want more numbers so fringe patterns can come up and we can have, like, factions.