Track Listing

1. Xtal
2. Tha
3. PulseWidth
4. Ageispolis
5. i
6. Green Calx
7. Heliosphan
8. We Are The Music Makers
9. Schottkey 7th Path
10. Ptolemy
11. Hedphelym
12. Delphium
13. Actium

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #234245 in Music
• Released on: 2004-01-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

Album Description
Re-released at a lower price for a limited time.1996 Belgian release on the R&S label featuring 13 tracks,including 'Xtal', 'Tha' and 'Actium'. Standard jewel case.

Amazon.com
SAW 85-92 boasted the promise of an exceptional recording career for Richard D. James from the English county of Cornwall; a bedroom musician at age 12 in 1985 and an electronic music pioneer by 1998. From the adolescent sexual tension of the strings and basslines of "Ageispolis" and the militant rhythms and subterranean adventure effects of "Schottkey 7th Path," SAW veers to "Green Calx," a booty-shaking, soul-stirring techno song that has much in common with any single to emerge from Detroit in the early 1990s. The album hints clearly at influences from the prevailing dance music regiments of the era--new wave, house, techno, and industrial--but each track possesses a desire and an intention to break free of established formulas and enter a new realm. Subsequent works from James have been often more complex and almost always more menacing, but SAW 85-92 recalls the days of a kinder, gentler Aphex Twin, already on his game. --Tamara Palmer

Customer Reviews

Classic
*The* classic Aphex Twin album, 'SAW' is a collection of floaty, mostly ambient / unusual dance / chill-out tracks (except for one distorted hardcore tune), recorded on primitive four-track equipment from 1985 to 1992. Despite the great age, Richard James was so isolated from contemporary musical trends that it still sounds very modern, very alien and timeless. Shorter and easier to get into than 'Vol 2' (you can listen to this all the way through in one sitting comfortably), and more consistently good than any of his solo albums, this makes a great starting-point for your Aphex Twin collection.

It's worth looking for the similar, slightly more polished 'Polygon Window' album as well.

MMmmmmmbient works is more like it...
This collection of tracks from the early stages of Richard James's career and experiments fits not exactly into the sphere of 'ambient', as in Brian Eno, but 'ambient techno'. And in there, this release is one of the defining documents. Essential. Lush atmospherics + beats dominate here, and provide an experience that's as welcome in a chill-space as in one's own headphones. There are no duff tracks on this one, although those expecting the harder RDJ sound (see Caustic Window, or much of the recent Aphex material) probably will get thrown somewhat by the inviting feel of this album. But I doubt they'll be disappointed, honestly. My only regret here is that James doesn't pay much attention to this musical territory these days; his current work could benefit from revisiting these efforts, I think.

Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92
As I sit here ready to write this review, headphones donned listening to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92, my fingers barely work to put into words what is going through my ears. My senses have nearly completely frozen to pay attention to each layer of sound, beat, and sample slowly seep into my subconscious and translate to images. I try and pull myself away to start typing an informative review, but each time I stop and just sit listening to the music, staring dumbly lost in my own little world. I could relate each of these images for example how "Xtal" reminds me of little wisps of light dancing in a circle through space, their voices joined in harmonious celebration. But that defeats the purpose. The sheer uniqueness of Aphex Twin is the amorphous substance of the music. Its ability to let the imagination run wild. Listening to the album each time, invokes different feelings and different images. I'm not an expert on the technicalities of Aphex Twin's machinery or his gadgets. In layman's terms - SAW 85-92 is a brilliant, mind-blowing album. It has enough difference and shifts to keep things interesting and even maintains a gentle subcurrent of melodies. It's a fine introduction to Richard D. James' work. To use this album as background elevator music is a great injustice, this music delivers as much as you put into it. It's not one of those inaccessible, pretentious albums that everyone says is brilliant, yet you miss the point and still pretend to enjoy it since you don't want to admit that you're stupid and that the emperor's really naked. Its enjoyable, its accessible yet challenging all at the same time and rewarding. Dance to it. Its danceable. Sleep to it. I guarantee your dreams will never be the same. Drive to it. SAW 85-92 - don't leave home without it.