Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Rave music coming at you
A bit boring
Kinda fun, but doesn't go quite all the way there for me. Is Chill Out on this list? I need to listen to that one.
First listen Saved 0/9
Bits of it I liked. Suited the Europop environment I'm in.
What a first world problem it is to find the original album for some of these classic releases. This album in particular is difficult to pin down -- looking at the Wikipedia page, each release is only somewhat common to the previous. The latest offered on Spotify doesn't even contain some of the tracks in the originally released version. In light of this, I'm turning to Youtube and reviewing the 1991 original released version. Hard to imagine why they would cut What Time is Love from the so-called Director's Cut. This song is a classic electro/hip-hop jam. 3 am Eternal is another jam. Cool how they interleave the audience sound from the live mix as another instrumental effect. Kind of zoned out a bit through the back half. Definitely lighter in content than the first with some nodes to dub (No More Tears) and finishes on a bright, spacious note with Justified & Ancient. This was an enjoyable listen. Somewhere around the high 3, low 4 territory for me.
Interesting techno album. These guys are definitely weird. 2.5 stars
This is exactly what a 1991 electronic album would sound like if someone asked me to describe it. I feel like the 90's rave scene must have been absolutely wildin' to some very average music. Low 3 here
The first half of this album would have been much better if I took a fistful of ecstasy and was hanging out in a warehouse somewhere in Suffolk. The second half was actually pretty cool psychedelic tribal-ish music almost. Just had a little too much 90's drum and bass techno for my liking. But still was good enough for a low 3
Weird directors cut on AM, so annoying when you can't just listen to the original version of an album, or even one where songs aren't chopped or moved around. Consider me peeved. This was alright. I enjoyed that it intermingled with a bunch of different sounds, but I just never got going. One song featured a pedal steel prominently, one had sort of middle eastern vibe, and another had Jamaican. High 2.
Best Song: Last Train to Trancentral. Good house music needs a good chorus, and this one's got it. Worst Song: The White Room. Some of the instrumental interludes came off as more annoying than anything. Overall: Fairly fun and rhythmic, although it frequently dips into that early 90s annoying reliance on echo and reverb. Certainly nothing exciting. Quality really dips off in the latter half too.
Good memories of the early 90s and listening to this on copies cassette!
Well, I don't hate it, and its shortness is a plus. It's quite dated but has its moments and I can see myself enjoying it in a club if I was born earlier and well, maybe white.
another one that just didn’t need to be on the list.
Is this the worst album of all time?
Entiendo que para el tiempo en que salió, este disco debió haber sonado como el futuro. Asimismo, siendo la última entrada de la discografía de The KLF, se debió haber sentido como la culminación de los esfuerzos de la agrupación por aportar algo nuevo al género de la electrónica House (y el acid). Siendo completamente sincero, no me desagradó tanto; sin embargo, hay algunas canciones que envejecieron como la leche y se escuchan más cursi incluso que algunas composiciones que he escuchado en esta misma lista provenientes de los '60 s o '70s. De todas formas, pistas como "Build a Fire" justifican la posición de este LP en la lista, en mi opinión al menos. No creo que sea un indispensable del catálogo musical mundial, pero entiendo porque podría estar en la lista de "los mejores discos" de alguien.
Wow more shitty British music, this time techno. I wish I had the same boner for British music
Pleasant! Very easy listening. Peak of the album for me was the song that plays halfway through.
Det hjalp at jeg hørte den under optimale omstændigheder (træning), så det bliver en lille 3’er. Synes den lød helt ok, ikke for dated, kunne godt lide den der lød som om den samplede fra Twin Peaks temaet
En anelse for stenet en gang imellem men ret cool, gjorde ikke nogen fortræd
Så statisk og kedeligt. Alle de bedste samples med nogle stemmer ind over.. Forstår ikke at sangene er så lange men føles som om at de aldrig får en reel afslutning. Ikke essentiel...
Solid album. I dig the 90s British acid house, but it's not something I'm gonna listen to a whole lot. ***
Epic
It's okay. I know I lack the interest (or vocabulary) to talk about albums like this. I did not hate it, but I did not love it either. At the very least I can give it points for not being uber-repetitive, and for having some interesting melodies and vocals here & there.
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.
After reading up on The KLF, I feel like listening to this album in a relative vacuum takes a lot of the punch out of it. Interesting and eclectic genre mix that, when it works, works well, but when it doesn’t, kinda sucks.
From a 2024 perspective, this album has some strengths but quite a few weaknesses. (And from a review perspective, its existence in several variants doesn't help!) I think KLF were key players in the acid house club scene, so naturally there are going to be some good tracks here, but quite a few duds, for example where the samples are better than the complete track. Good but not great.
Still great.
Catchy EDM album. Gave me quintessential 90’s EDM vibes. It was catchy, but this genre of music continues to be something that I appreciate but won’t listen often to. 3/5.
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.
It's ok. I liked the title song, some others tend to tedious.
not for me
Nothing really grabbed my attention, it's perfectly innocuous background music but never rises above that level
Don't know what the original was like but the recent directors cut sounds v dated. Not impressed. You had to be there I guess.
A very outrageously 90s album that felt like it was just made for party playlists
The 90s party playlist, maybe a bit too hard for a school disco though
Meh
Early '80s, London. It's all good.
It’s fine, definitely 80s club music
Musically a bit disjointed but vocals tie it together reasonably well
So “The White Room” was fine – and considerably better than “Orbital 2” which I had the day before – so there’s that… I’m seeing mentions of UK electronica, Eurodance music, “pop-house”, and other monikers – but at the end of the day, is the music interesting and unique – and on that front, this album is just there for me… Didn’t hate it, but nothing really memorable or intriguing… Best track was “The White Room”, but can’t give the album anything more than a 2…
-on first listen, I thought this was a boring album -now, on second listen, the album got a bit more better, still not one I would spin quite often, considering I heard the version that is not on streaming, not the Director's Cut version -there are way more electronic albums I would rather listen to -still a pretty decent electronic album -favorite songs: What Time Is Love, Last Train To Trancentral, the title track -least favorite song: Church Of The KLF
2.2/5 listened 3x (youtube music - directors cut). a few good songs but didn't love the whole album.
Cool and weird and 90s.
Nice 90’s electronic, sometimes I appreciate when there are vocals with electronics but this also felt like the kind of album you’d hear in a 90’s casino elevator or found in the dollar bin for CDs and cassettes. I did notice the country of origin and that made things more clear.
Pretty cool album, nice electronica departure. We get such a mixed bag of these kinds of albums, but this one was cool. Interesting vocals mixed in, and some of the instrumentals are just weird, in a good way. I think "No More Tears" was the wackiest standout to me. A few I'll keep, nothing crazy but a good listen. Favorite tracks: Make it Rain, The White Room, No More Tears. Album art: Apple Music has some deluxe with a purple cover, text only, but the original is four speakers stacked into a T, set in what I imagine is not just "a" white room, but "the" white room. Not a bad cover, it's fairly distinct. 3.5/5
elektro pop techno?
Favourite tracks: last train to trancentral; the white room; build a fire; church of the klf
Uninspiring Disco from 1991.
Fun album. Standout songs: what time is love? Make it Rain Last train to trancentral
A bit of a quirky electronic journey
Started off great - amazing opening song that gives off Matrix vibes at the beginning, nice electronic vibes from 90s. Unfortunately, the rest of the record was very underwhelming and boring. Honestly, I'm not really sure how to rate it, so I will just go for the highest possible score for average records.
More electronica in this list yes! This album is banger after banger. Love the synth sounds and the vocals are consistently great.
A really profound exploration of dominating EDM styles of that time. A conceptual, in itself coherent work. Really good, often catchy, sometimes cheesy.
I'm surprised the year this was made. It's straight outta the 70s
I'll give The White Room a solid 3, it's got that more epic and trance style to it, which is right up my street in what I want from the genre. Not such a fan of the very 90s rap-style lyrical delivery but I could definitely chuck this onto a good set of headphones and zone out to this, good stuff. Last Train to Trancentral is great.
Doesn't break the flow of mediocre albums that we've been on, really. Probably would've been fun live, in a big group, but sitting alone at my desk it didn't really hit. Does well (in comparison to others from the genre) to keep the tracks and the album as a whole tight, the beats are decent enough, but it's wrong time wrong place. Squeaks a 3.
Finally, a 90s EDM album that doesn’t undermine itself by going on for 2 hours.
My DJ friend tells me this is somehow different and/or more significant and/or better than the average 90s English dance music that one might find on this list. I listened to it all, I don’t think I buy it, it still just sounds like NN TSS NN TSS OI BRUV to me, but I’m giving it an extra star as an act of good faith.
nice moments but overall boring and at times felt like i was in a commercial for Something.
So much fun, even if it's repetitive and plain silly at times, it's still a pure shot of dopamine.
Why do I always get electronica the day after a 5-star classic eternally excellent album? But I liked this one best of all electronica that I’ve heard.
KLF!!
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.
+1 for the weird story
Acid-house de primeira. Um som bastante característico do começo dos anos de 1990. O disco é incrível!
Not really sure what to give this. It’s some early electronic stuff from England so of course it makes this list. Does it actually deserve to, not at all but I didn’t create the list. Anyways this is somewhere between a one and a two. Just early experimental shake your head funky electronic music that I don’t care for. 3.9/10
Old school techno with a wry smile
Now, this is not normally my kind of thing, but I did enjoy it! I think mainly due to taking me back to the time I was at university and this sound was big at the time. Not too shabby.
I've actually quite enjoyed this. Very easy listening, danceable but not grating. It's a vibe! And the songs have great vocals
Generally boring.
Almost, but not quite, entirely not my cup of tea
I expected something more significant given joe’s much I’ve heard this bands name, however, it seemed to have not quite tapped into anything special.
"3am Eternal" is such a great song. All of the album (whether the original or the 2021 Director's cut) sounds like early Mortal Kombat soundtrack music punctuated by chillout moments, which I enjoyed. The KLF is key in the acid house subgenre and clearly of its time. Fun throwback music.
Ok. A bit boring. Nothing special.
слишком весёлая электроника
Eh, not as good as some of the other electronic bands or albums from this era
Not really my style, but alright.
Wasn’t really feeling this, about to out there for me.
Definitely not for me.
Some solid synth stuff.
Not sure at all what a made of this! Some songs were quite cool and then some were so mad and cringe. Overall I think I was willing it to be over..
A weird one. I don't know a lot about the KLF but I know they were a weird band and did big stunts and burnt a load of money and what not. The book about them is supposed to be really good and I'd like to know more. In terms of music it was not my kind of thing, interesting in places but who knows.
Not available on Spotify.
det här tycker jag inte är så himla bra
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.
3.5/10
This album is why george washington fought for our freedom from the british
Surprisingly decent, considering their reputation thought it would be a lot more abrasive but they are still twats.
Bescheuerte musik Theyre justified and theyre ancient
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 first few tracks turned my shower into a late 80s European dance club. But I was much less taken with the last half of the album and was very ready for it to end.
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!
oop, gotta head to YouTube for the real album again Legends, they're responsible for "Doctorin' the Tardis" according to the 1001 book Listened twice, once really early in the morning/late at night when I was unable to fall asleep, and then again later that evening. I haven't heard a lot of trance or house music, so combine that with the feverish, semi-conscious state I was initially in & you get an especially strange listen, particularly by the jungly noises in "No More Tears". I didn't fully warm to it on the 2nd listen, even after a proper rest, but I'm glad it retained a level of mystique even through all the corny raps. The 2nd half is like a warm blanket compared to the first couple songs, which sound a lot more geared towards a rave. HL: "Church of the KLF/Last Train to Trancentral", "No More Tears", "Justified And Ancient (Reprise)" May 15, 2024
It's ok
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...
3/5. A solid electronic house album with a lack of uniqueness of some of the songs but a good runtime throughout. Thought I would get annoyed once I saw the runtime of No More Tears but that might be the best one on here, super chill and relaxed. I wouldn't say a great club album but a good vibing album. Best Song: Last Train to Trancentral, No More Tears, Justified and Ancient
It's a fine electronic/eurodance album. Has some good songs and some blah ones. Nothing special
More Brit electro pop. Good for a dance party or something I guess, not really my thing.
Just like the band, I almost threw a dead sheep when I heard this album. JK - it's alright, if a little annoying. 2.5/5.0: Mixed
I had never heard of The KLF, perhaps because I was 5 years old when they retired. The White Room was enjoyable, and while I wasn’t explicitly familiar with any of the songs it felt like I had probably heard some of them before. There’s a fun vibe throughout the record. It faded to the background pretty easily for me at times, at other times I couldn’t help but dance a bit. I don’t fell overly compelled to revisit this, so I’m only giving three stars, but it’s an enjoyable three stars.
Interesting to hear an early 90s house group making a (somewhat tongue in cheek?) concept album with a story. It's enduring enough to work as a a narrative or in a club. There are clear influences from acid house, punk rock and reggae. Strange though that there are so many variations of this album. It's hard to pin down what is the "correct" version.
Did not have fun. They can fuck right off. Do they have talent. They might have a very little itty bit of talent. Did not enjoy this. Waah. 1/5
I never liked this type of music but I didn't mind it here too much.
Fine. More energy and hooks than say - leftfield or similarly ignorant english electronics. Rapping is a bit dated. Singing dated too, but in the good sense. Interesting back story and art ambitions on these guys. Still pretentious ass move taking down the original for some remix. Ok George Lucas.
A funky little album
Well, this one is not on Spotify, but it is on YouTube, so I listened there. I reviewed some other album with a similar feel, but don’t remember what. But it all sounds the same. Great background music for a crowded dance floor at a rave. Pounding, incessant rhythms, shouted vocals. Various boops and beeps. You can certainly move to it. But totally unengaging as music. Nothing memorable, nothing meaningful. 2/5
These guys had a great single in 1991 called 3 A.M. Eternal. I loved that song, and it was originally on the White Room album, but it was removed for the "Director's Cut" version. I'm not really digging any of the rest of the album, but they get 1.5 stars for 3 A.M. Eternal alone.
unexpected but really good. the beginning has a completely different feel than the end. worth going to youtube to listen.
It was alright. Not something I could listen to regularly though
Pop-rave. It's a cool idea, but to me it comes across as too boring for either
Not my thing
Enjoyed, but the version on Spotify was a bit different
It's fine. Was expecting a bit more but I guess it's exactly what it should
All over the place
Wanted to like more, but too many boring songs.
Electronic band, that dabbled in dance, hip-hop, etc. Definitely the sound of the early 90’s music and dance scene.
Would have been better if only electronica - lyrics out of place
Enjoyed the kind of rapping electronic 90's style
Not on Spotify
Some good tunes 7/10
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.
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.
2 mostly forgettable generic electronic music. Only song that stood out was justified and ancient
Electronica, acid, house, rave.
Could not finish.
WOOOOOOOOO!!!!
In a white room, there’s some music, you forgot it (2.5/5)
2.75
2-
electr., dance, 1991 -> 2
Remember back in the early 90's when people still went to roller rinks and they had a shitty DJ playing god knows what? That's what this album is. It's not even well done for what it is. Repetative, irritating, no real instruments, mediocre vocals, and boring all at the same time. Hard pass from me. And, though no fault of the record, not on Spotify so it's a little irritating having to skip through the occasional ad on YouTube. The funny thing about that is there were a couple times I couldn't even tell an ad was playing. That's not what you want from a great record. I have no idea why this album would be included on this list. All that said, I didn't skip any songs and though I was glad it was over, it was not the worst album on this list so far so an extra point for that I guess. 2/5
Some great moments
4.5
I…don’t get it. Sounds like pretentious electronic stuff. Bleh.
Electronica, acid, house, rave.
Meh electronic album, I think The KLF really shone as a singles type of group instead of albums.
Not the worst...thump,thump,thump...90's electronic...thump,thump,thump...house music...thump,thump,thump...I've had to endure...thump,thump,thump...on this list. And I actually kind of dug Build a Fire and No More Tears.
I really didn’t care for this, but am giving it an extra star because I realize I am not being objective and apparently, this is a really important benchmark for electronic music.
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
Unavailable on Spotify DNL
Album wasn't available
It is just dance music but this time early 90s dance. I mean each decade has it own electronic dance music. I can't say this was any good. I didn't need it. Not sure my there are so many electronic albums on this list. There are worst albums. I will be generous.
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.
I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would. But I did hate it. While the music was alright, these lyrics are... just really awful.
Less punchy than in my memories. Nice universe but too mellow.
I really like that it played me bijork after this album finished. And I liked a few songs but its too intesne to listen to at work.
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.
Really cool dance record, but the last two songs kinda dropped the ball
album is all over the place but I kinda vibed with it somehow
Very enjoyable, fun. 4/5
Couldn’t access on Spotify
Not on Spotify. Going by other stuff I've heard of theirs I'll say 2.5
I don't hate it, but it's hideously dated, and generally kind of rubbish.
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
The actual album is not available on streaming services. I think I dodged a euro-techno bullet here. All I remember is KLF UH-HUH UH-HUH UH-HUH.
A bit dull. None of the vitriol or passion of the KLF I knew.
Weird
Is this satire? I don't get it.
Ya, no
Not bad, but nothing I'll be returning to. The samples were almost a self-parody, but maybe it just feels dated in 2024.
not the most mindless house or big beat album I've been saddled with by this list, so there's that. I'll throw it a +1 for the KLF also being very bonkers and interesting
it was fun. 6/10
No toda la música está hecha para mí. Fue interesante
The only thing anyone knows about the KLF is that they once burned £1,000,000. Being generous, you could say the music is energetic and fun, but I think really it's quite bad 90s electronica. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Justified and Ancient Date listened: 12/03/24
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.
Nice old school electronica. Brought me back to the early 90s.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Justified & ancient
i got so bored and annoyed at times. no point listening to this in 202X NNN
Thought for sure I would find this annoying, but it really wasn't bad. Oddly enjoyable. Seems like it would work well in Scotland or some other cold, grey climate.
That was bizarre, but disappointing. Music was mediocre early UKs raver scene, with a few very self indulgent dubbed vocals. The wiki page on this band though was an absolute wild read. Music didn't live up to the heights I was expecting based on this sadly.
To me, this sounded more of a compilation of dance songs than an album by one band. I couldn’t really get into it.
Very weird album for sure. The remix of Justified and Ancient wasn't as good as the original, but it was funny to hear the actual words to the song.
Beep boo boo bop boo boo bop
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.
Really fun electronic album. Very 90s. Very fun.
Not my style of music but some ok songs
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.
I wonder if that's what Michael Vsauce felt when he was in the white room. At least it's not 2 hours long.
I got a headache halfway through this album and it made my mood pissy
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
Elektronica fra 90’erne, ok, men ikke noget at råbe hurra for
Top shelf dance/house music. The production is immaculate. I'm listening to the 2021 "Director's Cut" so I'm sure it's been remixed and remastered but it sounds great on nice speakers.
This was a trippy listen. I felt like I was watching a movie from the late 80s that was turning into a movie from the 90s but at the same time the movie never arrived. This was like the hype up intro music that gives you a little bit of the setting and plot but never pauses to breathe and start the meat of the movie. That's not to say that it's bad. In fact, I really enjoyed this. "Build a Fire" is literally the theme from Twin Peaks, right? Or maybe slightly different and with a touch of Ennio Morricone in there? It's really jam packed. Every 30 seconds I feel like I'm smacked by some new sound or idea or production change that I can't really sit and take it in. I like that, but at times it's a bit much. It feels like it hurts the cohesion of the album. The switch from "Build a Fire" to "The White Room" is such a drastic change. Language change, vocalist tone change, instrumental changes, tempo and feel change, oh here's some spoken word but only for 30 seconds. It's cool but definitely too eclectic for what I'm feeling. It might look like I'm hating but I'm not, and I think this could be a sleeper pick for an album that I end up really loving and listening to throughout my life. With that being said, I don't feel right giving this a 4, and I definitely don't feel right giving it a 2.
Nope
Klang interessant
It was difficult to find this album but I eventually did locate it on YouTube. Track #4 had strong Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch vibes about it. What time does "My So-Called Life" start tonight? It has those vibes to me. This is the third day in a row that I have been given mostly instrumental or techno-ish music to listen to. So, I'm ready to move on to a different genre. This is peak "British guy whispers while a beat goes on in the background as a female sings a chorus as an interlude," and I'm here for it. Meaning, I'm here literally listening to it, because that's all I can say. Did I enjoy it? I can't say I did, but I also didn't hate it because I also spent much of my teen years in GAP and American Eagle shopping.
Last track was alright. All rather boring to me otherwise.
very of an era, but not too shabby!
Not for me
Música electrónica, acid house. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Electronica, acid, house, rave.
Nah 2/5
I really struggle to take this seriously. Reading up a bit about the KLF, I can’t tell if they even wanted to be taken seriously? The group themselves and the way they went about things actually seems much more interesting and entertaining than the music they made. Build a Fire was a surprisingly lovely moment in an admittedly improved second half of the album, but the damage had already been done by then. If I can’t use the one-star button on that first half, what’s it there for?! Ok, 1.5 stars…
Loved it! Super fun dancey album
Not a fan.
I think I did more than only understand that they're justified and ancient
NOT ON SPOTIFY. THIS ALBUM WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO LISTEN ON YOUTUBE
lul vibe i guess
I couldn't finish it.
Another electronica album, another snoozer. Seriously, this genre of music has to be the kind that ages the worst. This wasn't great and screamed 1990 and stayed there. 4/10
Not a big fan of electronic music. With that said, obviously it is a great album to play on the background while working, cleaning or anything else. Will be listened again.
Ew no.
Every 90s movie montage was set to one of these tracks.
I like the KLF singles that are not on this album I did not like what was on this album
Ça fait 1049 jours que Robert nous prive de nos goûts musicaux pour nous générer ses âneries.
La coupe du directeur était un peu légère, il aurait fallu couper l'album de la liste des 1001 pour que le travail soit bien fait.
Quintessential 90s dance. I accidentally listened to much of it at 1.5x speed.
When this came out it fell into a category of music I called "Eurodisco," which my local "Alternative" station played so much of I actually wrote them a letter telling them if they didn't STOP DOING THAT I would be forces to take my business elsewhere and I MEAN IT! Wll, of course they didn't, I did and neither of us missed each other for a tenth of a second. I hear this now as a frequent listener of electronic music and it has a... quaintness. It's kind of weak, still, and relies too heavily on dance styles that wouldn't be native to the Isles (mostly Acid House). Influential, not very underground, it lacks depth, and I found it to be kind of boring. But like I said, in my younger days when I would have been the audience for this, I absolutely abhorred this kind of music. Given that, it wasn't unpleasant or challenging and definitely has some fun moments. Also cool to see some EDM finally on this list!
Back in the day... at 3am Eternal, I felt all Justified and Ancient.... And then I saw the KLF released this album... so enthused with the soft rave/acid sound they had going on back in 1991, I went out and bought the CD... came home, loaded her up and cranked the volume up to 11... and after 45 minutes of disappointment of other than the 2 tracks I already knew, the album was crap, so it was quickly re-packed and then back to the record store and exchanged for something else. So only for 3am eternal & justified and ancient, I'll give this a 3.
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.
Cool dance and techno music with some other stuff thrown in
Really enjoyed this one.
Had no clue what to expect, but ended up loving the album.
They told us they were gonna do it with Build a Fire. It was right there the whole time! The LP tracks are better than I remember.
Not a fan.
With no prior knowledge of The KLF, I was at first saddened to learn it was a dance record, then intrigued because it was a little bit more than a dance record, but then saddened again because it's not much more than a dance record.
The enigmatic KLF fall into that strange category of being more interesting to read about than listen to. The music never quite matches the strangeness or provocation of their peckish, artsy pranksterism. That said, I own this album and do like it, without loving it. The KLF's penchant for remixing tracks means that you're rarely left with what you may consider to be their best material in one format. For example, from my perspective the best version of 'What Time Is Love?' is the one with Glenn Hughes hollering all over the place. It's an exhilarating mix of dance, rock and a few more bits 'n' pieces for good measure. That said, with their Muu-Muu mythos and constant rearranging of musical puzzle pieces, perhaps we shouldn't be interpreting KLF's music as fixed points; rather, it's an ongoing conversation, and sometimes subversion, of pop. And, occasionally, the results are a lot of fun. All aboard the last train to Transcentral!
onnodig elektronisch?
This definitely has that 90s sound...not my style but I still want to swing my head around to this.
Could only stream The Director’s Cut which was extremely mellow compared to the incendiary hit singles. Not sure if the original album release is like those singles, but this was disappointing. Some songs were like poor man’s West End Girls and weak Cafe Del Mar tunes.
This album was spectacularly bad. The last song...I don't even know what that song is...
90s electronic music
This was a welcome change when compared with other contemporary electronic albums from this time. The KLF were a duo of made up of a former record executive and a musician who embraced experimental music and made interesting pieces. This album sits on the transition of acid house and rave music and features engaging beats and a pop sensibility that makes the album accessible while still benefiting from a close listen.
weird album, lots of echoes of other stuff in this strange dubby, acid-house dream - Sound & Vision, Twin Peaks
one joke
Why is Tammy Wynette on this album (and what is that last song in general?). This is a low 3 because it’s just OK, although I’m starting to feel like there’s way too much late ‘80s and ‘90s rap that has aged strangely (although this album isn’t primarily rap).
Fine, good even, but I really don't think I needed to hear it. There are way too many generically good albums on this list. I would cheerfully grant four stars if this was album was offered as the best of its genre, which it might be I don't know, but it isn't the only British electronica on the list or even the only British electronica offered to me this week. Enough already.
Somebody please, KiLF me. I hate this shit. Cool album cover though, they nailed that part.
Generic electronic dance music. The call and response between uninspired rapping and female vocals/cheering on What Time is Love and 3AM Eternal got boring pretty fast. This recipe was slightly improved on Last Train to Trancentral with the inclusion of vocoder. Heard some glimpses of The Prodigy in there, so I'm giving it a 2.
Sounds like German techno. From the era of art of noise.
Some of it feels a bit dated - particularly a few tinny synthesiser beats - but overall this is still a fun album. Both derivative and influential, it is full of catchy tunes and driving rhythms. The JAMM joke wears a bit thin but you could still safely put this on at a party and expect most to dance.
I get that this is influential for its time, but I doubt I’ll listen again. Had some good grooves but felt repetitive after awhile.
Groovy 90's British electronic music.
In the 2021 cuts, the tracks are split with the hits placed in "Solid State Logik 1" so I'll be reviewing them separately. Their music embodies early rave house music. It's synth-based, borrowing heavily from old school hip hop and skate punk, with high-pitched cybernetic techno buzzes, basses, and beats, funky in structure and ambient in the background for an otherworldly atmosphere, and featuring instrumental solos (guitar, sax, synths) that lead your attention. The soulful vocals add to the energy of the music and the ethereal landscape. With such short track lengths, they're essentially pop songs, often ending too soon. "Church of the KLF" for example sounds like a sneak preview into an unfinished track. Solid State Logik 1 is much more intense and energetic. They're louder, fuller, and accompany a large space, whereas The White Room is more low-key and ambient. This is most evident comparing "Last Train to Transcentral" on both records. Solid State Logik 1 is a bit of clustered mess, with the 4 hits being the best parts, the others feeling awkwardly placed and unnecessary (especially that spoofy metal cover), and they hardly work being placed all together like that. The White Room release is very consistent but doesn't have any defining tracks besides "Madrugada Eterna". They're all nice and I'd love to see these guys at an actual rave, and it's also good for having on in the background for passive listening, but hardly anything stands out to me at all. I'd still say it's better than their contemporaries.
No my kind of music.
electronica in the rain
Not my favorite
KLF following Happy Mondays is alright by me
This was a big deal in the early 90s.
Some good tracks that don’t last long enough
Very well done dance/disco sound. Could listen to for a few songs or as a change while driving or at a party.
Hard album to make sense of out of context - made for a party and a parody of the party, it's an artifact of a multi-national european dance scene and chaotic 80s postmodernist dada, it's hard to imagine this was ever intended to be listened to off youtube sitting on a sofa. Though it works unexpectedly well for a sunny Scottish winter weekend afternoon. The first half is hedonistic trance: big beats house music full with a hip hop flair from the samples and the odd rap verse. The second half is the hang over: ambiently melancholy and reflexive with slower tracks, strings and churchy lap steel sounding synths, and a reggae dub feel. Favorites: The White Room, Build a Fire, 3am eternal
Niet zo zeer m'n ding
Huh
1991 va ser el seu any. I a partir dels singles que van marcar aquell moment van donar forma a bona part de la música electrònica de la década: trance, house, chill out... ho van fer tot i amb un gust més exquisit i una capacitat melòdica molt més desenvolupada que la gran majoria d'acòlits. El misteri i les accions antisistema que els envoltaven han fet que el seu nom sobrevisqui amb aura des d'aleshores
Wasn't on spotify..
I’m sure it’s a good jam if you like the computer beats and the digital sound. It’s alright. Got my toe taping once. Mostly just in the ear and out.
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.
Dance
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.
I like dance music so I liked this, but it was kind of forgettable overall. I barely remember what it sounded like outside of “early 90s dance.”
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
It's probably the better of all of the ambient music I've heard. Probably because of the crossover with the hip hop. The songs vary, which is always good for this type of music. If the songs start to blend together and sound too much the same, it starts to sound like one drone. I like how the opening bit comes back at the end. Made the songs one cohesive whole. "No More Tears" started to sound a little bit like "Cruisin' " but with a "hey, we're going to make this sound reggae look at us!" feel. The contrasting styles really helped me get into the groove of the songs. I can say I liked this probably more than most other techno that have been on the list so far. Still, I don't know if it's something I would grab for a relisten. But if someone put it on I'm not going to walk out of the room.
So are we going to see C&C Music Factory on this list too? I can see this album spawned several hits but 3am Eternal is the only one I recognized. And yeah, that one is a classic - or at least the first 30-45 seconds. After that I can only stand so many repeats of "KLF, uh huh uh, uh huh uh huh". What Time is Love? is also a cool song (and maybe jogs my memory of KLF) as is the closer Justified and Ancient (part of which is also used as the opener in the North American album version). Their other hit Last Train to Trancentral is decent too - a bit of old school Kraftwerk with new age house thrown in. I can see a crowd of ravers or Ibiza partygoers going crazy for some of these songs, but I'm not sure altogether it's a stellar album.
Eh, wasn't bad, wasn't great. I'm sure it was great in a club, but was mostly background music to me. Rather than "favorite tracks" I'll just say tracks that caught my attention: What Time Is Love, 3am Eternal, Last Train to Trancentral, The White Room.
??
As boring and bland as ypu might imagine
Excellent album, I love the story behind this music and the fact it was all deleted but the sounds and beats are good
Inoffensive, but not particularly notable.
I'm not the biggest fan of this kind of electronic music, but overall I'd say it wasn't too bad.
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.
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 like the whole absurdist anarchy vibe of the KLF but this music is honestly pretty dated.
Another album not on Spotify!
Really good working music to have in the background.
2/5. Standard 90s house album with nothing redeeming. Reminded me of a less sophisticated DJ Shadow.
You know that episode of Friends with Ross’ “music”? Yeah
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!
3.2 - I like “3 a.m Eternal” and the “urban” sounding hard house beats of this era. But I’m not a fan of the fake patois, and Rasta-inspired world consciousness blah blah.
Meget kedeligt, prog rap over osv, siger mig intet. Måske strengt men er også syg og mopset, og syntes bare ikke det var fedt
Not on spotify. Prolly shit
influential and banger after banger. 4.8
Reading about the group and the things around it were more interesting than the music it self. typical 90s electronica/rave music. it is made for clubs and it don't really stand out to me.
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.
Okay, let's go. Okay, it went.
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.
Fourth studio album? Again? I wonder how many times you have to listen to an album to really get the meaning of it. Admittedly, the majority of my knowledge comes from radio or tv. If I was independently forced to find my own music to listen to, I'd probably listen to the same 3 albums my whole life.
I like the general vibe of smooth electronic beats, but it doesn't do enough for me. The lyrical content doesn't really lift it up enough even though it is very polished. An interesting listen, but certainly blends together.
Honestly i love this early nineties UK Rave music its so dope. Hearted a song, dug it. The dog hated it...
Ok
Honestly just straight up not my music at all. This sort of electronic music that sounds like you absolutely have to be in a dirty night club somewhere in England drugged out your mind is exclusively unappealing to me. I was pretty primed to give this a 1/5. HOWEVER. I couldn't help myself by looking into this band thinking "Why in god's name is this included in this list". So after a bit of reading found these two guys to be probably quite the legends in the UK. Including them being a part of some art exhibit where they legitimately burned "a million quid" which would be worth like 5 million Canadian dollars now, all from the after tax profits of their record sales. That's pretty bad ass. In that tune they do sound like true artists, combining that with the fact that they have quite a big legacy and inspiration on this genre of music. So - hats off to them. By the end of reading up on them I did find myself vibing to the latter part of this album, so although I'll never listen again, it gets a 2.
Most of these songs were too repetitive for me. The production sounds cold and impersonal. I was charmed by the inclusion of pedal steel guitar on a couple of the tracks, but perhaps only because it contrasted so starkly with the rest of the instrumentation.
Far more intrigued by their story than their sound.
Lots of versions of this one, I opted to go on YouTube and find the original 1991 release. It's definitely classic electronica/dance music. It's definitely a thing and fine for what it is, but I don't wanna hear it unless I'd be transported to a 90s rave.
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.
One of the better bleepy-bloopy albums I've listened to. Kind of sounds like the soundtrack for an old racing game at times. Not very exciting, but I've had so much fucking garbage from this genre that it's nice to remember that not all 90s British electronica sounds like a toddler playing with FL Studio presets. Also thank you for not being 2 hours long. Still recovering from that 140 minutes long Roni Size album.
Based on what Jake said, as since I'm trying to catch up, I'm okay skipping this shit.
- This album was fun and had some funky sounds - Lots of electronic albums recently - Appreciated that it wasn't 2 hours long
- imagine this bumping in a European club - appropriate song lengths - really enjoyed the vibes here
The trance was fun and unusual but other than a few songs it was nit so interesting
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.
I’m disappointed that this made the cut instead of their 1990 Chill Out record which is one of my all-time favourite “found sound” and electronic/ambient albums. I can listen to Chill out over and over and never tire of it for some reason. The music on this album OTOH is pretty typical of the era, just bog standard Acid House music. I would give this two stars but Chill out would get four, so I’ll split the difference here.
Yeah meh. I had to find this album on YouTube because it's not on Spotify. AND it's not my cup of tea. The 90's Brit Electronic house/acid stuff is not it for me. I made it through about half the album and then turned on something else.
When I told Rach I’d been generated The KLF, she started waiting something about Moo Moo Land. That oddity isn’t in this album, but by icky thump that was a right weird experience being serenaded with that. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Make It Rain, Build A Fire, Justified & Ancient I listened to this on another commute to work today. It definitely made the journey more fun, although I’m unsure about if I’ll be returning to it again. It somehow managed to be a bit of fun, yet remained fairly unremarkable. There’s not much I really feel I can comment on aside from it being party pop, or something like that. It isn’t bad by any means, and I’d enjoy if it came on the radio, but I wouldn’t seek this out.
Kinda didn't mind it.
Early house music. Needed more Martha Wash and electric piano. I’m sure it was impactful in its time but it’s giving Mortal Kombat.
Música electrónica, acid house. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
eh