"3 a.m. Eternal" is a song by The KLF, numerous versions of which were released as singles between 1989 and 1992. In January 1991, an acid house pop version of the song became an international top ten hit single, hitting #1 in the UK Singles Chart and #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and leading to The KLF becoming the internationally biggest-selling singles band of 1991. When, the following year, The KLF accepted an invitation to perform at the BRIT Awards ceremony, they caused controversy with a succession of anti-establishment gestures that included a duet performance of "3 a.m. Eternal" with crust punk band Extreme Noise Terror, during which The KLF co-founder Bill Drummond fired machine-gun blanks over the audience of music industry luminaries. A studio-produced version of this song was issued a limited edition mail order 7" single, the final release by The KLF and their independent record label, KLF Communications.

Origins[link]

The original 1989 12" single release constituted the second of The KLF's "Pure Trance" series. There were two issues, numbered 005T (pink writing on a black sleeve, featuring two KLF mixes) and 005R (black writing on a pink sleeve, featuring four more mixes, including remixes by The Orb and The Moody Boys).

Stadium House version[link]

A version heavily reworked for a mainstream audience, "3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)", was issued in January 1991 and hit # 1 in the UK singles chart and # 5 in the US Billboard Hot 100. This version featured a rap by Ricardo da Force. The "S.S.L." in the subtitle refers to a Solid State Logic mixing desk. Although a lot of crowd noise features on the mix, it is in fact a purely studio-based creation. The seven inch version of this mix appears on the album The White Room. Concurrent with the chart-topping version, yet another 12" was released, featuring resolutely underground remixes by The Moody Boys.

Video[link]

There are two video versions for the SSL Video, the American and the European. The American includes an opening with a travel through the mythical "Land of Mu Mu" where the KLF are performing inside a pyramid scenery with singers in a stadium. The European shows the KLF vehicle voyage with the Rapper Ricardo Da Force singing in the backseat and a rave showing at the background.

The KLF vs Extreme Noise Terror[link]

In 1992, The KLF released a limited edition mail order only single containing a new version of "3 a.m." featuring the grindcore/crust punk band Extreme Noise Terror. The two bands also performed a live version of the song at that year's BRIT Awards ceremony. The Brits performance was garnished by a limping, kilted, cigar-chomping Drummond firing blanks from an automatic weapon over the heads of the crowd. After viewing the rehearsals, NME writer Danny Kelly said: "Compared to what's preceded it, this is a turbo-powered metallic wolf breaking into a coop full of particularly sick doves... And the noise? Well, the noise is hardcore punk thrash through a disco Techno hit played by crusties. All bases covered, brilliantly. Clever, clever bastards."^[1] At the end of the performance, Scott Piering announced to a stunned crowd that "The KLF have now left the music business". Within a few months, they did just that - their records were deleted and The KLF retired from the industry.

Danny Kelly later described the Brits performance as The KLF's "self-destruction in an orgy of punk rock..., mock outrage ... and real bad taste".^[2]

Reviews[link]

The "Pure Trance Original" was described by Record Mirror as a "euro-flavoured deep house pulser" with atmospheric chanting and a "cathedral-like resonance".^[3] In a January 1991 feature on The KLF, NME writer Roger Morton described the "Pure Trance Original" as a "classic club track" and the "Live at the S.S.L." version as "murderously powerful".^[4] As Record Mirror 's "Single of the Week", the "Live at the S.S.L." version was regarded as "a magnificent pulsating beast combining bleeps and body heat".^[5] Appraising the track retrospectively in 2000, The Guardian referred to the "Live at the S.S.L." version as an "epic pop masterpiece".^[6]

References and usage in popular culture[link]

In 2012, UK disco-pop group Saint Etienne referenced "3a.m. eternal" in the lyrics of "Popular" on their "Words And Music" album, a song themed on getting number one single titles into conversation. This was not the first time a KLF reference appeared in their canon.

Formats and track listings[link]

"3 a.m. Eternal (Pure Trance Original)" was aired as a UK 12" single in May 1989. "3 a.m. Eternal (Live from the S.S.L.)" was given an international release as a single on 7 January 1991. A single of remixes by The Moody Boys was given a limited release a week later. In January 1992, a one-sided 7" single of The KLF's collaboration with Extreme Noise Terror was released via mail order only, from a limited pressing of 1000 copies.^[7][8]

Key

	The KLF - "3 a.m. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.)" noicon The single that brought The KLF international recognition and sales success. The KLF vs Extreme Noise Terror - "3 a.m. Eternal (TOTP Version)" noicon This grindcore reworking was the soundtrack to The KLF's controversial retirement.
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Charts[link]

Notes and references[link]

A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.

History[link]

Beginnings[link]

A&M Records was formed in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. Their first choice for a name was Carnival Records, under which they released two singles before discovering another label had taken the Carnival name first. The company was subsequently renamed A&M, after Alpert's and Moss's initials. From 1966 to 1999, the company's headquarters were on the grounds of the historic Charlie Chaplin Studios at 1416 North La Brea Avenue, near Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, A&M had such acts as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Baja Marimba Band, Burt Bacharach, Sérgio Mendes & Brasil ’66, We Five, The Carpenters, Chris Montez, Elkie Brooks, Lee Michaels, The Captain and Tennille, Quincy Jones, Stealers Wheel, Marc Benno, Liza Minnelli, Rita Coolidge, Wes Montgomery, Paul Desmond, Cat Stevens, Bobby Tench, Hummingbird, Toni Basil, and Paul Williams. Folk artists Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and Gene Clark also recorded for the label during the 1970s. Billy Preston joined the label in 1971, followed by Andre Popp and Herb Ohta in 1973.

In the late 1960s, through direct signing and licensing agreements, A&M added several British artists to its roster, including Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, Procol Harum, Humble Pie, Fairport Convention, Free, The Move, and Spooky Tooth. In the 1970s, under its manufacturing and distribution agreement with Ode Records, A&M released albums by Carole King and the comedy duo Cheech & Chong. Other notable acts of the time included Nazareth, Y&T, the Tubes, Styx, Supertramp, Rick Wakeman, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Chuck Mangione, Squeeze, and Peter Frampton. On March 10, 1977, A&M signed the Sex Pistols after the band had been dropped by EMI. However, A&M dropped the band within a week.^[1] A&M sustained its success during the 1980s with a roster of noted acts that included Henry Badowski, Janet Jackson, the Police, Sting, The Brothers Johnson, Falco, Atlantic Starr, the Go-Go's, Chris De Burgh, Bryan Adams, Suzanne Vega, Brenda Russell, Jeffrey Osborne, Oingo Boingo, Human League, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Sharon, Lois & Bram, Annabel Lamb, Jim Diamond, Vital Signs, Joe Jackson, and Scottish rock band Gun.

Within a decade of its inception, A&M became the world's largest independent record company^{[citation needed]}. A&M releases were initially issued in the United Kingdom by EMI's Stateside Records label, and then under its own name by Pye Records until 1967. A&M releases were also issued in Australia through Festival Records until 1989. A&M Records Ltd.^[2] was established in 1970, with distribution handled by other labels with a presence in Europe. A&M Records of Canada Ltd.^[3] was also formed in 1970, and A&M Records of Europe in 1977. In 1979, A&M entered a distribution agreement with RCA Records (which later became BMG) in the USA, and with CBS Records (whose successor Sony Music Entertainment later absorbed BMG) in many other countries.

Over the years, A&M added specialty imprints: Almo International^[4] for middle of the road; Omen Records (1964–1966)^[5] for soul; Horizon Records^[6] for jazz (1974–1978); AyM Discos^[7] for Latin-American; Vendetta Records^[8] for dance music (1988–1990); and Tuff Break Records for hip-hop music (1993–1995).^[9]

The PolyGram years[link]

A&M was bought by PolyGram in 1989. Alpert and Moss continued to manage the label until 1993. The sale to PolyGram stipulated that Alpert and Moss had an integrity clause allowing them to control the label's image through 2009. In 1998, Alpert and Moss sued PolyGram for breach of the integrity clause, eventually settling for an additional $200 million payment.^[10]

In 1991, A&M launched Perspective Records^[11] as a joint venture with producing team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Jam and Lewis stepped down as CEOs of the imprint in 1997, but they remained on as consultants. In 1999, the label was absorbed into A&M. In the mid-1990s, A&M began distributing its PolyGram sister label Polydor Records in the USA.

During the 1990s, the company continued to release albums by Soundgarden, Extreme, Amy Grant, John Hiatt, Sting, Blues Traveler, Barry White, and Aaron Neville, as well as material from new artists Sheryl Crow, Therapy?, CeCe Peniston, and the Gin Blossoms. The company released the soundtracks Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Three Musketeers, Sabrina, The Living Sea, Demolition Man, and Lethal Weapon 3.

Universal Music Group[link]

In 1998, PolyGram was bought by Seagram and merged with its MCA Records family to create Universal Music. A&M was subsequently merged into Universal Music Group's then newly formed Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. Its Canadian division was absorbed into Universal Music Canada that time, which included Jann Arden alongside other artists from Canada. Bryan Adams continued to record on that label.

The A&M lot on La Brea Avenue was shut down in January 1999. During the farewell celebration, the company's staff placed a black band over the A&M sign above the main entrance, indicating the death of the company. Most of the company's workforce, some of whom had been with the company for a decade or more, were let go, while many of its artists were dropped. Al Cafaro stated,

"This isn't about Universal or Seagram. The record business is changing fundamentally. Don't think that there are calm seas on the other side of this threshold. If the quake that devoured A&M and Geffen is a 6.0 on the Richter scale, there is a 7.0 coming in this industry. It's a Wall Street world now. Get ready."^[12]

Alpert and Moss sued Universal Music Group in 2000, claiming that they had violated a contractual agreement stating that A&M Records would be allowed to retain its corporate culture^{[citation needed]}. The suit was later settled.

The first multi-platinum A&M Records release under Universal Music Group and Interscope was Sting's 1999 album Brand New Day.

The old A&M studios and executive offices are now the home of Jim Henson Productions, which operates Henson Recording Studios.

A&M catalog albums that did not fit the current pop music format (which also includes rock, rap, and R&B) of their new parent division were transferred to other Universal divisions for management - for example, Verve Records now manages A&M's jazz catalog, not including Herb Alpert's recorded output which Alpert acquired in the settlement with Universal Music and are licensed to Shout! Factory (however, Verve does manage the Horizon Records catalog).^[13]

In February 2007, Interscope-Geffen-A&M partnered with Octone Records to relaunch the A&M label, now headed by James Diener and called A&M/Octone Records with worldwide distribution handled by parent Universal Music Group. The existing Octone roster was transferred to the A&M/Octone label and all new artist signings are made under the A&M/Octone joint venture.^[14]

Subsidiary labels[link]

Former[link]

• 1500 Records (1998–2001)
• ANTRA Records (1998)
• AM:PM (1990–2002, UK imprint for R&B, hip-hop and dance music)
• Breakout Records (1987–1990, UK imprint for R&B and Hip-Hop music)
• CTI Records (1967–1970)
• Cypress Records (1988–1990)
• Dark Horse Records (1974–1976)
• Delos International (1988–1990)
• Denon (1988–1992)
• DV8 Records (1995–1998)
• Flip (1996–1998)
• Gold Mountain Ltd. (1983–1985)
• Heavyweight Records (1998)
• I.R.S. Records (1979–1985)
• Nimbus Records (1987–1990)
• Ode Records (1970–1975)
• Polydor Records (1995–2000)
• Shelter Records (In Great Britain, early 1970s)
• Shoreline Records
• Tabu Records (1991–1993)
• Tuff Break Records (1993–1995)
• TwinTone (1987–1989)
• T.W.Is.M (1996–1998)
• Vendetta Records (1988–1991)
• Windham Hill Records (and its subsidiary labels) (1982–1985)
• Word Records (and its subsidiary labels: Exit, Myrrh, Live Oak) (1985–1990)

Current[link]

• A&M/Octone Records
• A&M Records UK (reactivated as a front-line label by Polydor Records.)
• Tropical Records
• will.i.am music group

See also[link]

• A&M/Octone Records
• A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.
• List of record labels
• Charlie Chaplin Studios
• List of current A&M Records artists
• List of former A&M Records artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Interscope Records official website - A&M Records is included within the Interscope site and is part of Interscope-Geffen-A&M
• A&M Records US/UK A&R contact list
• On A&M Records - Search every artist and recording by A&M Records and its affiliated labels
• A&M Corner - Since 1995 the internet's original A&M Records free collector/listener resource

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (born March 16, 1988), is an American Pop/R&B singer/song writer.^[1] She was formerly signed to T.U.G./Epic Records, but left to continue her education. She was also well known as "Lil' Fizz's cousin", however, she is not related to him.^[2][3] It was used as a marketing tool suggested by Sony/Epic to promote her through B2K and attract audience, but they were close like family.^[4][5] On December 16, 2011, Jhené signed a recording contract with No I.D.'s record label Artium distributed through Def Jam Recordings.^[6]

Biography[link]

Early life and Career Beginnings[link]

Jhené Aiko was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Christina Yamamoto and Dr. Karamo Chilombo, a pediatrician.^[7] Her mother is of Japanese, Spanish, and Dominican descent. Her father is of African American, Yaqui, Choctaw, Cherokee, Navajo, and German Jewish descent.^[8][9] She also has French ancestry but has not stated which of her parents is part French.^[10] She mostly says she is Japanese, African American, Native American based on percentages, but identifies with all of her ethnic heritage.^[11][12] She has four older full-siblings named Miyoko, Jamila, Jahi, and Miyagi. She also has three half-siblings (two older and one younger) through her father's side named Marcia, Dio, and Kareena. Her older sisters Miyoko and Jamila were in the R&B group Gyrl and toured with Immature, who were signed to MCA/Silas Records. This led to Jhené’s first meeting with producer Chris Stokes when she was five years old. Eventually Stokes heard her sing. When B2K signed with Epic Records, Jhené was signed as well. She served as the opening act for B2K on the Scream Tour 3.

B2K Crossover Promotion and Other Releases[link]

A few of Jhené's songs are featured on B2K releases. Tracks five through eight on B2K's B2K: The Remixes - Volume 1 are sung by her. They were: My Name Is Jhene (Intro),^[13] He Couldn't Kiss (Album Version),^[13] Gonna Love You Anyway (Snippet),^[13] and Stuck Like This (Snippet).^[13] Santa Baby, a cover she recorded, was featured on B2K's Santa Hooked Me Up.^[14] On Pandemonium!, she was featured as a guest vocalist on the song Tease,^[15] and her song Dog^[15] appeared as a bonus track on B2K's Pandemonium. The full version of Stuck Like This can be heard as the final track on The Remixes - Volume 2.^[16] She released a video for her single NO L.O.V.E which debuted on BET 106 & Park when she was 15 years old. Jhené has appeared in numerous music videos including O'Ryan's debut video, Take It Slow,^[17] B2K's debut video Uh Huh^[18] and Why I Love You,^[19] P.Y.T.'s Same Ol' Same Ol' (Remix)^[20] featuring Sarai, Play's M.A.S.T.E.R. (Part 2)^[21] featuring Lil' Fizz video and Morgan Smith's 2004 video Blow Ya Whistle.^[22] Jhené also has songs featured on the soundtracks of Barbershop,^[23] The Master of Disguise,^[24] You Got Served,^[25] The Proud Family^[26] and Byou.^[27]

2011-present: Music return, Sailing Souls, Def Jam and Debut Studio Album[link]

Aiko spoke on her return to music saying “Shortly before I conceived my daughter, I stepped back into the field and took a meeting with a label head . In this meeting, I was innocently told, to ‘sell’ myself when walking into these meetings. “That’s when I decided I would ‘sail’ myself rather than sell myself.”^[28] She released a mixtape on March 16, 2011 entitled Sailing Soul(s) via her official website, JheneAiko.com. All the songs on the mixtape were written by Jhene Aiko, except “July” which was wrote by Micah Powell and all of the songs were produced by Fisticuffs, except “July” & “You vs Them” which were produced by Bei Maejor, “Real Now” was produced by Roosevelt, “Do Better” was produced by J. Lbs and “Growing Apart” which was produced by Tae Beats. The albums artwork was shot by photographer Jay 3.^[29] The mixtape also features collaborations from Miguel, Drake and Kanye West as well as others.^[30]

Rap-up.com said "Before 2012 hit, the black-haired beauty joined forces with Chi-town producer No I.D., who now occupies a label position at Def Jam as vice president of A&R, and became a signed singer once more. She says she’s “not your next Beyoncé,” but we think Jhené has the ability to serve up sonic gems all the same."^[31] Her next album is titled "Soul(ed) Out," with an unknown release date.

Artistry[link]

Voice[link]

She has a soft, skillful tone. Her vocal range is unknown. Her predicted vocal type is Light Lyric Soprano. Her voice has been described as gentle pop-tinged vocals.^[32]

Personal life[link]

Jhené has a daughter named Namiko Love Chilombo-Browner, who was born on November 19, 2008. The father of her daughter is O'Ryan.

Discography[link]

Mixtapes[link]

• 2011: Sailing Soul(s)

Albums[link]

• Souled Out (2012)

Singles[link]

Featured songs[link]

References[link]