Jump to content

Richard D. James Album: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Citation bot (talk | contribs)
Alter: pages, url. URLs might have been anonymized. Formatted dashes. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Jay8g | Linked from User:Jay8g/sandbox | #UCB_webform_linked 305/428
 
(41 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{good article}}
{{UBE|date=March 2024}}
{{UBE|date=March 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
Line 10: Line 11:
| released = {{Start date|1996|11|4|df=yes}}
| released = {{Start date|1996|11|4|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| recorded =
| genre = <!-- See composition section; discuss any changes to order or genres. -->{{hlist|[[Intelligent dance music|IDM]]|[[drill 'n' bass]]|[[electronica]]|[[jungle music|jungle]]|[[experimental music|experimental]]}}
| genre = <!-- Sourced in body; discuss any changes to order or genres. -->{{hlist|[[Intelligent dance music|IDM]]|[[drill 'n' bass]]|[[electronica]]|[[jungle music|jungle]]|[[experimental music|experimental]]|[[pop music|pop]]}}
| length = {{Duration|m=32|s=51}}
| length = {{Duration|m=32|s=51}}
| label = [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]
| label = [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]
| producer = [[Aphex Twin]]
| producer = Aphex Twin
| chronology = [[Aphex Twin|Richard D. James]]
| chronology = [[Aphex Twin|Richard D. James]]
| prev_title = [[Girl/Boy EP]]
| prev_title = [[Girl/Boy EP]]
Line 29: Line 30:
| next_year = 2001}}
| next_year = 2001}}
}}
}}
'''''Richard D. James Album''''' is a studio album by the [[electronic music]] artist and producer [[Aphex Twin]], whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on 4{{nbsp}}November 1996 through [[Warp (record label)|Warp Records]]. It was composed by James on his [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast [[breakbeat]]s and intricate [[Programming (music)|drum programming]] which draw from [[Oldschool jungle|jungle]] and [[drum and bass]]. James' drum loops are paired with lush [[String section|string arrangements]], and [[Ambient music|ambient]] melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as [[Modulation (music)|modulated]] vocals from James.
'''''Richard D. James Album''''' is a studio album by the British [[electronic music]] artist and producer [[Aphex Twin]], whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on 4{{nbsp}}November 1996 through [[Warp (record label)|Warp Records]]. It was composed by James on his [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast [[breakbeat]]s and intricate [[Programming (music)|drum programming]] which draw from [[Oldschool jungle|jungle]] and [[drum and bass]]. James' drum loops are paired with lush [[String section|string arrangements]], and [[Ambient music|ambient]] melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as [[Modulation (music)|modulated]] vocals from James.


''Richard D. James Album'' entered the [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]] at No.{{nbsp}}7,<ref name=MwNov96/> and reached No.{{nbsp}}62 on the [[UK Albums Chart|Albums Chart]]. It peaked at number 20 in the US [[Top Heatseekers Albums|Top Heatseekers]] list, becoming James' first to do so. It received critical acclaim, and has since been described as one of the best albums of 1996 and the 1990s overall by music critics.
''Richard D. James Album'' entered the [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]] at No.{{nbsp}}7,<ref name=MwNov96/> and reached No.{{nbsp}}62 on the [[UK Albums Chart|Albums Chart]]. In the US it charted at No.{{nbsp}}20 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'s}} [[Top Heatseekers Albums]] chart. It had sold over 100,000 units by 1997, making it Warp's most commercially successful release at the time. It received critical acclaim, with much of the praise going to its production. It has since been described as one of the best albums of 1996 and the 1990s overall by music critics.


==Background and production==
==Background and production==
In 1995 Richard James released the two ''[[Hangable Auto Bulb]]'' EPs under his AFX moniker, experimenting with exaggerated rhythms inspired by [[drum and bass]] in a style that came to be called "[[drill 'n' bass]]".<ref name="p4k">{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Review: Hangable Auto Bulb |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/239-hangable-auto-bulb/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=25 October 2021 |archive-date=18 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318135152/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/239-hangable-auto-bulb/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the following year, James released the Aphex Twin EP ''[[Girl/Boy EP|Girl/Boy]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aphex Twin The Contrarian|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twin-contrarian|work=[[Exclaim!]]|last=Turenne|first=Martin|date=1 April 2003|access-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703002122/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twin-contrarian|archive-date=3 July 2017}}</ref> This faster style of [[Programming (music)|drum programming]] was inspired by James' friend [[Luke Vibert]], also known as Plug.<ref name="keyboard-book"/> James stated that while he worked with [[Tuplet|triplet]]s and complicated beats in the past, that Vibert "got me into doing it a faster pace. He gave me the spark to do it faster, but now I'm trying to take it to all extremes".<ref name="keyboard-book"/> James also noted the influence of his friend [[Squarepusher|Tom Jenkinson (a.k.a. Squarepusher)]]. He had said Jenkinson and Vibert were the "only two people around who are [musically] consistent enough for me".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.furious.com/perfect/aphextwin.html|magazine=[[Perfect Sound Forever (magazine)|Perfect Sound Forever]]|last=Gross|first=Jason|title=Aphex Twin|date=September 1997|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611121559/http://www.furious.com/perfect/aphextwin.html|archive-date=11 June 2008}}</ref>
In 1995, Richard James released the two ''[[Hangable Auto Bulb]]'' EPs under his AFX moniker, experimenting with exaggerated rhythms inspired by [[drum and bass]] in a style that came to be called "[[drill 'n' bass]]".<ref name="p4k">{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Review: Hangable Auto Bulb |url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/239-hangable-auto-bulb/ |website=Pitchfork |access-date=25 October 2021 |archive-date=18 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318135152/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/239-hangable-auto-bulb/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the following year, James released the Aphex Twin EP ''[[Girl/Boy EP|Girl/Boy]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aphex Twin The Contrarian|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twin-contrarian|work=[[Exclaim!]]|last=Turenne|first=Martin|date=1 April 2003|access-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703002122/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/aphex_twin-contrarian|archive-date=3 July 2017}}</ref> This faster style of [[Programming (music)|drum programming]] was inspired by James' friend [[Luke Vibert]], also known as Plug.{{sfn|Kirn|2011|p=153}} James stated that while he worked with [[Tuplet|triplet]]s and complicated beats in the past, that Vibert "got me into doing it a faster pace. He gave me the spark to do it faster, but now I'm trying to take it to all extremes".<ref name="keyboard-book"/>


[[File:Luke Vibert 2.JPG|thumb|alt= Luke Vibert live|James's experimentation with faster [[breakbeat]]s was inspired by [[Luke Vibert|Luke Vibert]].]]
{{multiple image
| align = right
| total_width = 320
| image1 = Luke Vibert 2.JPG
| alt1 = Luke Vibert live
| image2 = Squarepusher @ the Metro, Chicago 7 5 2013 (cropped).jpg
| alt2 = Squarepusher DJing
|footer = James's experimentation with faster [[breakbeat]]s was inspired by friends [[Luke Vibert|Luke Vibert (a.k.a. Plug)]], left) and [[Squarepusher|Tom Jenkinson (a.k.a. Squarepusher)]].
}}

James has stated that most of the album was composed on his [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] computer<ref name="keyboard-book">{{harvnb|Kirn|2011|p=150-153}}</ref> and that the album took longer to create than any of his previous albums.<ref name="electronic-beats">{{cite web|url=http://www.electronicbeats.net/from-the-vaults-aphex-twin|work=[[Electronic Beats]]|title=From the Vaults: An Interview with Aphex Twin|access-date=25 June 2015|last=Dax|first=Max|date=13 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621061127/http://www.electronicbeats.net/from-the-vaults-aphex-twin/|archive-date=21 June 2015}}</ref> Describing his approach to drum programming, he stated that "sometimes I just hit the keyboard in a way I'd like the rhythm of the tracks to sound. Then I'll spend four hours moving all the notes where I want them to go."<ref name=pulse/> Some tracks on the album include James' vocals [[Modulation (music)|modulated]] on a computer; in "To Cure a Weakling Child", James manipulated his voice to sound like a child giving a lecture about their arms and legs.<ref name="keyboard-book"/><ref name="electronic-beats"/> For the orchestral arrangements on the album, James bought a violin at a [[car boot sale]]. He taught himself to play a note from the instrument by placing it on a table, playing a note and sampling the note.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-aphex-twin|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Thompson|first=Ben|date=1998|work=Seven Years of Plenty|title=The Aphex Twin|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906160015/http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-aphex-twin|archive-date=6 September 2015}}{{subscription required}}</ref>


James has stated that most of the album was composed on his [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]] computer<ref name="keyboard-book">{{harvnb|Kirn|2011|p=150-153}}</ref> and that the album took longer to create than any of his previous albums.<ref name="electronic-beats">{{cite web|url=http://www.electronicbeats.net/from-the-vaults-aphex-twin|work=[[Electronic Beats]]|title=From the Vaults: An Interview with Aphex Twin|access-date=25 June 2015|last=Dax|first=Max|date=13 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621061127/http://www.electronicbeats.net/from-the-vaults-aphex-twin/|archive-date=21 June 2015}}</ref> Describing his approach to drum programming, he stated that "sometimes I just hit the keyboard in a way I'd like the rhythm of the tracks to sound. Then I'll spend four hours moving all the notes where I want them to go."<ref name=pulse/> Some tracks on the album include James' vocals [[Modulation (music)|modulated]] on a computer; in "To Cure a Weakling Child", James manipulated his voice to sound like a child giving a lecture about their arms and legs.<ref name="keyboard-book"/><ref name="electronic-beats"/> For the orchestral arrangements on the album, James bought a violin at a [[car boot sale]]. He taught himself to play a note from the instrument by placing it on a table, playing a note and sampling the note.{{Sfn|Thompson|1998|p=141}}
The cover art for ''Richard D. James Album'' is credited to both James and Johnny Clayton.<ref name="vice-clayton">{{cite magazine|url=https://thump.vice.com/en_uk/article/warp-25-johnny-clayton-interview|magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|title=We Spoke to Johnny Clayton, the Guy Who Made Aphex Twin Creep Us Out|date=24 July 2014|last=Montesinos-Donaghy|first=Daniel|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428194344/https://thump.vice.com/en_uk/article/warp-25-johnny-clayton-interview|archive-date=28 April 2016}}</ref> Clayton did not accept credit for the album's cover, stating that he taught James how to use [[Photoshop]] and "he started playing around with his own self-image. That's what led to that cover."<ref name="vice-clayton"/>


==Composition==
==Composition==
Line 62: Line 53:


==Release==
==Release==
''Richard D. James Album'' was released through [[Warp (record label)|Warp]] on 4&nbsp;November 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://warp.net/releases/richard-d-james-album/|publisher=[[Warp (record label)|Warp]]|title=Aphex Twin Richard D. James Album|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421203930/http://warp.net/releases/richard-d-james-album|archive-date=21 April 2015}}</ref> It was his first record to chart in the United States.<ref>{{cite book |title=Hit Music |date=15 February 1997 |page=17 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Hit-Music/1997/Hit-Music-1997-02-15.pdf}}</ref> The album entered the [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]] at number{{nbsp}}7,<ref name=MwNov96/> and charted at number{{nbsp}}62 on the [[UK Albums Chart|Albums Chart]] in the week ending 16{{nbsp}}November 1996.<ref name="UKchart">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/RICHARD%20D.%20JAMES%20ALBUM|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|title=Richard D. James Album|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502121022/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/RICHARD%20D.%20JAMES%20ALBUM/|archive-date=2 May 2015}}</ref> The American version included the ''[[Girl/Boy EP]]'' as bonus tracks.<ref name="allmusic-sire">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/richard-d-james-album-mr0000064473|website=[[AllMusic]]|title=Richard D. James Album Aphex Twin Release Information, Reviews, and Credits|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Bush|first=John|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312195928/http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/richard-d-james-album-mr0000064473|archive-date=12 March 2016}}</ref> It was released on 28&nbsp;January 1997 by [[Sire Records]].<ref name="BillboardElectronic97">{{cite magazine |last1=Flick |first1=Larry |last2=Reece |first2=Doug |date=15 February 1997 |title=Electronic Music Poised For Power Surge in States: Rising Interest Sparks Excitement, Concern |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA79 |access-date=7 September 2024 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |page=79 |volume=109 |issue=7 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> The album was released on compact disc, [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] and [[gramophone record]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254/releases|website=AllMusic|title=Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin: Releases|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413154348/http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254/releases|archive-date=13 April 2017}}</ref> early copies of the album were distributed with a plastic sachet containing James' hair.<ref>{{cite web|title=120 essential pop albums|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3670456/120-essential-pop-albums.html|last=Thompson|first=Ben|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=13 January 2008|access-date=12 October 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327003811/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3670456/120-essential-pop-albums.html|archive-date=27 March 2017}}</ref> Along with ''[[...I Care Because You Do]]'' (1995), ''Richard D. James Album'' was reissued on vinyl on 18 September 2012 by record label 1972.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aphex Twin reissues ...I Care Because You Do and Richard D. James Album|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2012/07/aphex-twin-reissues-i-care-because-you-do-and-richard-d-james-album|work=[[Consequence of Sound]]|last=Kaye|first=Ben|date=26 July 2012|access-date=11 October 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909052744/http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/07/aphex-twin-reissues-i-care-because-you-do-and-richard-d-james-album/|archive-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> Warp announced their own re-issue of the album on 180-gram vinyl for 8&nbsp;October 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/aphex_twins_i_care_because_you_do_richard_d_james_album_get_vinyl_reissues|work=[[Exclaim!]]|title=Aphex Twin's '...I Care Because You Do' and 'Richard D. James Album' Get Vinyl Reissues|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Hudson|first=Alex|date=25 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722210558/http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/aphex_twins_i_care_because_you_do_richard_d_james_album_get_vinyl_reissues|archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref>
''Richard D. James Album'' was released through [[Warp (record label)|Warp]] on 4&nbsp;November 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://warp.net/releases/richard-d-james-album/|publisher=[[Warp (record label)|Warp]]|title=Aphex Twin Richard D. James Album|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421203930/http://warp.net/releases/richard-d-james-album|archive-date=21 April 2015}}</ref> It was released on compact disc, [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] and [[gramophone record]];<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin: Releases |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254/releases |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413154348/http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254/releases |archive-date=13 April 2017 |access-date=23 April 2015 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> early copies of the album were distributed with a plastic sachet containing James' hair.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Ben |date=13 January 2008 |title=120 essential pop albums |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3670456/120-essential-pop-albums.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327003811/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3670456/120-essential-pop-albums.html |archive-date=27 March 2017 |access-date=12 October 2017 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> The American version included the ''[[Girl/Boy EP]]'' as bonus tracks.<ref name="pulse" /><ref name="allmusic-sire">{{cite web |last=Bush |first=John |title=Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin – Release Information, Reviews, and Credits |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/richard-d-james-album-mr0000064473 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312195928/http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/richard-d-james-album-mr0000064473 |archive-date=12 March 2016 |access-date=23 April 2015 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> The album entered at number 7 on the [[UK Dance Singles and Albums Charts|Dance Albums Chart]]<ref name="MwNov96" /> and at number{{nbsp}}62 on the [[UK Albums Chart|Albums Chart]] in the UK, on 16{{nbsp}}November 1996.<ref name="UKchart">{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/RICHARD%20D.%20JAMES%20ALBUM|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|title=Richard D. James Album|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502121022/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/RICHARD%20D.%20JAMES%20ALBUM/|archive-date=2 May 2015}}</ref> It was released in the United States through [[Sire Records]] on 28&nbsp;January 1997 and charted at number 20 on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''{{'s}} [[Top Heatseekers Albums]] chart.<ref name="BillboardElectronic97">{{cite magazine |last1=Flick |first1=Larry |last2=Reece |first2=Doug |date=15 February 1997 |title=Electronic Music Poised For Power Surge in States: Rising Interest Sparks Excitement, Concern |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA79 |access-date=7 September 2024 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc. |page=79 |volume=109 |issue=7 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Hit-Music/1997/Hit-Music-1997-02-15.pdf |title=US Albums |magazine=[[Hit Music]] |date=15 February 1997 |issue=225 |page=17}}</ref> By November 1997, it had sold over 100,000 copies and became Warp's most commercially successful release at the time,<ref name="RDJWW" /> the former of which surprised James.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Andy |title=1997 interview reveals that Aphex Twin owned a tank, wanted to buy a submarine and used the vault of the former bank he owned as a reverb: "It would be great for parties" |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/aphex-twin-wanted-to-buy-a-submarine |access-date=17 September 2024 |work=[[MusicRadar]] |date=19 September 2023}}</ref><ref name="space age" />

Along with ''[[...I Care Because You Do]]'' (1995), ''Richard D. James Album'' was reissued on vinyl on 18 September 2012 by record label 1972.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aphex Twin reissues ...I Care Because You Do and Richard D. James Album|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2012/07/aphex-twin-reissues-i-care-because-you-do-and-richard-d-james-album|work=[[Consequence of Sound]]|last=Kaye|first=Ben|date=26 July 2012|access-date=11 October 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909052744/http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/07/aphex-twin-reissues-i-care-because-you-do-and-richard-d-james-album/|archive-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> Warp announced their own re-issue of the album on 180-gram vinyl for 8&nbsp;October 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/aphex_twins_i_care_because_you_do_richard_d_james_album_get_vinyl_reissues|work=[[Exclaim!]]|title=Aphex Twin's '...I Care Because You Do' and 'Richard D. James Album' Get Vinyl Reissues|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Hudson|first=Alex|date=25 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722210558/http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/aphex_twins_i_care_because_you_do_richard_d_james_album_get_vinyl_reissues|archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref>


==Critical reception==
==Critical reception==
Line 69: Line 62:
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic-review">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254|title=Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Bush|first=John|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424063859/http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254|archive-date=24 April 2015}}</ref>
| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic-review">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254|title=Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Bush|first=John|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424063859/http://www.allmusic.com/album/richard-d-james-album-mw0000087254|archive-date=24 April 2015}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Detroit Free Press]]''
| rev2 = ''[[Detroit Free Press]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Aphex Twin — 'Richard D. James' (Sire/Elektra)|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|date=23 February 1997|last=Pratt|first=Tim}}</ref>
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Aphex Twin — 'Richard D. James' (Sire/Elektra)|newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press]]|page=52|date=23 February 1997|last=Pratt|first=Tim}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev3score = A−<ref name="ew-review">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1997/01/31/richard-d-james|title=Richard D. James|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=31 January 1997|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Browne|first=David|author-link=David Browne (journalist)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421163827/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286627,00.html|archive-date=21 April 2009}}</ref>
| rev3score = A−<ref name="ew-review">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1997/01/31/richard-d-james|title=Richard D. James|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=31 January 1997|access-date=23 April 2015|last=Browne|first=David|author-link=David Browne (journalist)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421163827/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286627,00.html|archive-date=21 April 2009}}</ref>
Line 87: Line 80:
| rev10score = B+<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv997-97.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|date=23 September 1997|access-date=13 February 2016|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826195622/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv997-97.php|archive-date=26 August 2011}}</ref>
| rev10score = B+<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv997-97.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|date=23 September 1997|access-date=13 February 2016|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826195622/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv997-97.php|archive-date=26 August 2011}}</ref>
}}
}}
''Richard D. James Album'' received critical acclaim from music critics. In the United Kingdom, ''[[The Independent]]'' gave album a positive review, stating that "The intuitive sense of melody [James] has been striving so hard to suppress over the last few years has come to the fore too, and the result is the most magical [[pop music|pop]] record of the year: the year in question being AD 2001".<ref name="the-independent">{{cite news|title=Records|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|publisher=Independent Print Ltd.|date=3 November 1996|page=26|issn=0951-9467}}</ref> In North America, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'s}} Ryan Schreiber gave the album an 8.4 out of ten rating, stating that "The ''Richard D. James Album'' is 43.5 minutes of pure electronic genius" and "just when your brain starts to comprehend a rhythmic pattern, the beat shifts, turns left and crushes your torso under the steering wheel."<ref name="pitchfork-review"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'s}} Jason Fine gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, commenting that "Aphex Twin coaxes great emotional resonance from his machines" and combines "jolting beats, pristine melodic fragments and random noises into elegant – if at times unnerving – futuristic [[pop music|pop]]". However, he also commented that "not all of ''Richard D. James'' goes down easy".<ref name="rs-review"/> Marc Widenbaum of ''The Pulse'' called the album, "quite simply, the strongest [[art-pop]] record to appear since [[Laurie Anderson]]'s ''[[Mister Heartbreak|Mr. Heartbreak]]''", defined by a "series of lovely tunes atop a decisive, rhythmically fascinating girding of rapid-fire, turn-on-a-dime percussion."<ref name="pulse">{{cite magazine |last1=Widenbaum |first1=Marc |date=March 1997 |title=Eponymous Rex Article |magazine=The Pulse Magazine }}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' writer [[David Browne (journalist)|David Browne]] awarded the album an A−, calling it James' "quirkiest, most personal work" and said that "4" and "Girl/Boy Song" revealed "a new warmth and wistfulness."<ref name="ew-review"/> Mark Jenkins of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' gave the album a negative review, referring to the music as "sloppy offhand", "a noisy mess" and sounding "like a private joke".<ref name="washington-post">{{cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Mark|date=2 February 1997|title=Plain Old Common Synth|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|page=G8|id={{ProQuest|1444597149}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
''Richard D. James Album'' received critical acclaim from music critics. In the United Kingdom, ''[[The Independent]]'' gave album a positive review, stating that "The intuitive sense of melody [James] has been striving so hard to suppress over the last few years has come to the fore too, and the result is the most magical [[pop music|pop]] record of the year: the year in question being AD 2001".<ref name="the-independent">{{cite news|title=Records|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|publisher=Independent Print Ltd.|date=3 November 1996|page=26|issn=0951-9467}}</ref> In North America, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'s}} Ryan Schreiber gave the album an 8.4 out of ten rating, stating that "The ''Richard D. James Album'' is 43.5 minutes of pure electronic genius" and "just when your brain starts to comprehend a rhythmic pattern, the beat shifts, turns left and crushes your torso under the steering wheel."<ref name="pitchfork-review"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'s}} Jason Fine gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, commenting that "Aphex Twin coaxes great emotional resonance from his machines" and combines "jolting beats, pristine melodic fragments and random noises into elegant – if at times unnerving – futuristic [[pop music|pop]]". However, he also commented that "not all of ''Richard D. James'' goes down easy".<ref name="rs-review"/> Marc Widenbaum of ''The Pulse'' called the album, "quite simply, the strongest [[art-pop]] record to appear since [[Laurie Anderson]]'s ''[[Mister Heartbreak|Mr. Heartbreak]]''", defined by a "series of lovely tunes atop a decisive, rhythmically fascinating girding of rapid-fire, turn-on-a-dime percussion."<ref name="pulse">{{cite magazine |last1=Widenbaum |first1=Marc |date=March 1997 |title=Eponymous Rex |url=https://www.aphextwin.nu/learn/98136116397220.shtml |access-date=2024-09-20 |magazine=[[Pulse! (magazine)|Pulse!]] |pages=26–27 |via=aphextwin.nu |issue=157}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' writer [[David Browne (journalist)|David Browne]] awarded the album an A−, calling it James' "quirkiest, most personal work" and said that "4" and "Girl/Boy Song" revealed "a new warmth and wistfulness."<ref name="ew-review"/> Mark Jenkins of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' gave the album a negative review, referring to the music as "sloppy offhand", "a noisy mess" and sounding "like a private joke".<ref name="washington-post">{{cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Mark|date=2 February 1997|title=Plain Old Common Synth|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|page=G8|id={{ProQuest|1444597149}}}} {{subscription required}}</ref>


''Richard D. James Album'' was placed in numerous best-of lists. ''[[NME]]'' placed the album at number 20 on their list of the best albums of 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1996|work=[[NME]]|title=Albums and tracks of the year 1996|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509045451/http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1996|archive-date=9 May 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]'' also listed the album among their top 50 albums of the year for 1996.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215065411/http://thewire.co.uk/archive/1996-rewind|archive-date=15 February 2014|date=January 1997|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|title=1996 Rewind|access-date=24 April 2015|url=http://thewire.co.uk/archive/1996-rewind}}</ref> In 2003 ''Pitchfork'' listed their top albums of the 1990s, with ''Richard D. James Album'' ranking at 40.<ref name="pitchfork-2003"/> ''Pitchfork'' stated that ''RDJ''<!-- as mentioned --> is not "easily dated by [its] technology", and doesn't "sound stale compared to modern variations."<ref name="pitchfork-2003"/> Also in 2003, ''NME'' ranked it 55th in their list of the top 100 albums of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time! |magazine=NME |page=30 |date=8 March 2003}}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' placed the album at number 91 on their list of the top 100 albums of the 1990s, describing it as "more fascinated by textures than almost any other electronic album ever crafted".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-albums-of-the-1990s|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s|date=14 February 2011|last=Henderson|first=Eric|access-date=1 May 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429045551/http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-albums-of-the-1990s|archive-date=29 April 2015}}</ref> In 2015 ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' placed the album at number 71 on their list of the best albums of the past 30 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/4/|work=Spin|access-date=27 July 2015|title=The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)|date=11 May 2015|last=Weiss|first=Dan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818131253/http://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/4/|archive-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> In the same year, ''[[Exclaim!]]'' listed ''Richard D. James Album'' on their list of Essential Richard D. James albums.<ref name="exclaim-2015">{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/essential_guide_to_richard_d_james|work=[[Exclaim!]]|title=An Essential Guide to Richard D. James|date=13 October 2015|access-date=8 February 2016|last=Keating|first=Daryl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201084136/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/essential_guide_to_richard_d_james|archive-date=1 February 2016}}</ref> The review opined that the album was "not necessarily a release that you immediately fall in love with", but that it was "endlessly rewarding".<ref name="exclaim-2015"/> ''[[Evening Standard]]'' named it among "the most influential electronica albums of the past 20 years."<ref name="Evening Standard"/> In 2019, ''[[Reverb.com|Reverb]]'' called the album "perhaps the best-known IDM release of all time" and a "highwater mark" for the genre.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mizek |first1=Steve |title=13 Essential IDM Records: Aphex Twin, Autechre, and more |url=https://lp.reverb.com/articles/13-essential-idm-records |website=Reverb |access-date=16 September 2019 |archive-date=22 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122005020/https://lp.reverb.com/articles/13-essential-idm-records |url-status=dead }}</ref>
''Richard D. James Album'' was placed in numerous best-of lists. ''[[NME]]'' placed the album at number 20 on their list of the best albums of 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1996|work=[[NME]]|title=Albums and tracks of the year 1996|access-date=23 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509045451/http://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1996|archive-date=9 May 2013}}</ref> ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]'' also listed the album among their top 50 albums of the year for 1996.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215065411/http://thewire.co.uk/archive/1996-rewind|archive-date=15 February 2014|date=January 1997|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|title=1996 Rewind|access-date=24 April 2015|url=http://thewire.co.uk/archive/1996-rewind}}</ref> In 2003 ''Pitchfork'' listed their top albums of the 1990s, with ''Richard D. James Album'' ranking at 40.<ref name="pitchfork-2003"/> ''Pitchfork'' stated that ''RDJ''<!-- as mentioned --> is not "easily dated by [its] technology", and doesn't "sound stale compared to modern variations."<ref name="pitchfork-2003"/> Also in 2003, ''NME'' ranked it 55th in their list of the top 100 albums of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time! |magazine=NME |page=30 |date=8 March 2003}}</ref> ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' placed the album at number 91 on their list of the top 100 albums of the 1990s, describing it as "more fascinated by textures than almost any other electronic album ever crafted".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-albums-of-the-1990s|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s|date=14 February 2011|last=Henderson|first=Eric|access-date=1 May 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429045551/http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-albums-of-the-1990s|archive-date=29 April 2015}}</ref> In 2015 ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' placed the album at number 71 on their list of the best albums of the past 30 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/4/|work=Spin|access-date=27 July 2015|title=The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)|date=11 May 2015|last=Weiss|first=Dan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818131253/http://www.spin.com/2015/05/the-300-best-albums-of-the-past-30-years-1985-2014/4/|archive-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> In the same year, ''[[Exclaim!]]'' listed ''Richard D. James Album'' on their list of Essential Richard D. James albums.<ref name="exclaim-2015">{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/essential_guide_to_richard_d_james|work=[[Exclaim!]]|title=An Essential Guide to Richard D. James|date=13 October 2015|access-date=8 February 2016|last=Keating|first=Daryl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201084136/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/essential_guide_to_richard_d_james|archive-date=1 February 2016}}</ref> The review opined that the album was "not necessarily a release that you immediately fall in love with", but that it was "endlessly rewarding".<ref name="exclaim-2015"/> ''[[Evening Standard]]'' named it among "the most influential electronica albums of the past 20 years."<ref name="Evening Standard"/> In 2019, ''[[Reverb.com|Reverb]]'' called the album "perhaps the best-known IDM release of all time" and a "highwater mark" for the genre.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mizek |first1=Steve |title=13 Essential IDM Records: Aphex Twin, Autechre, and more |url=https://lp.reverb.com/articles/13-essential-idm-records |website=Reverb |access-date=16 September 2019 |archive-date=22 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122005020/https://lp.reverb.com/articles/13-essential-idm-records |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Usage in media==
Songs from the album were used on several different television [[Advertising|ads]]. "To Cure a Weakling Child" was used in a high-profile UK TV advertising campaign for mobile phone company [[Orange UK|Orange]].<ref>{{YouTube |QOJls1r0Cdo |Advert for Orange Text Messaging (1997)}}</ref> "Girl/Boy Song" was used in a [[Bank of America]] commercial.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/features/99/aphex.htm|title=Space Age Bachelor article|access-date=28 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521045506/http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/features/99/aphex.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive -->|archive-date=21 May 2008}}</ref>


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
Line 166: Line 156:
==Sales==
==Sales==
{{certification Table Top|caption=Sales for ''Richard D. James Album''}}
{{certification Table Top|caption=Sales for ''Richard D. James Album''}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Aphex Twin|title=Richard D James|nocert=true|salesamount=30,000|relyear=1996|salesref=<ref name="space age">{{cite web|url=http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/archives/aphex-twin-interview-transcript|publisher=Space Age Bachelor|title=Aphex Twin – Interview|date=25 September 1997|access-date=22 April 2019|archive-date=17 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117143159/http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/archives/aphex-twin-interview-transcript|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Aphex Twin|title=Richard D James|nocert=true|salesamount=30,000|relyear=1996|salesref=<ref name="space age">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/archives/aphex-twin-interview-transcript|magazine=Space Age Bachelor|title=Aphex Twin – Interview Transcript |date=25 September 1997 |issue=12 |access-date=22 April 2019|archive-date=17 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117143159/http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/archives/aphex-twin-interview-transcript|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Aphex Twin|title=Richard D James|nocert=true|salesamount=50,000|relyear=1996|salesref=<ref name="space age" />}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{Certification Table Summary}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=100,000|salesref=<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Gary |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-11-01.pdf|title=Dance Grooves: Warp Finds a Voice|page=12|date=1 November 1997|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-date=14 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214194017/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-11-01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=100,000|salesref=<ref name="RDJWW">{{cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Gary |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-11-01.pdf|title=Dance Grooves: Warp Finds a Voice|page=12|date=1 November 1997|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|access-date=8 October 2019|archive-date=14 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214194017/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-11-01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
{{End}}
{{End}}


Line 187: Line 178:
* {{cite book|last=Kirn|first=Peter|year=2011|chapter=12|title=Keyboard Presents the Evolution of Electronic Dance Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IbtJAgAAQBAJ|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-1-61713-446-3|access-date=23 April 2015}}
* {{cite book|last=Kirn|first=Peter|year=2011|chapter=12|title=Keyboard Presents the Evolution of Electronic Dance Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IbtJAgAAQBAJ|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-1-61713-446-3|access-date=23 April 2015}}
* {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Steve|date=2006|chapter=Aphex Twin|title=The A to X of Alternative Music|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/atoxofalternativ00unse/page/14/|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-82-648217-4 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=Steve|date=2006|chapter=Aphex Twin|title=The A to X of Alternative Music|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/atoxofalternativ00unse/page/14/|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-82-648217-4 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Ben |url= |title=Seven Years of Plenty |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group|Phoenix Press]] |year=1998 |isbn=0-75380-854-4 |edition=Paperback |pages=138–142 |chapter=Aphex Twin |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sevenyearsofplen0000thom/page/138/}}
{{Refend}}
{{Refend}}



Latest revision as of 03:25, 3 November 2024

Richard D. James Album
A photo of Richard D. James smiling in a darkened background.
Studio album by
Released4 November 1996 (1996-11-04)
Genre
Length32:51
LabelWarp
ProducerAphex Twin
Richard D. James chronology
Girl/Boy EP
(1996)
Richard D. James Album
(1996)
Analogue Bubblebath Vol 3.1
(1997)
Aphex Twin album chronology
...I Care Because You Do
(1995)
Richard D. James Album
(1996)
Drukqs
(2001)

Richard D. James Album is a studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin, whose real name is Richard David James. It was released on 4 November 1996 through Warp Records. It was composed by James on his Macintosh computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast breakbeats and intricate drum programming which draw from jungle and drum and bass. James' drum loops are paired with lush string arrangements, and ambient melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as modulated vocals from James.

Richard D. James Album entered the Dance Albums Chart at No. 7,[1] and reached No. 62 on the Albums Chart. In the US it charted at No. 20 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Albums chart. It had sold over 100,000 units by 1997, making it Warp's most commercially successful release at the time. It received critical acclaim, with much of the praise going to its production. It has since been described as one of the best albums of 1996 and the 1990s overall by music critics.

Background and production

[edit]

In 1995, Richard James released the two Hangable Auto Bulb EPs under his AFX moniker, experimenting with exaggerated rhythms inspired by drum and bass in a style that came to be called "drill 'n' bass".[2] In the following year, James released the Aphex Twin EP Girl/Boy.[3] This faster style of drum programming was inspired by James' friend Luke Vibert, also known as Plug.[4] James stated that while he worked with triplets and complicated beats in the past, that Vibert "got me into doing it a faster pace. He gave me the spark to do it faster, but now I'm trying to take it to all extremes".[5]

Luke Vibert live
James's experimentation with faster breakbeats was inspired by Luke Vibert.

James has stated that most of the album was composed on his Macintosh computer[5] and that the album took longer to create than any of his previous albums.[6] Describing his approach to drum programming, he stated that "sometimes I just hit the keyboard in a way I'd like the rhythm of the tracks to sound. Then I'll spend four hours moving all the notes where I want them to go."[7] Some tracks on the album include James' vocals modulated on a computer; in "To Cure a Weakling Child", James manipulated his voice to sound like a child giving a lecture about their arms and legs.[5][6] For the orchestral arrangements on the album, James bought a violin at a car boot sale. He taught himself to play a note from the instrument by placing it on a table, playing a note and sampling the note.[8]

Composition

[edit]

Richard D. James Album is a work of electronica[9][10] that has been characterised as James's "swan dive into jungle and drill'n'bass" by Vice's Dan Wiess,[11] and labeled as a work of IDM by Pitchfork,[12] working with jungle,[13] drum and bass[14][15] and ambient and acid techno in some tracks.[15] Andrew Speiss of PopMatters noted that '[w]hat makes Richard D. James Album stand out among James' previous works is the synthesis of delicate, symphonic sounds and hard, jackhammering beats," noting that the album consolidated his 1995 entry into the short-lived drill 'n' bass subgenre.[16] James has claimed the influence of jungle music came from "any of the drum 'n' bass and breakbeat artists" and that he has "always been into nicking other things [...] and making something different".[5] Patrick Fallon of Stereogum noted the album heavily relies on drum programming, sampling, and "other digital intricacies that would've been otherwise unthinkable without computers".[17] It also features lush string arrangements and simple keyboard textures built over quadruple time breakbeats.[18] A reviewer for Spectrum Culture wrote that the album used unstable time signatures.[15] Steve Taylor found the record Aphex Twin's "most terrifying" one, with "weird stop-start beats, white noise and tough melodies."[19]

John Bush of AllMusic noted that the album continued James's "forays into acid-jungle and experimental music,"[20] noting that the album was "more extreme than virtually all jungle being made at the time", with beats layered over slower melodies that characterised James' earlier ambient works.[13] Eric Carr of Pitchfork opined that the album was one of the "aggressive combinations of disparate electronic forms", with "almost-brutal contrast between its elements".[21] Exclaim! commented that tracks such as "Girl/Boy Song", "Yellow Calx", and "Peek 824545201" were "loosely based on jungle".[22] Spin's Will Hermes linked the album's use of vocals, both sung and sampled, its cover artwork and title, stating that "Richard D. James might be the first electronica LP that not only gropes for narrative but also aspired to an abstract sort of autobiography."[9]

Release

[edit]

Richard D. James Album was released through Warp on 4 November 1996.[23] It was released on compact disc, cassette and gramophone record;[24] early copies of the album were distributed with a plastic sachet containing James' hair.[25] The American version included the Girl/Boy EP as bonus tracks.[7][26] The album entered at number 7 on the Dance Albums Chart[1] and at number 62 on the Albums Chart in the UK, on 16 November 1996.[27] It was released in the United States through Sire Records on 28 January 1997 and charted at number 20 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Albums chart.[28][29] By November 1997, it had sold over 100,000 copies and became Warp's most commercially successful release at the time,[30] the former of which surprised James.[31][32]

Along with ...I Care Because You Do (1995), Richard D. James Album was reissued on vinyl on 18 September 2012 by record label 1972.[33] Warp announced their own re-issue of the album on 180-gram vinyl for 8 October 2012.[34]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Detroit Free Press[35]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[36]
Muzik[37]
Pitchfork8.4/10[38]
Rolling Stone[39]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[40]
Spin7/10[9]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention))[41]
The Village VoiceB+[42]

Richard D. James Album received critical acclaim from music critics. In the United Kingdom, The Independent gave album a positive review, stating that "The intuitive sense of melody [James] has been striving so hard to suppress over the last few years has come to the fore too, and the result is the most magical pop record of the year: the year in question being AD 2001".[43] In North America, Pitchfork's Ryan Schreiber gave the album an 8.4 out of ten rating, stating that "The Richard D. James Album is 43.5 minutes of pure electronic genius" and "just when your brain starts to comprehend a rhythmic pattern, the beat shifts, turns left and crushes your torso under the steering wheel."[38] Rolling Stone's Jason Fine gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, commenting that "Aphex Twin coaxes great emotional resonance from his machines" and combines "jolting beats, pristine melodic fragments and random noises into elegant – if at times unnerving – futuristic pop". However, he also commented that "not all of Richard D. James goes down easy".[39] Marc Widenbaum of The Pulse called the album, "quite simply, the strongest art-pop record to appear since Laurie Anderson's Mr. Heartbreak", defined by a "series of lovely tunes atop a decisive, rhythmically fascinating girding of rapid-fire, turn-on-a-dime percussion."[7] Entertainment Weekly writer David Browne awarded the album an A−, calling it James' "quirkiest, most personal work" and said that "4" and "Girl/Boy Song" revealed "a new warmth and wistfulness."[36] Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post gave the album a negative review, referring to the music as "sloppy offhand", "a noisy mess" and sounding "like a private joke".[44]

Richard D. James Album was placed in numerous best-of lists. NME placed the album at number 20 on their list of the best albums of 1996.[45] The Wire also listed the album among their top 50 albums of the year for 1996.[46] In 2003 Pitchfork listed their top albums of the 1990s, with Richard D. James Album ranking at 40.[21] Pitchfork stated that RDJ is not "easily dated by [its] technology", and doesn't "sound stale compared to modern variations."[21] Also in 2003, NME ranked it 55th in their list of the top 100 albums of all time.[47] Slant Magazine placed the album at number 91 on their list of the top 100 albums of the 1990s, describing it as "more fascinated by textures than almost any other electronic album ever crafted".[48] In 2015 Spin placed the album at number 71 on their list of the best albums of the past 30 years.[49] In the same year, Exclaim! listed Richard D. James Album on their list of Essential Richard D. James albums.[22] The review opined that the album was "not necessarily a release that you immediately fall in love with", but that it was "endlessly rewarding".[22] Evening Standard named it among "the most influential electronica albums of the past 20 years."[10] In 2019, Reverb called the album "perhaps the best-known IDM release of all time" and a "highwater mark" for the genre.[50]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are credited as being written and produced by "Me" (Richard D. James).[51]

Physical (UK)[51] and digital[52] editions
No.TitleLength
1."4"3:37
2."Cornish Acid"2:14
3."Peek 824545201"3:05
4."Fingerbib"3:48
5."Carn Marth"2:33
6."To Cure a Weakling Child"4:03
7."Goon Gumpas"2:02
8."Yellow Calx"3:04
9."Girl/Boy Song" (NLS mix)4:52
10."Logan Rock Witch"3:33
Total length:32:51
American edition bonus tracks (Girl/Boy EP)[26][53]
No.TitleLength
11."Milkman"4:09
12."Inkey$"1:24
13."Girl/Boy" (£18 Snare Rush mix)1:57
14."Beetles"1:31
15."Girl/Boy" (Redruth mix)1:37
Total length:43:29

Personnel

[edit]

Credits from the back cover of the album.[51]

  • Aphex Twin (credited as "Me") – writer, producer, sleeve
  • Johnny Clayton – sleeve

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Richard D. James Album
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart (CIN)[27] 62
UK Dance Albums Chart (CIN)[1] 7
US Top Heatseekers (Billboard)[54][55] 20
Chart (2023) Peak
position
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[56] 39

Sales

[edit]
Sales for Richard D. James Album
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom 30,000[32]
United States 50,000[32]
Summaries
Worldwide 100,000[30]

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Redmond, Steve, ed. (16 November 1996). "Specialist Charts: Dance Albums" (PDF). Music Week. London: Miller Freeman Entertainment. p. 23.
  2. ^ Richardson, Mark. "Review: Hangable Auto Bulb". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  3. ^ Turenne, Martin (1 April 2003). "Aphex Twin The Contrarian". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  4. ^ Kirn 2011, p. 153.
  5. ^ a b c d Kirn 2011, p. 150-153
  6. ^ a b Dax, Max (13 August 2013). "From the Vaults: An Interview with Aphex Twin". Electronic Beats. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Widenbaum, Marc (March 1997). "Eponymous Rex". Pulse!. No. 157. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 20 September 2024 – via aphextwin.nu.
  8. ^ Thompson 1998, p. 141.
  9. ^ a b c Hermes, Will (February 1997). "Aphex Twin: Richard D. James". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 11. p. 88. ISSN 0886-3032. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  10. ^ a b De Peyer, Robin (18 August 2014). "Aphex Twin blimp spotted in London sparks speculation over DJ's return". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  11. ^ Weiss, Dan (4 November 2016). "Aphex Twin's 'Richard D. James Album' Is Still Inventively Immature 20 Years Later". Vice. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  12. ^ Dombal, Ryan (24 January 2017). "Top 40 IDM Albums". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  13. ^ a b c Bush, John. "Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  14. ^ Larkin 2011
  15. ^ a b c Cole, Jake (19 October 2016). "Holy Hell! The Richard D. James Album Turns 20". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  16. ^ Speiss, Andrew (5 November 2021). "25 YEARS OF APHEX TWIN'S 'RICHARD D. JAMES' ALBUM". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  17. ^ Fallon, Patrick (10 October 2014). "Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album (1996)". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  18. ^ "17. Aphex Twin, 'The Richard D. James Album' (Warp, 1996)". Rolling Stone. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016.
  19. ^ Taylor 2006, pp. 13–14
  20. ^ Bush, John. "Aphex Twin | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  21. ^ a b c Carr, Eric (17 November 2003). "Staff Lists: Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  22. ^ a b c Keating, Daryl (13 October 2015). "An Essential Guide to Richard D. James". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Aphex Twin Richard D. James Album". Warp. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  24. ^ "Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin: Releases". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  25. ^ Thompson, Ben (13 January 2008). "120 essential pop albums". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  26. ^ a b Bush, John. "Richard D. James Album – Aphex Twin – Release Information, Reviews, and Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Richard D. James Album". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  28. ^ Flick, Larry; Reece, Doug (15 February 1997). "Electronic Music Poised For Power Surge in States: Rising Interest Sparks Excitement, Concern". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 79. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  29. ^ "US Albums" (PDF). Hit Music. No. 225. 15 February 1997. p. 17.
  30. ^ a b Smith, Gary (1 November 1997). "Dance Grooves: Warp Finds a Voice" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  31. ^ Jones, Andy (19 September 2023). "1997 interview reveals that Aphex Twin owned a tank, wanted to buy a submarine and used the vault of the former bank he owned as a reverb: "It would be great for parties"". MusicRadar. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  32. ^ a b c "Aphex Twin – Interview Transcript". Space Age Bachelor. No. 12. 25 September 1997. Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  33. ^ Kaye, Ben (26 July 2012). "Aphex Twin reissues ...I Care Because You Do and Richard D. James Album". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  34. ^ Hudson, Alex (25 July 2012). "Aphex Twin's '...I Care Because You Do' and 'Richard D. James Album' Get Vinyl Reissues". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  35. ^ Pratt, Tim (23 February 1997). "Aphex Twin — 'Richard D. James' (Sire/Elektra)". Detroit Free Press. p. 52.
  36. ^ a b Browne, David (31 January 1997). "Richard D. James". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  37. ^ James, Martin (December 1996). "Aphex Twin: Richard D. James Album (Warp)" (PDF). Muzik. No. 19. p. 136. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  38. ^ a b Schreiber, Ryan (November 1996). "Aphex Twin: The Richard D. James Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  39. ^ a b Fine, Jason (2 January 1997). "Aphex Twin: Richard D. James Album / DJ Shadow: Endtroducing..." Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  40. ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha (2004). "Aphex Twin". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 21–23. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  41. ^ Hull, Tom (13 June 2015). "Rhapsody Streamnotes: June 13, 2015". Tom Hull – on the Web. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  42. ^ Christgau, Robert (23 September 1997). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  43. ^ "Records". The Independent. Independent Print Ltd. 3 November 1996. p. 26. ISSN 0951-9467.
  44. ^ Jenkins, Mark (2 February 1997). "Plain Old Common Synth". Washington Post. p. G8. ProQuest 1444597149. (subscription required)
  45. ^ "Albums and tracks of the year 1996". NME. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  46. ^ "1996 Rewind". The Wire. January 1997. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  47. ^ "NME's 100 Best Albums of All Time!". NME. 8 March 2003. p. 30.
  48. ^ Henderson, Eric (14 February 2011). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  49. ^ Weiss, Dan (11 May 2015). "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985–2014)". Spin. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  50. ^ Mizek, Steve. "13 Essential IDM Records: Aphex Twin, Autechre, and more". Reverb. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  51. ^ a b c "Back of album cover". Richard D. James Album (Media notes). Aphex Twin. Warp. 1996. WarpCD43.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  52. ^ "Richard D. James Album by Aphex Twin". iTunes. 4 November 1996. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  53. ^ "Back of album cover". Richard D. James Album (Media notes). Aphex Twin. Sire. 1997. CD 62010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  54. ^ Anon. (15 February 1997). "Billboard's Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 7. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 21. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  55. ^ "Heatseekers Albums: Up and Coming Musicians Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  56. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 august 2023.

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]