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| | {{retitle|"{{PAGENAME}}"}} |
| | {{real world}} |
| {{Infobox Music | | {{Infobox Music |
| | name=Doctorin' the Tardis | | |name = "{{PAGENAME}}" |
| | image=[[Image:The_Timelords-_Doctorin'_The_Tardis_(UK_CDV).jpg | 250 px | Doctorin' the Tardis Cover]] | | |image = Doctorin' the Tardis CD cover.jpg |
| | artist=The KLF/The Timelords | | |artist = The KLF/The Timelords |
| | format=7", 12", cassette, CD
| | |publisher = KLF Communications <small>(UK)</small> |
| | release date= 23 May 1988
| | |release date = [[23 May (releases)|23 May]] [[1988 (releases)|1988]] |
| | publisher= KLF Communications <small>(UK)</small> | | |format =7", 12", cassette, CD |
| | genre= [[Electronic music|Electronic]], [[pop music|pop]], [[House]] | |
| | length= 3:37 <small>(''Radio Mix'')</small> | |
| }} | | }} |
| | '''"Doctorin' the Tardis"''' was released in [[1988 (releases)|1988]] by The Timelords ("Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", aliases of {{w|Bill Drummond}} and {{w|Jimmy Cauty}}, better known as {{w|The KLF}} or the JAMs). |
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| "'''Doctorin' the Tardis'''" ({{audio| The Timelords - Doctorin' the Tardis (excerpt).ogg|sample}}) is a 1988 electronic [[Novelty record|novelty]] pop [[Single (music)|single]] by '''The Timelords''' ("Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", aliases of [[Bill Drummond]] and [[Jimmy Cauty]], now better known as [[The KLF]]). The song is predominantly a [[bastard pop|mash-up]] of the [[Doctor Who theme music]], [[Gary Glitter]]'s "[[Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)|Rock and Roll (Part Two)]]" with sections from "[[Blockbuster!]]" by [[Sweet (band)|Sweet]] and "Let's Get Together Tonite" by [[Steve Walsh (disc jockey)|Steve Walsh]]. The single was panned by critics but became a commercial success, reaching number 1 in the [[UK Singles Chart]] and charting in the Top 10 in Australia and [[Norway]].
| | == Song construction == |
| | The song is predominantly a mash-up of the [[Doctor Who theme|''Doctor Who'' theme]], Gary Glitter's "{{w|Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)|Rock and Roll (Part Two)}}" with sections from "{{w|Blockbuster!}}" by {{w|Sweet (band)|Sweet}} and "Let's Get Together Tonite" by {{w|Steve Walsh (disc jockey)|Steve Walsh}}. The single was panned by critics but became a commercial success, reaching number 1 in the UK Singles Chart and charting in the Top 10 in Australia and [[Norway]].<ref>[http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=384 Library of Mu - Trash Art and Kreation] <small>accessed 4th January 2010</small></ref><ref>[http://rocknerd.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/18/0539252 Rock Nerd - Interview: the KLF's James Cauty] <small>accessed 4th January 2010</small></ref> |
| | There are also samples of dialogue from: a [[Dalek]] and [[Davros]] in [[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]''. |
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| The Timelords followed up their chart-topping record with a "how to have a number one" guide, ''[[The Manual|The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)]]''. | | == Ford Timelord == |
| | The band had a 1968 Ford Galaxie [[police car]] which had featured in some of its videos and promotional artwork. For the release of this song, a fictional backstory was created for the car. The band claimed that the car had spoken to them, revealing its name as "Ford Timelord." The record itself was credited to Ford Timelord, and the sleeve featured the text "Hi! I'm Ford Timelord. I'm a car, and I've made a record... I mixed and matched some tunes we all know and love, got some mates down and made this record. Sounds like a hit to me!" |
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| ==Context== | | == Music video == |
| The release of "Doctorin' the Tardis" followed a self-imposed break from recording of Drummond and Cauty's sampling outfit, [[The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu]] (The JAMs). The single continued The JAMs' strategy of plagiarising and juxtaposing popular musical works. However, unlike the [[cult following|cultish]] limited releases of The JAMs, in which Drummond's [[River Clyde|Clydeside]] [[rapping]] and social commentary were regular ingredients, "Doctorin' The Tardis" was an excursion into the musical mainstream, with the change of name to "The Timelords" and an overt reliance on several iconic symbols of 1970s and 80s [[culture of the United Kingdom|British popular culture]], including Glitter, the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' theme song, references to ''Doctor Who's'' [[Dalek]]s and the [[TARDIS]]), Sweet's "Blockbuster!" and [[Harry Enfield]]'s character 'Loadsamoney'<ref name="bosh">KLF Online, Sample City toolkit. Issue 1 - Doctorin’ The Tardis ([http://www.klf.de/home/?p=6615 link])</ref>. The song also features the riff from another of Glitter's recordings, "[[I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)]]". Its name is a reference to "Doctorin' the House" by [[Coldcut]]. | | The "Doctorin' the Tardis" music video features Ford Timelord driving around the countryside. Crude approximations of Daleks roam the area, with Ford in hot pursuit. At the video's climax, Ford Timelord hits and smashes the Daleks. |
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| Drummond and Cauty often claimed that the song was the result of a deliberate effort to write a number one hit single. However, in interviews with ''SnubTV'' and [[BBC Radio 1]], Drummond offered a more plausible explanation. "We went into the studio on a Monday, thinking we were going to make a house track, a regular underground dance house track using the Doctor Who theme tune... [but] we [then] realised it was in [[Metre (music)|triplet time]] and you can't have house tracks in triplet time. The only beat that would work with it was the [[Gary Glitter|Glitter beat]]. By Tuesday evening we realised we had a number one and we just went totally for the [[lowest common denominator]]". Radio 1 interviewer [[Richard Skinner (broadcaster)|Richard Skinner]] called the record an "aberration", to which Drummond pleaded "guilty", adding that "we justified it all by saying to ourselves 'We're celebrating a very British thing here... you know, something that [[Timmy Mallett]] understands'".<ref name="skinner">Bill Drummond interviewed by [[Richard Skinner (broadcaster)|Richard Skinner]] on ''Saturday Sequence'', [[BBC Radio 1]], December 1990 ([http://www.brandnew.co.uk/klf/billdrummond/Bill%20Drummond%20Interview_Radio1%20Dec90.mp3 MP3])</ref>
| | The video was filmed in part at the now defunct {{w|RAF Yatesbury}}, a Royal Air Force base in [[Wiltshire]]. |
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| In a KLF Communications information sheet, Drummond called "Doctorin' the Tardis" "probably the most nauseating record in the world" but added that "we also enjoyed celebrating the trashier side of pop".<ref>KLF Communications (1988) ''Info Sheet Two'' ([http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=501 link]).</ref>
| | == Formats and track listing == |
| | === 7" Vinyl single, 23 May 1988 === |
| | * A. Doctorin' the Tardis (radio) |
| | * B. Doctorin' the Tardis (minimal) |
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| ==Ford Timelord== | | === 12" Vinyl single, 23rd May 1988 === |
| <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:The Timelords video.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Ford Timelord aims for a Dalek in the video to "Doctorin' the Tardis"]] -->
| | * A1. Doctorin' the Tardis (club mix) |
| In promotional material for the single, credit for the talent behind the song (inspiration and authorship) was attributed not to Time Boy and Lord Rock but to "Ford Timelord," Cauty's 1968 [[Ford Galaxie]] American [[police car]] reg plate "WGU 18G", formerly known as the JAMsmobile. The car, which had previously appeared on the cover of The JAMs' album ''[[Who Killed The JAMs?]]'', was thematically tailored to The JAMs, depicting their 'pyramid blaster' emblem on its doors and the number [[23 (numerology)|23]] on its roof. Drummond and Cauty claimed the car spoke to them, giving its name as Ford Timelord, and advising the duo to become "The Timelords". Ford featured prominently on the sleeve of "Doctorin' the Tardis", where it is quoted as saying "Hi! I'm Ford Timelord. I'm a car, and I've made a record", and "...I mixed and matched some tunes we all know and love, got some mates down and made this record. Sounds like a hit to me".<ref>KLF Communications (1988) ''Doctorin' The Tardis'' KLF 003T, sleevenotes.</ref> The "Timelord" component of Ford's name arrives from the [[Time Lord]]s, a fictional alien race from the planet [[Gallifrey]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]''.
| | * B1. Doctorin' the Tardis (radio) |
| | * B2. Doctorin' the Tardis (minimal) |
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| The "Doctorin' the Tardis" [[music video]] features Ford Timelord driving around the countryside in pursuit of some rather crudely designed Daleks, his wailing siren audible throughout. The video was filmed in part at the now defunct [[RAF Yatesbury]], a Royal Air Force base in [[Wiltshire]], and - according to The Timelords - cost in the region of £8,000 to make.<ref>Drummond, B. & Cauty, J. (1989) [[The Manual|The Manual (How To Have a Number One The Easy Way)]], KLF Publications (KLF 009B), UK. ISBN 0-86359-616-9. ([http://www.kasino.co.uk/klf.txt Link to full text])</ref>
| | === CD-Video single, September 1988 === |
| | # Doctorin' the Tardis (radio) |
| | # Doctorin' the Tardis (minimal) (titled Instrumental) |
| | # Doctorin' the Tardis (club mix) (titled 12" Club Mix) |
| | # Doctorin' the Tardis (video) |
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| ==Reaction== | | == Official usage of the song == |
| While the music-buying public of the UK embraced the single, taking it to the number-one spot within three weeks of its release, the [[music journalism|music press]] were strongly negative. ''[[Melody Maker]]'' described it as "pure, unadulterated agony ... excruciating";<ref>''"Doctorin' the Tardis": Review'' (May 1988), ''[[Melody Maker]]'' ([http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=78 link]).</ref> ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' reasoned that it was "a record so noxious that a top ten place can be its only destiny", calling it a "rancid reworking of ancient discs".<ref>Wilkinson, R. (1988), ''...Ford Every Scheme'', ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' ([http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=81 link]).</ref> The record also reached number two in Australia and Norway.<ref>[[ARIA Charts|ARIA]] chart data cited in: {{cite web|title=Interview: The KLF's James Cauty|publisher=Rocknerd.org|last=Butler|first=Ben|url=http://rocknerd.org/article.pl?sid=03/06/18/0539252|accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Norwegian chart data for The KLF|url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=The+KLF|publisher=norwegiancharts.com|accessdate=2007-12-29}}</ref>'' [[Select (magazine)|Select]]'' magazine later reported that "Doctorin' the Tardis" sold over a million copies.<ref name="select92">"Who Killed The KLF?", ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]'', July 1992 ([http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=315 link]).</ref>
| | Doctorin' the Tardis was used in the documentary that accompanied the ''[[The Curse of Fatal Death (TV story)|The Curse of Fatal Death]]'' video release, the American documentary ''The Making of [[Silver Nemesis (TV story)|Silver Nemesis]]'' (included on the BBC Video release in [[1992 (releases)|1992]]). It was also been used during BBC Radio 2's ''[[Tardis: Who?]]'' documentaries and ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]]'' during [[2005 (releases)|2005]].<ref>[http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/tributes/songs2.php#timelords The Millennium Effect - 1988 - Doctorin' the Tardis] <small>accessed 4th January 2010</small></ref> |
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| In a retrospective look at novelty records and a defence of the genre, Peter Paphides wrote in ''[[The Observer]]'''s music monthly that "the one novelty record most people admit to liking is 'Doctorin' The Tardis' by The Timelords... The reason for this, presumably, is that it's nice to be in on the same joke as arch pop ironist Bill Drummond. Fine, but let's not forget that if The KLF weren't passionate about how brilliantly dumb pop can be they wouldn't have got to Number One." The "reason we purport to hate novelty records", he argued, "is because we continue to romanticise the creative process. We feel that our intelligence is insulted by novelty."<ref>Paphides, P. "Making the law", ''[[The Observer]]'' Music Monthly, 22 Feb 2004 ([http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,13887,1150729,00.html link]).</ref>
| | == Other appearances == |
| | ''Doctorin' the Tardis'' was itself used as part of the mashup ''Dr. Who on Holiday'', a remix of the Green Day song ''Holiday'', in {{wi|American Edit}}, a mashup album based on Green Day's ''American Idiot''. |
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| A 1994 piece in ''[[The Guardian]]'' called "Doctorin'" a "piss-take". "It was a triumph for Trash Art and it spent exactly one week at the top of the chart. Perfect."<ref name="trash">Sharkey, A., "Trash Art & Kreation", ''[[The Guardian|The Guardian Weekend]]'', 21 May 1994 ([http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=384 link]).</ref>
| | == External links == |
| | | * [http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/tributes/songs2.php#timelords The Millennium Effect - 1988 - Doctorin' the Tardis] |
| ==Legacy==
| | * [http://www.libraryofmu.org/index.php Library of Mu press archive] - a library of KLF-related press clippings |
| The Timelords released one other product on the strength of "Doctorin' the Tardis", a 1989 book called ''[[The Manual|The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)]]'', in which they candidly described the logistical processes and efforts that sealed the record's commercial success.
| | * [http://www.discogs.com/label/KLF+Communications KLF Communications discography] |
| | | * [http://www.klf.de/discography/ KLF discography] |
| After The Timelords, Drummond and Cauty became The KLF. An American reissue of the single in the mid-1990s lists the artist as The Timelords/The KLF, and features both a KLF track (the original uncut version of "[[What Time Is Love?]]") and "Gary Joins The JAMS", a version of "Doctorin' the Tardis" with new vocals by Gary Glitter referencing his own songs.
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| Later attempts of Drummond and Cauty to top the charts were less successful: The KLF's "[[Kylie Said to Jason]]" failed to achieve the chart success for which it was designed,<ref name="info8">KLF Communications, "Information Sheet Eight", August 1990 ([http://www.libraryofmu.org/display-resource.php?id=508 link])</ref> peaking outside the Top 100, and Cauty's novelty project [[I Wanna 1-2-1 With You|Solid Gold Chartbusters]] with [[Guy Pratt]], which was designed to be a [[Christmas number one single]], did not reach the UK Top 10. However, The KLF's string of "Stadium House" singles, beginning with "[[What Time Is Love?]]", found popular appeal and worldwide chart success while dispensing with the opportunistic sheen of "Doctorin' the Tardis".
| | == Footnotes == |
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| ==Formats and track listing==
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| "Doctorin' the Tardis" was given an international single release on 23 May 1988. In the US it was re-issued in 1991, containing The KLF's "[[What Time Is Love?]] (Pure Trance Original)". The formats and track listings are tabulated below:
| |
| {|class="wikitable"
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| ! align="center" rowspan=2 |Format (and countries)
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| ! colspan=6 |Track number
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| |-
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| !1
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| !2
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| !3
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| !4
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| !5
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| !6
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| |-
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| | align="left" | 7" single (except US), 10" [[picture disc]] single (UK)
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| |d
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| |M
| |
| |
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| |
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| |
| |
| |
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| |-
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| | align="left" | 7" single (US)
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| |d
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| |g
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| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
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| |-
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| | align="left" | 12" single (KLF 003T)
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| |d
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| |M
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| |D
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| |
| |
| |
| |
| |-
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| | align="left" | 12" single (KLF 003R)
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| |g
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| |gM
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| |G
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |-
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| | align="left" | [[CD Video]] single (UK)
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| |V
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| |M
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| |D
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| |
| |
| |
| |
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| |-
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| | align="left" | Cassette single (US)
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| |D
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| |g
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| |
| |
| |
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| |-
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| | align="left" | 1988 CD single (US)
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| |d
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| |D
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| |G
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| |
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| |
| |
| |
| |
| |-
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| | align="left" | 1991 CD single (US)
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| |d
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| |D
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| |W
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| |g
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| |M
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| |
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| |-
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| | align="left" | CD single (Canada)
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| |g
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| |gM
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| |G
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| |d
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| |M
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| |D
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| |-
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| |}
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| '''Key'''
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| *d - "Doctorin' the Tardis" (radio edit / 7" Mix) (3:37)
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| *D - "Doctorin' the Tardis" (Club Mix / 12" Mix) (8:15)
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| *M - "Doctorin' the Tardis (Minimal)" (4:28)
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| *V - "Doctorin' the Tardis (Video Mix)" (2:20)
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| *g - "Gary in the Tardis" (3:26)
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| *gM - "Gary in the Tardis (Minimal)" (4:08)
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| *G - "Gary Joins The JAMs" (usually 6:22)
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| *W - "What Time Is Love? (Pure Trance Original)" (7:06)
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}} | | {{reflist}} |
| ===Other references===
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| * [http://www.libraryofmu.org/index.php Library of Mu press archive] - a library of KLF-related press clippings
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| *[[Discogs.com]], [http://www.discogs.com/label/KLF+Communications KLF Communications discography]
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| *[http://www.klf.de/discography/ KLF discography], Longmire, Ernie et al. (2005)
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| *"The KLF: Enigmatic dance duo" (feature and discography up to that time), ''[[Record Collector]]'' Magazine, April 1991.
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| ==External links==
| | [[Category:Songs about the Doctor Who universe]] |
| *[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdTELokKfCk Doctorin' the Tardis - Music Video] - on [[YouTube]]
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| [[Category:Doctor Who spin-offs]]
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| [[Category:Doctor Who music]]
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| [[Category:Doctor Who-related songs]] | |
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