Clutching cups of coffee, the old friends looked around and chatted ­nervously about times past before lapsing into an uneasy silence.

This was no ordinary day. Inside the dimly-lit foyer of the Electric Lady Studios on September 27, 2009, Take That’s Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Howard Donald waited to see what the next chapter would hold for their record-breaking band.

A hovering assistant brought out a tray of Danish pastries and the lads cracked a few jokes to lighten the atmosphere, but nothing could relieve the air of tension in the room at the Greenwich Village studio where the likes of Jimi Hendrix had recorded classic tracks.

Instead, all eyes were fixed on the door and the imminent arrival of one man. One man with the power to change their lives for ever. One man none of them was entirely sure they wanted to see again.

At 2.30pm the door opened and in walked the prodigal son, Robbie Williams. For a second no one spoke, then Robbie broke into a grin.

“I’ve been nervous about this moment,” he said, breaking the ice.

“And I want you to know that I probably will be a bit quiet. I’ve been in the house for three years and I haven’t gone out at all, you see.”

It was a light-hearted quip that immediately had the desired effect – even after 14 long years apart.

Soon they were all roaring with laughter, the creative juices were flowing, and the most eagerly hoped-for reunion in pop was on.

The nervy scenes marked the ­culmination of 12 months of top-secret negotiations to bring the boys back into the studio again.

A source said: “Everyone was racked with nerves ahead of the meeting. It was the first time the lads had tried making music together since 1995 when Robbie quit the band.

“It wasn’t just a question as to whether they would all get on again, they were also unsure if they would gel creatively.

“Luckily, those fears were gone as soon as they slipped on their headphones and the backing track was cranked up.

“Without wanting to sound too sentimental, it really was quite an emotional experience for everyone and made them all realise that Take That as a fivesome worked.”

And how it’s worked.

Last autumn’s Progress album has already sold more than two million copies in the UK and the band’s forthcoming tour – Progress Live – which kicks off this Friday at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, sold an amazing 1.1 million tickets in a single day.

That’s not forgetting their triumphant comeback at the Brit Awards earlier this year where they opened the show and were then crowned best British group to rapturous acclaim.

GLASTONBURY

It’s a far cry from those dark days in 1995 when Robbie quit the band in a blaze of recriminations, bitter asides and cruel, barbed comments.

The end came after a fallout over Rob’s escalating drug-taking and a conflict with Gary over musical direction. Things reached a head in June of that year when Robbie went on a bender at the Glastonbury Festival and met Oasis.

He joined the band on stage, got drunk with them, and in one debauched weekend, utterly destroyed his wholesome, pretty-boy image. Take That, as a fivesome, could never be the same again – and three weeks later, Robbie had walked out.

It was the beginning of a decade-long feud – most notably between Gary and Robbie, who took the art of trading insults to new levels.

Not long after the split, Robbie was asked to describe Gary. “Selfish, greedy and arrogant,” he replied, going on to say the band had “become all about the egos”.

The usually mild-mannered Gary spat back his description of his former bandmate as “an absolute f****** c***”.

But then slowly, quietly and without fanfare, things changed.
Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow (Pic:PA)

Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow (Pic:PA)
Take That pose in combat boots, boxer shorts and red boxing gloves (Pic:Getty Images)

Take That pose in combat boots, boxer shorts and red boxing gloves (Pic:Getty Images)
Liam Gallagher and Robbie Williams at Glastonbury in 1995 (Pic:Rex Features)

Liam Gallagher and Robbie Williams at Glastonbury in 1995 (Pic:Rex Features)

Gary and Robbie started calling one another, occasionally emailing and meeting for clandestine drinks well away from the media spotlight.

Ironically, the love-in began as Take That’s star was firmly in the ascendancy.

Their second album after reuniting as a fourpiece – The Circus – reached No1 and shifted millions of copies around the world. Robbie’s career, meanwhile, was perceived to be floundering.

Rattling around his LA mansion with a well-documented prescription drug problem, he was stung by the lukewarm reception for his 2006 album, Rudebox.

ESCAPE

To the outside world, rejoining Take That was the obvious escape route from his troubles – and Gary, ever the romantic, wasn’t averse to the idea.

He knew it would take time and patience to persuade the other sceptical members of the group, but believed he was up to the task of getting them on board.

While Mark was always close to Robbie and immediately embraced the idea, Jason and Howard were more cautious.

Jason confessed there were mixed views in 2008 when he said: “We have different opinions on that… Who knows, but let’s just say we have differing views on Robbie coming back.”

A source said: “It was a huge decision for the band to make. There were a lot of discussions, as you would expect, because why would you fix something that wasn’t broken?

“The boys are always quite open with their thoughts and always speak candidly with one another – and this was no different.

“But they were all unanimous by the end – and Rob was back in.”

It was understood to be during this time – throughout 2009 – that heavyweight promoters got wind that the frosty relationships had thawed and what had looked to be impossible, was very much on.

With incredible speed, some of the biggest names in the music business entered the fray to try get in on what was sure to be the most sought-after and lucrative reunion tour of modern times.

While it was immediately agreed any album would be done under the auspices of Polydor, the record label the four-piece Take That were signed to, a tour was up for grabs.

Promoters AEG – the company behind London’s O2 – had put together a proposal by February of that year.

The venue was suggesting the boys performed a staggering residency of 30 to 45 dates in June or November 2010.

It is not known if AEG ever actually opened serious discussions with the band, or Robbie’s long-term manager Josie Cliff, but it was a serious proposition.

A source said: “In the end it happened with the band’s long-time promoters SJM and not AEG but it was certainly an audacious bid and the money on the table was breathtaking.

“Take That would normally sell out in a heartbeat but with Robbie as part of the package, the ramifications and the money were mind-boggling.”

Such was the determination to keep tour negotiations secret that all the parties went to extraordinary lengths to keep it under wraps.

Any suggestions that a potential tour was on the cards were routinely rubbished by their various representatives, in particular Robbie’s mouthpiece at the time.

The insider said: “It was a very ­delicate situation and any chance of this getting out had the potential to scare all parties off.

“It had to be handled with due care and consideration and this included throwing people off the scent or, most of the time, denying any knowledge of any plans whatsoever.

“This was the opportunity of a lifetime for everyone and nothing was going to stop the juggernaut.”

Источник: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/05/16/take-that-the-reunion-story-day-1-115875-23133137/#ixzz1M