Chill Out (KLF album): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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''Chill Out'' is a single continuous musical piece having many distinctive sections, each of which either [[segue]]s into or introduces the next. The album as a whole is a progression, with percussion gradually introduced during the second half. The album has many recurring musical elements, which unify and merge the parts into the collective whole. Common characteristics of most parts include ethereal background synthesizers, the use of echo and [[pitch bend]], samples of nature and transport, and the punctuation of soft synthesizer loops by sudden flourishes of harmonious sound. The Deep South is variously represented using original pedal steel contributions from [[Graham Lee (Australian musician)|Graham Lee]] and emotionally charged samples of US radio broadcasts: an [[Evangelism|evangelist]]'s sermon, a range of samples of a very intense salesman, and, in "{{lang-es|italic=no|Madrugada Eterna|label=none}}",{{efn|"{{lang-es|italic=no|Madrugada Eterna|label=none}}" is Spanish for "Eternal Dawn".}} the detailed news report of a fatal road accident.

Despite the specific US settings, ''Chill Out'' is multi-ethnic, its journey taking in pastoral shepherds, Russian broadcasts, [[Tuva]]nTuvan throat singing|Tuvan throat singers]] ("Dream Time in Lake Jackson"), exotic birds, and an African-sounding original female vocal from [[The JAMs]]' ''[[1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)]]'' that later became The KLF's "[[Justified and Ancient]]".

Elements of The KLF's "Pure Trance" singles "[[3 a.m. Eternal]]" and "[[Last Train to Trancentral]]" are brought to the fore during the second half of the album, progressing from the [[minimalism|minimalist]] synths of the opening half. Similarly, samples of other artists' work appear as the composition develops, harmonising with The KLF's original instrumentation.

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The [[sample (music)|samples]] used in ''Chill Out'' contribute fundamentally to the character of the composition. In particular, the recurring sampled sound effects of [[rolling stock]] and other transport illustrate the journey concept, often during segues between parts of the composition. Many of these effects are taken from the 1987 CD version of [[Elektra Records]]' ''Authentic Sound Effects Volume 2''. The tracks used are "Crossing Bells and Horn with Electric Train Pass" and "Short Freight Train Pass", along with processed versions of "F18 Diamond Fly-By", "Dodge Van Starts, Drives Out", and "Surf".<ref>''Authentic Sound Effects Volume 2'', [[Elektra Records]] 1987 ([http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1095470/a/Authentic+Sound+Effects,+Vol.+2.htm link to audio samples]).</ref> Samples of American, British and Russian radio stations are also used, including the [[BBC pips]] and a jingle from [[Tommy Vance]]'s [[Friday Rock Show]] on [[BBC Radio 1]]: "Rock radio into the nineties and beyond". Some of the more obscure sounds (Tuvan throat singers and Basque shepherds in the Pyrenees) come from the Saydisc Records soundtrack of the 1980s ''[[Disappearing World (TV series)|Disappearing World]]'' series on Granada TV in the UK. The phrase "Your feeling of helplessness is your best friend, savage" is taken from the 1957 science fiction film ''[[The Brain from Planet Arous]]''.

The album features samples of distinctive melodies from the musical recordings of other artists: [[Elvis Presley]]'s 1969 UK No. 2 single "[[In the Ghetto]]", [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s 1968 UK No. 1 single "[[Albatross (composition)|Albatross]]", as well as "Oh Well Part II", and [[Acker Bilk]]'s 1961 US No. 1 single "[[Stranger on the Shore]]" all feature prominently, in each case set to an accompaniment of original music. The composers of these [[hit single|hits]] receive co-writing credit for "Elvis on the Radio Steel Guitar in My Soul", "3am Somewhere out of Beaumont", and "A Melody from a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back" respectively, and the performers are thanked in the ''Chill Out'' sleevenotes.<ref name="LP5">{{Cite AV media notes|publisher=KLF Communications|title=Chill Out|id=JAMS LP5|year=1990|others=[[The KLF]]}}</ref> [[Boy George]]'s band [[Jesus Loves You (band)|Jesus Loves You]] is also thanked for a sample from the single "After the Love", which also features on "3am Somewhere out of Beaumont". Short samples from the [[Van Halen]] instrumental "[[Eruption (song)|Eruption]]" emerge throughout the song "A Melody from a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back". Shortly after the 2:00 mark of "The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By", a sample from the theme music of the 1958 film ''[[The Big Country]]'' can be heard as well as "[[Pacific State (song)|Pacific State]]" by [[808 State]].<!--

*A [[panning]] sound from [[Pink Floyd]]'s "[[On the Run]]" on ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]''.

*"Pings" from Pink Floyd's "[[Echoes (1971 song)|Echoes]]" on the album ''[[Meddle]]''.

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==Reception and legacy==

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]

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In a 1996 feature, ''[[Mixmag]]'' named ''Chill Out'' the fifth best dance album of all time, citing Jimmy Cauty and Alex Paterson as having "kickstarted" [[ambient music]] with their DJ sets at the "seminal" [[house music|house]] night "Land of Oz". Dom Philips of ''Mixmag'' described ''Chill Out'' as "a gorgeous patchwork of sound, noise and melody&nbsp;... the samples are carefully woven into a beautiful spider's web of sound."<ref>{{LibraryOfMu|mu-id=478|first=Dom|last= Phillips|work=[[Mixmag]]|title=50 greatest dance albums - No. 5, Chill Out - The KLF|date=1 March 1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916110651/http://www.libraryofmu.net/display-resource.php?id=478|archive-date=16 September 2016}}</ref> [[Ira Robbins]] of ''[[Trouser Press]]'' was less favorable in his assessment of ''Chill Out'', likening it to "an accidental recording of 1970 [[Pink Floyd]] sessions during which all the participants have either left or fallen asleep", adding that "it's the pleasantly attenuated soundtrack to a non-existent film that is easily forgotten."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=klf |title=The KLF |work=[[Trouser Press]] |accessdate=19 April 2006 |last=Robbins |first=Ira |author-link=Ira Robbins}}</ref> In 2008, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' included "Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard" in ''[[The Pitchfork 500]]'', their list of the 500 greatest songs between 1977 and 2006, and later ranked the track at number 80 in their "Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s" list in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/S7139.htm |title=Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard |publisher=[[Acclaimed Music]] |accessdate=2016-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914164534/http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/S7139.htm |archive-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Legacy==

In July 2004, UK performance collective Popdamage "reconstructed" ''Chill Out'' as a live performance at [[The Big Chill (music festival)|The Big Chill]] music festival, recreating many of the album's vocal and musical samples live on-stage.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Big Chill, Herefordshire" review |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=2 August 2004 |last=Verrico |first=L.}}</ref>

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The use of a journey as a unifying musical or conceptual thread featured several times in Cauty and Drummond's work, including ''[[The White Room (KLF album)|The White Room]]'', "[[Last Train to Trancentral]]", "[[Justified and Ancient]]" and "[[America: What Time Is Love?]]". Cauty's ''[[Space (Jimmy Cauty album)|Space]]'' and [[The Orb]]'s debut album, ''[[The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld]]'' also employ the journey concept.{{efn|Paterson and Cauty were the original incarnation of The Orb; they split in April 1990, with Paterson retaining the name.<ref>{{AllMusic|id=mn0000891575|first=John|last=Bush|title=The Orb|tab=biography|accessdate=5 March 2020}}</ref> The subsequent release of the ambient ''[[Space (Jimmy Cauty album)|Space]]'' LP—originally intended to be The Orb's debut album<ref>{{LibraryOfMu|tl=web|mu-id=508|publisher=[[KLF Communications]]|title=The White Room - Information Sheet Eight|date=August 1990|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005024345/http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=508|archive-date=5 October 2007}}</ref>&nbsp;—was credited only to Cauty.<ref>Sleevenotes, ''[[Space (Jimmy Cauty album)|Space]]'', [[KLF Communications]], SPACE LP1, July 1990.</ref><ref name="made-clouds">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/07/how-we-made-the-orb-little-fluffy-clouds-interview|title=How we made the Orb's Little Fluffy Clouds|type=Interview with Youth and Alex Paterson|first=Dave|last=Simpson|date=7 June 2016|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref>}}

Sheep, which appear both on the recording of ''Chill Out'' - as—as [[guest vocalist]]s according to [[Scott Piering]]'s press release<ref name="press-release">{{Cite press release|publisher=[[Appearing (media consultants)|Appearing]]|title=The KLF - "Chill Out".. (Ambient house) LP|date=1990<!--press release is apparently undated but shows the album's release date of 12 Feb 1990-->|url=https://img.discogs.com/4Aeru5tTwZ__OfkMSUeC0UK2S30=/fit-in/600x821/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-28324-1470891481-4641.jpeg.jpg}}</ref> - and—and in its sleeve artwork, became a theme of The KLF's output, featuring in the ambient video ''[[The KLF films#Waiting|Waiting]]'', ''[[The White Room (KLF album)|The White Room]]'' album artwork, and later&nbsp;— inlater—in a macabre gesture&nbsp;— aftergesture—after their [[The KLF#Retirement|controversial appearance at the 1992 Brit Awards ceremony]]. Drummond credits the sleeve of [[Pink Floyd]]'s ''[[Atom Heart Mother]]'' as providing inspiration for the artwork of ''Chill Out''.<ref name="Laz" />

Bill Drummond has documented his affinity for pedal steel and [[country music]], stating that although he has "loved all sorts of music,&nbsp;... country music is the only music [he's] been totally able to identify with", and declaring: "the weep of a pedal steel guitar is the sound of heartstrings being torn".<ref>[[Bill Drummond|Drummond, B.]], "They Called Me Up in Tennessee", ''[[45 (book)|45]]'', (Little & Brown, {{ISBN|0-316-85385-2}} / Abacus, {{ISBN|0-349-11289-4}}), 2000.</ref>

According to Drummond, the album and album sleeve has "the vibe of the rave scene over here [in the UK]. When we're having the big Orbital raves out in the country, and you're dancing all night and then the sun would come up in the morning, and then you'd be surrounded by this English rural countryside&nbsp;... we wanted something that kind of reflected that, that feeling the day after the rave, that's what we wanted the music for".<ref name="Laz" /><!--

In August 1990, the single "[[What Time Is Love?]] (Remodelled & Remixed)" was released. It included the ambient house "Virtual Reality Mix", reprising many elements of ''Chill Out''. [umistakable, e.g. the Tuvan throat singing is there, so the record itself could be cited using Cite AV media, but would the average reader care? Not sure. Restore if you think they would.--><!-- Elements of ''Chill Out'' also featured heavily in The KLF's "UFO Mix" of "It Must Be Obvious" by [[Pet Shop Boys]], released in September 1990--><!--and incorporating "What Time Is Love?", a "Pure Trance" track not used on the LP

-->.

==Personnel==

The sleeve notes that the album was "Composed Compiled and Collated by the KLF".<ref name="LP5"/> [[Simon Reynolds]] (1999)<ref>{{cite book|last = Reynolds |first = Simon |year = 1999 |isbn = 0-415-92373-5 |publisher = Routledge |title = Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture |page=191|quote=After appearing uncredited on the KLF's Chill Out, Paterson collaborated with Jimmy Cauty on "A Huge Ever Growing Brain."}}</ref> and Mark Prendergast (2003)<ref name="century">{{cite book |last=Prendergast |first=Mark |title=The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby-The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing PLC]] |year=2003 |isbn=1-58234-323-3 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ambientcenturyfr00pren/page/407 407–412] |url=https://archive.org/details/ambientcenturyfr00pren/page/407|quote=The year 1990 began with the release of The KLF's Ambient manifesto, Chill Out. Coming direct from the same Trancentral sessions that had produced 'Loving You', Chill Out featured no credit to Paterson and soon after its release Jimmy Cauty split from The Orb. }}</ref> report the uncredited involvement of Alex Paterson, whereas a 1993 piece in ''[[i-D]]'' - in—in which Paterson was interviewed - claimedinterviewed—claimed that ''Chill Out'' was a "spin-off" from the Cauty/Paterson sessions at Trancentral.<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=[[i-D]]|title=Remixologist #2|date=June 1993|issue=117}} Reprinted in {{cite book|last=Beard|first=Steve|title=Aftershocks: The End of Style Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0HOAgm4FRMC&pg=PA14|year=2002|publisher=Wallflower Press|isbn=978-1-903364-24-6|page=14}}</ref> However, in a 2011 interview with ''Magnetic Magazine'', Alex Paterson corroborated his involvement and contribution to the album and said he had in fact been "ripped off" by The KLF and notably Jimmy Cauty, stating; "KLF put the Chill Out album out, which was basically a bunch of my DJ sessions at Trancentral which I never got credited for. That was one of the major reasons why Jimi and I split up. It was becoming apparent to me that everything he said he had given me, he never gave me. That shaped quite a lot of things in my head. Never to be ripped off again, I suppose. Don’tDon't worry, I got ripped off again. But as Jimi said to me, you’reyou're never really famous until you’veyou've been ripped off."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thomas|first=Rich|title=In About Four Seconds A Teacher Will Begin To Speak—Dr. Alex Paterson Of The Orb|url=https://www.magneticmag.com/2011/11/my-philosophy-the-orb/|access-date=2021-08-30|website=Magnetic Magazine|language=en-us}}</ref>

==Track listing<!-- for section; probably Lazlo's discog-->==