Everything posted by dylandog
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Bond Bug your right, there must have been a sea change in people' s perception of Take That. Gone for 10 years but they returned will excellent sales that continued on for the next two albums and a seemingly loyal fan base. Yes, album sales have fallen and yes Jay's leaving will have had an impact, but it's difficult not to conclude that the financial issue has seriously impacted on their sales and the public's perception of them. I would have bet anything that they would have secured 1 million plus sales in the UK with this album as their 90's albums sold around the million mark. Gary profile in particular has taken a bashing and their mistake was not addressing the issue immediately. They waited far too long to deal with it and the media had a field day and drag the issue up even now. We will never know the true damage caused by the tax matter, but it's fair to say that there has to be some explanation for the considerable drop in their sales and I simply don't believe it's down to their music output alone.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
It's a pity that Get Ready for It has to be the second single but I guess it's tied in with the film. To generate sales they needed to release one of the stronger songs off the album - so I think they've missed an opportunity to kick start the album again. I am surprised that These Days has held up so well - although sales are still significantly lower than The Flood. I personally wouldn't have chosen These Days as the lead single. Although catchy it is a throw away type of song - not sure which song I would have released first but it wouldn't have been that one. At this point it looks like sales of SISYL are going to be stronger than lll - who would have predicted that a year ago!!
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
There's no doubt that' a poor outcome. If the album can't hold up now it will drop significantly in January and sales will be really low. I still can't get my head around the low sales for this album. The sales drop from previous albums is massive and they've undoubtedly seen a real drop in their popularity. I've said it before but it's such a shame because the album deserves much, much better. Who would have predicted that Olly Murs and One Direction would out sell Take That through December. and older albums such as Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran would see such a resurgence in their sales. Although the loss of Jason will have been factored it I don't think the record company would have predicted such a significant drop in their album sales and I don't think the lads will have either. I think they would have predicted around the million mark given the general drop in album sales, loss of Jay etc, but no way would they have expected sales struggling to reach 500,000. It's been mentioned they may release another album next December. If their sales drop further next year I think they'll consider their future and finish with a final tour in 2016/17 and a release of a greatest hits album.
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Gary Barlow writing new song for Colin Firth Spy Movie
I can't see it being a bit hit, not even a moderate one, although I would love to be proved wrong. It's nowhere near the quality of Rule the World in my opinion and I would be surprised if it has wide appeal. I think it's a song that sounds better live but as for being radio friendly I'm not so sure. The video for this could be pivotal for sales. If Colin Firth is involved it may generate interest which could boost sales. However, it's more likely clips from the film are interspersed throughout the video as Stardust was in the Rule the World video.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
A good position for These Days in my opinion. If sales hold up well and Get Ready For It is released in early Jan then they could have two singles in the Top 40. I thought that lll would be higher and make top 3 this week. Olly Murs album seems to be holding up very well and I think he benefitted from the TV special in the lead up to Christmas. At this point sales are more important that chart position as it's unlikely they'll go back to Number 1. Interested to know their sales for this week and how close they were to the top 3. I predicted that they would struggle to reach sales of 500,000 - 600,000 but I really hope I'm proved wrong. Amazing to think that their last 3 albums all reached sales of over 2 million and this album will probably not reach any where near a million - it deserves so much more.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
I'd forgotten about Don't Say Goodbye . That's a lovely song and would indeed have made a great single. Many TT songs are unknown outside of their core fan base and that's a shame because they have produced many fine B sides and songs which haven't been given a general release.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
I guess any Greatest Hits album will coincide with the anniversary which for some reason they have said is 2017? I reckon it will be a two disc compilation. They have such a back catalogue that it won't be difficult for them to fill a double side album. I would imagine all of the above would be on one side and less successful one's on the other. It will be interesting to see the set list for the forthcoming tour and how many songs from lll are included. I'm hoping they have a bit of confidence in it and include at least seven songs off it - although they'll probably stick with the tried and tested. I would also love to hear some of the lesser known songs off the BW album and some B sides such as Rocket Ship, but again I think that's wishful thinking.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Anyone know the sales figures for this week? I've also listened to the album over the past couple of days. I still love Higher Than Higher but there really isn't a song that I don't like. It is a shame sales aren't higher which means there will be a fair few people going to the tour who don't know the songs outside of These Days. Although Get Ready For It isn't my favourite by a long way Gary has said it would make a good opener for the tour, and I can see why. The songs off the album sound really , really strong live and TT are one of the few who's songs often sound stronger live. I think this tour may actually be a really good one. I've heard some people say that their sound is poor and missing Jay and Rob's voices. People forget that Mike and Milton in particular provide backing vocals which means the sound hasn't changed much at all. To me they sound just as strong as before and if anything you can hear Howard's voice much more. This era of TT may actually be the one where Howard shines and that would be a lovely and unexpected result of Jay leaving - although I still find it strange looking at just the three of them!!
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
lll is the only Take That album where I don't skip a track although I haven't listened to the three extra songs via Google. I absolutely love Higher Than Higher. Gary's voice sounds wonderful and it's just a relaxing song to listen to. It would be great if they put it out as a single - but I don't think they will. Flaws seems to be the ballad of choice by the band as they've sung it a couple of times now, but I don't believe it would have the general appeal of Higher Than Higher. Funnily enough this era is actually missing a more ballad type song and I think it would interest casual TT listeners as it's more in the vain of their earlier stuff. If you think about it Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith's albums are selling off the back of ballads so for TT not to release a ballad off their album would be strange. Expecting Get Ready for It be showcased at the Movie Awards if the timing is right in the same way Rule the World was. I think last week's sales are higher than I expected them to be but they will struggle to get anywhere near a million as there's always a considerable drop in January. If they could arrange another Audience with type show and sing a good selection of the songs off the album I really do think it would make a big difference to sales. These Days as much as it's catchy has been done to death now and they would be better performing one of the ballads off the album.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
I think the Take That vs Robbie discussion does need to be put to bed now. Everyone accepts Robbie is more successful - no one has contradicted this point. I will quickly respond to you, Kath regarding Gary, I simply cannot see arrogance, I really can't. I see someone who was cast aside by the music business and clawed his way back up. I see someone who is proud of what he and the boys have achieved with their comeback. I see someone who loves music and loves performing. I see a man who is desperate to remain relevant and takes any opportunity which comes his way. At no point do I recall Gary saying he is fantastic, the best song writer around etc, etc. The joy of watching Take That is the sheer joy they have in performing - it really is wonderful to see. Regarding lll - I think most of us would now accept that it hasn't been a massive success, but has done ok. Unless their is a resurgence in sales over the next month their sales will be modest at best. I really think it is an excellent album but I seem to be out on a limb with the critics who on the whole hate it. The songs sound great live and I genuinely think it's their best album since BW.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Gary was indeed responsible for the music for Progress and he and Robbie collaborated on The Flood. As far as I am aware Robbie doesn't write music but lyrics only. He is unquestionably far more popular than Take That around the world, but then again he never went away from the music scene for 10 years and promotes extensively, not just the UK. Popularity itself does not equate to quality, but music is, and always will be subjective. In my eyes Rob was very , very lucky that Angels came along when it did. His album wasn't doing particularly well and his career hadn't really taken off. He was fortunate that he was teamed with Guy Chambers on his first couple of albums as Chambers was instrumental in developing Rob's sound in the early days. I still maintain that Gary has battled against negative press in a way that Rob never has and he remains dignified in spite of it ; something I believe Rob could never do. As for the present, I wasn't that keen on Flaws as a track but my goodness it sounds wonderful live. In fact all of the newer tracks were much stronger live than I expected. Visually they looked great and very relaxed together. Those of us who are fans will perhaps have to accepted that TT's reign on the UK charts may have come to an end, but take some kind of solace in the fact that they are still producing music and still look and sound fantastic live. There are few pop acts with such enduring popularity and it does bear testament to their talent as songwriters and performers.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
I've just watched TT on red button and they were absolutely fantastic. The new songs sound brilliant live and the dynamic between the three of them is perfect. Whether you like Take That or not, they are undoubtedly a quality, quality live act. I loved the new take on The Flood ( well done Howard ) and the whole concert was unbelievably good. Yes, Gary was the lead singer (wish we could let this issue lie) but the sound was unmistakably the Take That sound with great harmonies. I bought a tour ticket somewhat hesitantly as I wasn't sure how they would sound live with just the three; but my concerns have been blow away tonight - they were superb !!
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Milly, I have to agree with you regarding Robbie's relationship with the media. Generally his reviews are consistently better than TT's and Gary's. Vocally Rob's voice is more powerful than Gary's but he is frequently out of tune; this is never pointed out by journalists and his performance skills carry him a long way. I also think if Gary had put out an album of essentially covers the papers would have pounced on this. A review of lll in the Telegraph by their music journalist , Neil McCormick, I think his name is, is indicative of the presses relationship with TT/Gary as every opportunity was taken to mention Rob. It was littered with references to Rob's influence on Progress and the far superior quality of it. The review also pitted lll against Rob's new album commenting on the quality of Rob's output- which I can't comment on as I've not listened to it. There is unquestionably a core group of journalists who appear to get some kind of kick out of pulling Gary down. Maybe it's to do with his affiliation with the Tories, although as far as I can tell, this amounts to Gary backing a music initiative of Cameron's. Whatever the reason Gary in particular is fair game and I think he knows it. I have to say that given the amount of abuse and stick he receives, whatever his failings are, Gary remains dignified with no sense of bitterness - and for that reason alone he deserves some credit.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Gary shouldn't shoulder any additional responsibility for the relatively poor showing of the album. They were all involved in the tax issue but with Gary's high profile and charity work he's been the one singled out. I assume all three decide on album song choices and the promotion campaign. I think they've made some late decisions due to the situation with Jason and I now wonder if they would have come back much earlier, but because of Jason's reluctance to commit delayed their return hoping he would have a change of heart. Regardless of the issues since Progress I am genuinely surprised at the extent of the down turn in their sales and wonder where their fan base went? Who would have thought that their lead single would do so well (comparatively) and the album relatively poorly. I thought they performed really well on X Factor and the quality of Rule the World shone through. I still maintain that if their lead single had been along the lines of Patience or RTW their sales would have been considerably higher. These Days whilst catchy doesn't have the enduring quality associated with a world class song and as a result the casual listener or fan hasn't been inclined to purchase the album. Just look at Sam Smith and Ed Sheeren - their singles were strong enough to draw people in and high album sales followed.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
The point I'm trying to make (perhaps not very clearly) is that if Gary is considered the strongest singer ( which many people do) then naturally he would take the lead vocal in more songs. It doesn't mean he's hogging the limelight or that it's the Gary Barlow show. It's based on who is the most vocally talented and most suited to the song. Mark is an interesting character. He's a talented song writer and performer but I personally find his voice difficult to listen to unless it's the right song. His vocals for Shine are spot on and better than Gary's but I still maintain that Mark is vocally limited and needs the right kind of song otherwise his voice can sound quite harsh. Equally, Howards vocals on Never Forget are great and Gary' rendition of the song is nowhere as strong. We have no evidence that this time around Gary insists on taking lead vocal - it could simply be that the strongest singer has the greater input. If you remember Progress was more Mark and Robbie influenced and Gary took far more of a back seat - this doesn't suggest someone hell bent on controlling all aspects of the group. As for Robbie, I firmly believe he would have left Take That even if he'd been given equal footing vocally - he isn't, and never has been a team player, and if anyone hogs the limelight then it's undoubtedly Robbie.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Look, I'm certainly not blind to Gary's faults but to call him arrogant is grossly unfair. There is no evidence to suggest any such thing. On stage he doesn't attempt to hog the stage, he has never stated how great he is and to my knowledge he hasn't boasted that he's written all of the songs since their return. We're not privy to decisions about who should be lead singer on the singles or album tracks so we can't say that Gary demands first billing. Whilst Mark and Howard have their own fan base, love Howard myself, if you asked the general public I have no doubt an overwhelming majority would state that Gary has the best voice. In which case why would they sideline their strongest singer, it makes no sense. I think the balance is right on the album, perhaps Howard should have had one more song but generally it works well. The more I think about it the more I believe that the tax avoidance is a defining issue . Gary displayed some degree of arrogance in assuming their fan base was so strong that it wouldn't impact on sales - which has proved to be anything but. I don't think that TT have actually produced a world class song since Rule the World - they've produced good quality work but nothing outstanding. What they desperately need is another Patience or RTW to appeal more to the general public in the UK.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Milly, I agree. Despite the poor reviews I absolutely love lll and for me it's considerably better than Progress and in my view better than Circus. I'm interested to see what songs they've included for the Radio 2 show, my guess is the older songs still take precedence. It would have been really helpful to have had another 'An Audience With' type of show which would have given them scope to include other songs from the album. I saw their performance at the BBC Music Awards and as ever it was strong but I wish they'd stop dancing and wearing those awful suits as it really dates them. In comparison their performance on Graham Norton was far more natural and organic and all the better for it.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Always think that TT's promotion is never quite right. They've sung These Days on the X Factor, Grahame Norton and I think they sing it on the up coming Strictly show. In my view they've really they missed an opportunity to show case other songs from the album and performing These Days once again isn't likely to kick start album sales. I am truly baffled by some of the choices they make. They never seem to have enough faith in their new material and always fall back on their back catalogue. They should have taken a gamble and gone for a new song off the album because at this point I don't think they have anything to lose. Love lll and it's a shame it hasn't been embraced by the public.
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New Album 'III', lead single 'These Days'
Hi, first time poster but I've enjoyed reading people's opinions for some time. I had a gut feeling that this period would be difficult for the band and so it's turned out. Whilst it's been an achievement to reach No 1 in the chart the bottom line is sales figures, and I have to agree with Elisabeth - it's been a really poor campaign. Progress , BW and Circus sold in incredible numbers in their first 4 weeks -lll doesn't look like it's going to get close. I think the record company and the lads will be very disappointed with the sales figures and I don't think they expected them to be so poor (by TT standards). Unless sales pick up quickly they will be lucky to reach 500,000 -6000,000 which constitutes a massive drop. What makes it even stranger is the huge ticket sales for the tour, yet to date people haven't bought the album in great numbers. One has to ask why? Jason departure was obviously a blow and the length of time between albums is probably a contributory factor. However I do think the tax issue has influenced the public's view of TT and as much as I love the band I think they underestimated the importance of their reputations and relied too heavily on their faithful fan base to see them through . The press has used every opportunity to raise the tax issue and the reviews for lll have largely been awful. TT should have swallowed their pride much earlier and apologized which would have diluted some of the criticism at least. I also think the musical direction they've chosen has been a factor. Many people bought Progress but disliked the musical direction it took, as did I. lll is more of a fusion of BW, Circus and Progress and I actually love it, but for many casual music buyers it's too far removed from the BW album. I think it's a shame as in my view it's their best work since BW and the songs will sound fantastic live. TT tours will always sell well because they are a renowned live act, however there is no disputing the fact that TT are seeing a considerable decline in their album sales which may represent a permanent and unexpected decline in their popularity.