APHEX TWIN Selected Ambient Works Volume II - one disc defective 

1994 Warp Records triple LP WARPLP21LTD. UK. Rare limited numbered brown vinyl edition of this iconic and beloved Aphex Twin release, never played. I am the original owner, and have kept the LP in a poly sleeve since I bought it in 1994. The vinyl had never been out of the inner sleeves before these pictures were taken.

Now, I had always heard that the even rarer black vinyl copies of this record had FAR better sound quality than the delicious brown vinyl version. Yet imagine my surprise when I took the first LP out of its sleeve for the very first time and saw a huge lump of vinyl embedded in the middle of the first track! I almost dropped the thing in shock. I mean, noisy vinyl I could understand, and live with - the orange-brown vinyl makes the whole package look really cool, and is worth it. But unplayable? Wow. This will teach me not to keep prized vinyl totally unplayed for 18 years. [See the photo collage for my attempts to photograph the embedded vinyl defect from both sides of LP 1. The vinyl appears to be different colors due to varying lighting conditions in the photos, but all 3 discs are actually the orange-brown color seen in the 5th photo and several others.]

Anyhow, this great release still LOOKS absolutely amazing, which is the main point. You can always listen to the LP on CD or Spotify, as I do, or seek out the much less interesting-looking black vinyl version, play that and luxuriate in this wonderful music (and it definitely looks like only the first track on each side of LP 1 is affected). What we have right here is an interesting opportunity to pick up this very rare and normally very expensive Aphex Twin hyper-collectible at a super discount. It will make quite a conversation piece. And after all, it was one of the prized jewels in my collection for almost 20 years and I had no idea there was anything wrong -- because I never played it.

 

The second and third LPs look absolutely perfect, and are also mint, unplayed. These two have an interesting marbled quality in the brown coloring, which makes them look even cooler. The grooves look completely pristine.

 

The gatefold LP jacket is in strong near mint condition. This cover, with its beautiful grayscale image of the Aphex Twin symbol, as if it were discovered somewhere on an ancient cave wall, looks brand new, and has NO shelf wear or ring wear of any kind. There are several small dings at the upper and lower corners of the sleeve openings (see detail photo collage), but the cover is otherwise in superb, unhandled condition. The limited edition sticker, with stamped number 001353, is also in near mint condition. The plain white paper inner sleeves are in VG++ condition, generally excellent, but with a couple small folds and various wrinkles, as well as a small tear in the center ring on the ill-fated first disk (see photo).

The informational insert is in mint condition. This is an interesting piece that continues the theme of the cover photo. It's as if these scrawlings, including the merchandise ad, were found etched into the side of an ancient machine and photographed in half-light, the only remains of some primitive early civilization (that nevertheless managed to sell T-shirts). Richard James even takes credit for the scrawled writing.

In all, this is a seriously rare opportunity to own a virtually mint, unplayed copy of this major, justly celebrated Aphex Twin work, at a fraction of the usual cost. It's a beautiful package, and it catches Richard D. James at a real creative peak, musically and visually. Yes, the first track on each side of disc 1 will clearly NOT play through, but those two cuts are available elsewhere. The rest of the package is not, and it is something to see.

Priority shipping $10 in the U.S. (3LPs=heavy), media mail $4; international bidders pay actual postage cost for USPS First Class International shipping. 

Please email any questions.