While their previous antics as The JAMs and The Timelords had already firmly put Bill and Jimmy on the map of British dance music, The White Room is without a doubt the album that finally catapulted The KLF into mega-stardom, spawning three hit singles of which one (3 a.m. Eternal) got them to Number One in the UK (their second after Doctorin’ The Tardis).
The album is divided into two parts – while the tracks on Side A are of a more upbeat nature and presented as a mini live concert (the idea of which gets kind of lost on most international releases, see below) the flipside is more of a downtempo affair.
Apart from the well-known singles that were based upon the Pure Trance originals, the album consists mainly of reworked versions from the unreleased motion picture soundtrack.
BD: Some of it was recorded incredibly fast, like in half an hour. Other things seemed to take years, like the songs. Some of the tracks we’ve done here we were working on this time two years ago. We seem to be in a constant process of re-working our past.Jimmy Cauty & Bill Drummond (Sound On Sound, Apr 1991)
Unbeknownst to the music-consuming public The KLF were also re-working their not-so-distant future as well since the album both opens and closes with the downtempo version of Justified And Ancient, at this point still featuring the vocal talent of Black Steel rather than Tammy Wynette.
Despite releasing a couple of additional singles not included on the LP The White Room remains the final album The KLF (or any of its various incarnations) would release before their departure from the music business.
Reviews
Tracks & Formats
JAMS LP6
| LP Album / 4 Mar 1991 | ||
| A1 | What Time Is Love? (LP Mix) | 4:43 |
| A2 | Make It Rain | 4:00 |
| A3 | 3 a.m. Eternal (Live At The S.S.L.) | 3:36 |
| A4 | Church Of The KLF | 1:53 |
| A5 | Last Train To Trancentral (LP Mix) | 5:33 |
| B1 | Build A Fire | 4:40 |
| B2 | The White Room | 5:15 |
| B3 | No More Tears | 9:24 |
| B4 | Justified And Ancient | 4:44 |
JAMS CD6
| CD Album / 4 Mar 1991 | ||
| 1 | What Time Is Love? (LP Mix) | 4:40 |
| 2 | Make It Rain | 4:02 |
| 3 | 3 a.m. Eternal (Live At The S.S.L.) | 3:35 |
| 4 | Church Of The KLF | 1:52 |
| 5 | Last Train To Trancentral (LP Mix) | 5:36 |
| 6 | Build A Fire | 4:39 |
| 7 | The White Room | 5:14 |
| 8 | No More Tears | 9:23 |
| 9 | Justified And Ancient | 4:44 |
Track times for 3 a.m. Eternal and Church Of The KLF are estimates based on JAMS LP006 as the CD version combines both into one single track.
Please also check the FAQ for the differences between the original KLF Communications release and the international versions.
Some of the track lengths listed here are incorrect. As per Wikipedia, they are from a German release. Most international releases have different lengths for tracks 3-5 (some using the single version of 3AM Eternal, with the “ladies and gentlemen, the KLF have left the building” line intact). On the UK release they are:
3AM Eternal (Live At The SSL)/Church Of The KLF – 5:27 (single track)
Last Train To Trancentral (LP Mix) – 5:33/5:36
Those are the ones taken from Lazlo’s old discography… strange nobody ever noticed this. Somebody probably mixed up track lengths between different international releases which might have their tracks split at different points – that’s the only possible explanation of somehow ending up with a 6:04 version of Last Train.
How’s about re-releasing some vinyl to stop the guttony on Discogs and Ebay please?
Cheers
JC
Can anyone shed some light on a recent vinyl I purchased, The White Room, black vinyl limited edition, the lost original 1989 version? It has white labels, the sleeve has a silver sticker bar with the album info, but no trsck listing on the back or the labels. I’d upload a photo, but no facility to do that here.
Any chance it might be the Cubefish release?
Hi, many thanks for your reply. I think I have the OST, the sound quality is very good, so likely sourced via DAT. The track listing is the same as the OST, with the exception of the added parts after the final track Born Free. Your site is invaluable, many thanks for your much appreciated efforts.
The KLF’s Spotify is advertising “WHITE ROOM-SPECIAL PACKAGE CD”
https://www.merchbar.com/vinyl-records/klf/klf-white-room-special-package-cd
Huh… not sure what these are about. Considering they are using what seems to be a scan taken through the front CD cover we doubt that’s all legitimate, though.
I bought it I go a Arista 07822-18707-2. It was on a single CD with ©2003 and 8 page inlay.