Behind the Sun (Chicane album)

Behind the Sun is the second studio album by British electronic music artist Chicane. It was released on 27 March 2000 through Xtravaganza Recordings.[1] The album features collaborations with Tracy Ackerman, Máire Brennan, Justine Suissa, and Bryan Adams, including its singles "Saltwater", "Don't Give Up", "No Ordinary Morning" / "Halcyon", and "Autumn Tactics". Upon release, it charted at number 10 in the United Kingdom, 7 in New Zealand, 15 in Australia, and was certified gold in the UK. The album is described by Chicane in the liner notes as a reflection on "a year in the life of Chicane".[2]

Behind the Sun
Studio album by Chicane
Released	27 March 2000
Recorded	1999–2000
Studio	Modena One, Mothership Studios UK
Genre	Electronic trance ambient
Length	66:21
Label	Xtravaganza Armada
Producer	Nick Bracegirdle Ray Hedges Martin Brannigan
Chicane chronology
Far from the Maddening Crowds (1997) Behind the Sun (2000) Easy to Assemble (2003)
Singles from Behind The Sun
"Saltwater" Released: 24 May 1999 "Don't Give Up" Released: 6 March 2000 "No Ordinary Morning" / "Halcyon" Released: 10 July 2000 "Autumn Tactics" Released: 16 October 2000
Alternative cover
2013 remastered edition

Background

On 24 May 1999, the album's lead single, "Saltwater", was released to commercial success. The song included a revision of the vocals from Clannad's "Theme from Harry's Game" provided by the original and featured singer, Máire Brennan.[3] The single reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart.

On 6 March 2000, the album's second single, "Don't Give Up", was released. It features Canadian singer Bryan Adams, and was a commercial success, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, number three in the United States Dance Club Songs chart, and certifying silver and gold in the United Kingdom and Australia respectively. It remains Chicane's most commercially successful single to date. The album's other singles include "No Ordinary Morning" / "Halcyon" on 10 July 2000, with the A-side featuring Tracy Ackerman. The album's final single, "Autumn Tactics", was released on 16 October 2000 and features Justine Suissa.

Release

On 27 March 2000, the album was released through Xtravaganza Recordings in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was distributed by C2 Records, as part of a then newly signed distribution deal between Xtravaganza and the now defunct imprint of Columbia Records.[4] After its release, the album reached number 10 in the United Kingdom, 7 in New Zealand, 15 in Australia. The album also saw success throughout Continental Europe, charting in Germany, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands.[5] On 16 June 2000, the album was certified gold in the United Kingdom.[6]

On 22 November 2013, a remastered deluxe edition of the album was released by Armada Music.[7] Upon release, the album charted on the UK Dance Albums Chart, reaching number thirty three.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
ARTISTdirect	[10]
Billboard	favourable[11]
Miami Herald	[12]
The Observer	favourable[3]
TranceCritic.com	[13]

Upon release, Behind the Sun received mostly positive reviews from critics. William Ruhlmann from AllMusic gave the album a positive review rating it three stars out of five. He claimed that "[Chicane has] a strong pop sense to go with his taste for ambient and trance dance tracks", and praised how "he cleverly hooks up with some established names looking to extend their appeal into the dance field".[9] An issue of Billboard described the album as "a sublime musical journey".[11] Trance Critic gave the album a mixed to positive review, claiming that the album largely veers away from traditional trance music. They stated that "[the album] seems to act in opposition to every convention of trance music [...] yet, in bizarre and spectacular style, Chicane has reversed the trend by actually being considerably better on the downtempo works". However, they also wrote that "[the] album is far from perfect", but rated it four stars out of five.[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Overture"	Nick Bracegirdle	3:46
2.	"Low Sun"	Bracegirdle	6:56
3.	"No Ordinary Morning" (vocals by Tracy Ackerman)	Bracegirdle, Ray Hedges, Martin Brannigan	5:08
4.	"Saltwater (Original Mix)" (vocals by Máire Brennan)	Bracegirdle, Hedges, Pól Brennan, Ciarán Brennan	10:03
5.	"Halcyon"	Bracegirdle	9:01
6.	"Autumn Tactics" (vocals by Justine Suissa)	Bracegirdle, Hedges	4:53
7.	"Overlap"	Bracegirdle	4:38
8.	"Don't Give Up (Original Mix)" (vocals by Bryan Adams)	Bracegirdle, Bryan Adams, Hedges	8:22
9.	"Saltwater (The Thrillseekers Remix)" (vocals by Máire Brennan)	Bracegirdle, Hedges, Brennan, Brennan	6:55
10.	"Andromeda"	Bracegirdle, Elstob	6:38
11.	"Don't Give Up (Original Radio Edit)" (vocals by Bryan Adams) (hidden track)	Bracegirdle, Adams, Hedges	3:40
Total length:			71:01

2 disc edition bonus DVD[14]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Saltwater" (music video)
2.	"Don't Give Up" (music video)
3.	"No Ordinary Morning" (music video)
4.	"Autumn Tactics" (music video)
5.	"Saltwater" (TV theme for Tourism Ireland)

Charts

Chart (2000–13)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[5]	15
Belgium Album Chart (Ultratop)[5]	50
Finland Album Charts (Musiikkituottajat)[5]	34
Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)[5]	33
Irish Albums Chart (IRMA)[5]	50
Netherlands Album Chart (MegaCharts)[5]	62
New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart[5]	7
Switzerland Album Chart (Hitparade)[5]	66
UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[15]	10
UK Dance Albums (Official Charts Company)[8]	33

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Gold	100,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Paoletta, Michael (2000) "Chicane Delivers Emotional Grooves 'Behind the Sun'", Billboard, 10 June 2000, p. 38, 40
2. Behind the Sun (Liner Notes). Chicane. Xtravaganza Recordings. 2000.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. Spencer, Neil (2000) "THIS WEEK'S ESSENTIAL RELEASES: CHICANE - Behind the Sun", The Observer, 26 March 2000
4. Editorial - Chicane Archived 11 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine. (May 2000). Urbnet.com. Accessed 2 April 2006.
5. "Chicane - Behind the Sun". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2008.
6. "Brit Certified - BPI". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
7. "Behind the Sun (Remastered)". iTunes Store. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
8. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
9. Ruhlmann, William "Behind the Sun Review", AllMusic, Macrovision Corporation, retrieved 19 November 2009
10. "Behind the Sun by Chicane @ ARTISTdirect.com - Shop, Listen, Download". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
11. Paoletta, Michael (2000) "Chicane Behind the Sun", Billboard, 15 July 2000, retrieved 19 November 2009
12. Cohen, Howard (2000) "Reviews of new releases by Eve 6, Chicane, Sally Taylor", Miami Herald, 2 August 2000
13. https://web.archive.org/web/20120207041018/http://www.trancecritic.com/modules.php?name=MReviews&op=show&rid=145
14. "Behind The Sun (2 Disc Set)". Discogs. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
15. Zywietz, Tobias. Chart Log UK: Oliver Cheatham - Convert. (22 March 2005). Chart Log UK. Accessed 2 April 2006.
16. "British album certifications – Chicane – Behind the Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 May 2018. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Behind the Sun in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.