SECOND TOUGHEST IN THE INFANTS

'''Second Toughest in the Infants''' is a 1996 album by Underworld.
This 1996 album was Underworld's first album that could be classified as Progressive House, being a mixture of techno, progressive rock, and having some other influences as well. The first track is the best example of this. A track in three movements, ''Juanita / Kiteless / To Dream Of Love'' resembles some of the longer progressive rock songs in the mid seventies such as Joe's Garage, Supper's Ready and Close to the Edge, while retaining elements most common to techno. The second track, ''Banstyle / Sappy's Curry'' is also a journey, though not as enthralling as the first track, still deserves some credit for its acoustic guitar pieces. The third track, ''Confusion the Waitress'' is a dark track, which leads up to a lighter track following, ''Rowla''. Some people enjoy ''Rowla'', but the most common opinion is that ''Cherry Pie'', a more refined and more experimental version of this track, should have been put on the album instead of being destined to be a b-side on the Pearl's Girl EP. The next track, ''Pearls Girl'', is more straightforward than the rest of the songs on this album, but features fast breakbeats leading to a sound closer to drum and bass. Clocking in at nearly nine minutes, this was their dancefloor hit. ''Air Towel'' is an interesting track, with many unintelligible lyrics and some odd instrumentation. ''Blueski'' is a two minute guitar section similar to Horizons by Genesis in its function and placement on the album. The final track, ''Stagger'', is a slow, quiet ending to the album.

Contents

Title

Track listing

Bonus disc

Title

The unusual name of the album derives from a comment made by duo member Rick Smith's six-year-old nephew, Simon Prosser, when asked on his progress at school. "The Infants" refers to Infant School, which is attended by four- to seven-year-old children in the UK.

Track listing

All songs by Darren Emerson, Karl Hyde, and Rick Smith unless noted.
# "Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love" – 16:36
# "Banstyle/Sappy's Curry" – 15:22
# "Confusion the Waitress" – 6:47
# "Rowla" – 6:31
# "Pearls Girl" – 9:36
# "Air Towel" – 7:37
# "Blueski" – 2:55
# "Stagger" – 7:37

Bonus disc

After the release of "Born Slippy .NUXX" as a single, the album was re-released with a second CD:
# "Born Slippy .NUXX" – 11:40
# "Rez (Hyde/Smith)" – 9:55
# "Cherry Pie" – 8:25
# "Pearls Girl (Carp Dreams Mix)" – 10:06