KLF Communications
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In the UK, The KLF and their incarnations released six albums and a wide array of diverse 12 " singles on their own independent record label KLF Communications during its five-year existence. In other territories their material was typically issued under licence by local labels. Despite being a DIY release, the 1988 single "Doctorin' the Tardis" sold over one million copies,[1] and The KLF became the best-selling British singles act in the world during 1991.[2][3]
This article lists the key British and notable international releases of The KLF and the other pseudonyms of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. It also details the other releases on their KLF Communications label, by Disco 2000 and Space (a Cauty solo work). Note that this is a not a complete list; compilation appearances and certain remix limited edition singles have been excluded.
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[edit] KLF Communications
From their very earliest releases as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu until their retirement in 1992, the music of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty was independently released in their home country (the UK)[4]. Their debut releases - the single "All You Need Is Love" and the album 1987 - were released under the label name "The Sound Of Mu(sic)". However, by the end of 1987 Drummond and Cauty had renamed their label to "KLF Communications" and, in October 1987, the first of many "information sheets" (self written missives from The KLF to fans and the media) was sent out by the label.[5]
KLF Communications releases were distributed by Rough Trade Distribution (a spinoff of Rough Trade Records) in the South East of England, and across the wider UK by The Cartel. As Drummond and Cauty explained, "The Cartel is, as the name implies, a group of independent distributors across the country who work in conjunction with each other providing a solid network of distribution without stepping on each other's toes. We are distributed by the Cartel."[6] When Rough Trade Distribution distribution collapsed in 1991 it was reported that they owed KLF Communications £500,000.[7] (In the same feature it was reported that Drummond wished to sign Ian McCulloch to the label, but this never happened). Plugging (the promotion to TV and radio) was handled by long time associate Scott Piering[6].
Outside the UK, KLF releases were issued under licence by local labels. In the USA, the licensees were Wax Trax (the Chill Out album[8]), TVT (early releases including The History of The JAMs a.k.a. The Timelords[9]), and Arista Records (The White Room and singles[10][11]).
Drummond and Cauty also published a book under the imprint "KLF Publications" - The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way) (ISBN 0-86359-616-9).
The duo deleted the entire KLF Communications catalogue upon their 1992 retirement from the music industry.[3][12]
[edit] Bill Drummond & Jimmy Cauty discography
[edit] Albums
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1987: What The Fuck Is Going On? |
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Who Killed The JAMs? |
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Shag Times |
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The "What Time Is Love?" Story |
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Chill Out |
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The White Room |
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Waiting for the Rights of Mu |
[edit] Singles
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All You Need Is Love |
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Whitney Joins The JAMs |
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1987 (The JAMS 45 Edits) |
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Down Town |
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Burn The Bastards/Burn The Beat |
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Doctorin' the Tardis |
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What Time Is Love? (Pure Trance Original) |
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3 a.m. Eternal (Pure Trance Original) |
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Kylie Said To Jason |
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Last Train to Trancentral (Pure Trance Original) |
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What Time Is Love? (Live at Trancentral) |
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3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.) |
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Last Train to Trancentral (Live from the Lost Continent) |
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America: What Time Is Love? |
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It's Grim Up North |
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Justified and Ancient (Stand by The JAMs) |
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3 a.m. Eternal |
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K Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It) |
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Fuck the Millennium |
[edit] Other KLF Communications releases
[edit] Albums
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Space |
[edit] Singles
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I Gotta CD |
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One Love Nation |
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Uptight (Everything's Alright) |
[edit] The KLF filmography
- The Stadium House Trilogy
- Waiting
- The Rites of Mu
- The White Room (not released but bootleg copies exist)
[edit] KLF Publications bibliography
The Manual. "How to have a number one the easy way — The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu reveal their zenarchistic method used in making the unthinkable happen."
KLF Publications KLF 009B (ISBN 0-86359-616-9)
[edit] Chart performance
Although the early works of The JAMs aroused media interest, with many singles being awarded "single of the week" by various music publications,[16] Drummond and Cauty neither sought nor found mainstream chart success until the release of The Timelords' million-selling[1] "Doctorin' the Tardis" in May 1988. The KLF's single "Kylie Said to Jason", from The White Room soundtrack, was designed for chart success, but (according to KLF Communications) failed to reach the UK top-100.[17] However, The KLF achieved international chart success with the string of pop-house singles that began with "What Time Is Love? (Live at Trancentral)". This led to The KLF becoming the internationally highest-selling singles band of 1991.[2][3]
| Title | Highest chart position by country | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | AU | SE | SZ | |
| Singles | |||||
| Doctorin' the Tardis | 1 | 66 | |||
| What Time Is Love? (Live at Trancentral) | 5 | 73 | 10 | 23 | |
| 3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.) | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Last Train to Trancentral (Live from the Lost Continent) | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 | |
| America: What Time Is Love? | 4 | 57 | 40 | 9 | 3 |
| It's Grim up North | 10 | - | 26 | ||
| Justified and Ancient (Stand by The JAMs) | 2 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Fuck the Millennium | 28 | ||||
| Album | |||||
| The White Room | 3 | 39 | 5 | 13 | |
Key
- UK - UK Singles Chart
- US - Billboard Hot 100
- AU - Australian singles chart[18]
- SE - Swedish singles chart[19]
- SZ - Swiss singles chart[20]
[edit] References
- Discogs.com, KLF Communications discography
- Longmire, Ernie et al (2005). KLF discography [21]
- Library of Mu - Reviews [22]
- Author unknown (1991). "The KLF: Enigmatic dance duo" (feature and discography up to that time), Record Collector Magazine, April 1991.
- Rice, J. and Roberts, D. (2000) Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th Ed.), Guinness Publishing Ltd., London.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b Shaw, William, "Who Killed The KLF?", Select Magazine, July 1992 link
- ^ a b c Bush, John, KLF biography, All Music Guide (link)
- ^ a b c "Timelords gentlemen, please!", New Musical Express, 16 May 1992 (link)
- ^ a b KLF Communications profile at Discogs.com (link)
- ^ Drummond, B. (1987), KLF Info Sheet Oct 1987 (link). The KLF Communications Info Sheets are all archived at The Library of Mu
- ^ a b Drummond, B. & Cauty, J. (1989) The Manual (How To Have a Number One The Easy Way), KLF Publications (KLF 009B), UK. ISBN 0-86359-616-9. (Link to full text)
- ^ "KLF chase money ... and McCulloch", New Musical Express, 29 February 1992 (link)
- ^ All Music Guide review of Chill Out (link)
- ^ All Music Guide review of The History of The JAMs a.k.a. The Timelords (link)
- ^ All Music Guide review of The White Room/Justified & Ancient (link)
- ^ Bill Drummond explained the licensing situation - and inducements made by Arista - in an interview by Ernie Longmire, X Magazine, July 1991 (link)
- ^ KLF Communications advertisement in New Musical Express, 16 May 1992.
- ^ All Music Guide review of Waiting for the Rights of Mu. Listed there as a bootleg. (link)
- ^ Reviewed by NME writer James Brown in the 28 November 1987 edition.
- ^ Sleevenotes, "Burn The Bastards", KLF Communications KLF 002, April 1988.
- ^ See the Library of Mu: list of "singles of the week". Retrieved 31 May 2006.
- ^ KLF Communications, "Information Sheet Eight", August 1990 (link)
- ^ Interview: The KLF's James Cauty, Rocknerd.org. Retrieved 31 May 2006 (link)
- ^ The KLF's performance in the Swedish Top 20. Retrieved 31 May 2006.
- ^ The KLF's performance in the Swiss singles chart. Retrieved 31 May 2006.
- ^ Compiled by Ernie Longmire, this has been the authoratative KLF discography on the internet for some 10 years or more and has been the subject of long-term scrutiny and peer review by KLF fans and collectors. It is now maintained by the fan site klf.de.
- ^ An archive of contemporary reviews of KLF releases from the music press, newspapers and magazines. More detailed citations and quotes are available in the articles on each album and notable song.
[edit] See also
- The Black Room - An unreleased album by Drummond & Cauty
[edit] External links
- KLF Communications fan site (includes discography and image library)
| The KLF |
|---|
| Bill Drummond | Jimmy Cauty |
| Also known as |
| The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu | The Timelords | K Foundation | The One World Orchestra | 2K | K2 Plant Hire |
| Main albums |
| 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?) | Who Killed The JAMs? | Chill Out | The White Room |
| Related articles |
| Discography | Films | The Manual | Space | Disco 2000 | Big In Japan | Brilliant | The Orb | Blacksmoke |
