Take That | ||
| Allmusic Biography : As the most popular teen pop sensation in Britain since the 60s, Take That ruled the U.K. charts during the first half of the 90s. In strict commercial terms, the band sold more records than any English act since the Beatles, though their cultural and musical importance was significantly less substantial. Conceived as the British answer to New Kids on the Block, Take That initially worked the same territory as their American counterparts, singing watered-down new jack R&B;, urban soul, and mainstream pop. Eventually, the group worked its way toward Hi-NRG dance music, while also pursuing an adult contemporary ballad direction. Take Thats boyish good looks guaranteed them a significant portion of the teenybopper audience, but in a bizarre twist, most of their videos and promotional photos had a strong homosexual undercurrent -- they were marketed to preteen girls and a kitschy gay audience simultaneously. Take That were also able to make inroads in the adult audience in Britain through Gary Barlows melodic, sensitive ballads. For nearly five years, Take Thats popularity was unsurpassed in Britain, as they racked up a total of seven number one hits. By the middle of the decade, however, all of the members were entering their mid-twenties and became disenchanted with each other. Furthermore, pop music tastes in Britain were shifting toward the classic guitar pop sounds of Brit-pop bands like Blur and Oasis, who were able to appeal to both the indie rock and teen pop audience. Consequently, the group called it quits in 1996, as Oasis began to surpass Take That both in terms of sales and cultural impact. Nevertheless, Take That remained one of the most interesting and popular British teen pop phenomena of the 90s, and a reunion in 2005 helped rejuvenate the groups commercial success. Gary Barlow (born January 20, 1971) was always the central figure of Take That, serving as both lead vocalist and chief songwriter. Barlow had spent his childhood focused on music, and by the age of 14, he was playing organ in Ken Dodds supporting band. One of Barlows first songs, "Lets Pray for Christmas," was a finalist in an original Christmas song competition on the BBC TV show Pebble Mill. In his late teens, he came in contact with Mark Owen (born January 27, 1974) and Robbie Williams (born February 13, 1974), two other young musicians who came from middle-class backgrounds. Williams father was a comedian and his mother was a singer; before the formation of Take That, he had briefly appeared in the British soap opera Brookside. Meanwhile, Owen had previously tried out for the football team Manchester United but didnt make the cut. The trio formed the Cutest Rush, which had a short-lived career. Record producer/manager Nigel Martin Smith had the intention of putting together a British pop group in the vein of New Kids on the Block, and approached the members of the Cutest Rush. Barlow, Owen, and Williams agreed, and along with Jason Orange (born July 10, 1970) and Howard Donald (born April 28, 1968) -- two former members of a breakdancing troupe called Street Beat -- they became Take That in 1990. After a few brief tours through gay English nightclubs, Take That released their debut single, "Do What U Like," on their independent Dance U.K. label in July of 1991. "Do What U Like" became a minor sensation, primarily because the video was quite suggestive and featured the bands bare behinds. The single caused enough of an uproar that RCA Records noticed and signed the group in the fall of 1991, and their first single for the label, "Promises," scraped the Top 40 by the end of the year. In early 1992, Take That underwent a Safe Sex club tour to support their third single, "Once Youve Tasted Love," but the record only reached number 47. The band didnt break into the big time until that summer, when its cover of Tavares "It Only Takes a Minute" reached number seven. Following the singles success, Take That became a British media sensation, thus setting the stage for the groups debut, Take That and Party, to land a chart position at number five upon its release in the fall. Within a month, the single "A Million Love Songs" reached the Top Ten. At the end of the year, the group took home no less than seven awards at the Smash Hits Awards, and the debut continued to climb the charts, peaking at number two. Early in 1993, the groups number three cover of Barry Manilows "Could It Be Magic" won a Brit Award for Best British single; shortly afterward, "Why Cant I Wake Up with You" reached number two. Despite their massive success in Britain, the American release of Take Thats debut in early 1993 went virtually unnoticed, even though it was supported with a marketing campaign that placed the band on cereal boxes. Their lack of American success went unnoticed, however, when "Pray," the first single from their forthcoming second album, entered the charts at number one. In the fall, "Relight My Fire," which featured a cameo from Lulu, reached number one. Everything Changes, the bands second album, entered the charts at number one upon its October release. Throughout the end of 1993 and into 1994, Everything Changes yielded hit singles, with the majority of the tracks making their way to number one. Though it was a huge success in the U.K., Canada, and Europe, the album was never released in the United States. As Take That were preparing their third album, Britains musical tastes were beginning to change, shifting away from the groups trademarked lightweight dance-pop and toward classic British guitar pop. Blur, Oasis, and Pulp became serious contenders for the popularity of Take That, who didnt ignore the threat -- they just responded to it in different ways. Gary Barlow plowed ahead with Take That, and the first single from the forthcoming third album, "Back for Good," was more substantive than any of their previous singles and earned them good reviews from all quarters of the press. However, the single suggested that Barlow was beginning to distance himself from the band -- and he wasnt the only member to act in such a manner. In particular, Robbie Williams was becoming known as the "wild" member, and was alienating himself from the rest of the group. Nobody Else, the bands third album, was a number one hit upon its spring release, yet Williams was noticeably quiet on the record. During the summer of 1995, it became evident that he was getting ready to break away from Take That. Williams began tagging along after Oasis, who were notorious for their drug and alcohol intake. He became the target of a number of tabloid reports about his bad behavior, and began bragging to the weekly music press that he was working on solo material that sounded like Oasis. So it didnt really come as a surprise when he left the Take That in July of 1995, announcing that he was working on a solo album. Following his departure, Take That immediately removed his name and likeness from all promotional and commercial material; his face didnt even appear on the cover of the American release of Nobody Else. Williams wasnt the only member of the group feeling the pinch of the Brit-pop revolution. Since all the members of Take That were young men in their mid-twenties, searching for their own identities and desperate to retain credibility, they were beginning to feel uncomfortable with the shiny, polished pop that their group had trademarked -- all of the members, that is, except Gary Barlow, who had decided that he was the heir to the throne Elton John and George Michael once held. As the group was unraveling, "Back for Good" was taking off on American radio, getting heavy airplay on adult contemporary and Top 40 radio stations, as well as MTV, which helped set the stage for the solo career that Barlow was clearly planning. It didnt really come as a surprise when Take That announced they had broken up on February 13, 1996. Following the press release, the group released a greatest-hits collection, with their final single, a cover of the Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love?," entering the charts at number one. Barlow began working with a batch of professional songwriters, including Diane Warren, and released a single in the summer that showcased a more mature side of the singer. It stalled at number two, being kept out of the pole position by Spice Girls, a dance-pop group that was touted as the female Take That. Mark Owen, for his part, began working on a solo album that was heavily influenced by Paul Weller and Radiohead. Orange and Donald declined to start solo careers. And Williams? He released his first solo single in the summer of 1996, and despite his initial remarks, it didnt sound a thing like Oasis. Rather, it was a cover of George Michaels "Freedom 90" that quickly fell off the charts. Williams soon recovered, though, and his accompanying 1997 solo album, Life Thru a Lens, became a chart-topping hit in Britain. A year later, he released the equally successful Ive Been Expecting You. Despite his superstar status in the U.K., numerous efforts to break his career in the States (beginning with the 1999 U.S.-only compilation The Ego Has Landed) failed to grab American audiences. Nonetheless, Williams remained a hugely popular performer in Europe, releasing chart-topping album after chart-topping album. In 2005, the Take That compilation Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection, which also featured the previously unrecorded Barlow composition "Today Ive Lost You," was released to fairly respectable chart success. A television documentary and reunion tour (minus Williams) followed and helped whet audience appetites for future Take That projects. In 2006, Take That released Beautiful World, their fourth studio effort and first full-length album of new material since disbanding in 1996. The album showcased the bands updated, mature approach but retained enough of Take Thats signature sound to appeal to longtime fans. Beautiful World sold extremely well, moving over three million copies worldwide and going eight times platinum in the U.K. The band also garnered a Brit Award for Best British Single for the song "Patience," and Take Thats career resurgence continued with the release of The Circus two years later. The albums leadoff track, "The Greatest Day," quickly shot to number one on the U.K. singles charts, and the album sold over 133,000 copies in Britain during its first day of release. The Circus also generated a successful live spin-off in the December 2009 set The Greatest Day - Take That Present: The Circus Live. Robbie Williams unexpectedly returned to the Take That fold in 2010, his presence dominating the acclaimed and successful reunion album Progress. Take That supported the record -- which sold 235,000 copies on the first day of its U.K. release -- with a major tour. On the completion of the European leg of the album tour in 2011, Take That went on hiatus, with Barlow returning to judge on the U.K. X-Factor and Williams returning to his solo material. The following year the band accepted the Ivor Novello award for their Outstanding Contribution to British Music, while also taking the stage for the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. Work began on their seventh studio album in 2013, and it was later announced in 2014 that Williams would not be rejoining them; months later, Jason Orange had also decided to leave the band. The remaining three members entered the studio together and recorded the album III, which appeared in November of 2014. In 2017 Take That -- still operating with three members -- celebrated their 25th anniversary, marked by the release of their fifth official greatest-hits and their eighth studio album, Wonderland. Take That continued their nostalgia trip in 2018 with Odyssey, a compilation that re-imagined their greatest hits. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 15 Title: Take That & Party Released: 1992 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:06:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Found Heaven (04:04) 2 Once You’ve Tasted Love (03:45) 3 It Only Takes a Minute (03:48) 4 A Million Love Songs (03:54) 5 Satisfied (04:33) 6 I Can Make It (04:13) 7 Do What You Like (03:08) 8 Promises (03:36) 9 Why I Can’t Wake Up With You (04:14) 10 Never Want to Let You Go (04:58) 11 Give Good Feeling (04:25) 12 Could It Be Magic (04:26) 13 Take That and Party (02:56) 14 Waiting Around (04:04) 15 How Can It Be (05:02) 16 Guess Who Tasted Love (edit) (05:21) |
| Take That & Party : Allmusic album Review : Released in 1993, Take That & Party was the first album for Take That, and contains four Top Ten British singles. The album can be accurately described as more youthful than their future recordings; "A Million Love Songs" was written by lead singer Gary Barlow at the age of 15, and reached number seven on the music charts. There is a deep sensitivity in England toward Take That; the story of the group and its progress and departure was just as meaningful as the music the band produced. Hearing Robbie Williams on the tracks here, especially his lead on the cover of Barry Manilows "Could It Be Magic," brings back a feeling of lost innocence and a perspective on the changing of times. Before his descent into depression and drugs, before he rose up and took over the British music world as a superstar solo artist, he was just another member of a boy band, experiencing life under the camera, touring amidst crazed fans, and appearing in videos. Barlow, who would also go on to solo fame (though to a much tamer level), creates a solid and consistent flow of music, writing ten of the 13 tracks at such a young age -- quality music comparable to that of much older, jaded songwriters who already had lists of hits. The members of Take That were as natural and homespun as they were formulaic, which was the basis of their appeal. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 15 Title: Everything Changes Released: 1993 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:10:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Everything Changes (03:36) 2 Pray (03:44) 3 Wasting My Time (03:45) 4 Relight My Fire (radio version) (04:10) 5 Love Aint Here Anymore (03:58) 6 If This Is Love (03:57) 7 Whatever You Do to Me (03:45) 8 Meaning of Love (03:47) 9 Why Cant I Wake Up With You (03:38) 10 You Are the One (03:49) 11 Another Crack in My Heart (04:14) 12 Broken Your Heart (03:48) 13 Babe (04:54) 14 No si aqui no hay amor (03:55) 15 The Party Remix (07:17) 16 All I Want Is You (03:22) 17 Babe (Return mix) (04:55) |
| Everything Changes : Allmusic album Review : British group Take That did not have the same worries about releasing Everything Changes as they had with their debut album. By this time they were giant superstars in Europe, and the question in their minds was not whether they could get a hit single, but how many and which would make it to number one. The album spawned six hit singles, four of which made number one, making it Record of the Year and one of the best-selling albums of the decade, proclaiming them the biggest male group since the Beatles. When the hype sets in, it is hard to distinguish the value of the material itself. It is an album of dance-pop and ballads sung by five young men, with a greater maturity than most boy band albums thanks to the writing by lead singer Gary Barlow. Boy bands have their share of skeptics, and getting those to tear down their defenses usually ends up competing with their struggle to please the fan base they already have. With saucy dance tracks like "Relight My Fire" (a hit for Dan Hartman in the 70s) and quality ballads like "Pray" and "Love Aint Here Anymore," as well as pop tracks "Everything Changes" and "Whatever You Do to Me," Take That won over everyone they needed to. What they got in return was a reputation for being a fine group with real talent. Everything Changes marked the height of Take That popularity. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 15 Title: Nobody Else Released: 1995-05-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sure (03:42) 2 Back for Good (04:01) 3 Babe (04:53) 4 Pray (03:43) 5 Nobody Else (05:49) 6 Never Forget (05:11) 7 Holding Back the Tears (05:29) 8 Every Guy (03:58) 9 Love Aint Here Anymore (03:59) 10 The Day After Tomorrow (04:48) |
| Nobody Else : Allmusic album Review : Presaging the teen-pop phenomenon of the late 90s, Take That took Great Britain by storm in 1993. They didnt, however, hit the States until this release, and even then they hardly made a dent, with only the single "Back for Good" getting any airplay. Where Hanson sparked the boy band craze in the U.S. with a tight band, assured songwriting, good vocals, and an appreciation for rock & roll, and the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC gave us lush harmonies and production, Take That lacks the confidence or the style of even the weakest cut by the above-mentioned groups. With lyrics like "Love aint here anymore / its gone away to a town called yesterday," you almost snap out of the coma the rest of the album has induced -- simply because the lines are laughable. Despite lilting vocals on "Back for Good" and the surprisingly risqué "Babe," there isnt a cut that stands out on Nobody Else. Teen pop isnt always art, but it still needs to be well done and have a little bite. This album doesnt offer either. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 15 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 1996-03-01 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:11:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 How Deep Is Your Love (03:43) 2 Never Forget (06:26) 3 Back for Good (04:01) 4 Sure (03:42) 5 Love Ain’t Here Anymore (03:53) 6 Everything Changes (03:35) 7 Babe (04:57) 8 Relight My Fire (radio version) (04:10) 9 Pray (03:43) 10 Why Can’t I Wake Up With You (03:39) 11 Could It Be Magic (03:32) 12 A Million Love Songs (03:54) 13 I Found Heaven (04:04) 14 It Only Takes a Minute (03:48) 15 Once You’ve Tasted Love (03:45) 16 Promises (03:37) 17 Do What You Like (03:09) 18 Love Ain’t Here Anymore (US version) (04:09) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Take That disbanded just as they were on the verge of huge success in the U.S., but they never really needed American success -- for all of the early 90s, they were undefeatable on the Brit-pop charts. During their six years together, the band racked up seven number one hits, most of them between 1992 and 1996. Every member of Take That sang, but Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, and Gary Barlow were the main vocalists, and they have all of the best moments on the bands Greatest Hits collection. Weaving between dance/pop like "Relight My Fire," "Sure," and "I Found Heaven," and ballads like "A Million Love Songs," "Back for Good," and their farewell single, a cover of the Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love, " Take Thats Greatest Hits is sugary, infectious pop that practically defines the term guilty pleasure. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 15 Title: Forever...Greatest Hits Released: 2002-11-28 Tracks: 34 Duration: 2:28:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Party Remix (07:14) 2 All That Matters to Me (05:24) 3 Beatles Medley: I Want to Hold Your Hand / Hard Days Night / She Loves You (03:40) 4 Back for Good (04:01) 5 How Deep Is Your Love (03:41) 6 No si aqui no hay amor (03:51) 7 How Can It Be (05:00) 8 Pray (03:43) 9 Why Can’t I Wake Up With You? (03:37) 10 Everything Changes (03:35) 11 All I Want Is You (03:22) 12 Sure (03:42) 13 Every Guy (03:58) 14 Relight My Fire (radio version) (04:10) 15 Meaning of Love (03:47) 16 Sunday to Saturday (05:03) 17 The Day After Tomorrow (04:46) 1 Rock ’n’ Roll Medley (06:37) 2 Never Forget (remix version) (05:12) 3 Love Ain’t Here Anymore (US remix) (04:10) 4 Babe (radio remix) (04:54) 5 A Million Love Songs (03:54) 6 Could It Be Magic (Radio Rapino mix) (03:32) 7 I Found Heaven (04:04) 8 It Only Takes a Minute (03:48) 9 Once You’ve Tasted Love (03:45) 10 Promises (03:36) 11 Do What You Like (03:09) 12 Take That and Party (02:54) 13 Motown Medley (10:12) 14 Broken Your Heart (03:48) 15 Still Can’t Get Over You (04:08) 16 Don’t Take Your Love (03:58) 17 Love Ain’t Here Anymore (03:53) |
| Forever...Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : BMG Internationals Forever: Greatest Hits is the most comprehensive Take That collection released to date, featuring 34 tracks worth of the bands biggest singles, definitive album tracks, B-sides, remixes and other goodies. Along with hits like "Back for Good," "How Deep Is Your Love," "Relight My Fire," "A Million Love Songs," "It Only Takes a Minute," and "Love Aint Here Anymore," the collection also includes "The Party Remix," a megamix of some of their most popular songs; a "Rock N Roll Medley"; a "Motown Medley" that includes the groups version of "Treat Her Like a Lady"; and "No Si Aquo No Hay Amor," a Spanish-language version of "Love Aint Here Anymore," "Pray," "Everything Changes," "Take That and Party," and "Sunday to Saturday" are some of the other highlights of this two-disc set, which seems more aimed at die-hard Take That fans than newcomers to the band; but it would also make an excellent introduction to the groups music. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 15 Title: Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection Released: 2005-11-14 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:16:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Never Forget (06:26) 2 Back for Good (04:01) 3 How Deep Is Your Love (03:41) 4 Pray (03:43) 5 Relight My Fire (radio version) (04:10) 6 Everything Changes (03:35) 7 Babe (04:57) 8 Sure (03:42) 9 It Only Takes a Minute (03:48) 10 A Million Love Songs (03:55) 11 Could It Be Magic (Rapino radio mix) (03:32) 12 Why Can’t I Wake Up With You? (03:37) 13 Love Ain’t Here Anymore (04:09) 14 I Found Heaven (04:04) 15 Promises (03:37) 16 Once You’ve Tasted Love (03:45) 17 Pray (live in Berlin 1994) (05:16) 18 Relight My Fire (Element 2006 remix) (03:50) 19 Today I’ve Lost You (03:08) |
| Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection : Allmusic album Review : This 19-song reminder of the biggest British boy band of all time is also a reminder of what Robbie Williams was doing before he became hip. More than ten years divide the demise of the original band from the release of Never Forget, a period during which many people have probably forgotten just how all-pervasive these songs once were. From the opening "Promises" in late 1991 to the farewell "How Deep Is Your Love" in 1996, Take That racked up 16 hits, including that remarkable run in 1993-1994 that saw them become the first band since the Beatles to score four consecutive British number ones. Twice! Add a live version of "Pray" (from 1994), a remix of "Relight My Fire," and one previously unreleased number (the closing "Today Ive Lost You"), and the only serious problem here is the omission of the bands first-ever single, the non-charting "Do What You Like." So much for the statistics. More intriguing is to actually listen to the music for the first time, again, in more than ten years -- and realize just what perfectly wrought, exquisitely manufactured fluff it was. The Bee Gees cover is superlative, the Lulu collaboration is a riot, and -- even at their sappiest -- Take That so readily eclipse every other boy band of the era (and there were a lot of them around in the 1990s) that it almost seems cruel to continue to refer to them as one. But they were and, for all their sins, a lot of "serious" music fans hated them for it. Nows our chance to find out what we were missing. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 15 Title: Beautiful World Released: 2006-11-27 Tracks: 15 Duration: 59:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Reach Out (04:16) 2 Patience (03:22) 3 Beautiful World (04:25) 4 Hold On (03:56) 5 Like I Never Loved You at All (03:44) 6 Shine (03:30) 7 I’d Wait for Life (04:33) 8 Ain’t No Sense in Love (03:51) 9 What You Believe In (04:32) 10 Mancunian Way (03:48) 11 Wooden Boat (03:06) 12 Butterfly (03:42) 13 Beautiful Morning (03:37) 14 We All Fall Down (03:47) 15 Rule the World (04:59) |
| Beautiful World : Allmusic album Review : When Take That disbanded in 1996, they left many young girls in floods of tears. They had arguably been the most popular band in Britain during the early 90s, and many of their fans had never known what it was like to have their favorite band split and move on. Two surprises then occurred, first when Gary Barlow, the main singer and songwriter for the band, failed to set the charts alight with his solo projects. Despite hitting number one with two singles ("Forever Love" and "Love Wont Wait") and the accompanying album Open Road, Barlows solo career was seen as a disappointment and he quickly faded from the affections of young girls who either grew up or turned their attention to Boyzone or Westlife. The second surprise occurred when the cheekiest former member of the band, Robbie Williams, whom many had seen as precipitating the breakup in the first place, went on to become one of the biggest solo stars of the late 90s and early 2000s with eight number one albums. In fact, he was so big that when the other four invited him to rejoin them for a reunion world tour, he said no, intending to remain solo and promote his recently released album, Rudebox. So Take That re-formed, went on the road without Williams, and recorded a new album without him, too. Doomed to failure? Not a bit, for the album Beautiful World was filled with great new contemporary songs, virtually all written by the bandmembers, who had grown up and matured in the intervening years. There was a sense of professionalism surrounding the whole project (produced by John Shanks) and imbuing every song, whether a ballad like "Id Wait for Life" or "What You Believe In" (on which Mark Owen took vocal lead), or an uptempo track like "Reach Out" or "Shine," the latter of which was a masterpiece of 21st century pop. The bandmembers shared responsibilities for singing on the album, and they were obviously enjoying every minute of the comeback, although Barlow was still very much in charge, taking lead vocal duties on six of the tracks. The lead single was "Patience," a classic pop song and midtempo ballad with a killer hook down the scales for a chorus, and the second single, "Shine," was completely different, sort of a cross between Queen at their most camp and the Scissor Sisters. The final track, "Wooden Boat," was another totally different song, sung by Jason Orange to an acoustic background, and one minute after it had finished, another Gary Barlow power ballad, "Butterfly," faded in as a bonus track on some editions of the album. Robbie Williams was slated for his solo offering Rudebox, but his former bandmates celebrated one of the greatest comebacks of all time, hitting number one throughout December and even returning to the top in the spring of 2007 when the second single, "Shine," kicked in and hit the Top Five for several more weeks, over a year after the album had been released. So is there hope for any band attempting a comeback after ten years? If the bands album is this good, you bet there is. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 15 Title: The Circus Released: 2008-11-28 Tracks: 11 Duration: 46:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Garden (05:07) 2 Greatest Day (03:59) 3 Hello (03:30) 4 Said It All (04:15) 5 Julie (03:53) 6 The Circus (03:33) 7 How Did It Come to This (03:10) 8 Up All Night (03:24) 9 What Is Love (03:27) 10 You (04:13) 11 Hold Up a Light / She Said (08:02) |
| The Circus : Allmusic album Review : A Take That reunion was perhaps as inevitable as the fact that Robbie Williams would decide to opt out of the proceedings. He inexplicably became the biggest star out of the franchise, in no way needing the support group the rest craved after their solo projects imploded. And there is something to be said for brand names: even if it didn’t jump-start the phenomenon, the 2006 reunion Beautiful World returned Take That to the upper reaches of the charts, and their 2008 follow-up, The Circus, builds upon its template, offering more of the same without quite seeming like pandering. Fittingly for a foursome facing 40, dance-pop has been banished in favor of well-manicured maturity, culled chiefly from Coldplay, whose tasteful, chilly surfaces blend easily with Gary Barlow’s Elton John and George Michael aspirations. Barlow is also responsible for the gentle Sgt. Peppers pastiche of the title track, but the one responsible for giving The Circus a bit of a beat is Mark Owen, whose contributions, particularly the cheerfully respectful stomp “Up All Night,” are a welcome respite from the album’s steady, stately march. A little of this Coldplay influence goes a long way -- craftsman that he is, Barlow can mimic this sound as expertly as he mimicked Michael years ago, but these skyscraping sonics aren’t particularly suited for his brand of commercialism, so it’s fortunate that Owen is here to give this a bit of a pulse, with Howard Donald and Jason Orange acting as the bridge between them both. Without those mitigating factors, The Circus would be too coldly calculating -- but this is no longer Barlow’s show, it’s the work of a group where the sum is greater than the parts, and Take That have wound up with an adult pop album that isn’t compelling, but is somewhat comforting. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 15 Title: The Greatest Day: Take That Present The Circus Live Released: 2009-11-30 Tracks: 27 Duration: 1:51:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Greatest Day (04:18) 2 Hello (03:49) 3 Pray (04:00) 4 Back for Good (04:01) 5 The Garden (05:18) 6 Shine (03:46) 7 Up All Night (03:58) 8 How Did It Come to This (04:07) 9 The Circus (03:36) 10 What Is Love (05:55) 11 Said It All (04:07) 12 Never Forget (05:28) 13 Patience (03:20) 14 Relight My Fire (04:34) 15 Hold Up a Light (04:29) 16 Rule the World (05:42) 1 The Garden (04:56) 2 How Did It Come to This (02:44) 3 Greatest Day (03:25) 4 Up All Night (03:23) 5 Patience (03:21) 6 What Is Love (03:44) 7 The Circus (03:48) 8 Shine (03:44) 9 Rule the World (03:56) 10 Julie (03:56) 11 Said It All (04:17) |
| The Greatest Day: Take That Present The Circus Live : Allmusic album Review : Riding high on their comeback success, Take That did a two-month tour in summer 2009 that set a new record for the fastest-selling tour in U.K. history. The Greatest Day: The Circus Live documents the final stop on the tour, a massive show for over 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London on July 5, 2009. This was the second tour by Take That since reuniting in 2006 without Robbie Williams. Take That had broken up ten years earlier in 1996 after taking over the English pop world with Take That & Party (1992), Everything Changes (1993), and Nobody Else (1995), a trio of multi-platinum albums filled with smash hits. While all five bandmembers pursued different solo opportunities in the wake of their 1996 split, Williams was the only one to make it as a star on his own, and when the reunion came around ten years later, he declined to participate. The other four bandmembers, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, and Mark Owen, got back together nonetheless, recorded the comeback album Beautiful World (2006), and mounted a concert tour with Sugababes as their opening act. Their comeback proved so successful, Take That went about recording another album, The Circus, and planning another tour. The Greatest Day: The Circus Live finds the band on a roll, playing its final date after performing sold-out shows across England, Scotland, and Wales. They sing all the hits from Beautiful World ("Patience," "Shine," "Id Wait for Life") and The Circus ("Greatest Day," "Up All Night," "Said It All"). There are nine songs overall from The Circus, whose "Hold Up a Light" is performed during the finale along with the 2007 chart-topper "Rule the World." The older hits are few and far between with just a couple songs each from Everything Changes ("Pray," "Relight My Fire") and Nobody Else ("Back for Good," "Never Forget"). In addition to the Wembley show, theres an 11-track live-in-the-studio session at Abbey Road that includes many of the same songs in a more controlled context. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 15 Title: Progress Released: 2010-11-15 Tracks: 10 Duration: 47:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Flood (04:49) 2 SOS (03:44) 3 Wait (04:15) 4 Kidz (04:42) 5 Pretty Things (04:03) 6 Happy Now (04:02) 7 Underground Machine (04:15) 8 What Do You Want From Me? (04:37) 9 Affirmation (03:54) 10 Eight Letters / Flowerbed (08:47) |
| Progress : Allmusic album Review : This is the true Take That comeback, the one where Robbie Williams returns to the fold for the first time since 1995. When he split at the height of Brit-pop, conventional wisdom suggested that Gary Barlow would wind up as the runaway solo star from the British boy band, but things didn’t turn out that way. Robbie wound up as a superstar, the rest of the band reuniting without him in 2006, then admirably settling into an unthreatening adult contemporary groove on 2008’s Circus. Robbie’s return throws all that complacency out the window, with the band opting to follow the cool club and cocktail inflections of his recent work. It’s the right move, of course -- Take That was stuck in the middle of the road, and no matter how pleasant that path was, it was bound to provide diminishing returns commercially -- but the surprise is how effective the Williams-ization of Take That is on Progress. The rest of the band gamely follows his lead, meshing vocally as they used to, but the emphasis is not on harmonies, it’s on groove and texture, ballads taking a backseat to clever rips on Gorillaz or synthesized glam stomps. Things start to slow down toward the end of Progress, when Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, and Barlow get their own track to write -- each revert to type, Barlow stultifyingly so on the sticky “Eight Letters” -- but for seven tracks, Progress is the hippest and best music Take That has ever made. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 15 Title: Progressed Released: 2011-06-13 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:22:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Flood (04:49) 2 SOS (03:44) 3 Wait (04:15) 4 Kidz (04:42) 5 Pretty Things (04:03) 6 Happy Now (04:02) 7 Underground Machine (04:15) 8 What Do You Want From Me? (04:37) 9 Affirmation (03:54) 10 Eight Letters / Flowerbed (08:47) 1 When We Were Young (04:34) 2 Man (04:39) 3 Love Love (03:43) 4 The Day the Work Is Done (04:04) 5 Beautiful (04:14) 6 Dont Say Goodbye (03:54) 7 Aliens (04:48) 8 Wonderful World (04:58) |
 | Album: 12 of 15 Title: Progress Live Released: 2011-11-21 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:48:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Rule the World (04:09) 2 Greatest Day (03:54) 3 Hold Up a Light (04:27) 4 Patience (03:28) 5 Shine (05:43) 6 Let Me Entertain You (05:54) 7 Rock DJ (04:28) 8 Come Undone (04:16) 9 Feel (04:27) 10 Angels (04:46) 1 The Flood (04:53) 2 SOS (03:58) 3 Underground Machine (04:58) 4 Kidz (06:51) 5 Pretty Things (04:05) 6 When They Were Young (medley) (04:32) 7 Back for Good (05:14) 8 Pray (05:37) 9 Love Love (03:58) 10 Never Forget (07:31) 11 No Regrets / Relight My Fire (05:54) 12 Eight Letters (05:42) |
| Progress Live : Allmusic album Review : After scaling the heights of 2009s jaw-dropping The Circus tour, which included everything from hot air balloons to live elephants, it looked as though Take That had left themselves with nowhere else to go when it came to the live stage. However, two years on and with the missing piece of the jigsaw temporarily back in place, the man band somehow managed to surpass itself again. Progress Live, an audio souvenir of "the biggest British stadium tour of all time" may be missing the spectacular visual elements (a 60-foot mechanical robot, stunning pyrotechnics) that wowed the near two million fans across 35 dates, but the return of Robbie Williams ensures that the music was always going to be its most intriguing aspect. Recorded at the City of Manchester and Wembley stadiums, the anticipation at seeing all five members together for the first time since 1995 is palpable from the get-go, but fans have to wait until the more familiar recent lineup has run through four of its stadium-ready pop/rock anthems ("Patience," "Rule the World") before the cheeky chappie makes his entrance. Rather disappointingly, he does so on five of his own solo tracks, including signature tunes "Angels" and "Rock DJ" and a rather random outing for "Come Undone," suggesting the ego that perhaps split the reaction to the reunion right down the middle is very much intact. However, once his routine showman schtick is over, its hard not to be charmed by the groups audible joy at performing as a quintet again, as Take That reel through eight numbers from 2010s electro-focused Progress, most of which hold up surprisingly well in such a grand setting, and four classic 90s singles, including an inspired moment when Robbies "No Regrets" (his bitter take on his previous experiences in the band) segues into their uplifting cover of "Relight My Fire." With a set list surprisingly less nostalgic than their previous tours, Progress Live may not satisfy those who feel they were at their best in their original incarnation. But for fans of Take That in whatever form they take, its an undeniably impressive show that, this time round, will surely be impossible to top. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 15 Title: III Released: 2014-11-28 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 These Days (03:52) 2 Let in the Sun (03:40) 3 If You Want It (04:02) 4 Lovelife (03:36) 5 Portrait (03:34) 6 Higher Than Higher (04:06) 7 I Like It (04:23) 8 Give You My Love (02:50) 9 Freeze (04:01) 10 Into the Wild (03:53) 11 Flaws (03:34) 12 Get Ready for It (03:39) |
| III : Allmusic album Review : Robbie Williams once again left Take That in 2014 and, not long afterward, so did Jason Orange, leaving the group as the trio of Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald. Hence the title of 2014s album, III: this is not the groups third record, nor does it herald a new phase (à la Van Halen III), but its simply an album made by the three men of Take That. III wasnt intended as a trio album -- Orange left during the recording, leaving the three survivors to split his parts -- and, honestly, it doesnt feel that much different than the Take That albums released prior to Progress, when the former boy band returned as a quartet of men. Wisely, Take That retain a shade of the stylish sensibilities of Progress -- "These Days," the opening track and lead single, is nimble with its chicken-scratch guitar and distilled disco -- but those arent the focus of the record; theyre accents to whats essentially a very well-done adult pop album. Compared to some of Barlows past solo projects, III is livelier -- even when it slides into a series of ballads it manages to not quite be staid -- due to these lite disco cuts ("Give You My Love" feels like a de facto Bee Gees tribute) and savvy electronic arrangements. The key to IIIs success is that Take That dont push these electronic elements too hard; theyre there not to bring in a younger audience, but to show that the group knows its 2014, not 1994, so it winds up feeling reflective and tasteful, a record that feels more realized than any latter-day Robbie-less Take That album. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 15 Title: Wonderland Released: 2017-03-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 41:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wonderland (04:53) 2 Giants (03:53) 3 New Day (03:29) 4 Lucky Stars (03:29) 5 And the Band Plays (03:53) 6 Superstar (03:14) 7 Hope (03:44) 8 River (02:55) 9 The Last Poet (03:16) 10 Every Revolution (04:12) 11 Its All for You (04:29) |
 | Album: 15 of 15 Title: Odyssey Released: 2018-11-23 Tracks: 27 Duration: 1:41:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Greatest Day (Odyssey mix) (04:22) 2 It Only Takes a Minute (Odyssey mix) (03:19) 3 These Days (Odyssey mix) (03:37) 4 Could It Be Magic (Odyssey version) (03:20) 5 Everything Changes (Odyssey version) (02:48) 6 Travel (interlude) (00:20) 7 Out of Our Heads (02:52) 8 A Million Love Songs (Odyssey mix) (04:17) 9 Sure (Odyssey mix) (03:43) 10 Love Aint Here Anymore (03:58) 11 Spin (03:35) 12 Cry (03:27) 13 Said It All (Odyssey mix) (05:10) 14 How Deep Is Your Love (03:06) 1 Lets Do It Again (interlude) (01:34) 2 Patience (Odyssey mix) (03:34) 3 The Flood (Odyssey mix) (05:02) 4 Back for Good (Odyssey mix) (03:57) 5 Get Ready for It (Odyssey Alt intro) (04:06) 6 Everlasting (03:49) 7 Giants (Odyssey mix) (03:59) 8 Shine (Odyssey Alt intro) (04:04) 9 Never Forget (Odyssey mix) (05:25) 10 Relight My Fire (05:15) 11 Babe (Odyssey version) (04:24) 12 Pray (Odyssey version) (03:40) 13 Rule the World (Odyssey version) (04:54) |