Travelling Without Moving is the third studio album released by British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 28 August 1996 in Japan, 9 September 1996 in the United Kingdom, 19 November 1996 in Canada and 14 January 1997 in the United States. The album features the international hit single "Virtual Insanity". The album has a more diverse sound than previous albums, with more instrumental tracks, a greater influence and evident in songs, such as "Alright", which mixed new synthetic sounds. It also entered the Guinness World Records as the best-selling funk album in history.
Background
Just before the release of the album, many newspapers had reported that Jay Kay's love of sportscars had reached a peak, as and such was reflected by the Ferrari-esque logo adorning the album cover and engine noises on the title track. This led some to accuse him of selling out on the environmentalist message of his previous albums. The title track, "Travelling Without Moving" appropriately introduces a new high-octane sound which features strongly in later albums. This is also the last album with bassist Stuart Zender. The RIAA certified Travelling Without Moving Platinum on 3 November 1997, denoting 1 million shipments in the United States - this is the only RIAA certification the band has ever obtained. The name of the album seems to be a reference to the film Dune, which includes the line "Travelling without moving" in its intro sequence.
Q magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming, "tighter and more compact in its production than the epic funk arrangements of...The Return of the Space Cowboy....no-one with ears can deny Jason Kay's musicality--he's an extraordinary singer, and proves it here." The Source also gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming, "Travelling is essentially about the metaphysics of having a good time....Jamiroquai have a thousand musical tricks up their sleeves; edgy horns laced with jazz intricacies, energetic bass lines and disco rhythms." The sales of Travelling Without Moving are estimated to about 11.5 million units sold worldwide.
The large number of copies sold was helped by the success of "Virtual Insanity", which won a Grammy Award and 4 MTV Awards. The album went 3× Platinum album in the United Kingdom, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States. With the success of Travelling Without Moving, Jamiroquai's popularity had increased considerably and influenced fans to listen to past releases. "Virtual Insanity" became one of the first songs by Jamiroquai to reach America, and subsequently made Jamiroquai a household name there.
^Q (10/96, p.164) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Tighter and more compact in its production that the epic funk arrangements of...THE RETURN OF THE SPACE COWBOY....no-one with ears can deny Jason Kay's musicality--he's an extraordinary singer, and proves it here..."