Chill Out is the title of a seminal 1990 ambient house album by British electronic group The KLF. The album is part ambient music for post-rave chill outs, part concept album - a mythical road trip (or perhaps train journey) up the U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas into Louisiana. The album is composed of sampled music (including Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Acker Bilk, Glen Campbell and Tuvan throat singers), vocals, sound effects and a sprinkling of original music, notably pedal steel guitar by Graham Lee of the Triffids.
Legend has it that the album was recorded in a single 44-minute "live" take in their studio, Trancentral, located in the basement of Jimmy Cauty's squat in Stockwell, South London. This was a DAT to DAT "live" edit - essentially Chill Out is a "best of" of many hours of collaborative ambient DJ jam sessions that also involved Alex Paterson of The Orb. These took place both at Trancentral and the legendary monthly Land of Oz club. Other parts of the sessions evolved to become the Orb single A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld and the Space album, and there are several bootleg recordings available with additional versions.
The cover of Chill Out was partly a reference to the cover of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother which features cows, and partly an attempt to establish a pastoral feel reminscent of an early morning in the English countryside after one of the big outdoor raves of the late 80's.
In July 2004, UK performance collective Pop Damage "reconstructed" Chill Out as a live performance at the Big Chill festival. The original vocal samples were recreated on stage.
Track listing
- Brownsville Turnaround on the Tex-Mex Border (0 - 1.43)
- Pulling Out of Ricardo and the Dusk is Falling Fast (1.43 - 3.12)
- Six Hours to Louisiana, Black Coffee Going Cold (3.12 - 6.13)
- Dream Time in Lake Jackson (6.13 - 8.50)
- Madrugada Eterna (8.50 - 16.31)
- Justified and Ancient Seems a Long Time Ago (16.31 - 17.40)
- Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in my Soul (17.40 - 20.20)
- 3am Somewhere Out of Beaumont (20.20 - 30.10)
- Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard (30.10 - 36.07)
- Trancentral Lost in my Mind (36.20 - 37.16)
- The Lights of Baton Rouge Pass By (37.16 - 40.42)
- A Melody From a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back (40.42 - 42.33)
- Rock Radio Into the Nineties and Beyond (42.33 - 44.00)
- Alone Again With the Dawn Coming Up (44.00 - END)
List of Samples
The division of the 45 minute piece of music that is Chill Out seems to be only so that co-songwriting credits can be given to those sampled.
Elvis Presley's In the Ghetto . The songwriter, Davies, gets a co-writing credit for 'Elvis on the Radio Steel Guitar in My Soul' on the label of Chill Out. This is actually an error on the sleeve - the songwriter is Mac Davis, not Davies.
Fleetwood Mac's 1968 No.1 Albatross. Peter Green is co-credited for 3am Somewhere Out of Beaumont on the label (and Fleetwood Mac are thanked on the sleeve).
Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore. He's given a songwrighting credit for A Melody from a Past Life Keeps Pulling Me Back on the label and thanked on the sleeve.
Boy George's group Jesus Loves You song After The Love Has Gone a single on his own More Protein label. They are thanked on the sleeve.
"a panning UFO sound" from Pink Floyd's On the Run from Dark Side of the Moon
"Pings" from Pink Floyd's Echoes on the album Meddle,
"deep, bassy, glooping noises" possibly from one of the tracks on Brian Eno's Ambient 4: On Land
Tuvan (Mongolian) throat singing possibly from Tuva - voices from the centre of Asia on Smithsonian/Folkways records or from the soundtrack to the BBC TV program The Mongolians.
a jingle from Tommy Vance's old Friday Rock Show on Radio One
'Authentic Sound Effects Vol 2' (Elektra CD). The tracks used are 'Crossing Bells And Horn With Electric Train Pass' and 'Short Freight Train Pass'. Chill Out also uses fairly processed versions of 'F18 Diamond Fly-By' 'Dodge Van Starts, Drives Out' and 'Surf' from the same CD.
Other sound effects include shepherd's talking in strange language, sheep, cow bells and sheep dog barks.
US radio recordings, including Dr. Williams, a mad preacher snake oil salesman and a news report about the death of 17 year old Jack Acksadapo after an illicit drag race in Nassau County, New York.
