Far from the Maddening Crowds [Import]

Far from the Maddening Crowds [Import]

Track Listings

1. Early

2. Already There

3. Offshore (Original)

4. Lost You Somewhere

5. From Blue To Green

6. Sunstroke (Disco Citizens)

7. Leaving Town

8. Red Skies

9. Sunstroke (Original)

10. Offshore 97

11. The Drive Home

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The British trance star's 1997 debut album is an impressive tour-de-force of contemporary dance styles. The album follows the loose concept of being a soundtrack for an average day. It's appropriately cinematic, offering a variety of moods, tempos & sound

Tracks:

Early
Already There
Offshore (Original)
Lost You Somewhere
From Blue To Green
Sunstroke (Disco Citizens)
Leaving Town
Red Skies
Sunstroke (Original)
Offshore 97
The Drive Home

Album Description

The British trance star's 1997 debut album is an impressive tour-de-force of contemporary dance styles. The album follows the loose concept of being a soundtrack for an average day. It's appropriately cinematic, offering a variety of moods, tempos & sound

Customer Reviews:

Best all time CD - EVER!.......2004-12-28

I'm a big fan of electronica and music in general, but I must say "Far From the Maddening Crowds" takes the cake. It's the type of CD that makes you look back on all that's important, reminiscing on good times. Both the Chicane CD's I own accompanied me during my journey home (from Alaska to Seattle - a grueling 50 hour drive). This CD was the epitome of that trip and one I'll never forget. It has something for everyone - cool melodies, great beats and music left for you to interpret how you choose. I strongly recommend this to everyone - something I can't say about many CD's. This is one artist you'll not want to stop listening to... and not just one or two tracks, but every track on the album.

Far from the Maddeining Crowds.......2004-04-13

this one of the best albums i ever heard

Just Write My Speeding Ticket Now Please.......2004-03-20

I first discovered Chicane back in the heady days when www.audiogalaxy.com was still up and running. Someone had mentioned Chicane (which is actually just a guy named Nick Bracegirdle) to me and I downloaded a song to try it out. I don't recall what I heard first, but I loved it. I proceeded to download about half a dozen Chicane songs, and as it turns out most of these were on Far From the Maddening Crowds.

Now I love this whole album, but there is one song that makes the whole thing worth it even though this CD is hard to find and therefore rather pricey: "Lost You Somewhere." This is an eight minute, gradually rising, kinetic, exotic, exhilarating, absolutely beautiful trance-inducing rush of a song. I can listen to this over and over again and not get sick of it. If I should at some point in my life be zapped by a radar gun for hurtling along at 120 mph on Interstate 80 in Wyoming or Nevada on a late summer evening coated in orange and pink by a setting sun, I want to earn the ticket while this song is playing in the car. Loud.

Other accelerator-mashing trance tracks include "Red Skies" and "Offshore '97" (though the vocals in the latter song leave something to be desired). They're not quite the shot of adrenaline that "Lost You Somewhere" is, but they're still very nice and we can't always drive 120, can we? Sometimes 100 is enough.

If speed is not your speed, the ambient stuff is very nice as well. "Early" and "Already There" are very relaxing, ethereal pieces perfect for drowning out the euphoric pain of, say, a Swedish massage. There are some good mid-tempo tunes too: "Offshore (Original version)", "From Blue to Green," "Leaving Town," and "The Drive Home." I think that last title in particular betrays that Nick knew from the onset that this was a CD meant for the car.

An amazing album for anyone who likes trance -- heck, anyone period. It's not quite a perfect album, but when it is good it is really really good.

Thank You for the Music!.......2004-02-14

Ooooh Boy! Where does one start? Someone has to just read my review on Chicane's 'Behind the Sun' to know that I am c.r.a.z.y. about his music! It was because of that album that I purchased this one.. I am happy to say that the experience hasn't been disappointing! I'm sure that people who heard this album first and then 'Behind the Sun' would certainly have tracked a certain progression, a maturation of style and technique - an artist coming into his own so to say. 'Far From The Maddening Crowds' holds the roots, the key to what makes 'Behind the Sun' such a great album. 'Far...' is more mellow, a tad toned-down I felt, not as gung-ho as 'Behind'..

The very title of this album - 'Far From The Maddening Crowds' - stengthens my belief that this man has the unique ability to evoke parallel universes through his music. His music evokes these "states" of mind, always in transition - in between the conscious and the subconscious, in between colours, in between places and times...it's amazing the richness of imagery that his music lends itself to...one can pick up a paintbrush, start a Chicane song and paint something the song has devised, with the hand & the paint brush just being mediums to express something in another art form.. That said, I do have favourites on this album. I love 'Leaving Town' - it is one of the most *inspired* of his compositions...pine trees, cool breeze and in the car..that's what it brings to the mind! I also find the titles of his songs very apt. 'Leaving Town' is a really apt title for that music... The other tracks I like are 'Already There', 'From Blue to Green', 'Lost You Somewhere' & 'Offshore(Original)'.

Last but not least, love the jacket of the album - the pristine green landscape, the ocean and desert, they kind of you get you ready for the ride...thanks Nick :)

From Blue to Green.......2003-11-12

I first discovered Chicane through his first cd "Far From the Maddening Crowds". I found a copy in the used bins at my favorite record store. I forgot what compelled me to buy the cd but I did. I thought it was pretty good, a bit too mellow for my tastes but it was still good. My initial thoughts was that he reminded me of BT on his first album "IMA". I dont' know why I thought that but I did, and I still feel that way to a certain extent. I definitely enjoyed Chicane's second album "Beyond the Setting Sun" a bit more than I did on this album because there were less instrumental tracks and vocals were used. Whatever flaws I might find with "Far From the Maddening Crowds", I still enjoy listening to the gorgeous ambient melodies on songs like "Early" and "Already There". Prior to buying this album, I remember hearing "Offshore". I believe on a copy of my ex-roommate's "Hackers" soundtrack. I think that was why I bought this cd at the time. As I am waiting for Chicane to put out another album (whenever that might be), I threw in "Far From the Maddening Crowds" tonight and was suprised to hear how well it still stands up even though I haven't listened to the cd in a few years. I still love such songs as "Sunstroke" and "Red Skies". I do hope that Chicane does release another enchanting album very soon.

Average customer rating:

one of the most epic albums of electronica genre to date
Beautiful!!!
Still far from this maddening planet
Amazing
Beautiful Music

Far from the Maddening Crowds
Chicane
Manufacturer: Edel America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Chilled
Offshore
Behind the Sun
Visions of Ibiza
Nightmusic, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000005OMZ
Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

Early
Already There
Offshore (Original)
Lost You Somewhere
From Blue To Green
Sunstroke (Disco Citizens)
Leaving Town
Red Skies
Sunstroke (Original)
Offshore '97
The Drive Home

Customer Reviews:

one of the most epic albums of electronica genre to date.......2007-05-31

I can't say enough good things about this music.. if you like electronica at all, it's worth having in your collection (if you can obtain a copy at a resonable price). this album takes you on a musical journey like no other album I have heard.. it's a great source of inspiration for me even though I have heard it so many times.. it starts off soft and dreamy, slow, then builds.. and gets to 138bpm dance speed music.. the transition is done so well that it's very easy to listen to, even if you're not in the mood for fast music.. it's so powerful it drenches you with emotion and carries you away from whatever you were feeling before.. I have to say the world became a better place when this music was composed. 5 starts for sure!

Beautiful!!!.......2006-04-28

What can i say that has not been said already? I will say Chicane is beyond words, they are masters of making smooth delightful music. You get speechless at some points of the album...Amazing!!

Still far from this maddening planet.......2003-08-19

I wrote a review on this one in 1999; four yrs. later this album has not lost any of its deepness, tranquility, energy or excelent vibe! It's becoming a trance/ambient classic. By now I listened to Paul van Dyk, BT and Tiesto (similar styles, but less relaxing), but Nick (Bracegirdle) still IS the Master.

If you like 'Behind the sun' as well, try to get your hands on the Chicane live set 'Live at the Palladium 2000' in Cologne, Germany (TranceAddict.com) Not available at CD (searching the net will help, though...), unfortunately. A terrific one hour blend from both albums: So full of energy and emotion, I felt tears the first time I listened to it.

The best relaxing/uplifting remedy I've ever found!

Amazing.......2003-01-22

As one of the worlds most progressive groups around, this album has some of Chicanes best work ever. The tunes are smooth as silk and you simply glide from one to the next. The album is thoughtfully put together not throwing eveything in at once but building you up and letting it out towrds the end. GO OUT NOW AND BUY A COPY!!

Beautiful Music.......2001-12-12

If you are reading this review, I recommend that you just go ahead and buy the CD (if it is available). You won't regret it.

Of all the CDs I own, in the huge variety of genre I listen to... this is definitely in my top 10 favorites. Chicane is an absolutely amazing musician. He creates an unmatched sound by blending trance and electronic sounds with sort of a euphoric, relaxing vibe. The closest musician I could compare him to is Paul van Dyk. Perhaps the best way to describe the sound of Chicane's music is "ambient trance".

Very few of Chicane's songs have words in them. Amazingly enough though, the sound of each of his songs perfectly fits its title. Chicane has a way of creating a mental picture in the mind of the listener through music. Track 8 on this CD for example is called "Red Skies". While listening to the song you can almost picture a sun setting on the horizon. Chicane is a unique artist who almost paints an environment with sound.

"Far from the Madenning Crowds" opens with a soft ambient sounding track called "Early", which makes a smooth transition into "Already There" - another ambient track with a nice string solo going on. The next track, called "Offshore", is the one that you might say put Chicane on the map. This track, and "Saltwater" (found on his next album called "Behind the Sun") are probably his two most famous songs. Track 6 ("Sunstroke - Disco Citizens remix) is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. Unlike most of the other tracks, it dips into more of a thumping club techno vibe... but only so slighlty as to maintain the overall relaxing sound of the album. The next track is called "Leaving Town". While it has kind of a sad, depressing sound to it, this is still another one of my favorite tracks. "Red Skies" is another beautifully euphoric track. "Sunstroke" follows it. This track is a nice little "happy track"... a woman chanting in the background over light beats and soothing chords from a piano in the foreground. Track 10 holds the remix to "Offshore". While I prefer the original track, this is still a nice one. It's different though in the fact that it is one of Chicane's few songs with vocals. The album ends with "The Drive Home", another one of my favorites.

I believe that almost anyone could appreciate the music of Chicane. My father listens to nothing but classical music, yet was intruiged by the sounds of Chicane one night when he heard me listening to it. Most hardcore ravers I'm sure could appreciate Chicane as well. It's a nice CD to throw on for the ride home at 8am. I often use this CD to fall asleep to. Sometimes when I've had a bad day at work I'll listen to it on the way home to put me in a better mood.

Tracks:

Early
Already There
Off Shore [Original Version]
Lost You Somewhere
From Blue to Green
Sunstroke [Disco Citizens Mix]
Leaving Town - Chicane, Salt Tank
Red Skies
Sunstroke [Original Version] - Chicane, Luce Drayton
Offshore '97 - Chicane, Power Circle
Drive Home

Customer Reviews:

one of the most epic albums of electronica genre to date.......2007-05-31

Beautiful!!!.......2006-04-28

What can i say that has not been said already? I will say Chicane is beyond words, they are masters of making smooth delightful music. You get speechless at some points of the album...Amazing!!

Still far from this maddening planet.......2003-08-19

The best relaxing/uplifting remedy I've ever found!

Amazing.......2003-01-22

Beautiful Music.......2001-12-12

If you are reading this review, I recommend that you just go ahead and buy the CD (if it is available). You won't regret it.

In conclusion, if you can manage to get your hands on this CD, I strongly recommend buying it. You will not be dissapointed.

Music: