TS: Aphex Twin: Selected ambient works 85-92 VS SAW Volume 2

SAW1 makes me immensely happy and brings make too many good memories of being in London and my conversion from serious student to clubber; SAW2 is rewarding, but not immediate in the same way as SAW1.

I listened to both this week, and SAW1 wins.

Strangely that sentiment also neatly describes how I feel about Nirvana's Nevermind and In Utero.

I never found out when the songs were recorded but Xtal gives the impression of being quite old, doesn't it?

I'm going to play this now.

I know, I know ILM. Hold your breath.

Tha always makes me feel like I'm in my high school gym. Not cause I played it in there either...

Anyways, Killian Murphy was OTM in his initial remark that the first two tracks were the best thing on the album.

Finally got 'Ambient Works 85-92'. Absolutely loving it. Need Volume II as soon as possible.

SAW2 is soul-ambient

― pipecock (pipecock), Wednesday, November 8, 2006 9:41 PM

*cringe*

haha

soulbient

http://www.lastfm.es/music/100dBs/_/Poppa+Large+In+The+US

Loving this mashup of IZ-US against the Ultramagnetic's Poppa Large.

Selected Ambient Works II > Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Even though Selected Ambient Works II is twice as long, I find it a far more engaging listen than Selected Ambient Works 85-92. I particularly like the track that sounds like snake charmer music, which sounds to me like a track Robert Smith could have come up with in 1984 or something if he had to come up with an ambient B-side for a Cure single.

Richard D. James Album > Selected Ambient Works II > Selected Ambient Works 85-92

probably about equal

Drukqs > Selected Ambient Works II > Richard D. James Album > Selected Ambient Works 85-92 > Syro > ...I Care Because You Do.

I have a hard time rating SAW II. It's a tough album to compare to anything, really. Either you want to hear 2.5 hours of dreamy surreal synth stuff or you don't.

funny, nobody rated Drukqs back then.. do people still think it's a bad album?

I particularly like the track that sounds like snake charmer music,

This one gave me a serious full-on audio-sensory nightmare once upon a time.

xp Druqks is a bad album with some outstanding tracks. It's basically four different mini-albums on shuffle, innit? But yeah, I have trouble with it and always have.

I remember when Drukqs came out it wasn't well received by some, but I reckon that was mostly down to people thinking it was just thrown together or something, which of course it wasn't. For me, it's about the sprawl and the experience and the way the acoustic piano tracks rub up against the more frantic beat-driven stuff. His best album, IMO.

no

yes

ok

Drukqs is great! Better than I Care Because You Do, which is spotty for me. Probably like it better than Syro as well.

Cheetah EP is fantastic, too. "CIRKLON3" is a top 5 Aphex Twin track for me.

druqks, man, I don't get it. It's a mostly unpleasant listening experience for me. I even tried slowing down the drill and bass tracks but they didn't become any more palatable to me.

Every track on ICBYD is grand

ICBYD is the shit. No way is it the bottom of the heap (with).

I reckon that was mostly down to people thinking it was just thrown together or something

lol no, i just don't enjoy listening to it very much

nearly every lukewarm or negative review made mention of the fact that it was unfinished or wasn't intended to come out. I think that definitely colored the way a lot of people heard it at first.

Absolutely! I still reckon that whole thing was a rumour put about by RDJ himself.

ICBYD is my introduction to Twin as a full length. So classic!

SAW II is probably my favourite Aphex ambient release due to Lichen, Rhubarb and Blue Calx - all utter classics