"Doctorin' the Tardis" was released in 1988 by The Timelords ("Time Boy" and "Lord Rock", aliases of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, better known as The KLF or the JAMs).
Song construction[]
The song is predominantly a mash-up of the Doctor Who theme, Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll (Part Two)" with sections from "Blockbuster!" by Sweet and "Let's Get Together Tonite" by 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.[1][2] There are also samples of dialogue from: a Dalek and Davros in TV: Genesis of the Daleks.
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!"
Music video[]
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.
The video was filmed in part at the now defunct RAF Yatesbury, a Royal Air Force base in Wiltshire.
Formats and track listing[]
7" Vinyl single, 23 May 1988[]
- A. Doctorin' the Tardis (radio)
- B. Doctorin' the Tardis (minimal)
12" Vinyl single, 23rd May 1988[]
- A1. Doctorin' the Tardis (club mix)
- B1. Doctorin' the Tardis (radio)
- B2. Doctorin' the Tardis (minimal)
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)
Official usage of the song[]
Doctorin' the Tardis was used in the documentary that accompanied the The Curse of Fatal Death video release, the American documentary The Making of Silver Nemesis (included on the BBC Video release in 1992). It was also been used during BBC Radio 2's Tardis: Who? documentaries and Doctor Who Confidential during 2005.[3]
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 American Edit, a mashup album based on Green Day's American Idiot.
External links[]
- The Millennium Effect - 1988 - Doctorin' the Tardis
- Library of Mu press archive - a library of KLF-related press clippings
- KLF Communications discography
- KLF discography
Footnotes[]
- ↑ Library of Mu - Trash Art and Kreation accessed 4th January 2010
- ↑ Rock Nerd - Interview: the KLF's James Cauty accessed 4th January 2010
- ↑ The Millennium Effect - 1988 - Doctorin' the Tardis accessed 4th January 2010
