The White Room

Probably one of those instances of "you had to be there at the time to understand". That said, if really you need just *one* example of what a early nineties eurodance version of a rave party should sound like in this list of essential albums, *The White Room* is your best bet here--even if, more than eurodance, what we have here has layers of opportunistic cultural recycling that were actually very British, and so contrasting a lot with those other Italian or German cheesy dance acts around 1990. See the wealth of samples used here, with or without permission: so many winks to popular music of all stripes that it's easy to lose count, from that sample of MCS's "Kick Out The Jams" to this bassline nicked from the Twin Peaks title theme on trip-hop-like "Build A Fire". Here is a concern for richness, invention and callbacks to music history that low-brow outfits such as Technotronic, 2Unlimited or Snap! would never reach for even one second of their equally short career. So if you stick to what is usually expected from that often maligned genre of popular dance music from thirty years ago, there's no denying that The KLF were masters of their game. Every track on the first side may have all the clichés of that UK Dance Club thing, sure, yet they are so effective that you may feel inclined to bob your head to them, as "dated" as some of those shenanigans are. "What Time Is Love" and "3AM Eternal" are the most striking examples of such an effective way to rob the charts in 1991 and yet still manage to win hearts in 2023 (in a genre that supposedly never ages well, i.e. EDM). Too bad that the version of "Last Train To Trancentral" on the same first side is a more subdued remix compared to the equally slapping single version--as good as this remix is. Had this single version, filled with an orgy of vocoder-laden vocal parts, been included on this side, you'd have a perfect first part for this record. What will probably go over the head of most listeners is that Bill Drummond and James Cauty were also very sly foxes as artists and "high concept" creators. They first wrote a book about how to hit the charts from the underground *before* managing to do so for real with the singles from this album. Quite a feat that they held their promises against all odds...but it's not even the most interesting part of the picture. See for example what they did with all the money they earned after they hit those charts--it might be a huge surprise for you, either a pleasant or an unpleasant one, depending on your mileage. But before they burnt all those piles of dough to the ground--yes, you read that correctly--they also managed to: - create many fake bands to broadcast their music. - instill a very "situationist" brand of irony to "dance" music that acts like Gang Of Four could only dream of when they injected funk basslines to their post-punk agenda ten years before. - Record a classic electronic "chill-out" LP named... well, *Chill Out*--which actually inspired a lot of melodies and arrangements in *The White Room*. - Erase the lines between high art and blatant commercialism, or the ones between "good taste" and "bad taste". That last point is the most prophetic of their endeavors, foretelling the success of many later acts going from Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem to more recent strands of hyperpop such as Charli XCX, Sophie, 100 gecs or crazy pop-post-hardcore outfit The Armed. I have a feeling that this recent hyperpop craze, as weird and probably promised to failure as it is, is not so far from rehabilitating The KLF. Only time will tell. But if such rehabilitation happens, I reckon it's gonna happen very soon at least--before the wheel turns again, which is always sooner than later. All this is fine, but what really saves this album from all those tired tropes about music cycles and "turning wheels" is its far more ambient second side, with all its groovy, cinematic-yet-lvery-aidback cuts such as the title track or "No More Tears". Those songs are stellar, enough said. Subtly layered and subdued and sounding like nothing else, whether at the time or today. Concluding the proceedings, the mock-Las-Vegas-novelty cut "Justified and Ancient" returns to the layers of irony of the first side, but this time with an extra grain of salt. What if Drummond and Caulty were actually serious here? Us poor sheep will probably never know. All that"s left for us to do is to take that Trancentral Train to the promises of a future of dance music that never really occured--at least not in that exact shape--but one that could still occur yet, if you listen to this the right way. *The White Room* has always had a somewhat nostalgic feel to its rave party antics--a clearly melancholic subtext if you listen to its arrangements an flourishes--and such subtext made it age far better then many other supposed EDM highlights of the same day and age. Not so bad for a record whose sound is supposedly "dated", at least on first sight. 4/5 for the purposes of this list, translating to a 9/10 grade for more general purposes (5+4). Number of albums left to review: 419 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 269 (including this one). Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 142 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 176

File under : generic electronic boops

Hard to get on streaming, but there's the odd serviceable playlist cobbling this together from the stuff they released back onto services a couple of years ago after a far too long absence. One of the most interesting stories of any band ever, surely. There is an absolutely essential John Higgs book about them and their influences (occult, dadaist, conspiracies - the story of how the popularised concept of the Illuminati as an all powerful shadowy organisation was essentially invented as a joke then took on a life of its own, is mad in itself). The fact they blew out of obscurity, topped the charts with apparent ease for a couple of years as a kind of joke/art project and then fucked off again, signing a pact to never use the name again and deleting all of their records. The music, I see plenty of baffled Americans here in the reviews. I guess you had to be there. It's commercial house. But at the time when it blew on the scene I just remember thinking, What Is That Noise And Where Can I Get More Of It? I still think last train, 4am eternal and what time is love are bangers. But the real star here is Justified Ancients. You must watch the video. An absolute classic tune. Just pure joy. Problem is I don't think the version I love is the one on the album. The single version is the one. Bring the beat back! That notwithstanding this is obviously getting a 5. These are two Scottish guys who convinced Tammy Wynette to appear on their record and sing the words "they're justified, and they're ancient, and they drive an ice cream van" on top of the pops.

Stray thoughts: -Excellent album cover -I am a big fan of their anti-music industry philosophy and the story of their appearance/retirement at the 1992 Brit Awards is fucking amazing. -Why on earth would you release a “Director’s Cut” of an album that removes the best known song from the album. -Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, whose albums go on for a million fucking years, The KLF keep “The White Room” nice and succinct with runtime of 44 minutes. It accomplishes what it set out to accomplish, doesn’t over stay it’s welcome…it’s fucking great.

Did not enjoy, another British electronica album

I remember the name of this band but am pretty unfamiliar with them. I can remember a line like "KLF, uh-huh uh-huh". Electronica, probably UK. Hey lol they *are* from the UK. It's... boring. It feels like a sample bank with 808 beats underneath - which is what it is of course, but that's just not something very interesting. Especially not in 2023. 2/5.

Glenn Hoddle and the entire Chelsea first team and backroom staff jizzed all over my hair and back as I sang this record in the shower after every training session. Good memories.

Since the point of this list is albums you must hear, not necessarily the *best* albums, I have to give this five stars. Because The KLF is definitely worth knowing about. The album itself consists of hunks of tripe interspersed with tidbits of sweet genius. But dig deeper into the KLF story and you won't be disappointed. And for that I'm giving this s entry 5 stars...5 flaming stars... let's burn this mofo up!

I owned this album back in the early 90s - had to buy it after hearing the Tammy Wynette remake, even though Tammy isn’t on the album as the remake came out after. Still, I remember liking the album and was expecting a lot of deja vu. Wrong. The Director’s Cut was an enormous disappointment - so much so that I was ready to give this a 3. Then a friend texted that he was going to listen to and rate the original CD that he still had a copy of. Turns out I also have the original CD available in ripped form thanks to the cloud. I listened to that and all was right with the world. It is a wonderful as I remember it!!! How terrible that the only version of this available on Apple Music is the far inferior one. Thank god I still have the original because it is terrific!

This one is a classic, The KLF were kings at catchy and danceable electronica. It seems like their reputation nowadays is entirely based around their story rather than the music, which is disappointing to see because I think their music holds up, and they were insanely influential for the modern EDM scene. For Spotify users, they've released all the songs from this album on different compilations, searching The White Room should get you a playlist with the correct tracklist. Just cross-reference it with the original tracklist to ensure it's correct.

The album itself consists of hunks of tripe interspersed with tidbits of sweet genius. But dig deeper into the KLF story and you won't be disappointed.

There is far more to be said about the KLF than there is about "this album" - mainly because what probably 80% of the reviewers on here have listened to hasn't been "the white room" as originally released. The KLF (sometimes backronymmed to Kopyright Liberation Front) "stole" - that is, flat out and unashamedly copied riffs, samples, beats, melodies and, well, you name it. The current streaming versions are without anything copied that they couldn't sort licencing for, and it is a weaker release for that. The KLF got to a height that few get to. Yes I will admit that a LOT of their success was overhyped by their very own publicity machinery. But they were by any objective measure incredibly successful. But they never really meant to be. They never expected anyone to take them seriously and were sort of like the excited dog that catches the car as a result of it. They're definitely worth reading up on, or if you have a chance to, watch Chris Atkins' documentary "Who Killed the KLF?".to get a snippet of their amoral, sociopathic energy. As one of the last of Gen X, I was a tad too young at the time to experience KLF for the raves, but I remember watching Doctorin' The Tardis being performed on stage, featuring a real life Gary Glitter. Glitter was sneaked in to the TOTP studios by Cauty and Drummond and the first the producers knew of his presence was when he was brought on stage live on air. Glitter had previously been banned from the studios - whoever would have thought it - and while I missed (thankfully) the reasons for the controversy as a child, I absolutely did not miss the controversy itself. Why do I mention Doctorin' The Tardis on a review of The White Room though? It's because with the KLF it is literally impossible to separate the art from the artists. The art is the artists and the artists are the art. The White Room does shitty, cynical things because the artists know that "the people" will react to them in sheer delight. The music is selected (stolen) and arranged by producers and engineers to tap into primal, almost subconscious needs and wants in the listener. You don't listen to the KLF's music as much as you experience it. In so many ways it is genius, in so many more it is a choice about whether to join Drummond and Cauty in their cynical, destructive, anarchic and in many ways actively unpleasant world view, or you put your hands in the air and ask "what time is love?" while having the time of your fucking life. It's a tough choice, and one only you can make. Personally, knowing what I know about how deeply disturbed and downright unpleasant the grubby world of KLF was, I choose to kick out the jams, motherfucker!

Very unique.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I just like electronic music. Maybe it’s my transfemme brainworms, but I have a really hard time disliking any electronic music that could reasonably be played at the club. Acid house is no exception. Sure, it sounds dated and is definitely not for everyone, but give me a 303 bass and a beat and I’m sold. I’m no electronic aficionado, but when I get it in my hands, I’m very easily convinced. Not being British and being much too young to have heard of The KLF – who seem to have purposefully blown up their legacy as a punk statement, which only adds to their coolness potential for me – The White Room is a blind listen. The multiple versions on Wikipedia’s track listing did leave me a bit suspicious, but those fears were pretty quickly quelled. Listening to the North American release, I was a bit concerned by the vibe that “Justified and Ancient (Excerpt)” was putting out, but from “What Time Is Love?” through “Last Train to Transcentral,” I was just met with some excellent, intricate acid house that I would love to hear at a club, and also would love to play will working my adult 9-to-5. Again, I’d be hard press to hate this music, and The KLF make a great version of that style. Where The White Room starts to lose me, though, is on its second half. There seems to be an ambient approach to house here (which may be based on a side-project, from what I’m learning), but there’s also a strange reggae influence, and both those things are not my particular vibe. It’s still well made, for sure, but these songs’ length and sparseness don’t hold my attention. Call me basic, but I need something to dance to, and “Build a Fire” and “The White Room” really don’t give me that. Momentum picks back up a bit with “No More Tears,” but that and “Justified and Ancient” are both a little more rave-y and spacey than I prefer to hear from my house music, and lack the punch of the first half of the album. On face value, The White Room is very good, with some standouts and just enough solid tracks that push beyond acid house to make me lean positive past a 50/50 split. What solidifies my interest, though, is the group itself, and their lore, which is absolutely fascinating, and justifies their inclusion on this list in and of itself. When I listen back to the music, though, I won’t be surprised if I search for a vinyl copy and stick to Side A, because that’s the type of house music I prefer, even though I acknowledge the value of Side B aesthetically. Still, overall a strong album, but also, as I said, I’m biased and a bit of a pleb with this stuff and go mostly off a vibe of how excited I’d get if this came on at the club.

I don't particularly love their music but good lord these were a couple of the coolest dudes. Here I am, again, recommending Bill Drummond's autobiography '45'. Thanks to the Ad-executive wank who recommended it to me in a pub many years ago.

Beautiful. The version of last train to transcentral wasn't as good as the version I remember, but it is a great album to listen to and vibe to.

WOOOOOOOOO!!!!

More electronica in this list yes! This album is banger after banger. Love the synth sounds and the vocals are consistently great.

4.5

doesn't sound ancient, fully justified - all aboard!

I know this album is brilliant - in my opinion at least. Just gutted that, for some reason (because usual Bill Drummond / Jimmy Cauty / KLF shenanigans? Copyright issues? Who knows*? 🤷🏻‍♂️), the link to play it on Spotify, basically goes to a dead link... It brings up the standard Spotify album, track listing image etc, which lets you press play, and indeed acts like it's playing - apart from the fact the track doesn't come up at the bottom of the screen - but absolutely nothing happens... The full, original album doesn't even show under the KLF artist listing. Anyway, the Director's Cut of the album that *is* listed under the KLF albums, and, more importantly, is working on Spotify is similar but not, imho, as good as the original... Glad I was able to play my original vinyl for a trip down memory lane... I was never a raver (too square, didn't have the right friends etc.) but I like a bit of this kind of music... Somehow for me it just hits the spot... Brilliant... ...if you like this kind of thing. *Someone clearly...

Loved it! Super fun dancey album

Strange strange band. Were they ahead of their time? I don't know since I was too drunk in the club at the time to notice if anyone else was doing this at the time. Still, the music is good and it brings back good memories. You had to be there.

Really good. Directors cut included a few more tracks, will definitely listen again

Best electronic album on here so far

Acid-house de primeira. Um som bastante característico do começo dos anos de 1990. O disco é incrível!

Timelords Justified ancients of Mu my JAMMs KLF WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL THEM Bought 1987 what the f*CK when it originally came out. Have loved the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu ever since. Great exploitation method.

Sweet sweet subversion

idk

This always leaves me with a grin on my face, on YouTube searching Timelords' Doctorin the Tardis... ...The KLF had a knack of hitting the spot and making it look like an accident.

it’s love from the first song!

influential and banger after banger. 4.8

Absolutely brilliant stuff. Is it right to give it 5 stars, though, if the Directors' Cut version is even better?

90s electronic music

Still great.

Very nice

Ever album on this project I think to myself "this is someone's favorite album". This is mine. Or at least my first favorite album of all time. This was the soundtrack of my senior year in high school and freshman year of college. It was acid house gone main stream and my gateway drug to early 90's warehouse raves in the Midwest US. I'm sure there are TONS of reviews on the cultural significance this album has, especially in the UK. (Watch the documentary on this band, Who Kiled the KLF, it's facinating) but I was so far removed from that and just listened to this on repeat. I literally busted out an old CD copy and found something to listen to it on.

I’m definitely giving this one a five star rating, because I love this album. Unfortunately for all the people who are listening to this for the very first time, I totally get why you think this record would suck. It comes off as generic, samples that everyone else has used, and just very run of the mill hyped up eurodance. Well in order to understand this, you just had to be there at the time, and know what was going on with music at that point in time. The sampling, the hyped vibe of the album, and everything else that comes with this record, was literally the first of its kind. Although dance music was already around, these guys definitely progressed it forward in a lot of ways, and have definitely made their mark in electronic music history.

If the released singles versions of ‘What Time Is Love?’, ‘Last Train To Trancentral’ and the Tammy Wynette version of ‘Justified And Ancient’ were on ‘The White Room’ instead of the versions they went with, then this would’ve been a 5/5.

Good memories of the early 90s and listening to this on copies cassette!

Pleasant! Very easy listening. Peak of the album for me was the song that plays halfway through.

I listened to the Spotify version and thought it got off to a good start, but I really couldn't see what all the excitement was about. After reading the the Wiki overview it appears that the two lead singles on the LP were not included on the Spotify version. That makes a big difference! They're great tracks that capture the late 80s club sound.

Epic

Very well done dance/disco sound. Could listen to for a few songs or as a change while driving or at a party.

Bill Drummond put Fondness on his exhibition’s playlist. But not to fuck the scoring I’ll give it 4.

Caveat, I only listened to the director's cut in Spotify but I had never heard them before being put off by their antics. I expected it to be unlistenable noise terrorism but it was like New Order and even Pet Shop Boys and Bronski Beat in parts. Good stuff

The KLF always seemed to be more about a project and making a statement, then about the music itself (I very much like the book John Higgs wrote about the band, "The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds"). Having said this, I did like this album quite a bit at the time, especially the hit singles and the title track. I would still give it four stars.

Can't argue with the KLF

p672. 1991. 4 stars. THE early 90s dance/trance/rave album. Still sounds wonderful today. The first half is faultless. Point deducted for excessive wankage ("No More Tears") on the 2nd half. For those of you who can't find it on Spotify: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjqb9_OEySY Kudos to Dimitris Dimakis for sharing :)

A really profound exploration of dominating EDM styles of that time. A conceptual, in itself coherent work. Really good, often catchy, sometimes cheesy.

Finally, a 90s EDM album that doesn’t undermine itself by going on for 2 hours.

KLF!!

classy nightclub tracks. soulful vocals and whispered poetry paired with uber-clean beats and basslines. i had a generally good time listening to it all; i do enjoy some house and this one was one of the better dives. some tracks are better than others. i like the tracks that sound more like shit from streets of rage and less of the... positive choral psychedelia.

I bought this CD when it came out, and I'm pretty sure I bought it because of the "Justified and Ancient" song with Tammy Wynette...which was not on this album. I also have the CD single which had her version, and I have a very vague memory that maybe they were packaged together. I listened to my CD today as the version on Apple Music is somewhat changed. I realized that I don't think I ever listened to this much, and it's been at least 25+ years since I've played the CD. Without Tammy, I don't really love this, but there are some definite good bits.

It was mostly fine.

The wikipedia about this group was fantastic : dead sheep, burning piles of money, the illuminati, pranks, releasing a book about how to make a number 1 single, legal battles with ABBA, building pyramids out of human ashes, the list goes on. Apparently they were huge and the lore is deep but I had never heard of them ('90s kid from America, wrong time wrong place) This was also a great listen, weirdo indie pop-house, I cleaned my house on the first listen and chilled with my dog on the second while i read the wiki. I'm super curious about this group now and feel like I may have to dig into their catalogue/history just based on what a blast I had listening to and reading about them.

Jai aime, cetait vraiment parfait sans le style. Surprenanment jai couru en lecoutant et ca fittait tres bien. Pas trop de parole et un bon son electro. 4

Música electrónica, acid house. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

I was expecting to dislike this album upon hearing the first song, but I was pleasantly surprised that I quite dug it. It's a great 90s electronic/trance album, a genre to which I have quite the liking. If you're going to release an electronic album, ya gotta make sure your instrumentals aren't too repetitive and the vocals really capture the listener. The rap parts were good and the singing was excellent. Some songs were just okay, but overall a good showing from the KLF.

I went back and forth while listening to this album. I don't think I can give it a full 5, but I really did like some of the songs. Entrancing music. The worst ones, I thought, were a little repetitive, and the best ones sounded like Donkey Kong Country SNES-type beats mixed with Tina Turner’s soulful vocals. I pulled out a few that I liked, but I'm not sure how much I would like this album going forward. I'll probably end up listening to it another time and really loving it. Standouts were 'Build a Fire' and 'No More Tears.' Anytime that Scottish guy was talk-singing, I was digging that too. When they started talking about Rock Man, who was 'just made of bricks,' I was completely lost. It sounded like something my guitar player roommate would've written about a gang of superheroes he invented in the fourth grade. Insanity. Last train to Insane Central.

Var litt funky hiphop til disco, og det hitta

Not as good as I remembered from car rides with my dad.

I listened to both the original North American release and the director's cut version. These sound like very different works with the same name. I preferred the original release. Acid synths and soul vocals work well on these numbers. I could dance to this.

Head to Youtube for the original mix of the album and the three monster singles. KLF were only ever about hits, Top of the Pops, 12" remixes, the Brits and all that really important stuff. Albums less so, as why would you throw away good stuff that won't get played on MTV/Radio One. 3 stars for the backups, 5 stars for the singles. 4 it is.

Electronica, acid, house, rave.

8/10. This album was actually a lot of fun! Usually predisposed to dislike the albums that make me leave spotify, but well worth it in this case.

Favourite tracks: last train to trancentral; the white room; build a fire; church of the klf

Cool and weird and 90s.

Really cool

+1 for the weird story

Something could be said that sounds a lot like \"you had to be there\" and it would, unlike with some previous Electronica albums that seem to have found their way onto this list because of chart hits, actually make a strong argument, but even today, I'm enjoying this much more than I expected to. Which was - I knew there's more to The KLF than meets the eye (or ear), but still - highbrow eurodance. It kind of is that but... maybe because I'm clicking through The KLF's discography (the album on Spotify isn't quite \"The White Room\" anyways) I'd agree that this indeed is MusicYMHBYD.

- imagine this bumping in a European club - appropriate song lengths - really enjoyed the vibes here

Excellent album, I love the story behind this music and the fact it was all deleted but the sounds and beats are good

I've got a lot of time for The KLF - disruptive pioneers making art electronica, inspired by the Illuminatus! Trilogy and Ken Campbell, making art, making money, burning money, making art. Is the album that appears on itunes even the version we should listen to before we die? Who knows? Let's just rate, then, the KLF's career - for all the nonsense and high art and chart success.

I've actually quite enjoyed this. Very easy listening, danceable but not grating. It's a vibe! And the songs have great vocals

Old school techno with a wry smile

Gosh, I heard that early 90s trance/ hip-hop drum line and I wanted to dance. I always got The KLF and KRS-One mixed up as a kid. Mainly because they keep repeating their name in their songs. One of the best albums not found on Spotify.

Enjoyed, but the version on Spotify was a bit different

A funky little album

album is all over the place but I kinda vibed with it somehow

This album appeared on my list on the EXACT day I picked up a copy of The Illuminatus Trilogy at my local op shop. I think the Justified Ancients of Mu-Mu are trying to let me know they're still alive. It is so hard rating this album on just the music. There's the book that came out before this album (The Manual) explaining how to write a top selling album, there's the whole Discordian/Illuminatus Trilogy myths, there's the burning of a million dollars as statement, there's the invention of stadium house, there's the whole act. Music wise, the hits were absolute bangers, and I like most of the 12'' better than the album versions, but the low-beat versions soothe the soul as well. It's 3,5* fr the album, but 5* for the KLF. I'll stick to 4.

Really cool dance record, but the last two songs kinda dropped the ball

This wasn’t bad. I actually rather enjoyed it. I didn’t pay too much to the lyrics, but the overall vibes were both varied and quite nice. 3.5

Nice old school electronica. Brought me back to the early 90s.

I got this on Christmas Day so didn’t really get to the time to listen properly. There’s obviously a lot more going on than a ‘normal’ early 90s dance album but I can’t really comment from what I heard. Will try and listen properly and read up on all the weird mythology that they invent around this album when I get some spare time.

Unavailable on Spotify but found on YouTube, wish streaming accessibility was better. Enjoyable listen, although I was working on other things so nothing specifically stands out. Somewhat generic electronic pop sounds, but still holds up today. 3.5/5

Electronica, acid, house, rave.

Really fun electronic album. Very 90s. Very fun.

Loved this album. Shame it’s not on Spotify

The White Room is a great electronic/house album, and not really what I expected. The sound is quite enthralling and encompassing, and really good in a pair of headphones. It's a real shame to find out that this was a movie soundtrack until the movie got axed, I want to see the type of movie this would have soundtracked. Best: 3 a.m. Eternal Worst: Build a Fire Note: The album was not available to listen to on Spotify. It was listened to on YouTube Music

Música electrónica, acid house. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Very enjoyable, fun. 4/5

One of a few albums that changed Pop music in the UK. Brought dance music into the main stream. This album is great, a couple of hits that everyone knows, which aren't their best tracks. In truth this album was so much 'Of it's time" that it sometimes sounds a bit dated and a little contrived nowadays. It's a great piece of musical history, with some awesome tracks. The KLF's crown jewel is, in my opinion, their "Chill Out" album. It's a masterpiece. There are not many circumstances where the chill out album is what you want to hear, but if you are in a certain headspace, it is absolutely sublime and beautiful. Listen to this, then go listen to that.

Had no clue what to expect, but ended up loving the album.

Honestly i love this early nineties UK Rave music its so dope. Hearted a song, dug it. The dog hated it...

Interesting given the time period. I would have placed this later in time if I didn't see the release date. The face it was from 2 years earlier is interesting.

Some great electronic, and interestingly showed some roots of modern electronic I did not expect.

This was really excellently produced, it still sounded so fresh and interesting that you could have told me it would have came out last year and I would have believed you. At least, until we get to the absolutely DATED and ill-fitting vocals. If this was instrumental it would be an easy 5 for me, but with those vocals it is barely clinging to 4 stars.

I'm not familiar with KLF, or electronica music for that matter. I tend to like music with electronic elements though, so this should be right up my alley. This album was a lot of fun. When I was a kid, I loved any eighties music with synthesizers and keyboards, and while this wasn't the same thing, it made heavy usage of musical elements that I tend to love, but in a new way. I've been reading a lot of music nonfiction this year, and the Britpop book I'm currently working on talked about acid house music and how it led to Britpop, so I really enjoyed hearing this album and getting to appreciate its place in music history. My favorite part of the album was "Church of the KLF" and "Last Train to Trancentral." Both of these songs felt like they relied heavily on eighties sounds, and I loved their energy. "Church of the KLF" used some elements that sounded like a church organ, and certain parts of it reminded me of "Silent Running" by Mike + The Mechanics, which I really loved. I liked the first half of the album more than the second half, mostly because I liked the more intense and chaotic songs on this album better than the slower ones. The slower songs weren't bad, but they just left me wanting more. Overall though, this was a really good album, and I enjoyed listening to it.

Sounds like German techno. From the era of art of noise.