Far from the Maddening Crowds

Far from the Maddening Crowds is the debut studio album by British electronic music artist Chicane, released on 20 October 1997 through Xtravaganza Recordings. It is highly regarded as a seminal release in the trance music community, and was highly sought after, having been shelved for licensing issues, until its re-release on 18 October 2007.[1] The album includes Chicane's debut single, "Offshore", as well as other singles "Sunstroke", "Lost You Somewhere" and "Red Skies". The album charted in the UK on release, peaking at number 49.

This article is about the album. For the Thomas Hardy novel, see Far from the Madding Crowd.

Far from the Maddening Crowds
Studio album by Chicane
Released	20 October 1997
Recorded	1996–97
Studio	Modena One, United Kingdom
Genre	Trance ambient downtempo
Length	70:15
Label	Xtravaganza Edel
Producer	Nick Bracegirdle Leo Elstob Salt Tank Alex Gold (exec.)
Chicane chronology
Far from the Maddening Crowds (1997) Behind the Sun (2000)
Singles from Far from the Maddening Crowds
"Offshore" Released: 2 December 1996 "Sunstroke" Released: 2 June 1997 "Offshore '97" Released: 1 September 1997 "Lost You Somewhere" Released: 8 December 1997 "Red Skies" Released: 1998
Alternative cover
2007 edition

Background

Chicane was originally formed as an electronic music duo under the name Disco Citizens, comprising Nick Bracegirdle and Leo Elstob.[2] The duo released their debut single, "Right Here, Right Now", in 1995 through Deconstruction Records to success, with the song reaching number 40 in the UK Singles Chart.[3] Chicane was intended as a side project of the act, however they only saw one release as a duo, the Offshore EP through Cyanide Records. After "Offshore"'s release as a single in 1996, the song quickly garnered success, debuting at number 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.[4] After this Elstob left the duo, and Chicane (and Disco Citizens) became the solo moniker of Nick Bracegirdle. He soon signed to Alex Gold's record label, Xtravaganza Recordings, who showed interest in releasing a full album by Chicane.[2]

Release

"Offshore", the earliest song produced and released, is also among the best-known of Chicane's tracks; aside from single sales and being a major dance club hit, resulting on its inclusion on what has been said to be over 130 compilation albums.[5] It has also been featured in the UK on TV programs ranging from travel reviews to the BBC's Gardener's World and Grandstand.[6]

The album was released on 20 October 1997 through Xtravaganza recordings, with singles "Offshore", "Sunstroke" on 2 June 1997, and "Lost You Somewhere" on 8 December 1997. A vocal edit of "Offshore", titled "Offshore '97", was mixed by Anthony Pappa and credited as a collaboration with Power Circle. It was released as a single on 1 September 1997 and was featured on the album. A Benelux single release of "Red Skies" was also issued in 1998. After its release, the album appeared on the UK Albums Chart for one week, reaching number 49.[7] In 2007, after its re-release, the album appeared on the UK Dance Albums Chart for one week, peaking at number 36.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Montreal Mirror	7.5/10[10]
TranceCritic.com	[11]

Far from the Maddening Crowds received positive reviews from critics upon and after its release. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic reviewed the album in 1997, and praised its variety, writing that "[Chicane] has mastered not only house-styled thumpers, but also spacious, near-ambient soundscapes". He summarised the review describing the album as "cinematic" and "a successful debut", rating it four stars out of five.[9] Will Alexander from Trance Critic reviewed the album in 2007, summarising it with "[Far from the Maddening Crowds is] still as relevant and inspiring as the day it was created", and rated it five stars out of five.[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Early"	Nick Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	4:17
2.	"Already There"	Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	2:55
3.	"Offshore" (Original)	Bracegirdle Leo Elstob	Bracegirdle Elstob	6:45
4.	"Lost You Somewhere"	Bracegirdle Caroline Lavelle	Bracegirdle	8:26
5.	"From Blue to Green"	Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	5:51
6.	"Sunstroke" (Disco Citizens)	Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	9:06
7.	"Leaving Town" (featuring Salt Tank)	Bracegirdle David Gates Malcolm Stanners	Bracegirdle Salt Tank	5:58
8.	"Red Skies"	Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	7:35
9.	"Sunstroke" (Original)	Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	6:18
10.	"Offshore '97" (with Power Circle)	Bracegirdle Elstob Richie Sullivan Graham Dear Louise Burton	Bracegirdle	9:12
11.	"The Drive Home"	Bracegirdle	Bracegirdle	6:06
Total length:				70:15

2007 edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Offshore 2007"	Bracegirdle Elstob Richie Sullivan Graham Dear Louise Burton	Bracegirdle	7:51

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes[12]

• Nick Bracegirdle – songwriting, production
• Leo Elstob – songwriting on "Offshore" and "Offshore '97", production on "Offshore"
• Caroline Lavelle – songwriting and vocals on "Lost You Somewhere"
• Salt Tank – songwriting and production on "Leaving Town"
• Luce Drayton – vocals on "Sunstroke"
• Richie Sullivan – songwriting on "Offshore '97"
• Graham Dear – songwriting on "Offshore '97"
• Louise Burton – songwriting on "Offshore '97"
• Anthony Pappa – mixing on "Offshore '97"
• Walter Coelho – mastering
• Alex Gold – executive producer

Charts

Chart (1997–2007)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart (OCC)[7]	49
UK Dance Albums Chart (OCC)[8]	36

References

1. Alexander, Will. "Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds". TranceCritic.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
2. Palladev, George. "Chicane - Far from the Maddening Crowds. Story behind the Balearic album". Medium. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
3. "The Official Charts Company - Disco Citizens". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
4. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
5. "Chicane". Offitsface.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
6. "Chicane - Sound of the Sunset". Dotmusic (retrieved from Chicane.cc). March 2000. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
7. "The Official Charts Company - Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
8. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
9. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Far from the Maddening Crowds - Chicane - Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
10. Silcott, Mireille (1998) "Compact Discs: Chicane Far From the Maddening Crowds", Montreal Mirror. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
11. "TranceCritic.com - An Electronic Dance Music Review Website. - Album - Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds". 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012.
12. Far from the Maddening Crowds (Liner Notes). Chicane. Xtravaganza Recordings. 1997.CS1 maint: others (link)