Take That: The Circus
Friday, 28 Nov 2008 11:02
Take That travel to The Circus with their second reunion album
Polydor, out December 1st.
In a nutshell...
The biggest boyband in the UK do it again.
What's it all about?
Twelve tracks (13 if you count the 'hidden' track at the end), which bounce along merrily. John Shanks returns to produce after having done such a good job on their previous effort Beautiful World.
Who's it by?
Take That. If you haven't heard of them, then you either don't care, or haven't seen any piece of media in the last ten or so years. In which case, why are you reading this?
As an example...
"Tonight this could be the greatest night of our lives/Let's make a new start/The future is ours to find/Can you see it, can you see it in my eyes?Can you feel it now, can you hold it in your arms tonight?" - Greatest Day
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Not the Grammys, no. Despite their UK success, Take That have never quite done it in the US. Brits, MTV EMAs, - any UK or European awards, then, yep, they'll definitely be there.
What the others say
"Big no-brainer choruses on Julie and Hello spell pop simplicity rather than sophistication. But they bring a fallible human quality to an album which is all about gilding their strong bond with their original fans.
"Take That were never going to be a big hit in hip circles, but these pop clowns maintain their place in the Big Top with a connection more lasting than tastemakers realise." – Mirror
"A stunning album, Take That are the vintage champagne of pop fizzing with playful bubbles and happily maturing with age." – Talia Kraines, bbc.co.uk
So is it any good?
Does it matter? I mean, am I likely to stop you buying this album? Take That have such a rabid fan base, that they could release 60 minutes of silence, and it'd still be lapped up.
I'm pleased to report that it is rather good, thankfully. Take That have been cleverly re-branded as a middle-aged "man-band", to quote the Mirror, with talent and passion for music, and skill to boot. The album kicks off with bombastic brilliance in The Garden and the recent single Greatest Day. The Circus continues the development, not only of Gary Barlow's brilliant songwriting, but of the band itself.
Jason gets in on the lead singing act with a fantastic turn in How Did It Come To This, a Beatles-esque number with the type of bouncing around seen in McCartney's heyday, and more recently taken on by the likes of Ben Folds. Even Howard gets a go at leading the band with the excellent, Barry Manilow-lite What Is Love – who knew that the two dancers could sing?
Much is made, even now, of the missing fifth member of Take That. Many see it as a matter of when and not if the mercurial Robbie Williams will be re-joining the band. I raised this question with a friend of mine, and her simple response was "why?". Why would a group as successful as Take That allow someone who dumped them and is now struggling back into their folds? Perhaps as a cameo in one of the gigs, or during Never Forget, sure, but otherwise, a resounding "no".
The reason for this? The effervescence of Mark Owen. Put into simple terms, there's nowhere for Robbie to fit in. Mark is such a great frontman, and the perfect foil for Gary Barlow. He deals with the difficult songs and turns a head on Hello – the Day In A Life-like track which also harks back to his star turn on Shine.
That's not to say there aren't bad points. Towards the end of the album, I feel as though Barlow starts to rest on his laurels a bit, and it becomes more filler than killer. Too much like Manilow (a man they've covered before) and not enough of the not-quite-pop sound that makes them unique. But that's really nit-picking. And as I said at the top, it's not going to matter, because nothing's going to stop this album going to number one. Not even Britney's new album of basically the same name.
8/10
Rob Wheatley
"Love this album and the band. Hope you are wrong about the Grammy thing though. Being a US fan I think they deserve to make it big in the States too." - Maria Gessner
"I am from America and I have not known about TT until I lived in Germany last year and heard their song fro the film Stardust. I have always prided myself to be into alternative or indie music but I must say I fell utterly in love with their music, and since I have purchased their original music and their comeback albums and I love them. It is the ONLY "boy" band I have ever listened to, I cannot tell you the songs the other bands sing for the life of me. So I think their material is amazing." - Veronica B O
"I'm also from the US. I first saw them summer '07 on the Princess Diana concert on VH1. I couldn't believe how I felt when I heard them sing and saw them perform - the same way I felt when I first saw the Beatles on the Ed Sulllivan show in 1964! I haven't felt that way since then. I'm not a "boy band" fan, but their music isn't anything like that. They have a style all their own and it's really fantastic!! My husband and I are traveling to London next summer to see them. Oh, how I wish they would come here! If they do, I'll bet they'll be BIG!" - Jeanne Webster
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