Selected Ambient Works Volume II
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| Selected Ambient Works Volume II | ||
 |
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| Studio album by Aphex Twin | ||
| Released | March 7, 1994 | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | Ambient | |
| Length | 156:51 | |
| Label | Warp Records WARP021 | |
| Producer(s) | Richard D. James | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aphex Twin chronology | ||
| On (1993) |
Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994) |
Classics (1994) |
Selected Ambient Works Volume II (SAW2), released in 1994, is an ambient double album by Richard D. James under his Aphex Twin moniker. It is a follow-up to 1992's Selected Ambient Works 85-92.
Contents |
[edit] Music
Volume II differs significantly from Aphex Twin's first volume in that the first volume is mostly beat-oriented, with complex instrumental rhythmic patterns and heavy bass frequencies. In contrast to the fast, club-inspired ambient music of its predecessor, Volume II consists of slow, moody songs, performed much like ambient pioneer Brian Eno. Many of the tracks feature almost no percussion, and have strong synth textures. James said that the album is "like being in a power station on acid."
[edit] Track listing
Volume II originally consisted of 25 songs, all untitled except for the song "Blue Calx". Every song matches with a specific photograph taken by James himself (except for a solid blue emblem representing the first track of the second CD, "Blue Calx"). The graphics are part of an encoded tracklisting system that uses circles and pie diagrams - present in varying forms among the different releases - to represent each track (indeed, it may even be the case that the diagrams themselves are the actual track names). The lack of written titles for the tracks on this release provided impetus for fans of the album to come up with their own. Officially, however, the songs are still referred to by their track numbers. The most widely accepted track names have been used below:
| Duration | CD | / | VINYL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | [cliffs] | 07:21 | 1-01 | / | A-1 |
| 02 | [radiator] | 06:27 | 1-02 | / | A-2 |
| 03 | [rhubarb] | 07:44 | 1-03 | / | A-3 |
| 04 | [hankie] | 04:31 | 1-04 | / | A-4 (Warp CD only, not the US edition) |
| 05 | [grass] | 08:51 | 1-05 | / | B-1 |
| 06 | [mould] | 03:27 | 1-06 | / | B-2 |
| 07 | [ropes] aka [curtains] | 08:42 | 1-07 | / | B-3 |
| 08 | [blur] | 05:02 | 1-08 | / | B-4 |
| 09 | [weathered stone] | 06:45 | 1-09 | / | C-1 |
| 10 | [tree] | 09:48 | 1-10 | / | C-2 |
| 11 | [domino] | 07:09 | 1-11 | / | C-3 |
| 12 | [white blur 1] | 02:37 | 1-12 | / | C-4 |
| 13 | Blue Calx | 07:16 | 2-01 | / | D-1 |
| 14 | [parallel stripes] | 07:55 | 2-02 | / | D-2 |
| 15 | [shiny metal rods] | 05:29 | 2-03 | / | D-3 |
| 16 | [grey stripe] | 04:38 | 2-04 | / | D-4 |
| 17 | [z twig] | 02:01 | 2-05 | / | D-5 |
| 18 | [windowsill] | 07:13 | 2-06 | / | E-1 |
| 19 | [stone in focus] a.k.a. #19 | 10:05 | - | / | E-2 (Limited Edition vinyl only — see Notes) |
| 20 | [hexagon] | 05:50 | 2-07 | / | E-3 |
| 21 | [lichen] | 04:07 | 2-08 | / | E-4 |
| 22 | [spots] | 07:03 | 2-09 | / | F-1 |
| 23 | [tassels] | 07:24 | 2-10 | / | F-2 |
| 24 | [white blur 2] | 11:21 | 2-11 | / | F-3 |
| 25 | [matchsticks] | 05:36 | 2-12 | / | F-4 |
[edit] Notes
There were several editions of SAW2 available for purchase. The most complete, with all 25 tracks, were the Limited Edition UK vinyl, which was pressed on brown vinyl and limited to a press run of 10,000 copies and the UK cassette edition, released simultaneously with the vinyl and CD. Both of these are out of print. The second most complete versions are the regular vinyl release and the Warp Records (UK) CD release, which has every track except for "[stone in focus]", due to both discs nearly being maxed out. The third most complete version is the Sire Records (US) CD release, which strangely also omits "[hankie]". The only hard-copy digital form of "[stone in focus]" can be found on the Astralwerks compilation Excursions In Ambience: The Third Dimension. On this compilation, it has been given the name "#19" and appears as track number 10. [1]
The names for the tracks listed, as aforementioned, are interpretations of the monochromatic (black-and-white or red-and-white) photographs on the center sticker for the vinyl copies and inlay for the double CD release. On the Sire Records (US) editions, various photos were altered, either by showing unblurred photographs or by changing the image altogether. The image representing "[stone in focus]" was removed entirely, leaving behind an empty white box.
Blue Calx originally appeared on an Applied Rhythmic Technology compilation album ("The Philosophy Of Sound And Machine") under the artist name Blue Calx, which was released in cooperation with Rephlex Records.
Track 21, "[lichen]", bears a striking resemblance to the A-side of Brian Eno's ambient Discreet Music project.
It is also interesting to note that the front cover for this album features the full Aphex Twin logo that was used on the earlier Xylem Tube EP, albeit in a broken, incomplete form.
The remix EP for the Aphex Twin single On, released the same year as SAW2, features a track titled "On (28 Mix)," which in no way resembles its original mix, and is very similar to the tracks found on this album. Some have suspected that the 28 Mix could actually be seen as an unreleased 28th track for this album.
Richard D. James has stated in interviews that the sounds in this music were inspired by lucid dreams, and that upon awaking, he would attempt to re-create the sounds and record them. He claimed that he has natural synaesthesia, which contributed to this album.
On August 03, 2006, many releases from the back catalogue of WARP Records were made available on the digital download site Beatport. Both CDs of Selected Ambient Works II are now available for digital download in their full complete forms in remastered mp3, mp4, and wav formats. As this release is based on the WARP Records (UK) CD version, the track "[stone in focus]" is not part of the release.
[edit] Remixes
- SAW2 CD1 TRK2 (Original Mix) (aka "[radiator]"), available on the compilation album 26 Mixes for Cash. Originally recorded for Richard's Peel Session in 1995.
- SAW2 CD1 TRK7 (aka "[curtains]" aka "[ropes]"), jointly remixed with LFO's Simon from Sidney, remixed by Pram for the Warp 10th anniversary compilation 10+3 Remixes.
- SAW2 CD1 TRK1 (aka "[cliffs]"), remixed by Four Tet for the Warp 10th anniversary compilation 10+3 Remixes.
- SAW2 CD1 TRK1 (aka "[cliffs]"), SAW2 CD1 TRK3 (aka "[rhubarb]"), SAW2 CD2 TRK5 (aka "[z twig]") and SAW CD2 TRK8 (aka "[lichen]") remixed by Wisp on "Selected Ambient Works 2: Reworked", released April 30th 2004 on TavCOM Records.
[edit] Notes of interest
Numerous tracks from Selected Ambient Works Volume II are used in the ambient comedy series Blue Jam and Jam.
Track number 18, "windowsill" was included in a popular computer role playing game called Fallout 2. The track may have been included under the pseudonym "EFX" which appears in the games credits.
Track number 3, "rhubarb" was used as the soundtrack for 'Q&A', a film used by the BBC on Digital TV test transmissions. Also, "rhubarb" is featured several times in the animated flash series Salad Fingers by David Firth.
"Rhubarb" "Curtain" "Window Sill" and "Radiator" were featured on a BBC Documentary about the philosophy of "Time".
[edit] External links
- The SAW II GRAPHICAL F.A.Q
- Complete Aphex Twin discography
- Selected Ambient Works Volume II at the Warp Records discography (features audio clips).
- Brown Vinyl scans
- More pictures of the brown vinyl edition
- Information on Excursions In Ambience: The Third Dimension
