Take That

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Take That

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Img_capt = Take That performing at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in November 2007.
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Manchester, England
Genre = Pop
Dance (early)
Pop rock
Years_active = 1990–1996
2005–present
Label = Sony BMG, MCA Records, Polydor
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.takethattv.com Official site]
Current_members = Gary Barlow
Mark Owen
Howard Donald
Jason Orange

Past_members = Robbie Williams

Take That are an English pop musical group consisting of members Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and, formerly, Robbie Williams. After seeing major success in the early to mid 1990s as a five person act, a reformed four man version of the band achieved new success in the mid-2000s without Williams.Formed by Nigel Martin Smith in Manchester in 1990, Take That sold more than 30 million records between 1991–1996. Between the band's first single release in 1991 and their breakup in 1996, the BBC described Take That as "the most successful British band since The Beatles in the UK, beloved of young and old alike". Take That's dance-oriented pop tunes and soulful ballads dominated the UK charts in the first half of the 1990s, spawning two of the best selling albums of the decade with "Everything Changes" (which was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Prize [ [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/murcurytechnics.htm Mercury/Nationwide Music Prize ] ] ) and "Greatest Hits" 1996, and according to Allmusic, "at this time were giant superstars in Europe with the main question about them not being about whether they could get a hit single, but how many and which would make it to number one".

The band split up in 1996, but after a 2005 documentary and the release of a greatest hits album, they officially announced a 2006 reunion tour around the United Kingdom, entitled "The Ultimate Tour". On May 9 2006, it was announced that Take That were set to record their first studio album "Beautiful World" in over 10 years. They then went on to produce another sellout tour in 2007, The Beautiful World Tour, which garnered positive reviews from critics, and is to date their highest selling tour.

History

Early Formations (1989-1992)

In 1989, Nigel Martin-Smith sought to create a British male vocal singing group. Having seen the success and fame of what was the nascent concept of Boybands following the meteoric rise of the New Kids On The Block in the United States, he realized there was no such contemporary group in the United Kingdom. Therein was the birth of the first boyband from the UK and arguably all of Europe at the time. Martin-Smith's vision, however, was more mature and teen-oriented than the clean-cut image that the New Kids sported in the media.

Auditions for the group were held throughout Manchester, where Martin-Smith met teenage singer and budding songwriter Gary Barlow (then 18), whom he was immediately impressed with. Barlow had been rejected by major record labels, but had been playing live sets at pubs all round the North of England, and until that time, had won a couple of songwriting competitions, having penned A Million Love Songs at age 15. Barlow was immediately interested in the opportunity and recommended his 17-year old friend Mark Owen; a former child model, football (soccer) player and trialist, and whom Barlow met whilst playing live sets at one of the pubs; and Owen had been working there part time as well as at Barclays bank as a teller. Next up was Vehicle painter, former model and occasional DJ/breakdancer, Howard Donald; one of the oldest to audition at 21, but he was accepted into the group. He recommended a neighbourhood friend Jason Orange (then 18), who was a skilled break-dancer and had appeared on The Hitman and Her. Finally, Martin-Smith recruited a 15-year old boy named Robbie Williams as the fifth and final member of the group by way of advertising in the local media, and it was reported that Williams' mother signed him up, and he was selected after an audition.

When Take That formed, they were forging a new type of musical path as much as a musical career, as they were largely the pioneers of the new boyband genre outside of the US. They started with more dance oriented melodies to cater to the British dance and disco scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and were known for a more older, adult feel and image than the squeaky-clean New Kids. The band sported body piercings, tattoos, facial hair and dreadlocks (in Donald's case).

For the first two years, the band performed at school dances, public events and even bars.

uccess (1992)

The band's breakthrough single was a cover of the 1970s Tavares hit "It Only Takes A Minute", which peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. This success was followed by the track "I Found Heaven", then by the first Barlow ballad "A Million Love Songs" - both top 20 hits. Their cover of the Barry Manilow disco hit "Could It Be Magic" gave them their biggest hit to date, peaking at number 3 in the UK. Their first album, "Take That & Party", was released in 1992, and included all the hit singles to date. The band was still however, not widely known outside of the dance circuit, and had not made it into the mainstream music charts.

uperstardom (1993-95)

1993 saw the release of Take That's most successful original album "Everything Changes", based on Barlow's original material. It spawned four UK number one singles - their first number one "Pray", "Relight My Fire", "Babe" (beaten to Christmas number one by Mr Blobby), and the title track "Everything Changes". The fifth single "Love Ain't Here Anymore" reached number three on the UK charts. "Everything Changes" saw the band gain international success, but it failed to crack the US market where an exclusive remix "Love Ain't Here Anymore" (U.S. Version) gained little success. However, by 1994, the band had become radio and television hits across Europe and Asia, where along many other 90s acts like Michael Jackson and Duran Duran, the rise of MTV videos streamed direct to via what was a new form of television called cable TV saw the rise of global touring opportunities because of worldwide audiences as it meant the band reached audiences far and wide. However, it was not till 1995 that the band would do their first World Tour.

It was at this time in 1994 that the band fronted scores of magazine covers ranging from Smash Hits to GQ, Popstars and so on and began becoming mass merchandised on all sorts of paraphernalia ranging from picture books, to posters, stickers, their own dolls, jewellery, caps, T-shirts, toothbrushes [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/04/25/bmtakethat25.xml Why I still love Take That - Telegraph Why I still love Take That - Telegraph ] ] and even had their own annuals released. The band also began touring extensively around the continent and had sell out concerts back in England at almost all of their sets from Earl's Court to concerts for Princess Diana, to Berlin and Milan. The band had also developed an astoundingly massive female teenage fanbase at the time, because the band was seen as new and exciting and consisted of four good looking Mancunians who could "dance, smile and sing in harmonies". This led to what was known as the "Take That Phenomenon" around the UK, usually underscored by throngs of teenagers queueing up for long lines wherever the band was rumoured to be. There was mass hysteria everywhere they went, and the band hit the apex of their popularity in the 1990s. During this time, the band performed at numerous music awards shows like the Brit Awards or Top of the Pops, where they were regulars with their five hits in a row in 1994.

By the time the band's 1995 album "Nobody Else" was launched, the release of "Sure", their first single from the album, achieved yet another number one on the UK Charts. But it was not until their second release from that album that they would experience what would become their biggest hit single (and only US Chart entry), "Back for Good", which reached number one in 31 countries around the globe and to date has been covered 89 times the world over. The song was initially unveiled for the first time via live performance whilst at the 1995 Brit Awards, and based on rave reviews and the reception of that performance alone, the record pre-sold more records than expected and forced an earlier release date. "Never Forget" was the final single off the "Nobody Else" album. The album was also noted for its cover which was a parody of the cover of The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" cover sleeve.

Take That's music was notable for the band's writing of their own tracks as compared to many other ensuing boybands. Through Gary Barlow, the band were known for their catchy melodies that crossed genres and catered to many musical tastes spanning emotional Ballads, to Hi-NRG, Pop, Soul, R&B and Dance, thus contributing to their wide fan base who whilst consisting mainly of teenage women, includes famous singers like Elton John and other acts, who respect the band's work ethic and strong performance ethic. It was their live acts that really got them renown for their characterisation as top performers, and was what would distinguish them from the later emergent boybands. By strong live performances and grandiose dance sets that involved large scale thematic shows at sold out stadiums that were "theatrical affairs that featured fire, elaborate costumes, and complicated dance routines", Take That were arguably one of Europe's biggest live acts of the 1990s.

Their success caused other pop managers and labels to create other late 1990s UK boybands like Boyzone, 911, and later, Westlife, 5ive and Ultra, as well as to try the successful formula with women, as the Spice Girls did when they hired Simon Fuller as their manager in 1995, going on to have even greater, world-wide success.

Departure of Williams and break-up (1995–1996)

In July 1995, Robbie Williams left the group and was photographed by the press partying with British band Oasis at Glastonbury. Take That continued to promote the album "Nobody Else" as a four piece, scoring a further hit single and fan favorite "Never Forget" (subsequently released as a single in a Jim Steinman remix version) and completing the "Nobody Else Tour" in July 1995.

On 13 February 1996, Take That announced that they were disbanding. This was followed by the "Greatest Hits" compilation in 1996, which contained a new recording, a cover of The Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love". The single went on to become what was to be the band's final U.K. number one until their 2005 comeback a decade later. At the time in 1996, such was the level of Take That's popularity, that upon their announcement of their break up, millions of teenage fans were seen crying all over the country and across Europe Fact|date=June 2008. The situation got so dire that counselling hotlines had to be specially set up by local authorities to cater to suicidal tendencies in many young women, and even band member Howard Donald, who considered jumping into the River Thames. Over a decade later hotlines had to be opened again for when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released, because it would bring the same impact.Fact|date=June 2008.

Careers outside Take That

Gary Barlow

Barlow recorded a solo album, "Open Road" (1997). Five singles were released from the album, with the first two — "Forever Love" and "Love Won't Wait" (written by Madonna) — both reaching number 1 on the UK singles chart, but it was the single "So Help Me Girl" that gave Gary Barlow's solo album international stardom. His second album, "Twelve Months, Eleven Days", was less successful. Two singles were released: "Stronger", which reached #16, and "For All That You Want", which reached #24. Barlow was then dropped from his label just before he was due to release a third single "Lie To Me". He later set up a studio in his Cheshire home and began writing and producing records for the likes of Atomic Kitten, Donny Osmond, Blue, Lara Fabian and Delta Goodrem.

Robbie Williams

Mark Owen

Owen has released three solo albums to date - "Green Man", "In Your Own Time" and "How the Mighty Fall". He had three top 5 singles from these albums; "Child", "Clementine" and "Four Minute Warning". He has toured extensively in Europe and the UK, and visited Japan in early 2006, where he has secured a publishing deal. Mark Owen also won "Celebrity Big Brother" in 2002. Mark's third album "How The Mighty Fall" was released under his own label Sedna Records.

Howard Donald

Donald developed his songwriting skills, and tried to land himself a solo record deal after the band split. Despite completing an album, he gave up his efforts at launching a solo career. However, he returned to his DJ-roots and went on to become a successful DJ playing mostly in the UK and Germany. He is also one of the owners of the production company Sonic Fly.

Jason Orange

Orange briefly ventured into acting with two roles; a DJ drug dealer Brent Moyer in Lynda La Plante's "Killer Net" (shown on UK Channel 4 and now on DVD) and a theatre role in the play Gob which was performed at the King's Head Theatre, London. He also travelled the world and went back to college to study sociology and psychology.

Comeback

Reunion: "The Ultimate Tour" and "Beautiful World" (2005–2007)

On November 14, 2005, "Never Forget - The Ultimate Collection", a new compilation of their hit singles including a new previously unreleased song, also made the top end of the UK charts. The new song "Today I've Lost You" (recorded in September 2005) was originally written as the follow up to "Back for Good" but was never recorded. On Wednesday November 16, 2005, the group got back together for the ITV documentary "", in which they aired their views over the split and what they had been up to during the last 10 years. On November 25, 2005, there was an official press conference by the band announcing that the post Robbie Williams line-up were going to tour in 2006. The tour, entitled "Ultimate Tour", ran from April to June 2006. The tour featured a guest appearance by British soul singer Beverley Knight, who replaced Lulu's vocals on the song "Relight My Fire"; although Lulu did appear during the stadium shows on "Relight My Fire" and "Never Forget". The American girl-band Pussycat Dolls supported the group at their Dublin concert, and the Sugababes supported the group on the final five dates of the stadium leg.

On May 9 2006, Take That came back to the recorded music scene after more than ten years, signed to a music deal with Polydor Records in a deal reportedly worth £3,000,000. After a month on sale the band's comeback album "Beautiful World" sold over 2.7 million copies in the U.K. Unlike the band's earlier works, where the majority of their material was written by Gary Barlow, all songs are co-written by the band members. The come-back single "Patience" was released on November 20, 2006, with a special event launching it on 5 November (Bonfire Night). On 26 November "Patience" hit number 1 in the UK in its second week of chart entry making it the group's 9th No.1. The video for "Shine", the follow-up to "Patience" was premiered on January 25 2007 on Channel 4, ahead of its release on February 26, 2007.

The band's success continued on February 14, 2007 when Take That performed live at the BRIT Awards ceremony at Earl's Court. Their single "Patience" won the Best British Single category. The third single taken from "Beautiful World" was "I'd Wait For Life", released on June 18 2007 in the UK. However the single only reached 17 in the UK Singles Chart, falling out of the top 40 the following week. This is thought to be due to lack of promotion, as the band decided to take a pre-tour break rather than do any promotion for the single.

During 2007, Take That also wrote a song for the motion picure "Stardust" titled "Rule the World" which reached number 2 in the UK charts and went on to be the 5th biggest selling single of 2007. Meanwhile Beautiful World the album was the fourth biggest selling album of 2007. It was announced at the start of 2007 that Take That signed a record deal with American label Interscope, and would also release their album in Canada. Starting on October 11 2007, Take That began their "Beautiful World Tour" in Belfast. The tour included 49 shows throughout Europe and the UK and ended in Manchester on December 23, 2007.

Current and future events (2008–present)

After having an outstanding year of success in 2007, Take That received four nominations for the 2008 BRIT Awards. Nominated for Best British Group, Best British Single ("Shine"), Best British Album ("Beautiful World") and Best Live Act, taking home the Best Live Act and the Best British Single awards.

On 22nd May 2008 two of the Take Take That members, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald, attended the 2008 Ivor Novello awards and Take That won the award for most performed work with their single Shine.

Take That are back in the studio currently recording a new album. According To writer and producer John Shank's website's FAQ, the first single will premiere in November 2008.Their first single "Greatest Day" will make its radio premiere on 13th October 2008 at 8:15, and it will be released 24th November.

Take That won the Sony ericsson tour of the year award at the Vodafone music awards on 18th September 2008.They were not there to collect the award because they were in LA finishing off their new album which is due to be released at the end of November or beginning of December.They did send a video linkmessage,which was shown at the awards.

In other media

* They performed at the 2006 "Royal Variety Performance".
* In an episode of the alternative comedy "Green Wing", whilst Mac is in a coma, he is played Take That's "Back for Good".
* In the final episode of Spaced their song Back for Good was the song used by Tim, Brian, and Mike to convince Marsha to move back to the house.
* They posed together for a nude shot.
* Take That wrote and recorded the theme song "Rule the World" for the film "Stardust" directed by Matthew Vaughn, which was released in cinemas across North America and Europe in August 2007.
* In 1997 Slow Smile recorded a punky cover of "Back For Good". An EMI/Virgin spokeswoman commented "Gary Barlow was caught in a moment and approved it... rather than liking it, he was staggered by it.”Fact|date=January 2008
* In the "Only Fools And Horses" episode of "Mother Nature's Son", during a scene in the pub, Take That is being played in the background.
* Jason Orange is a professional chef.
* Star Stories, a British satirical comedy program that takes a look at celebrity lives, did an episode on Gary Barlow, which included the 'story' of the band's formation, break up, and reformation. The comedy is made in the eyes of the celebrity it is showcasing, in this case, Gary Barlow. At the end of an episode, Star Stories normally mocks the celebrities it showcases by telling the 'story' of where some of the celebrities involved are now, an example in this episode being "Robbie Williams can probably be seen performing at Butlin's in 2009". Ironically, one of these stories was "Gary Barlow is surely a contender for 2008's Ivor Novello award". Despite trying to mock the band in this fashion, Take That went on to win an award at the Ivor Novello awards for their single Shine.
* In "The Office" UK Christmas Special, released in 2003, "Back For Good" is played when Dawn walks away from Tim during the climax of the series.
* In Shameless Series 4 episode 8 there is a musical scene by the cast, who sing along to "Never Forget" during the wedding sequence. The directors cut appears as a bonus on the series 4 dvd. Paul Abbott, creator of the series is a Take that fan. [ [http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ianwylie/2007/03/shameless_never_forget.html Shameless: Never Forget] ]
* "Never Forget" is a musical based on songs of the band from the 1990s. The musical toured in 2007 and 2008 and opened at the Savoy Theatre, London, in May 2008. In April 2006, Gary Barlow and EMI licensed the band's songs to be used in the musical. [ [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article1907803.ece We can relight our own fire, thank you - Times Online ] ] Take That later posted a statement on their website distancing themselves from it. [ [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article1907803.ece We can relight our own fire, thank you] ]

After the musical's opening in London, Gary Barlow told the BBC, "At first I thought it sounded horrible... [but] the reports I've seen have been really good so there must be something good in it. I'm just worried that they're better than us." [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7416112.stm BBC: Barlow backs Take That Stage Show] ]

Discography

The first three albums did not get a digital download release until the mid-2000s, as legal digital downloads did not exist when the albums were originally released.

References

External links

* [http://www.takethattv.com Take That TV] - Official Take That Website (Polydor)