Said i would start this off as yesterday evening while doing some ca;s for college i had the take that album playing in the backround and probably listened to it in full 3 times in a row and bioy have my opinoins changed, leaving the flood aside which i adore my favourites had kidz, sos and happy now but i also had a keen liking for underground machine. While i did enjoy most of the other songs my faves have now changed. I absolutly have falling in love with eight letters and really would love it as a single although i dont know if others would agree with that and what do you want from me has totally grown on me its just so catchy and mark and garys voices suit both songs so well.

 

 

WHAT are your opinions on individual songs and in particular the 2 mentioned above?

Said i would start this off as yesterday evening while doing some ca;s for college i had the take that album playing in the backround and probably listened to it in full 3 times in a row and bioy have my opinoins changed, leaving the flood aside which i adore my favourites had kidz, sos and happy now but i also had a keen liking for underground machine. While i did enjoy most of the other songs my faves have now changed. I absolutly have falling in love with eight letters and really would love it as a single although i dont know if others would agree with that and what do you want from me has totally grown on me its just so catchy and mark and garys voices suit both songs so well.

WHAT are your opinions on individual songs and in particular the 2 mentioned above?

 

 

I think Eight Letters is a great song, lyrics mean something and his voice on the track is faultless. I'd love it to be a single but I doubt Eight Letters would make top 40 simply because of the poor performance of Kidz ( which I believe is the second strongest single on Progress after The Flood)

 

My favourites are the first 5 tracks on the album along with Eight Letters. Affirmation is the weakest song.

 

 

 

First i have to say that i haven't bought the album, so my opinion is based on youtube and radio (i buy albums only if i like at least half of it). I like Kidz, SOS and Pretty things the most. The flood is ok, i don't mind to hear it, but i don't have to have it, if you know what i mean. Affirmation is the weakest song (oh why does howard get always the boring song of the album..). For me 8 letters is not in the same sound class with the other songs, it sounds just odd and out of the place and only as a bow to the conservative fans ... It is not bad, but is not brilliant either, it is filling and no single material (but i thought that also about Said it all).

 

I would have liked "What ...." if it had a rock sound and not an electric one. Electric sound doesn't suit it.

 

All in one, while i like electric sound, i like a more puristic and vintage one, a la Depeche Mode. TT songs are too much in orchestration. Lesser would have been better.

 

 

I like affirmation but it suffers from been sandwiched between what do you want from me and eight letters, the waekest track for me is wait. What do you want from me as a very similar sound to a group called melody club( they were a support act for kylie on the original showgirl tour)

 

I agree about garys vocal been faultless on eight letters and also agree that eight letters is lind of out of context in comparison to the sound of the other songs on the album but at the same time im glad its there as its one of the strongest for me.

Oh this album hasnt exactly been plain sailing for me tbh. I like the songs, they're good songs. But I somehow see this as completely separate to Take That. It's just not them (for me). Im the sucker for the euphoric anthems, Rule The World, Greatest Day, Hold Up A Light etc. I just can't seem to 'love' this album and if I was being quite frank, it leaves me cold.

 

I'm quite intrigued as there are quite a few males on this forum. Is this more of a male album? Does it appeal to males more than females? I don't know either way tbh, but I have noticed more males ready to admit their liking of this album than any others.

Oh this album hasnt exactly been plain sailing for me tbh. I like the songs, they're good songs. But I somehow see this as completely separate to Take That. It's just not them (for me). Im the sucker for the euphoric anthems, Rule The World, Greatest Day, Hold Up A Light etc. I just can't seem to 'love' this album and if I was being quite frank, it leaves me cold.

 

I'm quite intrigued as there are quite a few males on this forum. Is this more of a male album? Does it appeal to males more than females? I don't know either way tbh, but I have noticed more males ready to admit their liking of this album than any others.

 

It's definitely different, and almost feels like a different band to the one that made The Circus. Certainly I've never heard Gary sing in a lower register than he does on Love Love. But I definitely prefer it to The Circus overall, there seem to be many more standout tracks imo. Still don't like it as much as Beautiful World but that was a truly excellent comeback album.

I like the song a lot more now. Obviously it isn't up there with Patience, Shine or Rule The World - but what is?

 

I honestly couldn't make out if they were miming tonight on the NMA's - I hate to say that it certainly looked like it ... and I'm getting weary of them miming as much as they do on televised programs. I mean - I know they won't do it in the concerts (I'm not certain of that anymore though) but they don't do themselves any favours by miming - when they've proven time and time again that they don't need to.

 

What the hell kind of trousers was Howard wearing?

 

Kath

I think Love Love should've been on the album instead of Affirmation :thinking:

It's definitely different, and almost feels like a different band to the one that made The Circus. Certainly I've never heard Gary sing in a lower register than he does on Love Love. But I definitely prefer it to The Circus overall, there seem to be many more standout tracks imo. Still don't like it as much as Beautiful World but that was a truly excellent comeback album.

 

That's interesting, I didn't think BW would appeal to males at all, but then I guess you have Shine, Rule The World (Tour Edition) etc. It is a brilliant album. I do love The Circus though, possibly because of my fond memories of the tour.

 

I agree Kathy, Love Love is no RTW or Shine, but it definitely has grown on me ...in an instant! :lol:

 

So does this mean we'll get a Tour Edition of Progress with Love Love included, much like they did for Beautiful World? They have said they've been writing again

That's interesting, I didn't think BW would appeal to males at all, but then I guess you have Shine, Rule The World (Tour Edition) etc. It is a brilliant album. I do love The Circus though, possibly because of my fond memories of the tour.

 

I agree Kathy, Love Love is no RTW or Shine, but it definitely has grown on me ...in an instant! :lol:

 

So does this mean we'll get a Tour Edition of Progress with Love Love included, much like they did for Beautiful World? They have said they've been writing again

 

Why's that? :huh:

For me, The Circus was the direction i wanted TT to go. I loved it as a unity but also for Hold up a light and Up all night and also 2 other. Progress let me cold, really. I can appreciate that they move on, they try new things, but it does not involve me emotionally or intelectually like The Circus did (i still love to hear the album to hear new tidbits of orchestration).

Why's that? :huh:

 

I don't really know, just a feeling. Maybe because out of the 3 albums I feel it's the closest to their 90's stuff (Back For Good etc)

 

 

For me, The Circus was the direction i wanted TT to go. I loved it as a unity but also for Hold up a light and Up all night and also 2 other. Progress let me cold, really. I can appreciate that they move on, they try new things, but it does not involve me emotionally or intelectually like The Circus did (i still love to hear the album to hear new tidbits of orchestration).

 

That's exactly how I feel.

 

Progress for me, ironically didn't feel like the natural progression for Take That. I felt that Howard and Jason were just on the brink of coming into their own, and it seems to have been overshadowed somewhat.

 

I'll be honest, I don't like the new dynamic of the band, it now feels unbalanced, in the non-insane sense of the word...i think! :lol:

Before Robbie, it felt balanced and prefessional I guess.

 

I'm not going to get shot for saying that am i? :unsure:

For all its faults - Progress is better than The Circus. Sure - it doesn't have ANY stand-out tracks - like UAN or Said It All - but as a WHOLE - its a better album. The Circus was a bit of a mess for me (even though it spawned the most fantastic tour ... which I doubt the Progress Tour will match up to.) And to be honest - Howard is one person who should feel very fulfilled with the direction in which Progress has gone - given his 'techno' DJ'ing qualities (and preferences).

 

Ria - did it look to you like they were miming - it did to me.

 

Kath

For all its faults - Progress is better than The Circus. Sure - it doesn't have ANY stand-out tracks - like UAN or Said It All - but as a WHOLE - its a better album. The Circus was a bit of a mess for me (even though it spawned the most fantastic tour ... which I doubt the Progress Tour will match up to.) And to be honest - Howard is one person who should feel very fulfilled with the direction in which Progress has gone - given his 'techno' DJ'ing qualities (and preferences).

 

Ria - did it look to you like they were miming - it did to me.

 

Kath

 

I guess it's the difference of having all songs on the album to an OK standard or having an album where some are absolute stunners, timeless classics! Its all down to preference at the end of the day. But I see what you're saying Progress is a much more unified album, but then does that mean that they all sound a bit samey?

 

Regarding Howard- Yeah but then Gary had already written alot of the bac tracks, how much input did Howard have really? We only saw the occasional clips on LBDS, and the fact that he felt he had to push harder to have an input, isnt great in my opinion.

 

Plus, Jason having a hidden track??? Whats that all about! I remember being at the o2 for BW tour and a group of lads singing (albeit drunkenly!) along to Wooden Boat, that was fantastic to see (no really, it was!) And the emotion he felt when singing How Did It Come To This....that was fantastic to see. I just can't see the same being true of Flowerbed. But maybe I'll be proved wrong. It's not the first time, and thats just today!

 

The miming- It never occured to me actually! I'll have to go back and have a look, it sounded live to me, I can usually spot a mime a mile off unless its been recorded again to sound live, so that it doesnt sound finished. I really hope not, but if they did maybe theres a reason. I cant imagine its just sheer laziness.

is there any reason why Progress is top 20 in the midweeks and 16 in the iTunes charts at the moment? im pleasantly suprised that it's started to climb again! amazing how it is still performing strongly 6 months down the line with the Progressed EP just a couple of weeks away..

 

 

I guess it's because the tour kicks off in 2 days time.

Im surprised its holding up so well in the album chart as with the deluxe coming out so soon i was sure sales for progress would plummet until then.

Im surprised its holding up so well in the album chart as with the deluxe coming out so soon i was sure sales for progress would plummet until then.

 

 

yeah same here, i mean they cant be too far away from around 2.1million now before the tour has even kicked off and before Progressed is released. I'd love it to go number 1 when its released and maintain strong sales throughout the tour..

 

 

Ya im hoping progressed can go number 1 aswell and i think its stands a good chance of doing so, its also not overly priced which is also a bonus. Progress will be near enough to the 2.1 million so i would be delighted if progressed could manage 900,-000 bringing its total to 3 million.

 

I know that may be a bit far fetched and it might not sell half that amount but i live in hope, im still quiote disapointed by the chart performance of love love thus far and i cant see it improviing a whole deal either unfortunatly.

Progress is up to number 9 in the album charts (sales between 15k-26k)

 

Love Love re enters at number 40