Underworld 1994 (left to right: Rick Smith, Karl Hyde, Darren Emerson)
Introduction
In 1996 Underworld released Second Toughest In The Infants. After the release of Dubnobasswithmyheadman in 1994 everyone was convinced that it could not be surpassed. Underworld proved many people wrong!
This article has a related sub-article: Underworld – Second Toughest In The Infants – Reissue liner notes, which contains the complete liner notes that were included with the 2015 reissue of Second Toughest In The Infants.
Underworld – dubnobasswithmyheadman
Underworld
Rick Smith and Karl Hyde have known each other since the late 1970s. After playing in several bands, the duo founded the group Underworld in 1987. The band was named after the 1985 horror film Underworld. In 1988 the band released its debut album Underneath The Radar, followed by Change The Weather in 1989. The music was mainstream pop, with which the band scored a few minor hits. After a tour as the support act for Eurythmics, the band split up in 1990. The music simply didn’t feel right.
Meanwhile, the art collective Tomato was founded, of which both Smith and Hyde were members. In 1992 Smith and Hyde reunited and recruited DJ Darren Emerson, once again under the name Underworld. The first version of Underworld is often referred to as Mk1, the second version as Mk2. The difference in music between Mk1 and Mk2 was enormous.
In 1992 Underworld Mk2 debuted with the 12-inch Mother Earth, followed in 1993 by Mmm… Skyscraper I Love You and the sublime Rez. The new musical direction suited the band members better and from the very beginning resulted in exciting, innovative and original electronic dance music. The music of Smith and Emerson merged beautifully with Hyde’s impressionistic lyrical fragments.
On 24 January 1994 the debut album of Underworld Mk2 was released. Dubnobasswithmyheadman was enthusiastically received by the press, where the mix of electronic music with analogue instruments, indie, dance and pop was highly praised. Underworld quickly secured an important place in the emerging dance and rave scenes.
Underworld also stood out because of their exciting live performances, which made the band noticeable in the dance scene, partly due to the use of analogue instruments such as bass and guitar. After the single Born Slippy (with Born Slippy .NUXX as the B-side) the band entered the studio to record album number two (of the Mk2 version of the band).
Note:
More about Underworld can be read in the article about the third Underworld (Mk2) album Beaucoup Fish.
Underworld – Second Toughest In The Infants
Second Toughest In The Infants
On 11 March 1996 the album Second Toughest In The Infants was released. The group experimented with sounds, rhythms, melodies and lyrics, resulting in rave reviews and increasing sales, although these were most likely boosted by the non-album single Born Slippy .NUXX, which was released on 1 July 1996 and became one of the best-selling dance singles of all time.
Cover/Title
Like the cover of dubnobasswithmyheadman, the cover of Second Toughest In The Infants was designed by the art collective Tomato.
The title of the album was inspired by the reaction of Rick Smith’s younger nephew when he was asked how he experienced kindergarten (infant school).
Underworld – Second Toughest In The Infants – Advertisement
Review
As ridiculously good as dubnobasswithmyheadman was, Underworld almost crushed that album with Second Toughest In The Infants. The combination of dance, rock, drum-n-bass, breakbeat and acoustic instruments is infectious and addictive. The album already earns its timeless status because of the opener alone. Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream Of Love lasts over 16 minutes and never becomes boring. With the introduction of each new instrument or percussive element the excitement keeps building. I once read that “never has the introduction of a hi-hat seemed quite so exciting”, and that sums it up perfectly. Addictive, innovative, and when Hyde’s distorted voice enters after almost one minute, the party is complete.
Your rails
Your thin
Your thin paper wings
Your thin paper wings
In the wind dangling© 1996 Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream Of Love, Underworld
The piano motifs, the broad guitar chords, the breaks and the at times relentless beat are all equally exciting.
There is a sound on the other side of this wall
A bird is singing on the other side of this glass
Footsteps
Concealed
Silence is preserving a voice
Walking in the wind at the waters edge
Comes close to covering my rubber feet
Listening to the barbed wire hanging© 1996 Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream Of Love, Underworld
When the above line appears after almost 13 minutes, the excitement is still just as strong.
This masterpiece is followed by Banstyle/Sappys Curry, Underworld’s lounge version: wonderfully laid-back and atmospheric, and over 15 minutes long: “Think I found the real stuff”, indeed! After two tracks the album has already passed the half-hour mark, without a single moment of boredom. After the minimalism of Confusion The Waitress and the almost aggressive Rowla, another highlight follows: Pearls Girl (released as the single Pearl’s Girl). Busy breakbeats, a sense of menace, and Hyde’s associative lyrics.
Rioja, Rioja, Reverend Al Green
Deep blue Morocco
The water on stone
The water on concrete
The water on sand
The water on fire, smoke
The wind, the salt
The bride boat coming
Dave in the water
Old man Einstein on top of his house
White, deep blue, Andalusia
Red yellow, red yellow
Black car, red light bar black glaze walls
Blue chair, Morocco, Hamburg, Paris
The pieces of the puzzle are waiting
The water of the dark boats
Gliding the bride boat gone out to sea and
Dave is floating, Dave is floating
And old man Einstein, crazy in his atticCrazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy
Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy
Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy
Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy
Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy
Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazyWhite room, sun room, shadow room
Night transmitting cars across the room
These things sent to dance across the room
I’m watching from your bed, returning to you© 1996 Pearls Girl, Underworld
Following this seems almost impossible, but Air Towel manages to do so remarkably well. Blueski is a calm instrumental guitar piece that creates a beautiful moment of rest after all the dance intensity. The closing track Stagger is mysterious and sounds nothing like what came before.
It should be clear by now. Based on the tracks Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream Of Love, Banstyle/Sappys Curry, and Pearls Girl alone, this album is essential listening. It not only ranks among the best Underworld ever released, but also among the undisputed highlights of dance music in general.
Underworld – Second Toughest In The Infants – Singles
Singles
The album produced three singles.
- Pearl’s Girl
(released in May and October 1996) - Rowla
(released in 1996) - Juanita
(released in 1996, promo)
Underworld – Second Toughest In The Infants – Back cover
Songs
All songs written by Rick Smith, Karl Hyde & Darren Emerson, unless otherwise indicated.
- Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream Of Love
- Banstyle/Sappys Curry
- Confusion The Waitress
- Rowla (Rick Smith, Karl Hyde)
- Pearls Girl
- Air Towel (Rick Smith, Karl Hyde)
- Blueski (Rick Smith, Karl Hyde)
- Stagger (Rick Smith, Karl Hyde)
Later editions of the album included a number of bonus tracks, including Born Slippy .NUXX, Rez, Cherry Pie and Pearl’s Girl. The 2025 deluxe edition contained three extra discs filled with B-sides, alternative mixes, outtakes and “The evolution of Born Slippy .NUXX”.
Underworld – Born Slippy
After Second Toughest In The Infants
In May 1995 the band released the single Born Slippy, which featured Born Slippy .NUXX as the B-side. The single did not make much impact. On 23 February 1996 the film Trainspotting was released. Besides Dark & Long, the soundtrack also included Born Slippy .NUXX. On 1 July 1996 this version was released as a single and became a major success. It was certified platinum in the UK, but the single was successful throughout Europe and also gained traction in the United States. Almost overnight, Underworld had become a major name.
The band went on tour and released Beaucoup Fish in 1999. Read the article about that album here.
In closing
What do you think of Second Toughest In The Infants? Let us know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: Underworld’s spectacular Second Toughest In The Infants album. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
