Kathryn24601

It sounds as though they’ve been putting finishing touches on the album in Switzerland recently - so who knows, maybe the album will surprise-drop following the documentary?

Rob said it’ll be out ‘next year’ in that interview he did recently for the UAE gig. He also said it’s ‘genius’ - so that is hopeful!

Thanks for confirming that I’m not totally crazy! When I read those claims in the book I thought they couldn’t possibly be accurate, because the claimed sales figure for Angels worldwide was 1.2 million. If Forever Love had sold more than that worldwide it would surely have left more of a mark on public consciousness than it did? I know worldwide sales are notoriously difficult to track accurately though!

I doubt an American tour would work - too expensive, and frankly too strenuous and time consuming given the distances involved and everyone’s family commitments. . Vegas residency is much more likely - there’s enough international tourism that they don’t just have to rely on Americans of a certain age remembering their one hit there, they and the set don’t have to travel every few days, and the families can come out and stay with them. Frankly I think what happens with Robbie’s projects will have a big impact on their options. If his documentary and biopic do well enough internationally for the noise to attract attention in North America, then inevitably it’ll jog memories of Back for Good and Take That there too. A rising tide lifts all boats, and 90s nostalgia is creating a wave right now. Obviously Greatest Days The Film didn’t have the desired impact - it didn’t go wider than existing fanbase. Edit to add: Westlife’s sell out North American tour is of theatres - highest capacity is 6k. The type of show Take That like to do would not be economical at that size of venue; they’d have to be looking to push into much bigger venues eventually to want to do it as an investment. I just don’t think they are bothered enough by the American market at this stage of their lives to want to do it.

Is it possible to get total worldwide sales figures for Gary? I know he has sold over a million albums in the U.K. now. In My Take he says that both Forever Love the single and Open Road the album sold 2 million copies, which seems so unlikely given their U.K. certifications and lack of certification anywhere else.

I don’t think it’s because Jay had a big influence on the sound though, I think they’re both symptoms of the same thing. Much of the comeback was driven creatively by having a point to prove and ghosts to lay to rest. For Jay that point was about the band as a 5-piece, and the part he had played in Robbie leaving, for Gary (though also a lot for Mark, who had been dropped twice as a solo artist) it was about the quality and nature of their songwriting. Post-Progress, post Robbie-reunion, there were no more real demons to slay and the driving creative force evaporated. They retreated to safe blandness with only occasionally flashes of inspiration. There is no doubt that Gary is still the driving creative force in the band, despite them officially writing as a unit. And he was always a bit inconsistent and very reliant on excellent producers to keep him current. Those 90s Take That albums have a handful of brilliant songs and a LOT of filler. Some of the classic hits aren’t that impressive on the albums and owe their success to a remix for the single release. And he ran out of inspiration as a solo artist pretty quick. When he’s hot, he’s brilliant; when he’s not hot he is distinctly middle-aged and bland - and always was. For all that he says he doesn’t want to repeat himself creatively, he needs other people involved to stretch him in truly new directions. This pattern is consistent across Take That’s output, his solo work, and his musical theatre work. And that’s fine - they’re a legacy act who sell plenty of tickets, new singles are only released for the tour publicity not because anyone is expecting sales.