Posted November 5, 201014 yr From http://www.virgin.com/music/reviews/take-t...ss-album-review Virgin Music is most chuffed to be among the first to be able to have a long lovely luxurious listen to Take That's new album, Progress - you know, the one where Gary Barlow takes back Robbie Williams and then they all get naked on the cover. Just like the old days eh? Although there's less jelly being mopped in to crevices now. Don't let the positive sounding title and sunshiney bright cover lull you in to a false sense of pop gaiety though, Progress is a deceptively dark offering from the usually quite cheerful man band. Okay, we don't mean dark as in emo wrist slashingly dark, just dark compared to Barry Manilow covers and Lulu duets. The main thought that Progress leaves you to ponder is - where's Gary? It's pretty much a full on Robbie-fest. So all hardy Take That fans better be prepared to welcome everyone's favourite spotlight hogger back to nestle in their collective bosom. Let's go track by track: 1) The Flood. Yeah yeah you already know this one. But think therefore that you know the album? Think again clever clogs. You can see why they released this single first. It's cosy familiar territory - all suitably epic with swathes of sweeping violins and a big rousing chorus with pretty harmonies... just with Robbie on lead vocals - ooo the novelty. But in context of the rest of Progress you realise that thematically, the metaphor of The Flood offers a taster of how our cardigan-wearing heroes have come over all apocalyptic on our asses. After this track, Progress progresses down a very different path to Beautiful World and The Circus. Blimey - didn't see this one coming... 2) SOS. This is as near as Take That should ever get to The Clash's London Calling. Singing of storms breaking and satellites failing, poor wee Mark Owen cries out to have his soul saved amid the foreboding morse code. And if this isn't enough to shatter our previously safe and comfy preconceptions of what a night in with a Take That LP should offer, Robbie Williams interjects with a chorus call 'like a bullet to the head'. Steady on - what would Marks & Spencer say? This track is where producer du jour, Stuart Price, really stamps his presence and it's all techno, techno, techno beats and bleeps a la Confessions era Madonna. You half expect the video to feature Take That rollerskating around in pink leotards. 3) Wait. More Robbie centre stage in this stripped down, melancholy electro offering that is part Lady Gaga, part Pet Shop Boys. This could have been off of Robbie's last solo effort - albeit with the safety net of a familiar feeling traditional Take That chorus. 4) Kidz. The military look is in right now so this one has us all marching and chanting in unison to the ‘la la la’s. Kidz has a touch of Richard X style Girls Aloud and is only let down by some distinctly A-level sounding anti-establishment political poetry (‘Not sure where the fall out blows… there’ll be trouble when the kids come out…’) or maybe it’s meant to be in keeping with the 80s feel? A token bit of Cold War paranoia adds to the retro military cool after all. 5) Pretty Things. Just when we were getting used to this hip vibe it’s suddenly back to The Circus and it’s all nursery rhyme style harpsichord and violins. Oh and listen – Robbie’s finally let Gary chirp in! Hurrah! Shame it’s on the first track really failing to prick our ears up. Perhaps this is an indication that this new Price-flavoured Take That really is a better idea than retreading old ground… 6) Happy Now. And it’s back to the dark paranoia with Gary belatedly claiming lead vocals back. Again, don’t be fooled by the title – this is the new serious Gary who’s sounding very world weary and cynical (‘Give me half as much but twice as fast – today…’). While this could easily have been traditional Take That fare, Stuart Price touches it up with a trendy electro fringe… 7) Underground Machine. Whoa - step aside Gary, don’t get too settled… Robbie’s back and sneaking us on to some David Lynch film noir soundtrack where repetitive robotic rhythms are overlaid with industrial sound effects (‘The lighting’s cheap and the room is cold…’) This old school dystopia is only lightened by some irrepressible Robbie theatrics. Singing about himself again: ‘You might be good looking but you can’t sleep with yourself tonight. What a beast, what a man…’ 8) What Do You Want From Me? A few years ago, a repenting Mark Owen would have been singing ‘Baby, please forgive me – I love you so very much… ooo yeah’ (Okay maybe a bit better than that - we’re no lyricists) but this new bull$h!t-free Mark now sings: ‘I still want to have sex with you’ and as excuses go – ‘We’re not wise at all, it’s getting harder to recover’ is the best he’s going to offer. Fair enough. Mark Owen has grown some balls. Brilliant. 9) Affirmation. Surely now an uncomplicated, upbeat little ditty that rings true to its title? Nah don’t be silly… more melancholy. Our boys are still reeling in end-of-the-world turmoil (‘I can feel the pressure on our minds – on the whole universe… we’re just incomplete…’) Howard finally gets a crack of the whip but you can’t help feeling that Gary’s stronger vocals would have fulfilled the promise here and enabled this song to burst through to the out and out glorious euphoria that’s been tentatively threatening the whole album. But Stuart Price persuades the lads to keep their cool and err on the side of restraint (a new lesson for Robbie we reckon). 10) Eight Letters. Gary Barlow does Ultravox’s Vienna. Genius. It might even feel a bit – dare we say – ABBA? Is this a bit of the old Take That coming back? Tempered with a bit of reflective melancholy of course… before we all get too carried away. 11) Flower Bed. So they still let Jason have a go, that's nice – albeit on the hidden track. The Vocoder voice effects seal that 80s futurism feel and it’s all very ethereal and Goldfrapp. A lovely light fresh finish to an unexpected but great album. Just as touching and fitting an ending as Jason's little Wooden Boat was. It might not be the Take That we’re used to but it’s a Take That we could get used to. Maybe even dance a bit to? This direction would never have worked without Robbie on board to give it the confidence needed to pull this off. So it’s away with the M&S cardies and on with the day-glo vests… come back Gary – don’t be shy, you can pull that look off. 7/10
November 5, 201014 yr Author From http://www.holymoly.com/reviews/music/albu...e-progress49771 Love Ain't Here Anymore Wed, 03/11/2010 - 18:20 By TimC When pop groups say their new album marks a big change of direction what they usually mean is the session guitarist has turned up the overdrive pedal and one track sounds a bit hip hop. So when the re-quinteted Take That announced their new sound was so different they considered putting it out under new band name The English, you'd be forgiven for raising a sceptical brow. But it seems they weren't exaggerating. Producer Stuart Price has clearly been brought in so that Gary, Robbie and Mark* can realise their dream to be The Killers. The result is unlike anything you've heard from Take That before. Or possibly anybody. *Howard and Jason fans are going to feel somewhat short-changed. Let's get the big surprises out of the way first. There. Are. No. Ballads. Not a soppy sausage. :o And we detected only one song that could possibly be about love. And maybe even that's about robots, it's hard to tell. The lyrics are so cloaked in post-apocalyptic paranoia and pseudo-political psychobabble it's anyone's guess as to what they're going on about. One thing's for sure, the 'Progress' of the title is meant to be read in inverted commas, to be said in a disgusted and sarcastic tone. Take That have entered a dark and frightening world. Don't believe us? Here's our track by track first impressions: 1. 'The Flood' The Flood makes a lot more sense as the grandiose opening track to an album, than it does as a single. That said, it still sounds a bit like a musical written by Ben Elton & Brian May. On the plus side, they resisted any kind of "I'm back" statement from Robbie, which is a blessing. 2. 'SOS' Mark & Rob are fed through some heavy digital processing for an aggressive electro rock duet, which at one point likens a serpent eating you whole to a bullet through the head. Mixed metaphor meltdown! What can it all mean? 3. 'Wait' Thank f***, it's a classic Take That piano and strings number. Oh no, hang on, it's not. The "nice" instruments have been replaced by more "nasty" beats and electro guff. And more Robbie. He's on his own this time. Maybe they're getting them all out of the way at the start? We can't make head nor tail of the futurespeak lyrics, but this is a possible "grower". Three songs in, 'Progress' does sound like the kind of album that might've followed 'Nobody Else'. Whether that's a good thing or not, we can't say. 4. 'Kidz' Wait a minute, didn't he already do that one? Ah, it's a different song. The sound of marching jackboots ushers in another Mark & Robbie doomfest about the future and governments and stuff. "Monkeys learn to build machines". Yeah, tell it like it is boys. This seems to be about how we're leaving a mess for the next generation to revolt over. "There will be trouble when the kidz come out," they sing in the chorus. This would also be a good euphemism for having a poo. 5. 'Pretty Things' Robbie's still here, this time in duet with Gary. However, this is no 'Shame' love-in but a sinister electro lullaby. There's a mention of Fulham Broadway Station. We're not sure why. 6. 'Happy Now' Gary is finally left alone to sound, well, like Robbie or, with so many vocal effects, Robbie the robot. But hang out the f***ing bunting, it's a disco pop song! Think the Bee Gees meets Depeche Mode. And it's bloody brilliant. "I can see the world clearly but I have to squint." We know the feeling. Lovely Trevor Horn-style ending too. 7. 'Underground Machine' More Robbie. Poor Jason. Poor Howard. "I'm just a piece of your pie chart. I play the part of a rockstar." Ah, he's still got it. And it's still impenetrable, self-obsessed w***. This is horrible. Imagine Mika if his voice broke. 8. 'What Do You Want From Me?' Mark Owen rides the autotune like an electric pony. "It's been a difficult year," he sings in his best earnest rock voice. Oh, is it a song about THAT? "I still think I belong with you." Yes, it's a song about THAT. Still if you've publicly admitted to a drink problem, and cheating on your girlfriend with multiple partners, the best way to put it all behind you is by writing a highly personal letter to your other half and recording it as a song on what's likely to be the biggest selling album of the year. Musically, this is the most conventional Take That Mk II sounding track on the album so far, which is a good thing. But, "I still wanna have sex with you" wins Mr Owen the 2010 Most Awkward Lyric Award. Congrats. 9. 'Affirmation' It's Howard!!! The track sounds too fast for him to keep up. It's like Godley & Cream having a nervous breakdown. $h!t, there's really not gonna be a single big ballad on here, is there? 10. 'Eight Letters' We finish off with Gary singing the only song on the album that would comfortably fit on 2008's The Circus. It sounds very Cliff Richard. This is also a good thing, obviously. "All I had to say was eight letters, three words, one meaning". What can those words be, Gaz? I like pie? 11. 'Flower Bed' But wait, there's a hidden track. And it's from Jason!!! They actually hid the poor sod! Last time around, Jason wrote a song about Amy Winehouse. It was pretty good. This time, they've got him sounding like an elephant with a vocoder before the FX lifts to reveal something that brings to mind when 70s glam rockers tried to make 50s pastiche records in the 80s. All hail the Alvin Stardust revival! "I was enjoying myself sleeping in your flowerbed". Ooh and er. What an odd song. And there you have it. We can't pretend we're not hugely disappointed. But we also know these songs are likely to improve with repeated listens, and we might even grow to like them in a funny sort of a way. It's not a bad album; it's just not a Take That album. It genuinely is an electro rock record by a new group called The English. We just wish The English had a bit more of a Take That element to their music. We liked Take That. Hopefully they'll reform soon. :blink:
November 5, 201014 yr From 10. 'Eight Letters' We finish off with Gary singing the only song on the album that would comfortably fit on 2008's The Circus. It sounds very Cliff Richard. This is also a good thing, obviously. "All I had to say was eight letters, three words, one meaning". What can those words be, Gaz? I like pie? :blink: I'm sorry ... but I just have to :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Seriously ... best review so far. Kath
November 5, 201014 yr Author PROGRESS Sci-fi stadium pop : their giant leap forwards. **** The "journey" has become the pre-eminent cliche of the tv reality age. From the X-Factor down, no talent show is complete without a failed pop star, chef or pig wrangler trying to dam the tears of dissappointment with the thought of some sort of fast-tracked personal growth, even if said "journey" is about to take them straight back to a job cleaning the fryers in their Dad's chippy as fast as it whipped them out in the first place. Take That know all about journeys, They may pre-date reality culture as we know it, but their story is the stuff of Simon Fuller's dreams: a motley assortment of Northernclub singers, breakdancers and double-glazing salesmen are brought together by a music industry Svengali and spend the next few years becoming the biggest pop band around, only for their in-house loose cannon to quit and embark on a stellar solo career, leaving his former colleagues clutching one way tickets to Celebrity Big Brother. More than a decade on, the story is flipped on it's head: the four discarded members reunite and tap into a vast resevoir of goodwill to become Britain's biggest band once more. Being the nice blokes they are , they offer an olive branch to their old mate, now on a drug fuelled creative downswing ,who returns to the family bosom. Stick that in your pipe & smoke it JLS. Except that dosen't do justice to the complexities of the people involved,or explain just how Take That - they of the spangly cod-pieces and hen-party soundtracks-have made a record so joyously bold ,on trend and huge sounding that it stands a fair chance of winning over anyone who would rather sit through an entire BBC3 sitcom than listen to Back For Good. Comercially , Progress is a no brainer. Uniting thses two teams is the equivalent of placing the ball on the penalty spot, wideneing the posts and telling the keeper to go have a fag in the car park - an open goal that even a member of the England 2010 World Cup squad couldn't fail to convert. Musically, it's something else. As the title indicates , this is Take That's great step forward. there's not a whiff of Magic FM - bothering balladry, let alone bum-flashing disco-pop of theor original boy ban incarnation. Instead, Progress is a witty,gleaming, chrome-plated 21st century pop record that takes it's cues from US R & B, Swedish pop imp Robyn and, oddest of all, Muse. There's a batty dystopian sci-fi theme in there somewhere, segues that do away with gaps between songs, and even a metallic bass on one ( that's metallic as in "heavy" rather than "shiny ". Call it their Achtung Baby. It's no surprise that the first voice you hear once the thinder that ushers in the opening track "The Flood has faded away is that of Robbie Williams ." Standing on the edge of forever, on the edge of forever, he sings, setting the dials to "triumphant" over a backing track that's bigger than the Great Manchester area. The MOR stylings of the much-touted Williams/Barlow collaboration that is Shame ,from the former's latest greates hots album, was clearly an excercise in clearing out the cupboards. The band and co-producer Stuart Price ( Madonna and The Killers ) have honed their approach into a stylish machine-tooled sound that effortlessly balances the grand, the inventive and the tongue-in-cheek . S.O.S. is four minutoes of breathless future-popreplete with talk of "five second warning" and "preparing for ascension",plus a climatic drum battery that your average stadium rock band would give their eye teeth for. Evem more startling is the brilliantly barmy Kidz , a slab of jaw-dropping robot-disco complete with martial backdrop and rabble rousing hook ( "There'll be trouble when the kids come out") that suggests they've been watching the Dr Who eposides with Matt Bellamy. "What you looking at" sneers Mark Owen, a man not known for his Gallagher -esque levels of aggro,at one point. It's smart, funny & entirely unexpected. It's a measure of their canniness and their rediscovered ease with each other that Progress is front-loaded with Williams-led tracks. Whether sparring with Barlow on Wait or ramping up the Robbie Williams-isms on the diamond-encrusted Bontempi thythms of Pretty Things ("I'm just a piece of your pie chart, your'e in a room with a rock star"), he sounds more engaged than he has in years. But it's not a one- man show. Barlow clearly relishes the notion of wrongfooting people's perception of him as the Frodsham Barry Manilow: Wait starts with a patented grandiose piano intro, only for it to veer off into bonkers electronic territory. The others get a look in,too, with Howard Donald playing the intense introspection card on Affirmation and Jason Orange adding OTT spoken-word intro to Pretty Things. the mis-step is Owen's What Do You Want From Me ! , an apology to his wife for past philandering that takes self-flagellation to Olympic levels. By the time he yells " I still want to have sex with you", you'll be knawing your fist in sympathy or embarrassment. Rushed of blood to the head aside, Progress is a triumph, musically, conceptually, personally. The circle is complete and stronger than ever. Take That have got Williams's rock star charisma, Williams has got his mates back. It's been a journey for sure . Source...Q magazine.
November 8, 201014 yr Author Review from the BBC Link here http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/qvwx BBC Review "An ebullient, daring album which sounds more like a fresh start than a final destination." Jaime Gill 2010-11-08 Enough has been written elsewhere about Take That's history (a humdrum tale of boys meet boys, exploitation and idolisation, dreams fulfilled and crushed, ruined friendships, success as vengeance, glorious pop and the furies of fame), so let's skip straight to the new chapter. If the title of Progress suggests the band's new sound will be a merging and evolving of Take That Mk.II and recent Robbie Williams fare, the reality is startlingly different. Progress is something entirely new – Take That Mk.III – and the strangest, most ambitious and most exciting record its creators have ever been involved in. Taking in bombastic stadium rock, sleazy funk, up-tempo RnB, operatic techno, Bowie-esque whimsy and demented disco, Progress is most definitely not the sound of two wildly popular acts playing it safe and raking the millions in. Even the relatively conventional comeback single, The Flood, is unexpected: with its huge, widescreen production, booming drum rolls and faux-profound lyrics, it instantly makes the next U2 album redundant. The Flood's enjoyable hokum is immediately bettered by SOS, a savage-of-bass, furiously paced disco romp with Mark Owen on gleeful lead vocals and Williams providing adrenaline-flecked back-ups. The latter sounds like he’s having a ball throughout, particularly on another Owen/Williams duet, Kidz, which exhilaratingly combines martial beats, glam guitars, Atari techno and the kind of absurd dystopian pomp ("Daggers of science evolving into violence / We're not sure where the fallout blows") usually found on Muse albums. On the space-funk of Underground Machine – the closest thing to a Williams’ solo track – he sounds more ruttingly, struttingly confident than he has in years. Elsewhere, Progress is slightly more conventional. Pretty Things sees Williams' falsetto and Gary Barlow's hushed croon sonically merged into something uncannily like David Bowie, while its chiming keyboards, gorgeous harmonies and fluttering melodies make it an obvious single. Only one song falls flat on its face: even super-producer Stuart Price can't salvage much from Owen’s wobbly vocals and watery sentimentality on What Do You Want From Me. What will happen next is predictable, for once: monster hit singles, eye-watering sales and a tour that will keep St John's Ambulances busier than they’ve been in years. After that? With this collection of erratic egos, who knows; but the ebullient, daring Progress sounds more like a fresh start than a final destination. :w00t: :w00t: :w00t:
November 8, 201014 yr Author Indeed it is. This album is sounding more interesting by the minute. And The Flood seems to be the most 'commercial' thing on it :blink:
November 8, 201014 yr I seriously can't believe they mentioned Muse in review of Take That album. But, I feel happy about it, and I hope they're right. Also, I like Williams' falsetto. :wub:
November 8, 201014 yr Review from the BBC Link here http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/qvwx BBC Review "An ebullient, daring album which sounds more like a fresh start than a final destination." Jaime Gill 2010-11-08 Enough has been written elsewhere about Take That's history (a humdrum tale of boys meet boys, exploitation and idolisation, dreams fulfilled and crushed, ruined friendships, success as vengeance, glorious pop and the furies of fame), so let's skip straight to the new chapter. If the title of Progress suggests the band's new sound will be a merging and evolving of Take That Mk.II and recent Robbie Williams fare, the reality is startlingly different. Progress is something entirely new – Take That Mk.III – and the strangest, most ambitious and most exciting record its creators have ever been involved in. Taking in bombastic stadium rock, sleazy funk, up-tempo RnB, operatic techno, Bowie-esque whimsy and demented disco, Progress is most definitely not the sound of two wildly popular acts playing it safe and raking the millions in. Even the relatively conventional comeback single, The Flood, is unexpected: with its huge, widescreen production, booming drum rolls and faux-profound lyrics, it instantly makes the next U2 album redundant. The Flood's enjoyable hokum is immediately bettered by SOS, a savage-of-bass, furiously paced disco romp with Mark Owen on gleeful lead vocals and Williams providing adrenaline-flecked back-ups. The latter sounds like he’s having a ball throughout, particularly on another Owen/Williams duet, Kidz, which exhilaratingly combines martial beats, glam guitars, Atari techno and the kind of absurd dystopian pomp ("Daggers of science evolving into violence / We're not sure where the fallout blows") usually found on Muse albums. On the space-funk of Underground Machine – the closest thing to a Williams’ solo track – he sounds more ruttingly, struttingly confident than he has in years. Elsewhere, Progress is slightly more conventional. Pretty Things sees Williams' falsetto and Gary Barlow's hushed croon sonically merged into something uncannily like David Bowie, while its chiming keyboards, gorgeous harmonies and fluttering melodies make it an obvious single. Only one song falls flat on its face: even super-producer Stuart Price can't salvage much from Owen’s wobbly vocals and watery sentimentality on What Do You Want From Me. What will happen next is predictable, for once: monster hit singles, eye-watering sales and a tour that will keep St John's Ambulances busier than they’ve been in years. After that? With this collection of erratic egos, who knows; but the ebullient, daring Progress sounds more like a fresh start than a final destination. :w00t: :w00t: :w00t: Oooooooooh !!! Pretty Things sounds mighty interesting....I think they should have been a bit more adventurous with the lead off single & selected something other than The Flood which may turn in to a dribble before the week is out :rolleyes: Edited November 8, 201014 yr by Cleo
November 9, 201014 yr I always said those bloody big choruses were a bad idea <_< Progress ia available to download on Friday B) ...those reviews better be right :blink:
November 9, 201014 yr What a review.... If he is right I will definitely buy the album :music: I haven't seen such a review for a long time
November 9, 201014 yr To download in the UK too or just in Ireland? :unsure: Just in Oireland of course <_<
November 11, 201014 yr Author From http://www.beehivecity.com/music/album-pre...triumph8045566/ Album preview – Take That: Progress – An unlikely triumph November 11, 2010 By Adam Sherwin Take That: Progress (Polydor) ★★★★/5 Such is the sense of anticipation surrounding the full-length return of Robbie Williams to the Take That fold that even days before its release, reviewers are required to listen to Progress on an iPod playback at a central London office. But for someone who has found an entire album of Barlow & co akin to being trapped inside a never-ending M&S Xmas advert, reaching the conclusion of Progress sparks an novel reaction. You want to listen to it all over again. Progress is an album of apocalyptic visions, martial electro-beats, quirky 80s synth-pop steals and massive Lady Gaga choruses. It’s got a contemporary sheen, courtesy of Madonna/Killers producer Stuart Price and the lyrics are immeasurably improved by Robbie’s presence. Smart throway lines like “she blinded me with silence” are surely his work. Progress is also one giant therapy session as the band members hug, make-up and express regret that, you know, they never really talked before. Even the title is an intentional pun. Yes, it’s the boyband growing into a manband, with extra musical muscle. But as Mark Owen sings in his autobiographical What Do You Want From Me?, “We’re making progress here”. Therapy-speak litters the lyrics – Howard’s contribution is even called Affirmation. Single The Flood, the album opener, confirms Gary Barlow’s way with an epic minor-chord change but from then on we’re into uncharted territory. The frantic, electro-rocker SOS is all lyrics about “mind control” and warnings to “prepare for the apocalypse” from Owen and Robbie. It’s a theme continued on the call-to-revolution, Kidz, another techno-glam stomper. The verse speaks of “minsters of governments” and “monkeys building machines”. Ian Brown will love it. “There’ll be trouble when the kidz come out,” goes the chorus and the song, which echoes Pink Floyd’s The Wall, fades out with a children’s choir. These “end of days” songs, with their pseudo-classical-meets-Abba soaring chord structures demonstrate that the band have been listening to a lot of Muse. Will they create a sci-fi live spectacle on the Progress tour to match the Devon rockers? Pretty Things is the closest thing to David Bowie in his 70s Wild Is The Wind tortured balladeer pose – the title suggests the lift is intentional. Gary and Robbie intertwine vocals over a backing track that actually recalls Vince Clarke’s early Depeche Mode melodies. Underground Machine, Robbie’s full-on lust track, explores the Mode’s industrial period. “I’m just a piece of your pie chart,” spits Williams, lyrics which suggest negotiations for renewing his new EMI/Terra Firma contract may not go entirely smoothly. Williams’ psychosis even bleeds into Happy Now, an obvious single, where he duets with Barlow but sings “I get the feeling we’ve been lied to.” Howard’s Affirmation is a high-tempo synth sprint which isn’t the most innovative track but still finds space for a nagging New Order-type guitar line. Barlow brings proceedings to a more traditional close with Eight Letters, the big, gig-closing, piano-driven ballad. But Eight Letters (“three words, one meaning” – can you guess what it is yet, kids?) too has a cheeky steal from Ultravox’s Vienna in its chorus and borrows that epic track’s drum pattern. Before Jason Orange fans angrily toss the album in the bin, there is a hidden track, Flower Bed, a nursery-rhyme melody where he is cocooned in ambient synths and sings ”I’m safe in your flower bed”. It’s a typically quirky conclusion to an ambitious album that will redefine Take That and win them a new audience, whilst holding on to most of their base. The witty Ascent of Man cover also suggests that this particular evolution has reached its conclusion with Robbie’s return. The comeback is complete. There must be strains between the musical directions Robbie and Gary wish to pursue and there may not be anywhere further for this particular incarnation to run after the world tour. But it’s more than enough for now.
November 12, 201014 yr http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/1...gress-cd-review Caroline Sullivan guardian.co.uk, Thursday 11 November 2010 23.40 GMT Take That's first album as a quintet since 1995 is informed by two things: a genuinely new sound – shaped by electropop producer Stuart Price – and Robbie Williams's seamless reimmersion into life as a band member, which is played out on emotional duets with Gary Barlow and Mark Owen. Progress takes their sound closer to that of the Killers (the blaring arena-rocker Underground Machine), Scissor Sisters (the glam stomp of Happy Now) and even Supermassive Black Hole-era Muse (the alienated electro marching tune Kidz). The real surprise is that this unexpected step from comfy balladry to something more interesting sounds quite natural – the only element that doesn't fit is the free-floatingly doomy lyrics, which foretell unspecified personal and global calamities. Williams, for instance, groans on Underground Machine: "You're in the room with a rock star/ What a beast, what a man," yet you have to admit, the beast-man and his bandmates have produced a noteworthy modern album. Not a very in-depth review but another, overall, OK one. Personally I think she's listened to what other reviewers have said and just given a (very brief) overview. Kath
November 12, 201014 yr Robbie Williams relights the fire with Take That By Adrian Thrills When The Eagles split up in 1980, founding member Don Henley said the Californian rockers would reform only ‘when hell freezes over’. One of the world’s biggest bands, they ended their final concert with a backstage fist fight. And yet, 14 years later, they were back together again. They even called their comeback tour Hell Freezes Over. Listen up: Gary, Mark, Howard, Jason and Robbie use an adventurous new sound on their latest album Progress The weather conditions in Hades on the day this July that Take That announced the return of Robbie Williams are unknown, but going by the Eagles principle, they must have been decidedly chilly. The boy band’s separation, sparked by Robbie’s decision to go solo in 1995, was a bitter affair. And, as his solo career soared, Williams never wasted an opportunity to have a vicious pop at his old pals. He wrote No Regrets about them and finished gigs by murdering the Take That standard Back For Good, while whizzing around the stage on a motorised toilet. Now all is forgiven, if not entirely forgotten. The Take That and Robbie reunion is officially the hottest show in town. With more than a million tickets sold, next year’s UK tour is the biggest ever, and the band are the subject of a prime-time documentary on ITV tomorrow. This comeback album is the autumn’s most eagerly anticipated release. The popular theory is that Williams, whose solo career has flagged, needs this more than his four bandmates, whose star has soared spectacularly since they returned in 2006 with Beautiful World. Recent sales figures bear this out. Robbie’s last album, Reality Killed The Video Star, sold a million copies in the UK. But Take That’s The Circus, released in 2008, chalked up more than twice as many sales here to go eight times platinum. However, while a Robbie-less Take That may have silenced their critics, there were signs of fatigue on their last album. In sticking to the styles that made their comeback such a success — lavish strings, mature ballads — the quartet played it safe. For all its fan-friendly moments, The Circus cried out for the sort of mayhem that only Robbie could add. There is all that and more on Progress. The notion of sticking to polished balladry is thrown out of the window and the newly reunited five-piece are unconventional and ambitious. Forsaking strings for synthesisers, they have suddenly become exciting again. Some credit must go to producer Stuart Price. Best known for making modern, electronic dance records with Madonna, Kylie and the Scissor Sisters, he does an excellent job here, pushing Take That towards new horizons without compromising their melodic power or ability to pen a sing-along chorus. But it is hard to believe such a transformation would have been possible without a reinvigorated Robbie. The returning singer straight away makes his presence felt on opening track The Flood — a pounding, widescreen duet with Gary Barlow to please traditionalists. However, his most telling contributions arrive later on, as the band take some unexpected detours. Summoning up the spirit of two of his biggest solo hits — Millennium and Rock DJ — Williams sounds gloriously unhinged on Wait, singing nonsensical lyrics over bouncy, electronic beats. But he fares less well on Underground Machine, a bass-heavy number that recalls his disappointing Rudebox album. Not one for the Take That housewives. Things improve on back-to-back songs that find Robbie sharing lead vocals with another band member. The glam-rock stomp of Kidz is the kind of track the Kaiser Chiefs might have sung around the time of I Predict A Riot. Mark Owen handles the verses with aplomb, but Robbie shows his ability to really lift a song when he storms in on a soaring chorus. The following track, Pretty Things, is different. With its chinking keyboards and breezy hook, the Barlow-Williams duet sounds like a tribute to Hunky Dory-era Bowie. There are moments when Take That get ideas above their station. SOS is a disco-influenced rocker that features Owen singing in a sharp falsetto above booming drums and punky guitars. But its apocalyptic lyrics — with lines about Manhattan sinking and poisoned water — are inspired by Robbie’s reported interest in conspiracy theories, the song ends, pretentiously, with a 1961 speech about press freedom by John F Kennedy. Coming from a former boy band, it is heavy going. What next? Boyzone channelling Churchill? JLS rocking Martin Luther King? Happily, there is nothing quite so pompous when the band’s two ‘forgotten’ members take centre stage. Howard Donald’s Affirmation is a rolling pop number that adds guitars to the album’s throbbing synthesisers. Flower Bed, with Jason Orange on lead, deserves better than its bonus track status , tucked away at the end of the album. And while Robbie often seems dominant, one of the album’s best songs, Eight Letters, is a classic Gary Barlow ballad built around a simple keyboard riff. Despite trying too hard in places, Take That deserve credit for taking risks. Rather than pander to their fans with another album of well-crafted but unremarkable pop music, they have moved on. Progress, indeed. Source...Dail Mail UK
November 12, 201014 yr Take That Progress: Robbie shines but Gary's in charge By Liam Allen One of the key reasons Robbie Williams says he left Take That was because he wasn't allowed more creative input. Fifteen years, seven UK number one albums and sales of 57m records later, he has achieved his goal. The Flood, the opening track from Progress - the man band's first album as a reunited five-piece - begins with lush strings as Williams belts out: "Standing on the edge of forever, at the start of whatever." It's a beginning that would sit well on any Williams solo album from 2000's Sing When You're Winning onwards. Not to be outdone, Gary Barlow stamps his mark with a trademark rising middle eight heralding a chorus that owes much to four-piece 2005-2009 Take That. It offers a tantalising glimpse of the best of both worlds. But The Flood as first single is not typical of the album. While Robbie's input feels like an extension of his solo material, contributions from Gary, Mark and the other two are distinctly different from their last two releases, Beautiful World and the Circus. Don't expect a Patience, Rule The World or Greatest Day. Take That mark three - as the album title suggests - is all about reinvention. Thanks to the album's producer, Madonna collaborator Stuart Price, it's an electro-tinged reinvention. Electrofied Take That sounds hideous on paper. But Price's fusion of chugging synth lines, a mixture of synthesized and real drums, and subtle Take That harmonies pushes things forward. Williams wordplay brings another dimension throughout - Barlow would never have written "we'll be practising our politics, defending all our policies, preparing for apocalypse" from possible single SOS. This is the album Rudebox - Williams' disappointing 2006 album of electro experimentation - could have been. Ballad-free zone But while Progress is likely to be lauded by critics, Take That are steering a brave, new course given Rudebox's alienation of the core Williams audience. Female pop fans in their late 30s/early 40s are not necessarily the biggest fans of electro-rock. Those same fans will be wondering why they can't find a Barlow ballad. The Flood: There's progress now where there once was not, then everything came along Wait: These words have never left our mouths, we never got to get it out, communication not allowed Happy Now: And they checked our thoughts and we gave them hope, and there was no truth to what they wrote Eight Letters: We became the parade on the streets that we once cleaned, expendable soldiers smiling at everything Wait, with its opening piano and high, cinematic strings, threatens to be just that before an electronic breakbeat unexpectedly kicks in. The closest we get to a Barlow epic is Eight Letters - "when I went away, what I forgot to say, was all I had to say, eight words, three words, one meaning". But even here, the usual opening piano chords are replaced with a distorted synth line. Kidz, featuring Mark Owen in the verse and a heavily-processed Williams in the chorus, is a definite contender for second single sounding, as it does, like a cross between Sam Sparro's Black and Gold, and Feel Good Inc by Damon Albarn's Gorillaz. (Presumably it's spelt with a "z" to differentiate it from Kids, Williams' 2000 duet with Kylie Minogue.) But it faces strong competition from Happy Now which, along with The Flood and delicate duet Pretty Things, features Barlow and Williams on lead vocals. The harmony-drenched chorus of "I feel myself falling, I'm feeling happy now, I'm feeling happy now" is the only moment on the album reminiscent of five-piece 1990s Take That - think Everything Changes 2010. It's also the most uplifting moment. Williams' return to the fold has brought a moodier edge to Take That's usually breezy sound. Mark Owen, meanwhile - making a pitch to become Take That's George Harrison - performs lead vocal and songwriting duties admirably on SOS and What Do You Want From Me? Feeling happy now: But Williams' return has brought a moodier edge to the music Both sound like The Killers, as muted guitars and solo synthesizers abound, and Owen nods his beloved hat to their classic Mr Brightside in What Do You Want From Me? (It's no coincidence that Stuart Price produced The Killers' last album, Day & Age.) Howard Donald gets his moment on the super-fast Affirmation while Jason Orange's hidden track Flower Bed again showcases Price's production skills as he creates a shimmering wall of sound. Williams' vocals are the most prominent on Progress and, on the surface, it appears to be the first Take That album not dominated by Barlow. But don't be fooled. Williams has revealed that he calls him "the captain" while Barlow himself has confirmed he "still leads the trail". His musical input into this album, as with all Take That releases, is immeasurable. For all the progress made in the latest gear change of the Take That rollercoaster, Barlow is still the leader of the band that was formed around him. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11733276
November 12, 201014 yr Williams' vocals are the most prominent on Progress and, on the surface, it's the first Take That album not dominated by Barlow. But don't be fooled. Williams now calls his former nemesis "the captain" while Barlow has confirmed he "still leads the trail". His musical input into this album, as with all Take That releases, is vast. For all the progress made in the latest gear change of the Take That rollercoaster, Gary Barlow is still the leader of the band that was formed around him. That's what I suspected.
