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Music CD - Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2
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Music CD: Selected Ambient Works, Vol. 2
Artist: Aphex Twin
List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $12.48
Your Save: $ 7.50 ( 38% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Sire / London/Rhino
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Tracks:
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1. cliffs
2. radiator
3. rhubarb
4. grass
5. mold
6. ropes
7. circles
8. weathered stone
9. tree
10. domino
11. steel plate
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0093624548225
Label: Sire / London/Rhino
Manufacturer: Sire / London/Rhino
Number Of Discs: 2
Publisher: Sire / London/Rhino
Release Date: 1994-04-12
Studio: Sire / London/Rhino
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Ambient/electronic for those who don't know history
Comment: I've been a huge fan of "electronica" since I heard the first synth on a pop record, say about 1968. Since then, I've availed myself of just about every bit of electronic music I could find.
When this came out in 1994, I was underwhelmed, and listening to it right now I still am.
This is bland, formulaic, and trite. Folks who think this is relevant have never heard Another Green World or maybe Music has the Right to Children or even something like Feed me Weird Things.
I've never understood the cult around Mr. James, because to me he's not even in the top 10 much less number 1.
Customer Rating:
Summary: In the Year 3008
Comment: Admittedly I'm not a fan of Richard James' berserk musical gestures. I'm usually left crushed shrugging my shoulders and shaking my head. Not being popular in the conventional sence, nonetheless he has grown a cadre of dedicated enthusiasts......Out of his chaos comes "Selected Ambient Works 2". Carefully analyzed refined compositions. James takes the ambient genre into a new measure. An innovative 2 disc set that avoids falling into that peculiar quagmire which entraps many ambientarians....Strangely transparent simply curved compositions employ unnaturally elogated texts and haunting melodies. A masterful work executed under an alien hazed torchlight. Mysterious timeless music which shall be evaluated and appreciated for millenniums. (But why did he put titles onto these pieces on subsequent editions?)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Richard D. James goes the minimalist route
Comment: Compared to the earlier ambient album by this artist, Volume 2 is a step forward in every sense. It discards much of the easy going, low-key techno beats of the earlier Volume in favor of a true descent into a minimalist soundscape. The whole album sounds far more sparse and ethereal in comparison to Volume 1. Depending on your tastes and needs, you'll either be fascinated or bored and annoyed.
Atmosphere is the all pervading artistic sensibility at work here. This is a musically liberating conception, opposed as it is to the noise and stress of everyday life symbolized by the aggressive nature of much of pop music. Instead of brutal noise and vacuous musical value, Richard D. James wants to slow down our constantly moving environment and hault the continual desensitization of our senses.
This is a wind down album, perfect for listening to at 3 a.m. in the morning, all alone, away from the frenetic madness that most people deal with on a day to day basis. Some of the tracks can be slightly disturbing in their atmosphere. James is never shy about creating a creepy, quasi-modernist avant-garde vibe.
But just wait until you listen to track 3 on disc 1, entitled "rhubarb" and track 8 on disc 2, entitled "lichen". Slow, melodic minimalism of the kind you don't find very often, capable of transporting you into a blissful state of which Beethoven himself would be proud.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Buy it.
Comment: It's worth the CD price just for "Rhurbarb" and "Lichen" if for nothing else. Those are two of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Album that started my journey into Ambient Music
Comment: I purchased Selected Ambient Works 2 quite a while back after hearing a few samples from it. I even heard it in the flash animation "Salad Fingers", which mentioned the name "Aphex Twin" in the music credits. I was always a fan of ambient music in video games and such, but had never thought of purchasing a full Album - until I heard this. This Album started my journey into Ambient Music, and I have since bought many other Ambient Albums from various artists.
The most incredible part of this Album is the strong diversity of ambient music. Very few tracks sound the same, unlike many other Ambient CDs that I own. Most of the Tracks are darker in style, with a few peaceful works mixed in. Track #8, aka "corrugated tubing" on CD2 is about as uplifting as Ambient gets, while the Track right after it, "Lichen", is about as dark as it gets. Some of these tracks are almost alien-like, such as #9 aka "tree" on CD1.
The second CD was a little more enjoyable for me overall. Track #1, "Blue Calx", is perhaps my favorite Track in S.A.W.2. The uplifting melody with the looped ticking sound is perfect for going to sleep at night, or for zoning out after a long day. There is no denying that Track #3 on CD1, "Rhubarb", is an absolute classic as well. This Album is worth the money for these tracks alone.
There are a few negatives in this Album, despite all the greatness. I don't enjoy a few tracks as much as the others. Some of them dragged on too long, while others were too electronic for my taste (such as #7 and #8 on CD1). There is an 11:27 long track in CD2, which I felt could have been cut dramatically (although I still enjoyed the Track).
Overall, S.A.W.2 was well worth the money, and the replay value is most definitely there. Although a few of the tracks didn't appeal to me, that doesn't mean this Album will get anything less than 5 Stars. Ambient just doesn't get much better than this. For new listeners curious about Ambient, I would highly recommend this Album. For anyone else who liked this Album, I would recommend purchasing "On Land" by Brian Eno - another great CD that reveals the dark side of Ambient. On a side note, there was a track left out of S.A.W.2 that can be found in "Excursions in Ambience - The Third Dimension". The track is called "Stone in Focus", and is one of my favorites.
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Editorial Reviews:
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British electronics wunderkind Richard James (alias Aphex Twin, AFX, Polygon Window, etc.) claims he heard the compositions on Selected Ambient Works, Volume II in lucid dreams. Like abstract paintings composed of shades of a single color, James's resonant explorations of specific timbres linger close to a central idea on each cut, incorporating just enough variation to remain disturbing. While its predecessor, Selected Ambient Works '85-'92 drew on seven years' worth of material, the uniform quality of these untitled tracks, plus their judicious sequencing, suggests they were assembled over a shorter period. Clocking in at over 150 minutes, the double-disc set (if this is "selected," how many hours of outtakes remain?) provides an exemplary introduction to the quieter facets of James's expansive, idiosyncratic aesthetic. --Kurt B. Reighley
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