The Remote Part

The Remote Part
Studio album by Idlewild
Released	15 July 2002
Recorded	2001
Genre	Rock
Length	38:14
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Dave Eringa Stephen Street ("Track 9") Guy Massey ("Track 6")
Professional reviews
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space. Allmusic link[dead link] Austin Chronicle link Drawer B (9/10) Dot Music (9/10) Magnet (9/10) (#58, p.91) Mojo (9/10) (Aug 2002, p.112) NME (9/10) link Pitchfork Media (6.5/10) link Rolling Stone link
Idlewild chronology
100 Broken Windows (2000) The Remote Part (2002) Warnings/Promises (2005)
Singles from The Remote Part
"You Held the World in Your Arms" Released: April 2002 "American English" Released: June 2002 "Live in a Hiding Place" Released: October 2002 "A Modern Way of Letting Go" Released: February 2003

The Remote Part is the third full-length studio album by Scottish rock band Idlewild, released on 15 July 2002 to widespread critical acclaim.^[1] The album is Idlewild's most commercially successful to date, and is the last to feature bassist Bob Fairfoull. Vocalist Roddy Woomble notes that the band felt like "a collective of songwriters"^[2] during the writing process.

Woomble credits guitarist Rod Jones with influencing the album's musical direction, stating that Jones: "really started to take steps forward in terms of his guitar playing, and also his harmonies. I think he pulled the record in a more poppy way, as that’s the sort of musician he is – he loves bands like Teenage Fanclub and Yes and ELO and The Police."^[2]

Touring guitarists Jeremy Mills and Allan Stewart^[3] stayed with the band during recording, and appear on the final track "In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction". They are also credited with writing "I Never Wanted" alongside the band. Following the album's release, Stewart would later join Idlewild as a permanent member.

Upon release, the album entered the UK album chart at #3, behind Red Hot Chili Peppers and Oasis. Within a month, the album had sold 100,000 copies, and is currently certified as Gold within the U.K.^[4]

At the end of the final song, "In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction", Scottish poet Edwin Morgan recites a poem entitled Scottish Fiction which was written especially for this album.

The album was performed in full on 19 December 2008 at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow as part of a series of retrospective shows. Roddy Woomble noted that the band had not previously played the track "I Never Wanted" live.

Reception

The album received positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 83, based on 20 reviews.^[1]

Track listing

All songs by Idlewild unless otherwise stated.

1. "You Held the World in Your Arms" – 3:21
2. "A Modern Way of Letting Go" – 2:23
3. "American English" – 4:34
4. "I Never Wanted" (Idlewild/Jeremy Mills/Allan Stewart) – 3:55
5. "(I Am) What I Am Not" – 2:43
6. "Live in a Hiding Place" – 3:16
7. "Out of Routine" – 3:09
8. "Century After Century" – 4:01
9. "Tell Me Ten Words" – 3:46
10. "Stay the Same" – 3:11
11. "In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction" (Idlewild/Edwin Morgan) – 3:55

Personnel

• Roddy Woomble - vocals, artwork concept
• Rod Jones - guitar, vocals
• Bob Fairfoull - bass
• Colin Newton - drums
• Jeremy Mills - piano ("In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction")
• Allan Stewart - guitar ("In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction")
• Edwin Morgan -
• Dave Eringa - producer, mixing
• Guy Massey - engineer, producer ("Live in a Hiding Place")
• Stephen Street - producer ("Tell Me Ten Words")
• Cenzo Townsend - engineer ("Tell Me Ten Words")
• Sally Herbert - string arrangement ("You Held the World in Your Arms")
• Traffic - art direction/design
• Danny Clinch - band photography
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering
• Dan Grech-Marguerat - Mixing Assistant, Mixing Assistant, Assistant

Song Appearances

• "You Held the World in Your Arms" was used in the soundtrack to video game FIFA 2003
• "A Modern Way of Letting Go" was in the video game Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Idlewild: The Remote Part (2003): Reviews
2. ^ ^{a b} Drowned in Sound - Features - ReDiScover: Idlewild
3. ^ isnakebite.com > interviews > idlewild
4. ^ http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=30327

External links

• Interview with Rod Jones
• Interview with Roddy Woomble - 17 July 2003
• Article - 18 July 2003
• Interview with Rod Jones