album review
Album: The Circus
Band: Take That
One of the many side effects of growing up in the ‘90s was the affinity one developed for cheesy music, primarily as a result of the constant exposure to boy bands, which were manufactured pop groups clinically proven to make teenage girls fall in love with them and consequently shift bucket-loads of records. The craze, however, faded with the ‘90s, and was eventually replaced by other teen fodder and atrocious pop produce that can largely be blamed on Disney (at least that would help to explain why it sounds like children’s music gone wrong). What became of the boy bands? Most of them disappeared into the murky waters of anonymity. Others tried solo careers, and when that went south they attempted reunions with varying degrees of failure. There is one boy band, however, that has actually managed to pull off an immensely successful comeback: Take That.
At the peak of their success, Take That were selling millions of records, thanks in part to the fact that the group possessed everything expected of a boy band: they had the requisite vocal ability (Gary Barlow), looks (Mark Owen), attitude (Robbie Williams), and (break)dance moves (Howard Donald and Jason Orange), and also because as far as pop music goes, they weren’t half bad. They dominated the charts during the first half of the ‘90s and were described as “the most successful British band since The Beatles in the UK”. But then came the end: Robbie’s departure from the group in 1995 led to the remaining foursome’s decision to part ways the following year. While Robbie’s solo career skyrocketed after the break up, the other four failed to find success, which would explain the subsequently decision of the quartet to re-band in 2005. Trigger nostalgia, and what you get is a ridiculously successful UK tour powered by the enthusiasm of their now-grown-up fans. This was followed by the comeback album ‘Beautiful World’, which ended up being a huge success not only because of the nostalgia the group evoked, but also because it really was a decent pop record.
And so, with a successful comeback to their credit, the band has now released The Circus, their second offering since the reunion (fifth studio album overall), and the band’s fans once again proved they still love Gaz and co. by making The Circus one of the fastest selling albums in UK history and sent the album straight to number 1, proving that good old-fashioned pop music can still do the trick.
The album kicks off with the uplifting The Garden, a power-pop epic à la Rule The World, which sees the band members sharing vocals, as does most of the album, in fact – a marked difference from the pre-break up Take That releases which usually saw Gary as the frontman. Mark reprises his jaunty style in the Shine reminiscent Hello and the delightful Up All Night; and with Gary on lead vocals, the first single Greatest Day aspires to be the new Patience. The Howard-fronted What Is Love offers more cheesy goodness, and the somewhat angsty How Did It Come To This sees Jason lamenting the condition of the world, and is surprisingly catchy despite its inclusion of words like “schizophrenic” and “compartmentalizing”. Amid the blissful harmonies, the songs reveal the solid songwriting talent of Gary Barlow; the post-reunion Take That material as well as the songs he’s written for other artists like Delta Goodrem, Lara Fabian, and even Geraldine McQueen (Peter Kay) have been a brilliant showcase of his ability to put together epic ballads/massive pop anthems, not to say that this album comes off as a one-man show; anything but. The quartet are all credited as writers, while the songs nicely display their individual personalities.
All in all, The Circus exhibits what has been Take That’s biggest strength and success: keeping it simple. The current music landscape so often sees pop pretending to be rock or urban or alternative, but the triumph of Take That comes in the ease with which they deliver their tunes with a jaunty, fun persona that offers an almost Beatles-esque catchiness. Even if you aren’t a fan, you’ll have to admit that Take That’s comeback has been immensely successful and surprisingly respectable. And yes, their music may be all kinds of cheesy, but it IS pop music; it’s not going to change the world or bring about world peace, but ultimately, the band sound like they’re having fun, and thanks to them, so are their fans, and isn’t that what pop music is all about anyway?
- By Sameen Amer
Ink Quarterly, May '09
Album: The Circus
Band: Take That
One of the many side effects of growing up in the ‘90s was the affinity one developed for cheesy music, primarily as a result of the constant exposure to boy bands, which were manufactured pop groups clinically proven to make teenage girls fall in love with them and consequently shift bucket-loads of records. The craze, however, faded with the ‘90s, and was eventually replaced by other teen fodder and atrocious pop produce that can largely be blamed on Disney (at least that would help to explain why it sounds like children’s music gone wrong). What became of the boy bands? Most of them disappeared into the murky waters of anonymity. Others tried solo careers, and when that went south they attempted reunions with varying degrees of failure. There is one boy band, however, that has actually managed to pull off an immensely successful comeback: Take That.
At the peak of their success, Take That were selling millions of records, thanks in part to the fact that the group possessed everything expected of a boy band: they had the requisite vocal ability (Gary Barlow), looks (Mark Owen), attitude (Robbie Williams), and (break)dance moves (Howard Donald and Jason Orange), and also because as far as pop music goes, they weren’t half bad. They dominated the charts during the first half of the ‘90s and were described as “the most successful British band since The Beatles in the UK”. But then came the end: Robbie’s departure from the group in 1995 led to the remaining foursome’s decision to part ways the following year. While Robbie’s solo career skyrocketed after the break up, the other four failed to find success, which would explain the subsequently decision of the quartet to re-band in 2005. Trigger nostalgia, and what you get is a ridiculously successful UK tour powered by the enthusiasm of their now-grown-up fans. This was followed by the comeback album ‘Beautiful World’, which ended up being a huge success not only because of the nostalgia the group evoked, but also because it really was a decent pop record.
And so, with a successful comeback to their credit, the band has now released The Circus, their second offering since the reunion (fifth studio album overall), and the band’s fans once again proved they still love Gaz and co. by making The Circus one of the fastest selling albums in UK history and sent the album straight to number 1, proving that good old-fashioned pop music can still do the trick.
The album kicks off with the uplifting The Garden, a power-pop epic à la Rule The World, which sees the band members sharing vocals, as does most of the album, in fact – a marked difference from the pre-break up Take That releases which usually saw Gary as the frontman. Mark reprises his jaunty style in the Shine reminiscent Hello and the delightful Up All Night; and with Gary on lead vocals, the first single Greatest Day aspires to be the new Patience. The Howard-fronted What Is Love offers more cheesy goodness, and the somewhat angsty How Did It Come To This sees Jason lamenting the condition of the world, and is surprisingly catchy despite its inclusion of words like “schizophrenic” and “compartmentalizing”. Amid the blissful harmonies, the songs reveal the solid songwriting talent of Gary Barlow; the post-reunion Take That material as well as the songs he’s written for other artists like Delta Goodrem, Lara Fabian, and even Geraldine McQueen (Peter Kay) have been a brilliant showcase of his ability to put together epic ballads/massive pop anthems, not to say that this album comes off as a one-man show; anything but. The quartet are all credited as writers, while the songs nicely display their individual personalities.
All in all, The Circus exhibits what has been Take That’s biggest strength and success: keeping it simple. The current music landscape so often sees pop pretending to be rock or urban or alternative, but the triumph of Take That comes in the ease with which they deliver their tunes with a jaunty, fun persona that offers an almost Beatles-esque catchiness. Even if you aren’t a fan, you’ll have to admit that Take That’s comeback has been immensely successful and surprisingly respectable. And yes, their music may be all kinds of cheesy, but it IS pop music; it’s not going to change the world or bring about world peace, but ultimately, the band sound like they’re having fun, and thanks to them, so are their fans, and isn’t that what pop music is all about anyway?
- By Sameen Amer
Ink Quarterly, May '09
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