The only silver lining to Hey Boy flopping is that they might have to return to the BW/Circus era

If the music for The Girls is as beautiful as the one for Finding Neverland, I swear I'll swim to UK and strangle Gary personally for OK-ing Hey Boy :P

How can the same person who wrote the lyrics for The World Turned Upside Down, for instance, sing now "Hey boy, don't leave me on the phone"? Even so, I'm still sad to see the single flopping. But maybe, like Jay and dylandog said, this will force the boys to reconsider their moves and return to the music that made fans fall in love with them.

I remember Gary in "Open Book" saying that, if one day, he'd be feeling like experimenting with music and write jazz, for example, he'd do it for himself, but he would not put it out for fans, because artists have to be considerate with what the fans want and find a middle ground. Now it would be a good moment for him and the other boys to take this advice. Even if they feel like moving forward with their music and keeping up with the trends, they should also remember that they're doing this for the fans and the fans want a certain sound.

My son heard Hey Boy on the radio for the first time. Initially he didn't realise it was TT, he then said it sounds like an old record and he's right it does sound rather dated.

 

I might alienate some of the fan base by saying this but I wonder if Howard/Mark have had far more input on the sound than previously? The recent music doesn't have Gary's trademark sound, particularly his latest solo work and music for FN. I may be way off the mark here, but I they need someone who can be objective, stand back and give them an honest appraisal of their work. As I said before, maybe that was Jay's role in the band and without him they are rudderless?

Very good point and I must say, I thought the same.

 

Jay was always seen as the quality check, he would be the critic. We saw that in LBDS.

 

I think this is a Mark and Howard led sound. Howard himself tweeted the day before that he was the most excited he had been about any song they had released recently. Lyrics and sound very Mark. I struggle to hear Gary's input in this song.

 

 

Obviously none of us are privy to what goes on behind the scenes but the last documentary did give us a window into the band's workings. Jay was clearly hands off in terms of the production and song writing , but he was definitely not afraid to give his opinion on the sound.

 

I had the impression that Gary was very aware of his previous reputation for controlling the musical side and as a counter balance was keen for Mark in particular to take centre stage. As for Hey Boy, we will never know who had the most input. Like Milly, having listened to it a number of times I'm not averse to the music, but the lyrics are simply dreadful, cringe worthy and infantile.

 

I would be very surprised if Gary was the principal force for Hey Boy and I'm wondering why Mark and Howard's names are against the new songs? Unfortunately, I think sales for the album will be very, very low because why would anyone buy the album again when there are only 4 new songs, one of which doesn't instill confidence in the new output? The DVD may turn out to be the saving grace and keep sales respectable.

 

Milly is also right regarding Gary's approach to music. He is a populist through and through. Experimentation and critical acclaim is secondary to his need for hard sales - of that I have no doubt. I remember Gary saying some time ago that the next album would possibly be more akin to BW/Circus or acoustic in focus, but for some reason this doesn't appear to have materialised.

I guess it all depends on what comes first in the writing process. I think they said These Days was the first song they got which shaped the record. I'm sure Patience for instance shaped the BW album.

 

Do we know if the DVD is available separately? Or if there's a Blu Ray version?

I don't think you can buy the dvd separately. Anyway, I imagine it would be at the same price as it is now with the audio cd.

 

Hey Boy has been A-listed by Radio 2 and it continues to be on Capital's playlist. Let's see if increased airplay can help the song a bit.

The DVD as part of the album release may not include everything. A DVD of the full concert could receive a later and separate release. If the DVD that goes with the album is a full concert, i can not see a separate DVD release for the tour.

Hey Boy has completely dropped.

It is going to chart low officially today :cry:

We could compare how many times Perfect has been played on the radio to Hey Boy's airtime. Hey Boy has, at best, been played 3 times/day by Capital, whereas Perfect has been played at least 8-9 times/day. There's a huge difference.

http://comparemyradio.com/tracks/One_Direction/Perfect

http://comparemyradio.com/tracks/Take_That/Hey_Boy

Justin Bieber is getting played over 30 times/day: http://comparemyradio.com/tracks/Justin_Bi...hat_Do_You_Mean

 

When you make these comparisons, you realize how little radio support TT are getting lately and it's coming only from 2-3 stations.

#56 in the UK.

I listen to the radio a lot and I've hardly heard Hey Boy played. Radio 2 is often on and I've heard 1D's new single played a number of times. You would thing that Radio 1 would have the monopoly on 1D, but it appears that R2 are happy to playlist them as well.

This single release has been an unmitigated disaster- still no video as far as I'm aware. Really, what is the point of filming one if it's not released at the same time as the single?

Read somewhere that Adele's album is released on 20 November - if true, TT have absolutely no chance of No1. First time their album release wont reach the top since their comeback.

 

 

With the way things have turned out i wasn't expecting or believing the repackage of the album would reach number 1. Top 10 would be wonderful and top 5 would be excellent. Adele will be huge and will be the best selling of the year without doubt.

Technically, the album has already gone to number 1 so won't be counted as a separate album that's missing out on the top spot. Each studio album they've released since 1994 has gone #1.

 

It's similar to the BW re release that went to #3 I think. It will be classed as a return to the charts.

I've heard Adele's song so many times today. I have to say it's a corker. Brilliantly produced and crystal clear vocals. She's delivered an evocative song which is trademark Adele. I wish TT had put as much quality into their recent work.

 

For the first time I'm beginning to accept that this may well be the start of the terminal decline of TT. I never thought that after the Progress era their popularity would decline to such a degree and radio stations would turn their backs on them to such an extent.

 

They survived the loss of Rob first time around and came back stronger. Who would have thought the loss of Jay, often considered the least relevant of all the band members, could possibly be a defining factor in their decline. If not Jay, then the only explanation can be their poor musical output.

Nothing lasts forever, they did incredibly well to remain relevant for eight years after the comeback but nobody can sustain such a high level of success forever.

 

I think it's a combination of factors at play - Jason leaving at the same time as Robbie departing again, the tax scandal and music that people probably don't want from them (they came back in a big way because of an 'adult pop' sound that resonated very well with the public, I doubt they'd have been half as big again if they'd returned with an electro pop song instead of Patience). Add to that declining airplay and TV support as they head well into their 40s (sadly many of the major radio stations are clearly ageist), and it all adds up to a very unsurprising situation.

 

They're still a very successful band, and garner success bands that have been around 25 years would kill to have, but in terms of singles chart success, short of another Rule The World popping up, I think that's it for them now. They'll still do well with albums and tours though I think if they stay together for years to come.

You're right, but there's something quite sad about seeing them move into this stage of their career. I do think if they'd produced another RTW or Patience then the outcome would have been more positive. I have no doubt they'll continue - but they will become more irrelevant and this makes success that bit harder.

Gary is as busy as ever will his move into musical theatre and it'll be interesting to see how FN and The Girls Musical are received in the UK. For Mark and Howard the future is less bright. Mark will always produce music but Howard has never worked as a solo artist.

In my view the one who's profited the most is Rob - his comeback was certainly kicked started by his return to TT. As I've said before - a canny move on his part.

Nothing lasts forever, they did incredibly well to remain relevant for eight years after the comeback but nobody can sustain such a high level of success forever.

 

I think it's a combination of factors at play - Jason leaving at the same time as Robbie departing again, the tax scandal and music that people probably don't want from them (they came back in a big way because of an 'adult pop' sound that resonated very well with the public, I doubt they'd have been half as big again if they'd returned with an electro pop song instead of Patience). Add to that declining airplay and TV support as they head well into their 40s (sadly many of the major radio stations are clearly ageist), and it all adds up to a very unsurprising situation.

 

They're still a very successful band, and garner success bands that have been around 25 years would kill to have, but in terms of singles chart success, short of another Rule The World popping up, I think that's it for them now. They'll still do well with albums and tours though I think if they stay together for years to come.

 

 

Extremely well said,I agree with everything but wudnt rule some few and far single success,these days hit number 1 only a year ago and has sold over 400,000 copies.

I have not been a TT fan but a Robbie fan and that only since 2006. But I remember when I heard Patience and saw the video that I liked it a lot. It was a huge success not only in the UK. I am no fan of their overproduced shows that reminded more of a musical than a concert with too many gimmicks. But this is a personal taste which I share with many of fellow not UK residents. This is the reason why the Circus didn't charted well anywhere else and the true reason they did not bring a smaller production to Europe. Progress was incredible. The Flood (sung by Rob) is one of the songs that I love most. It gives me quivers.

TT had a balance as 5 piece, they even had a balance as 4 piece. But sometimes you have to decide when to stop and best on a height. I don't think that they would have sold more albums even with a strong ballad. I don't think that Robbie will seel more than them when he releases his album next year either no matter how good it is. He has a huge advantage though for these tours as 80,00 people flog in for him in Barcelona, Holland, Bucarest, Israel and now in Australia they kiss his feet. TT can only tour the UK successful. I am wondering where they want to go and how small the venues will be when they only sell the tickets badly in their second biggest market of the past like Germany.

Gary is a strong song writer. But he is also a smart man. He knows that the time of the band as a 3 piece will expire and concentrates on the musicals which seem to be successful. I can see him as a new ALW. TT will be a hobby. So he left the writing to Mark and Howard who want to be current I guess. That may be the reason they are credited as writers.

I don't think that the tax problem had a huge influence. who loves TT will buy the single and album anyway.

How could people who are in any kind of scandal otherwise sell a lot of records (Chris Brown etc).

Ot will be interesting to see how they will plan their next steps. But they will reinvent themselves, I am sure