dylandog

No word as yet- would be surprised if they did. That said it's all been quiet on the CIN front and little promo given that it's at the end of this month.

I heard it for the first time on Radio 2 late this afternoon but I haven't heard it much on any radio station. I really see no point in promoting it on Strictly. I've seen the video and whilst it's funny in parts I don't like that either! I guess as fans we'll never like everything they put out, but I have to say this release has been pants. On the plus side, and on a purely superficial level they all look good. :)

I would prefer them to sing something other than Hey Boy - so I hope they choose to do one of the other album tracks. Sorry for all of you who like Hey Boy, but the lyrics make me cringe. It's also far too late to alter the chart position for the single in any significant way. They must be aware by now that the public don't like it, in which case they may as well promote the album, as opposed to the single.

It doesn't look like there will be a CIN concert. A date for the release of tickets together with the actual date and venue would have been publicised by now and Gary would have been on TV promoting it. If it's not going ahead the only reason I can think of is the tax issue. On a more positive note - some good reviews from their concerts in Dubai. They seem to have gone down very well, which is lovely. Howard seemed genuinely surprised that the crowd was so big- quite a sweet response from him.

So do I. Think back to The Flood and Progress, the hype and anticipation was immense. Hard to believe that things could change so drastically in only 4 years -guess that's the music business for you! That said, I do think they've contributed to their dip in popularity. I wonder if Jay would still be here if they'd approached things differently? I'm of the opinion he was reluctant to have Rob back - but overruled. He didn't want the documentary to air = again overruled. The tax - poor advice and a short sighted approach which ultimately cost them their reputation - in the eyes of some at least. Poor strategic marketing and promotion, and lastly a musical direction too far removed from their initial sound.

I liked the single as well. I think it sold badly for all the reasons mentioned above. Whilst I liked it there were stronger songs off the album. As for Hey Boy, not releasing the video is crazy. Given it's poor showing in the charts I wonder if they'll actually bother to promo the video now?

Well, he made a far better job with Hello than he did with Hey Boy!! The two are like night and day in terms of quality.

That seems to happen quite a lot. The raw demo turns out to be better than the final product. BW had the balance about right but they used one producer, John Shanks for that. With Progress and lll multiple producers have been involved, which can make the overall sound rather messy.

I wish I could hear a bit of Carry Me Home - I'm intrigued now. Is it a balled or is it essentially the same sound as most of lll with an electronic slant to it?

Oh I agree. I don't think I could cope with them preforming the song live on TV again. The song is so cheesy and I'm astonished they all thought this would be an appropriate release. Their work has been largely mature and thoughtful up until now, but Hey Boy is frankly, dire. I listened to BW yesterday and what a joy it was to listen to it from start to finish.

Surprised you don't like Hello, more. The production quality is fantastic, although I see what you mean about the chorus as she does seem to strain her voice in this section of the song. Adele's lower range is much better than her high range, and normally she stays within her limits. Have to take issue with one thing Ellizabeth said: Progress tour doesn't hold a candle to the Circus tour. A small number of people may favour Progress, but for most people who saw both there's no comparison. The Circus was just about the most perfect example of a pop concert you could wish to see. There was also no comparison in terms of atmosphere. The Progress show felt flat and disjointed but the atmosphere at Circus was astonishing and the end section with RTW actually reduced me to tears, it really was that good!

You're right, but there's something quite sad about seeing them move into this stage of their career. I do think if they'd produced another RTW or Patience then the outcome would have been more positive. I have no doubt they'll continue - but they will become more irrelevant and this makes success that bit harder. Gary is as busy as ever will his move into musical theatre and it'll be interesting to see how FN and The Girls Musical are received in the UK. For Mark and Howard the future is less bright. Mark will always produce music but Howard has never worked as a solo artist. In my view the one who's profited the most is Rob - his comeback was certainly kicked started by his return to TT. As I've said before - a canny move on his part.

I've heard Adele's song so many times today. I have to say it's a corker. Brilliantly produced and crystal clear vocals. She's delivered an evocative song which is trademark Adele. I wish TT had put as much quality into their recent work. For the first time I'm beginning to accept that this may well be the start of the terminal decline of TT. I never thought that after the Progress era their popularity would decline to such a degree and radio stations would turn their backs on them to such an extent. They survived the loss of Rob first time around and came back stronger. Who would have thought the loss of Jay, often considered the least relevant of all the band members, could possibly be a defining factor in their decline. If not Jay, then the only explanation can be their poor musical output.

I listen to the radio a lot and I've hardly heard Hey Boy played. Radio 2 is often on and I've heard 1D's new single played a number of times. You would thing that Radio 1 would have the monopoly on 1D, but it appears that R2 are happy to playlist them as well. This single release has been an unmitigated disaster- still no video as far as I'm aware. Really, what is the point of filming one if it's not released at the same time as the single? Read somewhere that Adele's album is released on 20 November - if true, TT have absolutely no chance of No1. First time their album release wont reach the top since their comeback.

Obviously none of us are privy to what goes on behind the scenes but the last documentary did give us a window into the band's workings. Jay was clearly hands off in terms of the production and song writing , but he was definitely not afraid to give his opinion on the sound. I had the impression that Gary was very aware of his previous reputation for controlling the musical side and as a counter balance was keen for Mark in particular to take centre stage. As for Hey Boy, we will never know who had the most input. Like Milly, having listened to it a number of times I'm not averse to the music, but the lyrics are simply dreadful, cringe worthy and infantile. I would be very surprised if Gary was the principal force for Hey Boy and I'm wondering why Mark and Howard's names are against the new songs? Unfortunately, I think sales for the album will be very, very low because why would anyone buy the album again when there are only 4 new songs, one of which doesn't instill confidence in the new output? The DVD may turn out to be the saving grace and keep sales respectable. Milly is also right regarding Gary's approach to music. He is a populist through and through. Experimentation and critical acclaim is secondary to his need for hard sales - of that I have no doubt. I remember Gary saying some time ago that the next album would possibly be more akin to BW/Circus or acoustic in focus, but for some reason this doesn't appear to have materialised.

My son heard Hey Boy on the radio for the first time. Initially he didn't realise it was TT, he then said it sounds like an old record and he's right it does sound rather dated. I might alienate some of the fan base by saying this but I wonder if Howard/Mark have had far more input on the sound than previously? The recent music doesn't have Gary's trademark sound, particularly his latest solo work and music for FN. I may be way off the mark here, but I they need someone who can be objective, stand back and give them an honest appraisal of their work. As I said before, maybe that was Jay's role in the band and without him they are rudderless?

Although I don't like the single it is frustrating because they have released some good songs which haven't charted well. I am now beginning to wonder if sales are quite low for the re-booted album?

I wouldn't hold your breath. If they had a coherent marketing strategy they would have released the video the same time as the single and lined up various TV appearances last week. I don't think radio interviews have the same impact. Even if TV is lined up it's far too late , the damage has been done. They are in danger of losing radio air time if they keep producing singles which don't chart well. Radio stations pick up on artists with declining sales and it then gets harder and harder to retain a play list spot.

Milly, I've also just heard a brief section of Adele's single and she obviously knows her fan base well. She hasn't moved away from her original sound. The rest of her album may be more experimental but this is classical Adele. Take That have tried to be clever and strayed too far from their traditional sound. They thought they could continually experiment but it doesn't work. Most people like a familiarity to their music- something they can identify with and certainly not an homage to the electronic sound of the 80's/90's. Do you happen to know where I can find Carry Me Home? I can see it's one of the four new tracks but I can't find out where I can hear a segment. I think they will be disappointed and surprised with the chart position for this single, I really do.

Thanks Iamstrong. I suppose the difference is Love Love came off the back of an almost 2 million selling album at the time, whereas Hey Boy has come off the back of much smaller album sales. It appears this single is causing a lot of discussion on forums, with people very divided about it.

Good to see that the album is holding up well - however, their sales are seeing a devastating decline from 2011, even accounting for the down turn in the single and album charts. I genuinely think they've alienated a large section of the buying public with their sound of late. Their strategy has been naïve and their marketing and promotion dire. Single releases are important to the overall marketing strategy. A well produced and well crafted single would have resulted in far greater album sales for the re-released lll. If Hey Boy is the best they can come up with then it doesn't bode well for the new tracks on the album. Does anyone think that Sam Smith or Ed Sheeran would have achieved such high album sales if their singles hadn't grabbed the buying public into taking a chance on their albums? Can anyone confirm if this will be their first single since their comeback not to reach no 1 or 2 in the charts. By this I mean a new single pending an album release ? Patience, Greatest Day , The Flood and These Days reached 1 or 2 in the singles chart as far as I can recall.

Cat, I know what you're saying but I don't think it deserves to be a hit because in my view it has little musical merit. I know artists achieve popularity off the back of poor material and music itself is subjective, but I really do think this is a poor effort from TT. It's so over produced it's difficult to hear their voices. The fact the live version sounds significantly better is testament to this. As a fan I try to adopt a critical approach and I don't necessary love or even like what they produce simply because of who they are. They're starting to go in a musical direction which I can't reconcile with and hence there's a part of me which would accept this single flopping if it leads to a re -evaluation of their musical direction and a return to a classical pop sound.

It sounds far, far better live . Their voices are much clearer. One dodgy part but a vast improvement on the recorded version. That said, it's still a weak song. Gary's vocal range is still impressive.

Oh, the new tracks don't appear too promising from what you've said, but I'll try and remain optimistic. I now find myself preferring Gary's solo stuff much more than TT's output - didn't think that would happen!

As a fan part of me can't believe I'm saying this, but I wouldn't be disappointed if it flops -because to be perfectly honest it doesn't deserve to be a hit. Can you imagine people aged 30 plus buying this, or thinking that sounds great I'll buy the album! TT have seen the success of Adele, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith and they think this electronic 80's sound is what the public want? Milly is right - Gary's voice has been wonderful in recent times and his musical output for FN has been mature and classically pop, in the vein of BW. This complete u turn in terms of their musical output is perplexing to say the least. This direction is completely and utterly wrong and it won't garner new support and could well lead to a further down turn in their popularity. I won't be downloading the single but I will buy the package because I want the DVD and I hold out some hope that the other three tracks will be an improvement on Hey Boy. I wonder if Jay was their sound boarding and without his critical ear they've lost direction? For Howard to say he's so excited for this new single beggars belief. Oh, how I long for songs like Butterfly, Rule the World, Said It All and Patience.