Escapology [PA] - Robbie Williams > Reviews > TAKE THAT!! Robbie

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	One hit and lots of B-sides
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Successful Artist
Disadvantages:	Just Dislike Him

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Introducing Robbie Williams may sound pretty pointless as the huge majority of us already know who he is. However for those who either don’t know him or know him but choose not to pay attention, I’ve decided to fill you in with a bit of background information.

At a fairly young age of 33 Robbie Williams proven track record undoubtingly speaks for itself. His career frog-leaped at a tender age of 16 when he became a member of the successful boyband ‘Take That’ in 1990, selling approximately 25million records in a period of 5years certainly shows success. However in 1995 Williams decided that he needed to take this success and combine it with his ambition to pursue a solo career in the music industry. What a move it proved to be and since then, he has sold more albums in the UK than any other British solo artist in history. All-in-all he has been nominated for a Grammy and has won the singer/songwriter Brit Award on a number of occasions.
I’ve taken it upon myself to research just how many albums Williams has sold. Including both a member of take that and his solo career athe amount of single/albums/dvds etc exceeds 100million.

I’ve gone through my mums entire Robbie collection and found a few, I’m pretty sure it’s not the lot but I’l briefly explain the albums I’m in possession of, that way you’ll get a feel of what he’s about and the success etc.

‘Life Thru A Lens’
Moving on, Williams has had success with many singles/albums. His first ‘Life Thru A Lens’ felt the wrath of both the ups and downs of music. When the album was first released it failed to make an impact with the public and you would’ve probably found it lying on a sale wrack in most common music retailers (HMV etc). It wasn’t until the release of ‘Angels’ (my personal favourite) which boosted the sales of albums.

‘I’ve Been Expecting You’
His second album ‘I’ve been expecting you’ featured the world-wide successful songs; ‘Millenium’ which reached number one- knocking his fiances band All Saints off the top-spot, ‘No Regrets’ and ‘She’s the One’ and was one of the best selling albums in the UK at the time, the album also sold a few million copies in Europe.

‘The Ego Has Landed’
Following the huge success of his previous two solo albums, Williams moved to a different Record Label in an attempt to boost his career in America. ‘The Ego Has Landed’ wasn’t actually an album, instead it was a compilation of songs which consisted of a mixture of songs on his previous albums.

‘Sing When You’re Winning’
By now Williams had established himself as an international pop icon. I can just remember the video to ‘Rock DJ’ which showed himself ripping huge chunks of skin, flesh and muscle off his body. I’m not sure what this represented but it was pretty gory so it was censored on most channels. The album was a smash-hit worldwide.

‘Swing When You’re Winning’
Don’t worry I haven’t made a mistake here. This album is not directly associated with ‘Sing When You’re Winning’. Williams constantly told of his inspiration as a child, therefore you could say that he dedicated it to his role models. The album only had one original piece on it but also had the tracks; ‘Something Stupid’ featuring Nicole Kidman and ‘Beyond the Sea’.

‘Escapology’ (Subject Matter)
This album was criticized left, right and centre but fans and the odd critic portrayed it as a pop masterpiece. The track list is as follows;

1.‘How Peculiar’
2.‘Feel’
3.‘Something Beautiful’
4.‘Monsoon’
5.‘Sexed Up’
6.‘Love Somebody’
7.‘Revolution’
8."Handsome Man" – 3:54
9. ‘Come Undone’
10.‘Me and My Monkey’
11.‘Song 3’
12.‘Hot Fudge’
13.‘Cursed’
14.‘Nan's Song’

I still remember the day when my mum went out and bought it, it was tragic. Not the album the sound of my mums’ voice as she tried to pick up a few lines in each song (sounded like 12cats in a plastic bag being drowned). The album must have had the critics in shock when it hit number one in several countries, including the UK, Ireland and Germany.
The only song which really caught my attention was ‘Nan’s Song’. The song’s basically about his Grandma who died. The lyrical content of the song was pretty good for a pop singer and I felt that I could relate to it as I know how it feels, however it still wasn’t enough for me to start listening to his music on a regular basis and I doubt that’d ever happen.

Overall Robbie Williams is the most successful British solo artist ever and I find it impressive but why?? I apologise to you Take That/Robbie fans reading right now but I really don’t like his music, in fact I ask my mum and little sister (who have the lot) to turn the stereo either down or off when hearing him.
I admire the worldwide success he has encountered and I am proud to say he’s from the UK, I just can’t explain it, sorry. Maybe it’s because he isn’t actually a natural singer, I’m sure the majority of those reading will agree that he hasn’t exactly got the best singing voice, but then I’d be wrong in saying that he’s completely useless because he has got to be one of the best performers the world has seen. Some of his lyrics aren’t that bad eiteher. I find him to be one of those artists you say you don’t like but somehow you end up knowing the words.
He has explored different possiblities in the pop world and has reached mountain tops in terms of success but it is a well known fact that he’s certainly no role model. Children of this age look up to their idols and say to theirselves, I’m going to grow up like and be like him. The concept of having Williams as a role model would appear catastrophic. Earlier in his 17year career he had been addicted to drink and drugs and even admitted usage of heroin. Fair enough to the chap, he overcome this and climbed back to the top, but more recently he’s admitted to a caffeine addiction. I’m not sure how much he actuall consumes but he is supposed to get through around 30strong coffees, 60 cigarettes and a number of energy drinks like Red Bull, all in one day. I’m not sure whether he’s got tight deadlines but can definitely say he musn’t sleep that much. Hope the rehab goes well for him though (if he’s not already been).
Due to the fact i'm not a fan, i'd only recommend the album to fans, other people may possibly like it.