The Aphex Twin* – Classics

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My copy sounds great, no problems with my pressing. Loud and full :) great way to get some of these rare tracks on wax

This is a good-sounding bootleg honestly, wish it was gatefold though

Just picked up a copy (I'm sure it's this original version) and the pressing is pretty awful. Dimples and debris pressed into the wax. Real shame!

Am wondering if anyone can help? On the copy I have everything matches this release, except the run outs on sides A and B are RS 94035 - A1 and RS 94035 - B1. Do I have this version?

Consider me impatient, because I found a used copy of this in a good condition at an exceptional price ($26). I do wish for this album to get another pressing someday, because the hits on this LP is my forte for heavy, eclectic, acid techno sound, and I know there are others like me who want the chance to own that kind of sound on wax. The kind of sound that I used to with Aphex Twin, even if he's not entirely defined by that particular sub-genre. Still, "Phlange Phace" and "Isopropanol" are the songs that always hangs on my personal AFX Top 10 mixes.

My copy has the same matrix of A0000018120-0101 but 41 A6. The SID is also IFPI L551 but, unlike the disc photo for this entry, the DADC logo says 'AUSTRIA" under it.

Reprints the Digeridoo and Xylem Tube EPs. Digeridoo ep also reprinted one song from his first ever release (Analogue Bubblebath), but which song depended on if you had the European printing or the US printing. Both songs are included here. The version of Analogue Bubblebath (the song) used on the US version was missing a half second of the beginning, and the version of Isopropophlex (mis-titled Isopropanal here) on the European version has an extra minute in the middle. This collection also has 4 bonus songs: the unofficial Aphex Twin theme song "Metapharstic" (the only vocals are a chant of "Aphex"), the 2 ultra-harsh remixes of "We Have Arrived" (apparently the album they're originally from was fetching big prices even back in 1994), and a live version of Digeridoo from 1990. his first release was late 1991 so this track was a glimpse into the pre-release days. It's not mentioned what band name he was going under at the time, but since it was 1990 it was probably "Phonic Boy on Dope" (PBoD).

As for the main songs, Digeridoo is both fast and long (7 minutes), written intentionally to wear out the devoted dancers in the audience at the end of a show. Flaphead and Phloam are somewhat forgettable hardcore tracks. Isopropanal (originally titled Isopropophlex) is an extended version of track 2 from the Analogue Bubblebath ep, and is definitely the better version of the song. The song is good enough to be the lead track of an ep of it's own. Polynomial-C is one of Aphex Twin's best songs, somehow managing to sound both beautiful and frantic (due to a steady stream of notes). Tamphex is both a great song and a hilarious parody of a real tampex ad ("are you one of those girls for whom time stops...once a month?" complete with spooky 'time stopping' music). I'd say Phlange Phace and Dodeccaheedron are just as forgettable as Flaphead and Phloam, but I know some people are big fans of Dodeccaheedron's creepy vibe. Btw as far as I know "dodeccaheedron" means "20 sided object". Analogue Bubblebath is a beautiful song, and was the first song on Aphex Twin's first release (the Analogue Bubblebath ep).

Would I recommend this album? Yes, highly! Look for the one with the blue cover rather than the one that looks like an inverted version of Selected Ambient Works 85-92's cover. There's no difference in the music, it's just the better artwork. As far as easy to find Aphex Twin albums go, you can get almost everything he did in 1991 and 1992 if you get Classics, Analogue Bubblebath, Caustic Window Compilation, and Selected Ambient Works 85-92. At that point all you're missing of the 9 releases he had in that time span are the Pac-Man ep, the first Bradley Strider ep, and Analogue Bubblebath 2. Pac-Man isn't THAT common, and good luck finding the last 2 without paying a lot.

I'm sure my copy is this one, in a generic Apollo sleeve, but my run outs say 94035 like the gatefold copy, not 95035 as on the label. Any ideas?

I've got a copy of this with black and white labels (same art as the original release, just not in color), and the Runouts are Side A - Apt. A, Side B - Apt. B, and both sides C and D are Apt. C. I'm assuming that the copy I have is this version. Does anyone know if this is an official release or not?