Richard D. James is the third and best Aphex Twin's album. As the title indicates, James has turned inward for inspiration, painting aural pictures of real and imagined scenes from his west country childhood. "Goongumpas" is a fanciful, playful tune that wouldn't sound out of place on the soundtrack to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. As his adventures with the family upright indicate, James was a bit of a devil even as a child. "Beetles" is the sound of a boy frying bugs on the sidewalk with a magnifying glass, and "To Cure a Weakling Child" shows flashes of the sort of sadism found only on preschool playgrounds. If you still doubt that young Richard developed early on, the romantic Nino Rota-style strings on "Girl/Boy Song" are just made for passionate seductions, and the tune appears in three mixes, each one hot and hornier than the one before.
The raucous undercurrents of even his calmest tunes and the sources of many of his most common sounds are what link James to the rock tradition. With Richard D. James, the artist solidifies his position as an electronic music mastermind who has earned a spot beside such well-respected innovators--whether or not he's destined for stardom. --Jim Derogatis
The raucous undercurrents of even his calmest tunes and the sources of many of his most common sounds are what link James to the rock tradition. With Richard D. James, the artist solidifies his position as an electronic music mastermind who has earned a spot beside such well-respected innovators--whether or not he's destined for stardom. --Jim Derogatis
1. "4" – 3:34 2. "Cornish Acid" – 2:15
3. "Peek 824545201" – 3:01
4. "Fingerbib" – 3:46
5. "Carn Marth" – 2:29
6. "To Cure a Weakling Child" – 3:58
7. "Goon Gumpas" – 1:57
8. "Yellow Calx" – 3:00
9. "Girl/Boy Song" – 4:47
10. "Logan Rock Witch" – 3:31
11. "Milkman" – 4:08
12. "INKEY$" – 1:21
13. "Girl/Boy (£18 Snare Rush mix)" – 1:54
14. "Beetles" – 1:26
15. "Girl/Boy (Redruth mix)" – 1:37
