Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II: 2 (33 1/3)

As a fan of Aphex Twin for as long as the author and as someone who has followed Warp records and Rephlex for the last 18 years I spent most of my time reading this thinking "why haven't I written this book myself already". Unsurprisingly lacking new information from RDJ himself, the author speaks with other figures related to the release of the album and people who have been influenced by it since. In these interviews there are some interesting stories and some new information comes to light, but little to add anything to the mysterious making of SAW II 20 years ago. The section on RDJ's signing to Sire records is not one I've seen discussed elsewhere and there's a nice interview about the Alarm Will Sound reinterpretations.Ultimately, this is a slightly unfullfilling text for any long term fans, but possibly a good introduction to anyone interested in one of the most unique and opaque albums of the 20th century. My advice: get the album, fall asleep to it and draw your own conclusions on how it was made and why.

These 33 1/3 books are always a mixed bag since you don't know what angle(s) the author will choose to take. I consider this volume on Aphex Twin's SAWII one of the better ones because of how Weidenbaum positions the album in the context in which it was released. The early- to mid-1990s were a time of strange popularity for all kinds of electronic music (even though electronic music has been composed since the 1960s and continues to be composed now) and SAWII is one of the strangest albums within the period because it bucks so many of the trends of the time: it's not dance music, it doesn't "rock", it's not showy in terms of composition or performing skills, yet it's also unlike the happy/dubby/bubbly ambient music of The Orb, FSOL and other '90s contemporaries.If I am disappointed in one thing about Weidenbaum's book, it is that he spends so much time talking about what this album is *not*, at the expense of spending more time talking about what it *is*. I would have liked to read more of a track-by-track breakdown/commentary, but as it is, the author only discusses 7 or 8 of the album's 25 pieces at length. (There is also no discussion of how the music was made, but to be fair, I did not expect that since Richard D. James is famously secretive about his methods.) I still enjoyed the book, however, as a snapshot of a period in the history of electronic music, as well as a welcome prompt to revisit a favorite album with fresh ears.

perhaps reflecting the author's nationality, i felt this was a little too american-centric. it focussed too much on the american distributor of saw 2, and how that label dealt with it, and not enough on warp or rdj himself and putting the album in the context of what was happening in the uk at the time. it felt strangely detached as a result, and thus a little underwhelming.the discussion of the album's content, and what ambient/"beat-free"/minimalism means, was excellent, so it was somewhat disappointing that the more practical side missed the mark. i know rdj can be recalcitrant when it comes to the media, but not having a more recent discussion with him (or with people from warp, or with any of the plethora of artists who sprang up after him) hurts this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book about one of my favorite albums of all time.There were a lot of stories that I previously knew, but never understood the context behind them (such as the pictures corilateing with the track "names"). Mr. Weidenbaum looks at every minute detail of what makes this album truly magnificent and dissects them in a thoughtful way. Initially I was a little concerned that by reading all of the aspects that lead up to it's creation, it would somehow tarnish the magic of this album, however that is not the case with this book (If anything it augmented it!) I highly recommend to any Aphex Twin fan (any anyone who appreciates music for that matter).

I was hoping for a bit of inside dirt on Aphex Twin's composition practices or explanations in what went into creating particular songs. While this is more of a discussion of the discourse surrounding the album as well as a snapshot of the industry and scene that provided its context, it's still a fun read. Would recommend to SAW II / Aphex diehards, but not sure if it has broader appeal.