Gone are the oversentimental, super-cheesy lyrics and soppy ballads usually associated with the boy-band movement that eclipsed the 1990s. Well, that's true at least for veteran British group Take That.

Its comeback (in reality, it is the band's second) is much-anticipated.

Click here to find out more!
Progress marks its first album to feature Robbie Williams since 1995. Back then, he left the group to go solo after facing creative differences with the rest of the lads.

The remaining four - Gary Barlow, 39; Mark Owen, 38; Jason Orange, 40; and Howard Donald, 42 - attempted to soldier on without him, but also split up the following year.

They regrouped for a world tour and an album a decade later, and Beautiful World, their fourth record, sold over 2.6 million copies in Britain alone, making it the 35th best-selling record in music history there.

This year, Williams, 36, hooked up with his old boyband bros. And so Take That, which has had hits like Back For Good (from 1995's Nobody Else) and Patience (Beautiful World), recorded Progress, the band's sixth album.

Tickets to Take That's Progress tour in May next year sold out in record time - over a million were sold in just one day after their release in October. Last month, the album sold 235,000 copies on the day of its release, hitting No. 1 on charts in Britain and Ireland.

Progress, helmed by producer Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers), marks a clear departure from previous works - it's a bold, eccentric collection of synth-pop, techno, electronic-influenced numbers, with nary a piano ballad to be found.

It kicks off with lead single The Flood, which is as close to signature Barlow as one's going to get on this album.

SOS - which features Owen and Williams on vocals - is a fast-paced disco romp that would run well in a dance club.

Still, the strongest tracks are those which contain Williams' voice and swagger - the factors that probably best explain his success as a solo artist (and why Take That will always be better with him than without).

On the track Kidz, Williams warns repeatedly: "There'll be trouble when the kids come out."

It's a clear exit from boyband territory, with its futuristic, Muse-esque flamboyance, exhilarating beats and glam guitars.

Judging by this album, it's clear that Take That has said goodbye to the boys' club.
http://news.asiaone.com/News....97.html

Progress was the fastest selling album of the year by a country mile - the first TT release featuring ROBBIE WILLIAMS for 16 years.

Gaz said: "Thanks again to The Sun for all the support. See you on tour next year."

Gary Barlow is dad to three, Mark Owen a dad-of-two as is Howard Donald.

Jason and Robbie Williams are the only members of the fivesome not yet to become dads.

And Jason says that with a huge family of his own here in Manchester to buy for, the Take That offspring don't make the giftlist.

He said: “I've got five brothers of my own so lots of people to buy for at Christmas, so I don't tend to buy presents for them [bandmate's kids].”

He joked: “Maybe they'll all get presents from me for their 18th birthdays though.”
http://menmedia.co.uk/manches....rss=yes

1. The formation of the coalition government 46%
2. Robbie Williams reuniting with Take That 35%
3. The Lib Dems' decision on university fees 31%
4. Tiger Woods turning from family man to serial adulterer 27%
5. Wayne Rooney making the decision to stay at Manchester United 15%
6. Colleen Rooney taking Wayne Rooney back after he played away from home 11%
7. Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley switching to ITV 11%
8. Toyota's safety recall over brake and fuel pump defects 10%
9. The BBC confirming its move to Manchester 8%
10. 80s jumpsuits coming back into fashion 7%
http://www.easier.com/82366-biggest-switches-2010.html

There are a number of women who would confess to having a crush on a certain Mr Williams, not Robin, and it seems that even those who move in music circles are no different.

Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh used to have a huge crush on good old Robbie, and admitted to being a little star-struck when it came to meeting the returning Take That singer. Having now met him on a number of occasions at awards ceremonies, tv specials and Royal Variety Performances.

“I was a big fan growing up,” Kimberley said. “I used to dream of being his girlfriend.”

Get in the queue. Even after his various breakdowns, comebacks and stints in rehab, Robbie remains a man in great demand, now more than ever thanks to his reunion with Gary and Co. Of course, Kim also had something to say about the Take That comeback too.

“I’m so pleased they have been able to bury the hatchet.” The question is, if reports are to be believed, how long will it be before that hatchet is buried in someone’s back.

Regardless, there will be many years yet for the delightful Miss Walsh to salivate over her dreamboat before the Robbie bandwagon disappears over the horizon.
http://www.musicrooms.net/rock-an....sh.html

Determined to look his best when he and the, er, lads, embark on their mammoth tour in the New Year, Robbie plans to get his fresh-faced 90s looks back. By going under the knife.

Robbie, 36, said: “We had a chat the other day about what we would like to have ‘done’. I’m going to have everything done. I will end up like...”

Here, Gary Barlow butted in with: “Sylvester Stallone!”

To which Robbie replied: “No, I’m going to look like Sylvester Stallone’s mum (Jackie), not Sylvester.”

So he’s going from studying aliens to looking like one, then?

Take That have a combined age of 195, so it’s understandable that Rob has the jitters about his looks. But while the others settle for going to the gym, trust Robbie to consider more drastic measures... The LA-based star is currently in California with wife Ayda and her family – while Gary, 39, Howard Donald, 42, Jason Orange, 40, and Mark Owen, 38, are soaking up some sun.

As I revealed, the others were snapped up to play a one-off £2million NYE gig for the head honchos of Universal, at a secret location in the Caribbean. The foursome agreed to perform before Rob rejoined the band in July and are now relaxing in Barbados.

And that sea air is working a treat for Howard, who showed off his toned torso before going for a swim with girlfriend Katie Halil.

And Mark’s marriage seems back on track after his confessions of cheating and drink problems. His missus Emma was seen flashing her pants at him on their balcony. Gary also enjoyed himself, hanging out on his balcony.

Take That – whose Progress is the fastest-selling album of the century – should make the most of this chance to relax. Soon it’ll be all intense rehearsals for their tour.

Wonder if Robbie will have Botox on his rider?

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs....VuUDgPu

Rob, 36, reckons the fancy moves that were such a hit with fans now look “silly”.

So Take That’s promised “feast for the imagination” when they return as a fivepiece for their first tour in 16 years, threatens to end up more of a picnic

Robbie said: “We could do the dance routines we did first time around, but with this tour it’s bound to look silly, isn’t it?”

I knew it wouldn’t take long for the ego to land. Still, at least that rules out Robbie’s ridiculous running man dance for Rudebox.

As the youngster of the group, his decision is bound to hit a bum note with Howard Donald, 42, and Jason Orange, 40, who plan on doing their trademark head-spins and break-dancing.

These days even 39-year-old Gary Barlow – who was excused from dancing duties the first time round because he was singing and playing the piano – wiggles his hips. On their amazing Circus tour two years ago, Gary took part in complex dance routines with the rest. So maybe he could make like Anton Du Beke and fling Robbie around the dancefloor like Ann Widdecombe...

A source tells me: “Rob’s put a dampener on things with this attitude. Fans want the tour to be like the good old days. Fair enough they might not be able to do all the back-breaking routines, but a wave and a cheesy grin alone just won’t cut it.”

Perhaps Howard can persuade Robbie to change his mind. He has said: “Now we’re all back together I know Robbie five times more than I knew him then.”

Their mutual love-in continued yesterday when Robbie said of 8 Letters: “I really wanted to impress the lads. I was in a lot of pain because... I love you. I hope it did impress you.”

I’d be more impressed if he’d Take That AND party when he’s out on tour.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs....xY4C2kZ

But one aspect of their appeal has passed without much comment: The flattering cut of their trousers.

Take That have proven that it is possible for men beyond the first flush of youth (Robbie Williams is the youngest at 36, Howard Donald the oldest at 42) to dress fashionably without looking silly. Successfully reforming a teen group with a maturing audience, making them appear age-appropriate, relevant and pointedly unembarrassing, is one of the holy grails of pop culture. It's hard enough writing a new hit and getting the sound just right. Getting the pants just-so is even harder.

And winter proved to be absolutely perfect timing for the Take That reunion. The fact that the weather turned bitterly cold just as the band announced their tour dates meant that coats, scarves, hats, beards and boots featured in every photo and press conference. Forget the stirring, anthemic chorus of The Flood and Robbie's funny marching-on-the-spot dance - the management's real masterstroke was to market Take That as a boys-to-men band who wear heavy, double-breasted Lanvin coats, who aren't frightened of polka dots and bum-freezer jackets.

Males who can confidently mix Topman with Mad Men. These are the clothes of an older and more thoughtful, craggy-faced Take That, who have loved and lost and cried and been to rehab and steadfastly refuse to dance in unison any more.

Summer isn't flattering for men in their 40s. It's callous and exposing. Sunlight streams through thinning hair. Harsh shadows act as a cruel grout in crow's feet. Clothes are flimsy and perfunctory. Worst of all, if you happen to be Jason Orange, 40, you simply can't look wistful and vulnerable in clam-digger shorts and a Superdry polo shirt.

Winter - which is all about layering, camouflage and buttoning-up - is much more forgiving.

Winter and the older man

Take That's stylist, Luke Day, arguably the most influential figure in menswear right now - he's fashion director at GQ Style - knows this well. "Since I've been working with the group, I don't think we've ever done anything that's involved sunshine," he said. "And generally speaking, I don't think colours work too well on men either. Dark tones make them seem more serious, and an older guy always looks good in a big coat, fur and scarves."

Working closely with Mark Owen, the band's most forthright fashionista, Day has developed the Take That Mk III look: Westfield Ginsberg meets millionaire vagabond meets BoBo dad, with subtle elements of '70s-era David Essex. In doing so, he has not only provided the perfect day-into-night, on-and-off stage capsule wardrobe for the band but also a series of workable reference points for the older, still fashionable civilian male. It's an easy rather than edgy look, which looks good at a gastropub Sunday lunch and won't embarrass the kids on the school run.

The TT3 look has its roots in 1995. Just before the band's first breakup, with Robbie still clinging on, they released what many critics consider to be their finest four minutes. Back For Good was a quantum leap towards musical maturity - it was the band's Careless Whisper, their Better The Devil You Know. It was also their biggest overcoat record so far. Most significantly, it was evidently freezing with that pouring rain in the accompanying video.

"They looked like a bunch of adorable wet labradors, didn't they?" said Day.

There would be a few unfortunate hiccups with tailcoats along the way, but here was a band who would never put on studded leather gilets again. Fast-forward 15 years, and the band have settled into their various styles with ease and comfort. The image of Owen taking a therapeutic walk across a tidal causeway as part of his recent rehab in their recent documentary, Look Back, Don't Stare, wearing a billowing, knee-length cardigan, is the band's most poignant fashion moment so far.

Does the modern pop group always have a stylist present these days?

"Honestly, a lot of the time we wing it, stylistically speaking," insisted Day. "One of Mark's really big roles in the band is a sort of second stylist, and he takes a lot of interest in his clothes," he said. "Often, he'll get out of the car wearing an outfit and then wear the same thing on stage."

Kilts are not for men of a certain age

"I don't have a problem with a boy band becoming men," said Gary Kemp, guitarist of the recently reformed Spandau Ballet.

When they announced their first tour last year since their 1990 split, Kemp's band, all in their mid-40s, thought hard about their clothes. "We knew you have to look like a gang but you can't all wear the same thing ... or look too disparate."

Wisely, Spandau Ballet didn't opt for kilts. "You have to be age-appropriate and period-appropriate. Nodding to contemporary fashion but not looking like idiots. You can't wear what you used to back in your heyday. That said, because we are older, there is always a danger of looking slightly conservative. It's a tricky balance."

Making Take That look good, said Day, isn't hard, now that they're happy with their constantly evolving wardrobes. He does most of their shopping, knows what they like and what will suit them. "They are all slim with pretty decent figures. Clothes tend to sit well on them."

Williams keeps a wooden last at Lobb of St James', bespoke cobbler to the royal family. Gary Barlow is probably the most conservative while Owen likes Lanvin, Dries Van Noten, and is "partial to Gucci and Margiela". The band tend to agree that they are all a bit too old for drainpipes these days, so Donald is happy to wear cropped, carrot-shaped trousers from Topman. Or John Vavartos, depending on his mood.

And those wintry, all-enveloping, broodingly thought-provoking scarves? "Yes, well," said Day, sounding peeved. "One Direction started nicking the scarf thing, so we had to ease off on those."

http://www.todayonline.com/Enterta....ionably

The group's latest record, Progress, has proved to be a big hit following their reunion with Robbie Williams, who quit the band in 1995, and the disc has dominated Britain's album chart since its release in November (10).

And the singers have triumphed as the top draw in a new survey by U.K. ticket exchange website Viagogo, leaving the Sex on Fire hitmakers trailing in second place.

Another British boyband, JLS, came in third, while Lady Gaga and Michael Buble rounded out the top five.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.ns....1193879

While the first half of 2010 was ruled by GaGa and a bunch of newbies, the summer was once again given over to the usual mass of festivals and outdoor events.

As always, it was a mixed bag, with rain blighting many of the season's festivities.

Thankfully Take That did a good thing in July to get mud-ravaged revellers off the front pages by announcing their erstwhile member Robbie Williams was rejoining for their next album. He'd been threatening to rejoin the band for the best part of a year, with reports coming from a studio in America where the fivesome had met up in secret, but they finally made things official and got to work.

Progress was eventually released in November and duly became the fastest-selling album of the last 13 years, shifting 520,000 copies in a week. (Oasis's Be Here Now, the fastest-selling British album ever, sold a whopping 696,000 copies in three days back in 1997.) At the moment it's undecided, at least publicly, whether Robbie's presence is permanent or not, but such thoughts surely won't be on the minds of the millions of fans who have tickets to Take That's concerts next summer.

But do Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason need Robbie? Not as much as he needs them, in my view. They were lucky to have a second day in the sun, and the two albums since they reunited have done perfectly well without Williams's presence. It's hard to imagine him sticking around, having tasted such success as a solo artist, and while there is a distinct 'Robbie Williams featuring Take That' feeling to their current album Progress, fans would surely tire of that if it were to happen again next time around.

Talking of reunions, there was one in August that had a smaller section of the music world chatting, but for those people it was no less significant than Take That burying the hatchet. The Libertines got back together to headline the Leeds and Reading festivals and play a handful of other shows.

Since the demise of the band, Pete Doherty had become more famous for his off-stage antics than his songwriting. Four-or-so years ago he was a tabloid staple, with barely a day going by without him being in front of a judge for some drug-induced misdemeanour or on the front pages with then-girlfriend Kate Moss.

Whether he's sorted himself out for good remains to be seen, but seeing him on stage with old friend Carl Barat singing some of the defining songs of the Noughties was the highlight of the year for many a Libertines fan.

Eminem and Rihanna released Love The Way You Lie this summer, and while the duet never made it to the top of the charts, it did manage to sell 820,000 copies, making it this year's biggest song.

The video featured Hollywood stars Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan embroiled in a volatile, but ultimately passionate relationship. To put it another way, they made domestic violence look particularly stylised and sexy. Coupled with lyrics in the song about "liking the way it hurts" and you have you question whether Rihanna, viciously beaten by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown only a year earlier, really thought that one through.

September saw The XX win the Mercury Prize - a sensible and very uncontroversial choice - and the release of Olly Murs debut single. A fiver for anyone who can remember any of the words or melody... Things don't seem to have gone particularly to plan for Olly since finishing second in the 2009 X Factor. Things haven't been going so well for eventual winner Joe McElderry either. He missed out on the Christmas No 1 spot, his album was routinely panned by critics and, on the same day Matt Cardle won this year's competition, little Joe's single charted at No 68. A year's a long time in music when you're an X Factor winner.

With any luck, the career of Emma's Imagination will last a lot longer. She made the leap from busking on the streets of Scotland to performing in front of 10,000 people in September after winning Sky's talent show Must Be The Music, and picked up £100,000 and a record deal with Gary Barlow's label in the process.

Also that month, Lady GaGa showed everyone how it was done by turning up to the MTV awards in a dress made entirely of meat. Yes, you read that correctly. A dress made out of meat. Every time Lady GaGa does something outrageous, it seems like she won't be able to top it. That's the problem with raising the bar all the time, you have to keep on raising it, but the diminutive singer from New York doesn't look she's going to have any problems on that front. Her only problem in 2012 might come from pushing things too far.

After years of legal battles and wrangling over pricing - 18 years toing and froing to be precise - The Beatles catalogue was finally available to download in November. The main sticking points had been the name, of course; Apple Inc, as in the computer and iPod company, and Apple Corps, the record label founded by The Beatles, and similarity in logo. Finally, there was a resolution and the Fab Four's music can now be downloaded for the first time.

The move didn't set the world or charts on fire as expected, perhaps due to the fact The Beatles's material was digitally remastered and reissued only last year. As a result, only one of their songs, Hey Jude, made the Top 40, but as with anything relating to Liverpool's favourite sons, there will always be a market, and crucially, people willing to part with their hard-earned cash for new items.

In the first seven days, more than 450,000 Beatles albums were sold on iTunes, on top of two million singles. Not bad for a collection of songs almost 50 years old.

The trend of bands reuniting shows no sign of slowing, with Pulp the latest band to get back together. The Sheffield stars will play a string of shows around the UK and Europe next year, with one of them rumoured to be a headlining slot at Glastonbury.

The year ended on a rather sad note with the passing of Sixties experimental icon Captain Beefheart, aged 69. If you've never heard his classic album Safe As Milk, or the more challenging Trout Mask Replica, do yourself a favour with those vouchers you get for Christmas and pick one of them up.
http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/newsxtra/music/8767864.Back_for_good_/

The lads love the over-the-top characters so much they want them to star in their next music video.

Mark Owen, 38 and Robbie Williams, 36, bumped into the show’s blonde glamour model Sam Faiers, 19, and ultra camp Harry Derbridge, 16, while shooting in the same studio.

A source told us: “Mark and Robbie made a beeline to chat to them.

“They declared their love for the show and told them to keep up the good work.

“They insisted their agents swap numbers so they could cast the comedy Essex stars in their next video.”
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/goss....illiams

Pop band Take That's reunion is to be debated at an academic conference.

The two-day event will take place at Salford University in June, one week after the group's stadium tour begins.

It is billed as "an interdisciplinary conference examining the theme of break-up and reunion in popular music acts, focusing on Take That".

It promises to examine "the narrative structures [that] characterise Take That's journey" and the psychological and social roles that reunions fulfil.

It will also ask why the one-time boy band have enjoyed greater success with their comeback than other pop groups , such as East 17 and New Kids on the Block.

Take That's latest album, Progress, saw the return of former member Robbie Williams to the fold.

It was the UK's best-selling album of 2010 with sales of 1.8 million copies.
'Profound implications'

Take That's summer tour - which begins in Sunderland on 27 May - smashed records when 1.3 million tickets were sold in the first 24 hours.

According to the conference website, it offers "an excellent opportunity for scholars from a range of academic disciplines to discuss key issues arising from this contemporary popular music phenomenon".

"From at least the time of the Beatles, the break-up of a favoured band has had profound implications for fans, followers, and the music industry," it continued.

The conference will be led by Tim Wise, who teaches popular musicology and music history at Salford University.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12172243

A high-brow conference will analyse the chart band's hit comeback - reuniting Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Robbie Williams.

Tim Wise at the University of Salford has invited papers for the two-day event, called "Making Things Whole Again: The Take That Reunion".

Intellectual sparring will centre around the boys' split in 1996, before "drawing parallels with other illustrious acts, including The Beatles".

A notice to students and staff says: "The long-anticipated reunion of Take That and Robbie Williams, and the unprecedented sales figures for their summer tour 2011, offer an excellent opportunity for scholars from a range of academic disciplines to discuss key issues arising from this contemporary popular music phenomenon.

"The break-up of a favoured band has had profound implications for fans, followers, and the music industry.

"The convenors invite papers from any discipline which address the themes of break-up and reunion of popular music acts. We are particularly interested in papers addressing these issues in relation to Take That and boy bands generally."

Entries are being invited from students and staff specialising in psychology, literature, sociology, communication, gender and music industry studies. The best papers received will be published.

The conference is on June 3 and 4 - the days Take That play the City of Manchester Stadium on their UK tour.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol....ty.html

Yesterday we revealed the manband will be discussed by scholars at the University of Salford.

The academic debate, called Making Things Whole Again: The Take That Reunion, will look at the success of the group's comeback - reuniting Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald with Robbie Williams.

It is set to examine issues from their split in 1996 to the unprecedented ticket sales for their summer tour later this year.

With that in mind, we thought we would pose our own quiz on Take That.

Give it a try to see How Deep Is Your Love for Britain's favourite manband.

1. Which two members were in a break-dancing group called Street Beat?

2. What is the highest chart position the single A Million Love Songs reached in the UK?

3. Where was the video for I Found Heaven shot?

4. How many No1 singles came from the album Nobody Else?

5. Which song are these lyrics from: "If you get a flu attack... "?

6. In the video for Relight My Fire, what is written on Mark Owen's cropped T-shirt?

7. What is the name of Jason's twin brother?

8. What did Jason study at South Trafford College in Altrincham?

9. How many Take That albums have gone to No1 in the UK chart?

10. Take That were honoured to host ITV's An Audience With. Why did their episode break with tradition?

11. What single beat Babe to the Christmas No1 in 1993?

12. Only one of Take That's singles got to No1 in the Australian charts. Which was it?

13. On what programme did Gary Barlow make his acting debut?

14. How many tickets were initially released for the 2011 Progress tour?

15. Whose body is half cut off on the cover of their first album, Take That And Party?

16. What is Howard's DJ name?

17. Before the official reunion, Robbie briefly joined the full line-up on stage at a gig for Children In Need. Where was it?

18. How many Brit Awards have Take That won?

19. On what UK show did the band make their first TV appearance?

20. On the Circus tour, dancers operated a 30ft mechanical animal. What was it?
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol....am.html

How did you do?

15-20 You could be magic, you've got a TT masters degree.

7-14 Shining example, you've got a TT diploma.

0-6 You need to make more Progress, you've failed your TT GCSE