“They’re justified, and they’re ancient… and they like to
roam the land…”
Tonight… on
Kyle’s Radio Dial… A very British amalgam of electronica, hard
rock, country, and tribal chants which could not have existed at any
other era in pop music history except for the time of it’s release…
the early ‘90s. Because that’s what The KLF is about… Also
known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, furthermore knows as the
JAMS. Get ready, and get on the dance floor as the Dial turns it’s
receivers to pick up a signal containing The KLF and Tammy Wynette’s
“Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMS)”.
The KLF (typically explained as standing for “Kopyright Liberation
Front”) was officially only two Londoners, musician and producer
Bill Drummond (formerly of punk band Big in Japan) and guitarist
Jimmy Cauty (formerly of Brilliant). “Justified and Ancient (Stand
by the JAMS)”, a UK #2 and US #11 hit, was a reworking of a track
found on their 1991 LP The White Room. The song’s chorus
features a sample of Jimmy Hendrix’s 1968 psychedelic rock classic
“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”, and a rap from frequent
musical colleague Ricardo da Force. The lyrics are unquestionably
about the group itself, as they mention their various monikers and
tell their detractors not to stop them “because they’re coming
through”. This creates a glorious and wacky tune of self
promotion, yet also ties into their mythical philosophy of “Mu Mu
Land”, a recurring theme throughout The KLF’s output.
Now let’s talk
about Tammy... Wynette that is. Billed on the label as “The First
Lady of Country Music”, (and who would argue that?) Tammy charted
an impressive twenty-nine top 10 country hits during the ‘60s
and ‘70s, of which 1968’s “Stand by Your Man” (her
signature song) stood at the top of the country singles charts for
three weeks and crossed over to US #19 pop, her highest position on
the Hot 100. Wynette’s last significant solo hit was 1982’s
“Another Chance” which hit US country #8.
Her KLF
collaboration returned Tammy to the top 40 pop charts for the first
time since “Stand by your Man” twenty-three years earlier. There
is even a lyrical shout out to her signature song when she sings…
“They called
me up in Tennessee, they said ‘Tammy… Stand by the JAMS’”
This really was
an amazing and out of left field collaboration. It would be like if
Diplo dropped an EDM single tomorrow that featured ‘90’s country
sweetheart Jo Dee Messina singing the verses. Actually in today’s
musical landscape, where nearly every song has at least two or three
“featured artists”, and there is a tremendous amount of genre
cross-pollination, maybe the Diplo/Jo Dee track wouldn’t be all
THAT weird, but you get the idea.
Another
worthwhile cut from The KLF that I recommend is “Last Train to
Transcentral”, a UK #2 rockin’ dance cut that featured a cool
music video with a flying police car and a model train shrouded in
fog and smoke. Last Train never charted in the states, but I watched
the video frequently as an employee of Waldorf, Maryland’s Square
Circle record store, via an in-store VHS tape of music videos that we
played for several months to promote new artists. Plus, train songs
are cool. Don’t shake your head, you know I’m right.
When researching
Justified, I saw that an earlier single by the band, “3 A.M.
Eternal” hit US #5 in 1991 and was their biggest US hit, so I
figured I should check it out as well. Oddly enough I don’t recall
that song at all. Not from the radio, not from MTV, not from
those Square Circle video tapes either… somehow I completely missed
their biggest hit. Not sure how the hell that happened exactly.
The KLF were a
truly weird group who are worth researching and reading about.
Basically, their goal was to subvert the music industry, which earned
them a reputation as “pranksters”. They wrote a book entitled
“The Manual (How to have a Number One the Easy Way)” –
which is exactly what it sounds like it is. They also created stunts
involving burning one million quid, destroying copies of their first
LP, and firing blanks into an assembled crowd for the 1992 BRIT
awards, among numerous other crazy acts. Drummond and Cauty dissolved
their musical partnership in 1992, only five years after they formed,
but they left a legacy that continues to shape dance, techno, house,
and electronica to this day.
Now, while I
certainly do not agree with Jane Lynch’s comment (as Sue Sylvester)
from an episode of Fox’s “Glee” that Justified is “hands
down the worst song ever written”, (I tend to
think that pretty much the bulk of Flo Rida’s hits should earn that derision) but I do
recognize that Justified is empty of any deep social commentary on
the human condition, and it’s devoid of any really complex musical
structure. But it never set out to be, and above all, who cares? It’s
a hoot to listen to, a bizarre slice of pop culture ephemera, and a
product of the time. Check it out below, and take your own little
trip to Mu Mu Land.
And be sure to stay tuned to Kyle's Radio Dial,where the more you listen... the MORE you remember!
(I don't believe the KLF has an official website - so you may Google them at your leisure)
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