# Talk:Selected Ambient Works Volume II

It seems like a recently commonly debated statement in this article is if SAWII is James' second studio album. I think this statement being removed is actually quite fair considering other projects, e.g. Surfing on Sine Waves exist, and as such it is not James' second studio album. It is, however, the second studio album released under the Aphex Twin alias. I'd like to propose a statement in the lede reading something like:
"Selected Ambient Works Volume II is the second studio album by the British electronic music artist and producer Richard D. James released under the alias Aphex Twin."
While obviously not perfect and I invite anyone viewing this talk page to write a clearer version, it at least communicates the idea that it is the second album James made that was released as Aphex Twin.
A couple of sources mention this is the second album, but each carries some issues:
The article from the Quietus states:
"Two and a half decades since the release of Aphex Twin's second collection of Ambient Works,"
which does not directly imply that it is the second studio album, rather just another collection of ambient works.
The Resident Advisor article directly states:
"In March 1994, while James was living in Stoke Newington, Warp Records released his second album, Selected Ambient Works Volume II."
This is just wrong, as already established, as James released music under other aliases between SAW85-92 and SAWII.
The NME article states:
"Three decades on, Richard D. James’ second studio album remains beguiling.
Once again, James released music under different aliases between the album's release so this is incorrect.
Finally, the most compelling argument is given by The Vinyl Factory, which states:
"Richard D. James’ second Aphex Twin album Selected Ambient Works Volume II is getting a limited edition repress on triple vinyl, courtesy of US-based imprint 1972."
However, this could be taken to be a press release rather than a reputable source and I'm unsure how well it would back up the claim.
In any case, I'd like to come up with some sort of relevant solution since there seems to be a very slow cycle of random editors re-introducing this chunk of text before it gets removed again. If we're going off what sources say, I'd say the Resident Advisor article would be best to cite this claim, but I'd like some opinions from others who have other ideas. Rambley (talk / contribs) 14:09, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

In the wording suggested it’s not clear that the predicate of the clause “under the alias Aphex Twin” is modifying the ordinal number “second”. A wording that is both brief, uncomplicated, and not misleading is difficult.
The fact that, of the albums released by James under the Aphex Twin alias, this is the second, is not a particularly vital piece of information. It doesn’t need to be in the first sentence or even the first paragraph. So we needn’t clog up the opening paragraph with either a clunky sentence or easily misleading claim. Cambial — foliar❧ 16:09, 12 November 2025 (UTC)