De Niro

It got his usual 3/5 in Q but Uncut gave it a very good 7/10 and they are a lot more credible than Q these days :lol: The Sun gave it 4/5 today too. :lol:

Watch Late Late Show on RTE live here in 5 minutes. He is first on. http://rte.ie/live Graham Norton should be a good laugh. :lol:

It's a brilliant album. I wouldn't say it's similar to 'Escapology' like he had suggested a while back - it's very much the logical follow up to RKTVS and of all the albums is more similar to that than the others but it's much more commercial and has more 'big' songs and potential hits. Quick review. 1. Be A Boy - really strong opener - great lyrics, music, melody - like the Coldplay sound off this one. 9/10 2. Gospel - love this one - such a strong melody and some great hooks. A lot of work went into this one I bet - love the drum intro and it's got an excellent chorus. Very PSB and 80's but also a very modern sound to it. Love the last line too " Drink to you you always wished me. And those that won't - go f*** yourselves". 10/10 3. Candy - bubblegum pop. Meaningless, repetitive and annoying but it's selling by the truck load and is going to #1 and that was obviously it's intention. But I think it's one of his worst ever singles. 5/10 4. Different. - I think it is by far the best song Rob and Gary have written together. Like the follow up to 'Heart & I' in a way. Really classic Rob here lyrically and melody wise, and fair play to Gary - really good music on this one - live the opening and the acoustic parts. A really really good tune and a worthy second single - 9/10 5. Shit On The Radio - a bit throwaway but very catchy. Strong verses but I think the repetitive chorus let's it down a bit. Could have been better. 6/10 6. All That I Want - really strong song - possible single. Nice U2 vibe off it. 8/10 7. Hunting For You - love this one. Top lyrics and vocals here. Really rich melody and the music fits it so well. 9.5/10 8. Into The Silence - my fave on the album. An amazing track. So atmospheric and brilliantly produced. It's got that magical U2 sound to it and I am sure Jacknife Lee has a lot to do with that. Would be amazing live. 10/10 9. Hey Wow Yeah Yeah - classic rocking Rob here - lots of noise, guitars, shouting etc - parts are excellent but some of it gets a bit annoying. If any songs here is similar to Escapology it's this. Should be great live. 7.5/10 10. Not Like The Others - vintage Robbie here. Sounds like it was written with Guy Chambers.. 8.5/10 11. Losers - love this and the folky/Springsteen-esq sound to it. Only bad thing? It's a cover. It's a shame Rob didn't write it as the lyrics suit him so much.

Didn't think much of this in the snippet and only thought it was a good tune in the Dermot O'Leary acoustic performance but having heard the album version I think it is by far the best song Rob and Gary have written together. Like the follow up to 'Heart & I' in a way. Really classic Rob here lyrically and melody wise, and fair play to Gary - really good music on this one - live the opening and the acoustic parts. A really really good tune and a worthy second single :D

Happy belated Bday Tess :D

Cheers Jups :D

Rob looks pretty certain to score his first #1 in eight years on Sunday with 'Candy'. Still has a substantial lead after three days on Itunes. I am sure he is delighted. The album is probably going to be comfortably the fastest seller of 2012 with between 150-200K sold first week - maybe more but tbh album sales are extremely bad this year.

Really loving 'Into The Silence' - one of the best songs he has written in years. Verses on Shit on the radio are good but the repetitive chorus lets it down. Hopefully they play 'Gospel' tomorrow as it sounds like it may be my fave so far.

Here is 'Into The Silence and Shit On The Radio http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xuprxv_ro...the-crown_music http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xuq39h_sh...-williams_music

Be A Boy was played on Radio 2 today. It's a good tune. Listen back at about 1.55 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ng20r

Really enjoyed the performance. Was much better than the last big comeback performance from three years ago. Vocally he could have been better but it's an odd song to sing live due to how fast it is and he was moving around quite a bit. The part where he jumped on Louis was hilarious. We all know their history so they must have patched things up :lol: He said on twitter that Louis only gave him a fiver to do that :lol: The performance was very entertaining and fun. Lots going on on stage which was unusual for a Rob performance but it worked well. It's now #1 on Itunes and should stay there if he promotes during the week. Had a quick look on DS to read everyone slagging him as it's always a good laugh - was amused the sheer amount of people who said he was really fat and had piled on the pounds considering he's said himself he's never been in better shape. :lol:

It sounds good but not amazing. Certainly doesn't sound like every song could be a single. Alot ofsynthpop/RKTVS style. Doesn't really sound like Escapology like he had previously stated. Into The Silence sounds great though. Really like Gospel too. Both should be singles.

Tried to watch some of it last night but it is just so appalling this year. Rob came across well in the clips I saw. Hopefully he gives a really strong performance tonight. I'd like to see another song sung on the Xtra Factor too.

Looks like 'Candy' could well be his first number one in eight years - it's zooming up the charts and is #7 already. After tonight's performance it should easily get to #1 although whether it can stay there through the week is a different matter. Graham Norton on Friday will be good promo and hopefully he has more lined up for during the week.

That acoustic version of Candy is so much better. Really enjoyed it, thanks Tess :D 'Different' sounds good too - not sure about it being second single material though.

It is now #7 on the UK Airplay charts but still not on any playlist for Radio 1. I have barely heard it at all in Ireland. He really needed to come back with something huge - I really hope the second single is much better.

I haven't pre ordered it either :lol: Waiting to see something else to add it my order on Amazon in order to get over £25 so I get free delivery. Leaning towards the Boardwalk Empire Season 1 blu ray.

Google Chrome is far faster than IE imo. I gave up on IE as I was sick of how slow it was. Evening btw - just back from seeing Brad Pitt's new film 'Killing Them Softly' - enjoyed it but was expecting more. 7/10 :smoke:

It must be a bit depressing for him to still, after all of these years not have another huge UK male pop star to compete with him. The sheer amount that have come and gone over the past 15 years is amazing.

I sincerely hope the Saturday November 24th gig is broadcast on the telly. ITV right after the XF would be amazing promotion. It would make no sense to play to 60,000 people over three nights in the O2 and not have one live on TV. Hopefully Universal are a lot better with this sort of thing than EMI. Another thing they should do is announce the 2013 Stadium Tour that week and have tickets go on sale the following monday. The setlist is looking excellent. Great to see some tracks from the last three albums there - Tripping and Bodies not being ignored either. Odd to see him include Never Forget - perhaps the lads will join him one of the nights? And finishing with what I assume is Slade's Merry Xmas Everyone will be fantastic. :D It would be INSANE not to put this live on primetime TV - and it should also be released on DVD for Xmas.

Well done to Rob and Ayda. He really cut it close didn't he? Only two days after his last gig. I doubt we will hear much from him now until late October when the single is out. I bet he is ecstatic tonight :D

Well they did say that those who applied for these 4 gigs would be the first to be notified about future dates. Maybe there will be a pre-sale type thing again? Either way I am expecting a tour announcement sometime in November - probably very soon after he plays the O2 in London which will hopefully be broadcast on TV.

Hmm- nice to hear a rockier tune with guitars etc instead of something written with a bloody laptop like Candy - but it is way too repetitive. I am getting a bit worried about the new album. He said 'Candy' has been the obvious first single for over a year now and claims that this song won't even be a single (thank god) implying it is good enough to be. It will be such a shame if this album is a let down after Rob finally regaining his interest and ambition after years of not really caring about his solo career, not to mention him being back to his best as a live performer.

It hasn't been A, B or C listed on Radio 1 or 2 on the week of release which is not good but obviously getting lots of plays elsewhere to get to #11. Bodies was A Listed straight away on Radio 1. 3 years on is Rob now 'too old' for R1? I had hoped now he has left EMI and gone to Universal - we wouldn't have to tolerate incompatence with regard to releases - but I fail to see how it makes any sense to release a song to radio SEVEN weeks before it's released. It is an insanely stupid idea. It should've been released on radio 2 weeks before the release date - followed by loads of promo and there would be a strong chance of his 7th #1. Strike while the iron is hot etc.. I remember complaining about Bodies being premiered a month before it's release being too early - this is 3 weeks longer.

My review of the gig. :dance: We arrived and sadly were up in the gods :lol: This would'nt have mattered as much if it weren't for the fact there were no screens up for the gig. The O2 isn't THAT big but we were a good bit back and therefor we could see Rob but not his face or the band up close which was dissapointing. I understand it was a stripped back show but I think the O2 themselves should have had screens up. The gig was simply amazing though. The best I've seen him live in a long time - probably since Landsdown Road eleven years ago. From the minute he strolled onto the stage to the end when he raised his fist in the air while walking off stage - it was vintage Rob. It really did seem like he was in his 20's again. The amount of energy he had was quite something. He was constantly on the move - bouncing, doing his 'dad dancing' as he called it. :lol: The start of the gig consisted of the band singing parts of 'Phoenix From The Flames' (especially the 'can you feel it' part) and then Rob came on and belted out LMEY like it was the late 90's all over again. Gone was the the awkward stiff and reserved performances from around the RKTVS promo. This was the old Robbie back. Even if you compare LMEY from the BRITS in 2010, where you could tell he was uncomfortable and nervous - whereas now he is back to the super confident showman full of energy. The crowd were bouncing and everyone in the stands were on their feet. Straight into Lazy Days which was so great to hear live again after so long. Just one of the many songs in the set I never expected to hear live again. Karma Killer in particular was incredible. Never thought he would be doing that one again but it worked so well. I couldn't imagine the more reserved Rob from 09 doing it again but the 2012 Rob is back to his rock star persona and more like the frontman of a band than a pop star. It really was epic live, as was Old Before I Die with Rob adding in 'google says i'm gay' :lol: Then came a few stories and Rob talking about the phone in his pocket and asking if he should go if Ayda calls before launching into The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go'. Took me right back to Slane which is probably the last time he did this one. Got everyone bouncing and it was fantastic. The first half of the show was full of rockier anthems that really had the crowd on their feet throughout. After each song ended people started sitting down but were quickly back up once another big anthem started. Monsoon really got the crowd going with all 15,000 waving their hands to the epic chorus. It really is one of the best live tunes he has and is so perfect in a big live setting. Once he started Rock DJ the place went ape shit - the atmosphere was really electric. Adding in a minute or so of 'Freedom' was a great idea and something different. Really strange hearing him do that one after years of trying to pretend he had never covered it. I suppose George Michael's Olympics performance of it inspired this choice. After nine upbeat tunes he finally slowed things down with The Road To Mandalay which is wonderful live and one of the highlights. Eternity went down very well too and he sang both songs really well which I was surprised at seeing as he had been jumping around so much - I thought he'd be out of breath but he is obviously in really good shape right now. Come Undone followed - probably my fave Robbie song and the crowd loved every minute of it and sang every word back to him. Lots of banter with the crowd with him looking at all the flags from around the world. He collected Minstrals and pringles from fans which was hilarious. She's The One and Feel were huge big singalongs as usual. Hot Fudge made a very welcome return - it truly is a superb pop record and I firmly believe had it been a single would've been a #1. It was fantastic live and it really felt like a huge party during the performance. If ever there was a song that should've been a single it is this. Candy followed and sounded good live - most people stayed on their feet and there was lots of highly amusing dance moves going on by members of the crowd. It's a catchy pop song but when put up right next to Hot Fudge and Kids (which was really great live too) - it just doesn't stand up. When it comes to big upbeat pop anthems - Rob worked so well with Guy Chambers and Candy is just lacking that bit of magic. Seeing as he seem to really want a big huge hit and is very ambitious for the first time in years - it would've been perfect time to reunite with Guy? Afterall the fast majority of the songs he is singing are from that era - nothing from IC, Rudebox or RKTVS - which was sad to see. It was very annoying when he said during Monsoon's "i''ve sung some songs that were lame - like Rudebox and Bodies" - fair enough with regard to Rudebox but Bodies is an epic tune and a song that is leagues above Candy on every level in my view. It's a very credible tune - the music and production in particular, whereas Candy is just a throwaway pop song. The encore kicked off with one of my all times faves - the title track from his debut 'Life Thru A Lens'. Epic tune live, so many great lyrics and Rob nailed it. Angels was the usual massive singalong and is always special live. Losers ended the show and was very impressive. Reminds me of a Bruce song at certain stages - Rob sings it really well and the lyrics are fantastic. Rob started the chorus to Angels again with all of us finishing it off for him as he and the band left the stage. It truly was an epic concert. A dream setlist full of the old classics that I never thought I would hear him do live again. Even thought I was far back and would've preferred to have been standing - it was still very special to see him in a small venue (by his standards). Surprised he left out No Regrets and Supreme - and also Millenium and Strong seeing as it was the older tunes he was focusing on. It would've nice to have heard a B-side. And also a few tunes from the past decade would've been welcome (Tripping, Radio, Make Me Pure, A Place To Crash, Bodies etc would've gone down very well) but it was an amazing setlist and gig. It was so great with just him and the band. No special effects, big production etc. It was a raw and stripped back gig. The majority of pop acts would've been awful in this setting as most rely on a 'show' - but Rob is unique as a pop star and as I said is more like a great frontman. He doesn't need any help as he has the ability to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand like few other performers - past and especially present. The atmosphere was incredible. I've been to ALOT of gigs in the O2 - most where I was standing but quite a few sitting too and never have I seen a performer who had everyone up on their feet for nearly the full gig of just under 2 hours. There was lots of bouncing going on too especially in the first half which was great to see. The Ole Ole chants towards the end was very special, especially when Rob mentioned that some of the new members in the band had never heard that before and asked the crowd to do it again. It was deafening stuff. :lol: He said the Irish remain the best crowd in the world for gigs followed by Scotland and Argentina. It was great to hear on the way out everyone going on about how great he was and even looking at twitter feeds - it was universally praised. He really did put on a vintage Robbie performance and made up for any mistakes from 6 years ago and then some. Here is the proper setlist (not the false one doing the rounds) Phoenix From The Flames - Band Intro LMEY Lazy Days Let Love By Your Energy Karma Killer Should I Stay Or Should I Go Old Before I Die Monsoon Rock DJ Freedom Mandalay Eternity Come Undone She's The One Feel Hot Fudge Candy Kids Encore Life Thru A Lens Angels Losers Roll on next summer for the inevitable big stadium tour - a return to Croke Park or maybe The Aviva Stadium (formerly Landsdown Rd). Took hardly any pics as I was too far back and my phone's camera isn't great but here is one which shows how far back I was :lol: Took a few vids which I will post but the ones on youtube are far better and really show how great it was. http://i49.tinypic.com/ebebzd.jpg