1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)

1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?) is the debut album of The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs: Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty), later to be known as The KLF. 1987 was produced using extensive unauthorised samples which plagiarised a wide range of musical works, continuing a theme begun in The JAMs' debut single "All You Need Is Love" (included on the album). These samples provided a deliberately provocative backdrop for beatbox rhythms and cryptic, political raps. The album was released to mixed reviews, but was a commercial success. Shortly after independent release in June 1987, The JAMs were ordered by the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society to destroy all unsold copies of the album, following a complaint from ABBA. In response, The JAMs disposed of many copies of 1987 in unorthodox, publicised ways. They also released a version of the album titled "1987 (The JAMs 45 Edits)", stripped of all unauthorised samples to leave periods of protracted silence and so little audible content that it was formally classed as a 12-inch single. A limited edition release subjected to recall and a destruction order, 1987 became something of a rarity and by 2000 mint condition copies were trading for £60.