Gary gave an interview recently where he stated that nobody buys records any longer. Whilst generally he's correct, if the album/single connects with the public it will sell in vast quantities. It seems to me that TT may be resigned to much lower sales but will make their money from touring more frequently.

 

My problem with that is it moves a band into the realms of nostalgia. Bands end up playing their 'hits' from bygone times over and over again. Secondly it impacts on the atmosphere within an arena/stadium if the crowd isn't familiar with the new music included on the tour. This was apparent to some degree at the III tour, with the newer songs, with the exception of TD, received with less enthusiasm and audience participation. I also noticed it at the Progress tour (although sales were massive the album didn't connect with the public). In stark contrast the BW and Circus tours were very inclusive and in the main the crowd seemed to know all the songs which made for a wonderful atmosphere.

 

Firstly, I don't like Robbie's new song at all...and if the single is called Party Like a Russian, I wonder whether he's going down the same path as Rudebox.

 

I agree with the Q4 comments, TT and the label know that's the time to strike to ensure they maximise sales. I imagine Gary is probably working on some musical stuff, or maybe doing some programming or last minute harmonies. The album was nearly written in March according to the guys, so if anything it's adding finishing touches (maybe to the single mix).

 

XF wise, they need a slot. I think they'll get one, ITV are the boss, not Simon. They know TT will draw an audience, so I have no doubt they'll be there. I just hope they release to radio but stay away from on air/on sale. I agree that 6 weeks should be enough to drive preorders and hopefully streams. Top 10 should still be a target.

A top 10 result for the new single would be very satisfactory and it would be wonderful if it happens.

How times have changed. Only six years ago anything other than a No 1 or 2 would have been considered a poor result. Streaming has absolutely killed off many artists so far as the singles chart is concerned. The only chance they have, and it's a slim one at best, is to make it not just a download but an actual physical release with a b side. The chance of this is, however, extremely unlikely.

 

I still believe that they need a fantastically strong opening single. If they don't their album sales could stall at around 300,000. That would represent a staggering drop from 2006- 2010 figures and still well below those of III.

 

I'm not so sure they'll secure a XF slot, Jay. Simon really does have it in for Gary at the moment and whilst he's not the shows producer he still holds a lot of sway in terms of the show. I can well see a slot on Strictly but performances of that show don't seem to translate to sales in the way XF performances do.

Unfortunately, that's how things are at the moment. A top 10 hit would be a success for TT. Unless you're Taylor, Adele, Justin Bieber and a few select others, you have no chance of reaching no 1 in the 1st week of release. Ariana Grande is considered to be a hit with the young audience and her single, Side to Side, has been stalling at 6 on iTunes for some time now. James Arthur was no 1 or 2 on iTunes on the 1st week of his single release, but barely made top 10 in the official chart.

 

If TT manage to get a top 10 hit and a no 1 album, with good sales, I'll be more than happy.

 

Simon might not like Gary right now - well, he never did -, but, from what I know, Gary is really liked by the itv bosses (I bet they'd swap Simon in a second for Gary :P) and that may still count for something. I hope TT gets a slot on XF. I'm not sure a Strictly performance would help sales considerably.

 

Speaking of XF, it's really interesting to see how just one person can make such a big difference. Almost everyone thought that the panel with Gary, Nicole, Sharon and Louis worked and the judges had chemistry; now that Gary has been replaced by Simon, people have started saying that they don't like Nicole anymore (I always said that her likeability was linked to her banter with Gary), that Sharon is almost mute and doesn't interact with anyone (she was very lively and vocal when she was sitting next to Gary); not even the banter between Louis and Simon is that funny anymore. People may have disliked Gary on the show, but he's proving to have been an unifying factor and he set the tone of the show.

Sharon appeared to like Gary which was hugely strengthened by their mutual friendship with Elton John (who apparently is not a Simon Cowel fan). When Nicole first joined the show i was not so keen on her but she grew on me but i am thoroughly enjoying this year so far and would be my favorite judge from the existing panel. Gary indeed set the tone of the show and appeared to have great comodery with the contestants and judges and was a genuine mentor to the acts.

 

I too would be very satisfied with a top 10 single and a number 1 album. Ideally i would be thrilled if the new album can reach double platinum which is a reasonable target for them. Three would have made double platinum by now had the re-release not been the utter disaster that it was. The strength of the lead single is crucial for this era and ideally it will be a very strong ballad to kick things off.

 

 

Let's just hope the first single follows suit from their other post 2006 ones!

TT appearing at the CIN concert and scheduled to perform two songs. Gary has tweeted asking for requests. I'd go for RTW and WYBTFM. Can't see the latter being performed but RTW a possibility. It seems ages since they've performed on TV. Maybe this is the start of their promotional campaign.

Delighted that this is being revived, and in memory of Terry Wogan too.

 

I imagine it'll be the new single plus either an opening song (GD) or closing song (NF)

A new single with either Never Forget, Patience or the ever wonderful Rule the World.

No, sorry, but I simply cannot bear to hear one more time Patience, GD, NF, BFG, RTW, Shine or any of the other songs they've performed a zillion times.

They should just perform the new single and something they've never sung before. I'd be over the moon with WYBTFM.

Why on earth wouldn't they go for it, they have absolutely nothing to lose by performing something else than their usual stuff once in a while?

Yeah, I get you Milly, but with the new single they'll already be playing a song many won't have heard before. Would love to hear Carry Me Home...

I'm of the same mind as you , Milly. You know how much I love seeing them live but the same songs time and time again begins to grate. Chance is they will sing the new release but performing CMH or WYBTFM as well would give the public the opportunity to hear more of their new material. I think this is particularly important given that the last single was the dire HB. That said they'll probably take the cautious route and sing one old song and the new single.

I don't understand why they'd be so reticent of singing 2 unheard songs - they have nothing, absolutely nothing to lose. It's not like they're doing a 2 hours concert full of new songs. It's 10 minutes at most - the worst that can happen is that people don't really connect with the song and that's it. But considering how beautiful CMH and WYBTFM are, I see no reason for people not to enjoy them.

As much as I love their hits, I simply cannot hear them anymore; they've been done to death.

Whilst I may not be a fan of Rob, give him his due, at least he does introduce new material into his live shows. TT are far, far too cautious and I simply don't understand why they're so reluctant to perform new material. One only has to look at their back catalogue since BW to see how many songs have been discarded - the amount is staggering!!

Some very valid points, i just assumed it would be a big single they would perform. Carry Me Home would be lovely to see been performed and it may do them no harm to shake things up.

I don't particularly like Nigel MS, but the guy did a much better job at promoting TT and their music in the 90s than their current management is doing at the moment. At least Nigel wasn't afraid to take some risks - making them sing BFG for the 1st time at the Brits - and it usually paid off.

NMS has many faults (that's an understatement) but he certainly knew how to promote them and garner publicity. Their present management is very low key. Now that may be at the behest of the band, I'm not entirely sure. JW did a decent job in the 2006 - 2009 period. Rob's return was so hyped in 2010 that they didn't particularly require a cohesive PR/management strategy. Since that time the band has lost direction. We've all noticed the poor release campaigns and the shambolic timing of videos but it's difficult to know exactly what part PR/management has played in this.

 

I believe Gary took his eye off the ball. He may continually reiterate that TT comes first but after 2010 his other projects must have been very time consuming. I also think they should have recognised things weren't right with Jay much earlier. Many noticed his demeanour in 2010 and it was evident in the documentary which aired that there were issues. Something was wrong as far back as that - but they were too wrapped up in Rob's return to notice.

 

If they said they were touring and performing only B sides and album tracks I would be there like a shot because there are so many gems which deserve to be heard - sadly it's never going to happen :(

Kylie Minogue did the anti tour, songs that were not selected as singles from albums and also b sides, she performed at the smaller than her usual venues but the fans loved it. I think this would be a wonderful idea for Take That as they have so much materiel they could showcase.

 

NMS may have been good at promoting acts but that was in an era which promotion was so much easier to get. There isnt as many platforms any more, no smash hits magazine/poll winners party, Top of the Pops, CD uk and all the other various shows that were big in that era. I don't think NMS would be any better right now than their existing management and at the least there existing management could in no way be any any more cruel, cold or callous than Nms who by all accounts is a horrid man.

 

The promotion has been getting worse and worse, i believe Greatest Day was the last single promoted properly in a cohesive manner. Ever since then nothing seems to line up, it is almost like release the song, whoops better do a video oh crap did we forget to promote it, thats how i feel the singles are largely handled and i firmly believe some of the singles could have charted so much better had this been addressed. Sadly i dont think it will make an difference any more as outside a lead single i cant see them having much single success.

Pippa you are right about the changing face of pop. Many of the old avenues have indeed closed down, although I think NMS was right for TT at that time in their career. YouTube/Facebook etc have stepped in to fill the gap left by TOTP, teen magazines and Saturday shows.

 

I wasn't aware Kylie had undertaken a tour of this kind. I get the impression that TT underestimate their audience and believe if they don't bring out all the 'classics' fans will be left disappointed. As I've said previously there's only so many times one can listen to RLMF, BFG and so forth. They seem happy to experiment with their trademark sound when it comes to albums, but revert back to 'safe' options when it comes to touring - very strange.