Bond Bug

Yes, I agree Gary Barlow is still being greedy about his role in the band and he has been overexposed in an uncool way. However, I will always follow his career, hoping he creates some more great songs like Rule The World or Forever Love. That said, I think they will see diminishing returns from here, unless they somehow reinvent themselves. Gary Barlow will not sell as much on his next solo album. Ditto if Take That continue. They may not get to number one. I see the future like this - The next album will be a greatest hits album (I wouldn't rule out Robbie joining them on a new greatest hit promotional song, as it takes minimal commitment) and after that they will disband without officially saying so - they will say they are taking a break. Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams will see falling sales and popularity in their next releases. Gary Barlow will do a Ronan Keating and release a 30 years of hits solo album, using a lot of Take That material, plus solo material. However, as they become increasingly less relevant, at some point, maybe in a decade from now, they will come together for another Take That reunion.

The tax issue has put a lot of people off, such as Kath. I believe that they handled this extremely badly and are now paying the price, as I said they would in the thread about the tax evasion. They are getting what they deserve. It did not have to be this way if they dealt with the issue promptly and fully. Instead, Gary Barlow patronized many fans by saying they don't care. Another factor is to do with Gary Barlow. With all the promotion and TV specials for his album and also Sing, he has become too much of an establishment figure. Being a Tory boy and a Royal sycophant puts him back into a kind of Cliff Richard category of uncool. Take That are no longer cool again. Again, it is embarrassing for a lot of former fans to admit they like Take That, and most people know that Take That is now Gary Barlow and two backing singers. If the lead singer on the first single had been Mark Owen or Howard, I think it could have been different. They should have made a shift to show that all three were equal and had the same amount to contribute, but Gary Barlow's ego seems to have got in the way. I say this, by the way, as a huge Barlow fan. So, it is not surprising that total sales will be in a similar range to Gary Barlow's album. While their single did scrape into number one in the UK, it isn't anywhere near the same quality as some of their other lead singles. That said, I expect their second single to do reasonably well off the back of Kingsmen: The Secret Service. Overall, the material in this album is weak compared to their past efforts. I don't think they put their hearts into it, and I expect this may be their last studio album, or at least the last album for a long time. I will add that I don't buy the whole argument about album sales being low anyway. This album is falling down the charts quicker than their other other albums. They have a core support, but have lost a lot of their wider appeal. The only way they could have overcome that and all the negative was to have a killer single. It just did not happen.

After all the good news about the single, now to worry about the album! This does not look good: Itunes - album at number 46 https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes/charts/albums/ Amazon - album at 13 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/music/ AC/DC ahead in both instances

I hope so, but I am thinking that maybe they might go for another greatest hits album next. It will be 10 years since the last one next year and they will have had four number one albums and four number one singles since then. By they way, is it a bit strange that the album is only at number 15 on Amazon, a day before its release?

Just shows how unlucky they were not to get Rule the World to number 1. That song should have been a worldwide number one with good marketing.

Seems impossible now for Band Aid to hold onto number one. The math is working for Take That. This is extra special good news, because if this new album didn't become a big hit, the remaining trio may have decided to end it.

Agreed, in addition the second single could be HUGE, as it is linked to the promotion of a new movie that could get a lot of attention. Note that Colin Firth has been in some of the biggest all-time British movies, including Mama Mia, The King's Speech, Love Actually and two Bridget Jones movies. If Kingsman: The Secret Service does anything like the business of any of those movies, the second single will get a ton of exposure and maintain momentum for the album.

Number 1 on Amazon (at time of posting!) http://www.amazon.co.uk/III-Take-That/dp/B...mp;keywords=III Audio CD (1 Dec 2014) Number of Discs: 1 Label: Polydor ASIN: B00OA5W806 Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1 in Music (See Top 100 in Music) #1 in Music > Pop In fact, they are number 1 and number 2! This shows it better: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/mus...pd_dp_ts_m_h__1

Yay! Fantastic!

No way! It is happening this year! No way will they miss the Christmas market because Jason has left, that they already knew about.

Jason leaves and Take That advertise for a new dancer! This split could be worse. Imagine if Gary Barlow and Mark Owen left. That would leave Jason and Howard to carry on as Take That! I think most people won't care too much about Jason going. They will need more dancers though, just to make the transition from 4 or 5 to 3 feel smoother. They could use this opportunity for their new direction. I see some very hot female dancers in hot pants and maybe a few guy dancers too.

Geri Halliwell just needs to right song. This song would take Geri Halliwell back to number one!

Gary Barlow has revealed that he is writing music for new film Kingsman: The Secret Service. In an interview with Spitfire Audio, the Take That frontman discussed his previous involvement with movie music composition on Stardust and X-Men: First Class, adding that he is working on songs for Matthew Vaughn's upcoming spy thriller. He said: "My involvement in film work has been brief so far. For Stardust and X-Men we watched the movie and went away and wrote a song. We've just done it again last week for a new movie called Kingsman: The Secret Service. It's the best way of writing something specifically for a movie. Read more: http://www.digitalspy.com/music/news/a5835...y#ixzz37lAGmUgV

Sorry, just realized I am too late! Good to see Rule the World wins!

Take That & Party era 04 Do What U Like 05 Promises 06 Once You've Tasted Love 09 It Only Takes A Minute 05 I Found Heaven 10 A Million Love Songs 09 Could It Be Magic Everything Changes era 07 Why Can't I Wake Up With You 07 Pray 07 Relight My Fire (Ft Lulu) 10 Babe 08 Everything Changes 09 Love Ain't Here Anymore Nobody Else era 07 Sure 11 Back For Good 10 Never Forget Greatest Hits era 07 How Deep Is Your Love Beautiful World era 10 Patience 07 Shine 08 I'd Wait For Life 07 Reach Out 11 Rule The World The Circus era 10 Greatest Day 10 Up All Night 06 The Garden 06 Said It All Progress/Progressed era 10 The Flood 06 Kidz 06 Happy Now 07 Love Love 06 When We Were Young Solo Releases Gary Barlow Singles 11 Forever Love 10 Love Won't Wait 09 So Help Me Girl 10 Open Road 09 Stronger 05 For All That You Want 08 Shame (Ft Robbie Williams) 10 Sing 10 Let Me Go 07 Face To Face (Ft Elton John) 06 Since I Saw You Last Mark Owen Solo Singles 10 Child 07 Clementine 06 I Am What I Am 09 Four Minute Warning 05 Alone Without You 04 Makin' Out 05 Believe In The Boogie 06 Stars

The damage to Gary Barlow's career is already happening, right now. He could have got another number one with the Greatest Day football version. If that happened, you'd expect a boost in Take That and Gary Barlow sales too. We saw how he nearly got to number one after the documentary a month ago. That shows that publicity sells. But there will be no more special media treatment for Gary Barlow - no more Gary Barlow days on BBC, no more charity records, no more Children in Need Barlow events, no more generous airplay. And even on the interviews Take That do get, they will be asked about their taxes. He hasn't learned anything from the days the media ate him up. He has gone from a national treasure to a national disgrace, and he only has himself to blame. In other words, it is open season again for the media to attack him - and they will.

Why would anyone push the date around, unless it sucked? I don't believe they would release it until the World Cup started, unless, for example, it had some traction in airplay or became a Youtube hit.

Gary Barlow Football song axed. Direct result of tax dodging. As much a fan as I am, he deserved it. Gary Barlow has had plenty of time to publicly address the tax issue, but has decided not to. The price will be paid in damage to Take That and his solo career.

I don't think there is any evidence at all that this terrible publicity is boosting sales. His reputation has been seriously damaged. It will be harder to expect the BBC to treat him like a national treasure and give him elevated promotion. It has also opened up a new chapter where it is okay again for the media to attack Gary Barlow. If he does get on TV to promote Take That with the other offenders, they face questions or jokes about their tax dodging, and that is taking away the message about a new record. He dare not show his face again asking members of the public to give to charity. A lot of people will have lost a lot of respect for Gary Barlow in particular. I believe that will all have a damaging impact on sales. As a Gary Barlow fan, I am very disappointed. And although I like his music, if he thinks he can ride this out without addressing the issue, I think he will ultimately pay the price.

I was proposing the ideal PR approach.

Thank you Kath. I appreciate your good sense. And not to mention BBC radio play.

I agree, but he should hold a press conference with the other two Take Thaters involved and say that he's not good with money. He took advice. He thought he would be helping new artists. Developing new artists is something that has always been important through his career. He's not an accountant. He never intended to cheat taxes. He believes that people should pay taxes. He is very sorry for what has happened. He will be ensuring that his taxes are payed. The band will also be donating all proceeds from their new single in the Autumn to charity.

That's very unlikely, that Jason Orange is not making enough to pay taxes. Not everyone is going to have their money 'invested' offshore. It might well be that Jason was cautious enough or had the advice to keep his money in his own control.

I agree, but it's not bashing. This is the biggest Gary Barlow story story since the reformation of Take That. Is it too much to expect somebody in GB's position to pay their fair share of taxes? He has had a charmed life, largely thanks to the BBC that are paid for by our taxes. The Beeb has done more than any organization to promote him. I have never had a problem with that, but maybe I do now. Some fans may not care about him dodging taxes, others may be concerned that the bad publicity could ruin him or Take That, others may think he should pay his taxes. Whatever view is legitimate and not about bashing him.

I agree that is a disgusting thing for somebody to do, but this shows that this story is on fire. There is a contagion of anti-Barlow sweeping the nation. I do believe that unless he takes swift action his career will be seriously damaged. Don't expect Gary Barlow to be on the BBC as much, as they will face more criticism. Don't expect Gary Barlow to be on anymore telethons, as he will come across as a hypocrite asking for money when he owes millions. He may only have a short window to end this. We need a press conference with the Take That members who are involved in this scheme.