Robbie Williams: Britpop

By Eoghan Lyng

Exiled from Take That in 1995, Robbie Williams re-emerged with the raucous Life Thru a Lens, a record that spearheaded a career based on attitude, sneer and infectious choruses. Follow-up albums I’ve Been Expecting You and Sing When You’re Winning carried this style forward, only for Williams to dabble into such genres as swing and electro pop. Take That reunited without him in 2005, proving there was still an appetite for that polished pop sheen; wisely, the singer has returned to this genre on Britpop. No, it’s not subtle, but Williams never was, and arguably never should be.

Britpop starts with guns firing, vocals charged by the presence of Black Sabbath mainstay Tony Iommi. Much of this milquetoast homage to 1970s heavy metal stems from the singer’s obvious adoration of the time period, and “Rocket” soars. “Bite Your Tongue” embraces Noel Gallagher’s bolshy approach to melody writing; Definitely Maybe was an unending, internecine project celebrating the follies of youth. “Bite Your Tongue” doesn’t match Gallagher’s infectious chaos, although he really makes a go for it. “Morrissey” — a synth-coated tune co-written with Take That pianist Gary Barlow — sounds defiantly English, as a loveless character apes the love he was denied by his demure cultural heritage.

Past Williams albums were dependent on the skills of their producers – Reality Killed the Video Star, guided by Trevor Horn of The Buggles fame, is one striking example – yet Britpop feels like the work of a man fully in control of his destiny. Aided by a chamber orchestra, “The Drugs Stop Working” demonstrates just how well Williams can sing when he pushes himself past the point of privilege and comfort. Conceptually, the singer’s 13th album celebrates the decade in which he emerged as one fifth of a boyband, and later a master of his own craft, so it wouldn’t be too much of a wild guess to say The Verve’s “The Drugs Don’t Work” influenced the tune. “Pocket Rocket” samples some of the words from

“Rocket”, embracing a slow vocal style that closed out Suede’s opus Dog Man Star. “Pretty Face”, a misstep in terms of sonics, finds Williams struggling to be heard over the torrent of guitars and bass. Lyrically, “Spies” is dreadful; nobody expects Blood on the Tracks from the popstar, but lines like “the angels breathing ashes” and “praying that tomorrow won’t come” are the type of dreck a high-schooler might pen with his garage band,

For the most part, Britpop finds the singer in formidable, fiery and occasionally self-effacing form. “Cocky” playfully mocks the arrogance the singer projected during the 1990s. Credit to the singer-songwriter, Williams admits to his wrongdoings; “Cocky” can be interpreted as a mea culpa to the comments Williams made about Barlow before the latter regained his footing with the rebooted Take That. “All My Life” returns to the well that inspired the likes of Oasis and Suede in the first place: John Lennon. Setting word-salads to a rock beat, the erstwhile Take That bandmate excoriates and celebrates the mania that fueled his career. Williams even goes as far as to mimic the Beatles’ rhythm guitarist on the middle eighth, proclaiming identity above everything else in life.

Britpop tries to recapture the ebullience of Life Thru a Lens, and while he doesn’t match it, the result is an album that is worthy of a comparison to the ramshackle debut. Williams hasn’t sounded so spontaneous in over a decade, possibly two, and a reunion with Barlow and Take That now sounds like an ultimate backstep. Williams doesn’t need a hotshot producer or four other singers to seem vital. He just needs to be true to himself.

Robbie Williams: Britpop - Spectrum Culture

The ZINE album has not yet arrived , so much for the postal system

I am glad that I purchased it though as a very kind lady called Lauren Park who is a member of on RW Fanfest FB page has posted pictures of the entire booklet that comes with the album, it looks amazing so huge thanks to Lauren for sharing * also thanks to RW Fanfest

Below is the link to Laurens FB post & page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/610534775652165/user/681255474/?__cft__[0]=AZZ4FgiG0ros5JdAVf8HVCKL38ciSGk9eZwGiXKvWf2h7P8O74wZLJqzcXrekTUwwKIgzK0fV4Y2QmwhJpS0yZfLnpKiTbAI5JX5N2a2gl-cHJZhBwhuRl44BmRP0UxDPnvF1-ZsuhE4eKKbeJa0s11wFdsqaVWhVmmPyz40ccI-qMcdEUruBajcbsWxKyxoIQVcajyBPme4grjA8X7BvmxO&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R

RW Fanfest link - RWFANFEST | Facebook

Edited Saturday at 10:533 days by Sydney11