Second Toughest in the Infants

Second Toughest in the Infants
Studio album by Underworld
Released 11 March 1996
Recorded 1995, Lemonworld Studios, London
Genre Techno, progressive house, progressive trance, ambient, experimental
Length 73:01
Label Junior Boy's Own
Producer Underworld
Underworld chronology
dubnobass-
withmyheadman
(1994)String Module Error: Match not found1994		 Second Toughest in the Infants
(1996)		 Beaucoup Fish
(1999)Beaucoup Fish1999
Singles from Second Toughest in the Infants
  1. "Pearl's Girl"
    Released: May 1996, October 1996 (re-issue)
  2. "Rowla"
    Released: 1996
  3. "Juanita"
    Released: 1996 (promo only)
Alternative cover
Vinyl edition

Second Toughest in the Infants is the fourth album by Underworld, and the second in their "MK2" line-up with Darren Emerson. With this album, Underworld expanded on their progressive palette, while developing their signature sound of abrasive beats and anthemic melodies. The curious name of the album derives from a comment made by member Rick Smith's six-year-old nephew, Simon Prosser, when asked on his progress at infant school (the level of schooling attended by four- to seven-year-old children in the United Kingdom): "Yeah, don't worry about me, I'm second toughest in the infants now".[1] Second Toughest featured the single "Pearl's Girl". The re-issue featured the band's best known single, "Born Slippy .NUXX".

The album was remastered and re-released on 20 November 2015 with deluxe and super-deluxe expanded editions.[2]

Overview

The album opens with the multi-song suite "Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love", which features all three parts intersecting each other at various points during the piece; hence, the use of colons instead of slashes in its name. The loungy, drum and bass track "Banstyle" follows, alongside its downtempo, half-speed counterpart "Sappy's Curry". The rest of the record showcases advancements in the Underworld sound: both "Rowla" and "Pearl's Girl" feature club-ready abrasive beats and basslines, while "Blueski" and "Stagger" incorporate live acoustic guitar and light, melancholic arrangements, respectively. "Pearl's Girl" is one of the few Underworld songs to use breakbeats.

Due to the success of the single" Born Slippy .NUXX", Second Toughest was re-issued with a bonus disc containing the single-only tracks "Born Slippy .NUXX" and "Rez"; Japanese editions also featured "Cherry Pie" and the "(Carp Dreams... Koi)" mix of "Pearl's Girl".

The song titles "Sappy's Curry", "Pearl's Girl" and "Born Slippy" all come from the names of greyhounds from an English racing stadium. These greyhounds finished third, second, and first during Underworld's visit to the races.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[6]
The Guardian[7]
Muzik5/5[8]
NME8/10[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Select5/5[11]
Uncut8/10[12]
The Village VoiceC+[13]

Like their previous effort dubnobasswithmyheadman, Second Toughest in the Infants received critical acclaim. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that Second Toughest in the Infants "carries the same knockout punch of their debut, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, but it's subtler and more varied, offering proof that the outfit is one of the leading dance collectives of the mid-'90s."[14] Anya Sacharow of Entertainment Weekly stated that Underworld "know how to expand the frenzy of techno and jungle and then retreat to an ambient cool" and that "the art is in the segue",[6] while NME stated that the album has a "smooth of touch, sleek of footing and downright slippery of rhythm, the anti-Green Day trio breezily persevere in their quest for Western groove domination."[9] The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[15]

2015 reissue

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian[16]
Mojo[17]
Pitchfork8.8/10[18]
PopMatters10/10[19]
Q[20]
Uncut9/10[21]

In 2015, the album was reissued on vinyl and 2-CD and 4-CD expanded editions. Highlighting alternate mixes, remixes and unreleased songs, the 4-CD version includes a full CD of variations of "Born Slippy .NUXX", from one of the song's earliest versions in 1994, up until its final form a year later (which is included here in its 1996 extended form). Paul Simpson from AllMusic in his retrospective review said that "Second Toughest in the Infants endures as a landmark album, spotlighting Underworld at their creative peak, and remaining an important document of an era when experimental, cerebral electronic dance music received significant mainstream attention."[22]

Accolades

  • Melody Maker (12/21-28/96, pp. 66–67) - Ranked #5 on Melody Maker's list of 1996's "Albums Of The Year." [23]
  • Melody Maker (3 September 1996, p. 35) - Recommended - "... Underworld are modest/cynical/smart enough to borrow jungle's finest trademarks ..." [23]
  • Mojo (p. 54) - Ranked #96 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "Everything with Underworld is in the detail -- never has the introduction of a hi-hat seemed quite so exciting." [23]
  • NME (12/21-28/96, pp. 66–67) - Ranked #37 in NME's 1996 critics' poll.[23]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Juanita : Kiteless : To Dream of Love"Emerson/Hyde/Smith16:36
2."Banstyle/Sappy's Curry"Emerson/Hyde/Smith15:22
3."Confusion the Waitress"Emerson/Hyde/Smith6:47
4."Rowla"Hyde/Smith6:31
5."Pearl's Girl"Emerson/Hyde/Smith9:36
6."Air Towel"Hyde/Smith7:37
7."Blueski"Hyde/Smith2:55
8."Stagger"Hyde/Smith7:37

20th Anniversary 4-CD Super Deluxe Edition (2015)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] N/A 88,000[34]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Male, Andrew (April 1996). "Underworld: Second Toughest In The Infants". Select (70): 91.
  2. ↑ "Second Toughest In The Infants Out Now! | Underworld Live". www.underworldlive.com. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
  3. ↑ Ron Slomowicz. "Interview with Karl Hyde of Underworld". About.com Guide.
  4. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Second Toughest in the Infants – Underworld". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  6. 1 2 Sacharow, Anya (26 April 1996). "Second Toughest in the Infants". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Bennun, David (15 March 1996). "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants (Junior Boys Own)". The Guardian.
  8. ↑ James, Martin (10 March 1996). "Tuff Nuts". Muzik: 93. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants". NME: 41. 9 March 1996.
  10. ↑ Spartos, Carla (2004). "Underworld". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 837. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ↑ Male, Andrew (April 1996). "Underworld: Second Toughest In The Infants". Select (70): 90.
  12. ↑ Bonner, Michael (April 2016). "Underworld: Buyer's Guide". Uncut (227): 29.
  13. ↑ Christgau, Robert (3 December 1996). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  14. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Second Toughest in the Infants – Underworld". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "Rocklist.net...Steve Parker...1001 Albums". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  16. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (10 December 2015). "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants box set review – abstract, expansive art-techno". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  17. ↑ "After nearly 20 years, the relentless forward motion hasn't stilled" – 4/5 MOJO
  18. ↑ Gaerig, Andrew (4 December 2015). "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  19. ↑ Mathers, Ian (9 December 2015). "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants (Super Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  20. ↑ Harrison, Ian (December 2015). "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants". Q (353): 119.
  21. ↑ Richards, Sam (December 2015). "Underworld: Second Toughest in the Infants". Uncut (223): 96.
  22. ↑ Paul Simpson (1996-03-12). "Second Toughest in the Infants - Underworld | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-30.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants CD Album". Cduniverse.com. 1996-03-26. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 27, 20176.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  31. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 1996". Official Charts Company.
  32. ↑ "British album certifications – Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Second Toughest in the Infants in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  33. ↑ "American album certifications – Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  34. ↑ Paoletta, Michael (20 March 1999). "UK Dance Act Targets US Audience With Junior Boy's Own, V2 Disc". Billboard. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
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