Underworld 1992-2002

They Say...

Review by John Bush, All Music Guide

Injecting a much-needed dose of darkness and cynicism into the increasingly scrubbed, hygienic dance scene of the early '90s, Underworld brought a young producer (Darren Emerson) together with two veteran musicians (Rick Smith, Karl Hyde) to create one of the most intriguing partnerships the genre had ever seen. Underworld never fell into the tar pits of major electronica artists during the '90s: even while remaining a concert draw witnessed by millions and presenting themselves as tremendously effective album artists, they continued releasing tough tracks -- not pop-oriented singles -- and never slipped into the album rock crowd (led by the Chemical Brothers and Orbital) or the indie rock crossovers of techno experimentalists (Aphex Twin, Autechre). The Underworld hits compilation 1992-2002 is a release worthy of their legacy, a collection that refuses to give short shrift to one of the decade's most important acts. A double-disc collection (for both limited-edition and regular release), it compiles the original 12" versions for nearly every single (instead of settling for radio edits or album versions) and begins with a pair of singles recorded in 1992 as Lemon Interrupt, "Bigmouth" and the club hit "Dirty." Underworld's best-known singles -- "MMM Skyscraper I Love You," "Dirty Epic," "Born Slippy," "Pearls Girl" -- share space with precious singles such as "Rez" and "Spikee" that never appeared on an album. 1992-2002 suffers only in comparison to Underworld's excellent proper albums (Dubnobasswithmyheadman, Second Toughest in the Infants, Beaucoup Fish), the best of which were definitive examples of energy and pacing. It will also come as too much for listeners who want only a brief collection including the gist of the group; extended versions of Underworld singles (most of which approach the ten-minute mark) weren't originally meant to be heard start-to-finish, one after another.