Albums


	RUDEBOX release date: 23.10.2006 1.Rudebox 2.Viva Life On Mars 3.Lovelight 4.Bongo Bong 5.She's Madonna 6.Keep On 7.Good Doctor 8.The Actor 9.Never Touch This Switch 10.Louise 11.We're The Pet Shop Boys 12.Burslem Normals 13.Kiss Me 14.The 80's 15.The 90's 16.Summertime 17.Dickhead REVIEW There's been much speculation about Robbie's new direction since the release of "Rudebox" the single, but "Rudebox" the single isn't typical of Rudebox the album. In fact, nothing is. It's an eclectic mix of pop ballads, disco, 80s electronica, noughties poetic rap, with a touch of hip hop and a twinge of country. William Orbit and Soul Mekanik productions sit with a funky reworking of Manu Chao's "Bongo Bong/Je Ne T'aime Plus" (one of two tracks to feature Lily Allen), a replica of the Human League's "Louise", and a cover with the Pet Shop Boys on a cover about the Pet Shop Boys. Confused? It's a confusing album. There are a couple of tracks that wash over you but the album's a grower and some of the hooks will follow you around for hours. "Good Doctor", a tongue-in-cheek take on drugs, has bags of energy and the Stephen Duffy "Kiss Me" is brilliant. 'She's Madonna' ('I love you baby, but face it she's Madonna') is a weird but fun tune about Queen Madge. He bares his soul in a pair of melodic Streets-esque raps - "The 80s" is a captivating tale of his school years, while "The 90s" offers an intriguing, honest account of his life in Take That. "Summertime" is old-school Robbie - a great pop song - and would be a lovely end to this 74 minute rollercoaster but there's a bonus track, "Dickhead", which more than explains the Parental Advisory stamp. Julie Broadfoot (bbc.co.uk/music)

	INTENSIVE CARE release date: 24.10.2005 1.Ghosts 2.Tripping 3.Make Me Pure 4.Spread Your Wings 5.Advertising Space 6.Please Don´t Die 7.Your Gay Friend 8.Sin Sin Sin 9.Random Acts Of Kindness 10.The Trouble With Me 11.A place To Crash 12.King Of Bloke and Bird REVIEW The press playback of Robbie Williams' eighth solo album was nothing if not a unique event. It was one of the great teeth-grinding, face-behind-a-cushion disasters of recent rock history, easily eclipsing Pete Doherty at Live 8, harking back to the great musical embarrassments of the 1980s: All About Eve forgetting to mime on Top of the Pops and the kid on Going Live! asking Five Star why they were "so fucking shit". Williams had spent the previous evening printing out old reviews we had written and going through the bits he didn't like with a highlighter pen. He remonstrated about misinterpreted lyrics and accusations of singing flat. The hacks argued back, one on the not-unreasonable grounds that he hadn't actually written the article Williams kept berating him for, the rest because they couldn't understand how a man who has sold 35m albums, has Britain's biggest-ever record deal and lives a life of unimaginable luxury and wall-to-wall shagging could possibly care that someone got the wrong end of the stick about the words of Hot Fudge. But the evening confirmed two things about Britain's biggest pop star. Firstly, Williams is now so successful no one is either able or willing to tell him what to do. Someone within his organisation must have realised the confrontational playback was a bad idea, but it still went ahead. Secondly, he clearly really cares what people think about him, to the point of seeming slightly crackers. The former might give his record company pause at a critical juncture in his career. Intensive Care is his first album without longstanding co-writer Guy Chambers, and Williams' choice of replacement can hardly have quelled their anxieties. Stephen Duffy is a fantastic songwriter, but his career is not one of untrammelled commercial triumph. He abandoned mid-1980s pop stardom to form a critically-revered, low-selling folk-rock band, the Lilac Time. Initially, it seemed that reckless spirit had rubbed off. Intensive Care's first single, Tripping, is pretty skewed by mainstream standards, a melange of choppy ska guitars, falsetto vocals and Bollywood strings. The rest of Intensive Care, however, suggests that Williams' need to be loved has overridden any desire to venture further leftfield. Instead, he and Duffy have crafted a beautifully-turned pop-rock album that pricks the myth about Guy Chambers' dominant role in Williams' success. Make Me Pure and The Trouble With Me are every bit as beguiling and inclusive as Supreme or Feel. The ballad Advertising Space is so effective that they may as well cordon off the Christmas Number One spot now. Given that Duffy's songwriting speciality is understated and affecting rather than brash and populist, it seems that Williams may have had more to do with the tracks that made him famous than was previously assumed. The lovely, lambent melodies of Advertising Space and The King of Bloke and Bird may well be Duffy, the Smiths-like guitar of Spread Your Wings and the autoharp on Please Don't Die definitely is, but their epic qualities seem to stem entirely from Williams. Intensive Care also reins in Williams' worst excesses. If his talents as a lyricist have been overlooked, it may be because for every example of his facility with words - Strong, for example - he has written something trite and smug, like the horrible Handsome Man or Me and My Monkey. The latter category of lyric is noticeable by its absence from Intensive Care. Instead, there's Spread Your Wings' affecting eye for period detail: it remembers watching a teenage crush "jack her body to the sound of Oran 'Juice' Jones". Of course, whatever Williams' songs purport to be about - everything from gangsters to the Human League's 1986 hit Louise - they end up being about Robbie Williams. On Advertising Space, he can't depict Elvis's twilight years without making a priapic cameo appearance, lusting after Lisa Marie. He writes about a relative's death from cancer, but his primary concern is "what on earth becomes of me?" From anyone else, this would count as solipsism. Taking into account the British public's unending fascination with every aspect of Williams' life, it seems a smart move. It also means that the songs on Intensive Care avoid the usual pitfall encountered by artists who want to reach the back of immense sports arenas: the temptation to deal in lyrical platitudes, the kind of windy generalities that bedevilled Coldplay's X and Y. It ends up that most unusual of things, a stadium rock album with a personality of its own. Alexis Petridis, October 21, 2005, The Guardian


	GREATEST HITS release date: 18.10.2004 1.Old Before I Die 2.Angels 3.Lazy Days 4.Let Me Entertain You 5.Millennium 6.No Regrets 7.Strong 8.She’s The One 9.Rock DJ 10.Kids 11.Supreme 12.Let Love Be Your Energy 13.Eternity 14.The Road To Mandalay 15.Feel 16.Come Undone 17.Sexed Up 18.Radio 19.Misunderstood REVIEW Even if you've lived under a rock for the past seven or eight years, you're bound to be somehow familiar with Robbie's output. Known as an entertainer rather than a fierce light of originality in the singing and songwriting stakes, his tunes often seem to be a means to an end - the singles come out, the radio plays them, and then he performs them at Knebworth and proudly proves why he's valued as one of the best showmen that the world has seen in recent years. However, this collection of the troubled, cheeky wunderkind's best songs proves that he has a real ear for a good melody, and a great voice on record - you'll have heard the lot, and will adore about half of them. His huge crossover anthem Angels is fantastic, recent hit Feel is a wonderful exercise in emotion, and the rest of the songs on this album will have you tapping your feet and humming even if you've only heard them once. Try all you want to rise above it, but you'll only dislike these hits if you've a heart made of stone. Apart from Radio, of course, which is rubbish. (virgin.net)

	LIVE SUMMER 2003 release date: 29.09.2003 1.Let Me Entertain You 2.Let Love Be Your Energy 3.(We Will) Rock You 4.Monsoon 5.Come Undone 6.Me & My Monkey 7.Hot Fudge 8.Mr Bojangles 9.She’s The One 10.Kids 11.Better Man 12.Nan’s Song 13.Feel 14.Angels From most accounts, Robbie Williams' appearance at Knebworth over three August nights in 2003 wasn't just the largest concert in British music history (reportedly 375,000 attended over the course of the weekend), but a display of Williams' mastery over an audience and a confirmation that, American listeners aside, he's one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Live at Knebworth followed just two months later, a 72-minute collection from his two-hour live extravaganza. While the audio document isn't nearly as exciting as the live experience that made fans gush, the disc does transmit the massive amounts of energy at a Robbie Williams concert. Opening with his anthem "Let Me Entertain You" (as he always does), Williams keeps the crowd hanging on his every note, changing lyrics to fit the venue, indulging in his usual blend of faux arrogance and self-deprecation, and coaxing the audience on during every song ("show me love, Knebworth!"). However, what could have been an excellent look at Britain's foremost pop entertainer in action is marred by its focus on material from his dreadful fifth album, Escapology. After a splendid beginning (including a brief flirtation with Queen's "We Will Rock You"), Williams performs four consecutive songs from Escapology: "Monsoon," "Come Undone," "Me and My Monkey" (which drags on for over seven minutes), and "Hot Fudge." The compilers found room to fit in two of his biggest songs ("Angels," "Kids"), but apparently didn't think superior hits like "Rock DJ," "Millennium," or "No Regrets" (all of which he performed at the show) needed to appear on this disc. A solid live album with the exception of the gaping hole in its midsection, Live at Knebworth is a missed opportunity, one that Chrysalis will hopefully rectify within a few years. John Bush, All Music Guide


	ESCAPOLOGY release date: 18.11.2002 1.How Peculiar 2.Feel 3.Something Beautiful 4.Monsoon 5.Sexed Up 6.Love Somebody 7.Revolution 8.Handsome Man 9.Come Undone 10.Me and My Monkey 11.Song 3 12.Hot Fudge 13.Cursed 14.Nan's Song 15.How Peculiar 16.Tried Love REVIEW For the past five years, Robbie Williams has been England's most entertaining pop star. He's a boy-band graduate prone to passing out in pubs and mocking his own fame with lyrical pronouncements such as "What's the point of hating me?/You can't argue with popularity/Well, you could, but you'd be wrong." If Justin Timberlake had half as much personality, the U.S. pop charts would be a lot more fun. EMI recently signed Williams to a megamillion-dollar deal and declared its intention of pushing him hard in the United States. But for American listeners who haven't acquired the taste over the years, he seems destined to remain principally a British phenomenon, like curry-flavored potato chips. While 2000's Sing When You're Winning was a trashy masterpiece that the States ignored, Escapology sounds like a more self-conscious effort to craft a pop-rock blockbuster. It's already a huge hit in the U.K.; this Americanized release shuffles the track listing and omits two songs about Los Angeles, presumably for trying too hard. Williams does a fine job belting out power ballads such as "Monsoon" and "Come Undone," but the best tracks here are the ones least likely to become hits, on which he shows off his British cheekiness. One highlight is "Me and My Monkey," a seven-minute saga with mariachi horns about checking into a Las Vegas hotel with an out-of-control chimp. But "Handsome Man" is the funniest; it features Williams singing such lines as "It's not very complicated/I'm just young and overrated." Gavin Edwards, Rolling Stone (no 920)

	SWING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING premiera: 19.11.2001 1.I Will Talk, Hollywood Will Listen 2.Mack The Knife 3.Somethin' Stupid 4.Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me 5.It Was A very Good Year 6.Straighten Up and Fly Right 7.Well Did You Eveah 8.Mr Bojangles 9.One For My Baby 10.Things 11.Ain't that a Kick in the Head 12.They Can't Take That Away From me 13.Have You Met Miss Jones ? 14.Me and my Shadow 15.Beyond The Sea Performance dynamo and chameleonic entertainment personality Robbie Williams made a rapid transformation -- from English football hooligan to dapper saloon singer -- for his fourth LP, Swing When You're Winning. Still, Williams' tribute to the great American songbook is a surprisingly natural fit with its intended target: '50s trad-pop patriarchs like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. And just like those two loveable rogues, Williams has brawled and boozed in the past, but isn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve; in fact, he's one of the few modern pop stars to fully embrace affecting balladry and nuanced singing. Williams and longtime producer Guy Chambers are also extremely careful with their product, so it shouldn't be surprising that Swing When You're Winning has innumerable extra-musical touches to carry it over: the cover features Williams relaxing in the studio in a period suit; his contract with EMI enabled the addition of the treasured Capitol logo at the top of the sleeve, and several tracks were even recorded at the famed Capitol tower in Hollywood. Fortunately, Williams is no less careful with his performances. Since he lacks the authoritative air of master crooners like Sinatra and Bing Crosby (along with the rest of humanity), he instead plays up his closer connections to the world of Broadway. His readings are dynamic and emotional -- sometimes a consequence of trying to put a new spin on these classics (six of the covers are Sinatra standards, three are Bobby Darin's). He also invited, with nearly universal success, a series of duet partners: Nicole Kidman for the sublime "Somethin' Stupid," Jon Lovitz for the irresistibly catty "Well, Did You Evah," Rupert Everett for "They Can't Take That Away From Me," longtime Sinatra accompanist Bill Miller on "One for My Baby," even Sinatra himself for a version of "It Was a Very Good Year" on which Williams takes the first two verses (over the 1965 arrangement), then bows out as Sinatra's original counsels him concerning the later stages of life. Though it may be an overly close tribute to a familiar original (like many of the songs here), Williams' considerable skills with expression and interpretation largely overwhelm any close criticism. He's definitely much better on the comedy songs, especially the hilarious "Well, Did You Evah" (originally a duet for Crosby and Sinatra in the 1956 film High Society). Lovitz's rounded tones and faux-affected airs are a spot-on interpretation of Brother Cros, while Williams' emulation of a boorish lug ("That's a nice dress -- think I could talk her out of it?") is nearly perfect as well. Though arranger Steve Sidwell hasn't done many charts (and those for the movies Moulin Rouge, Bridget Jones' Diary, and Romeo + Juliet), he also acquits himself nicely aping classic scores for "One for My Baby" and "Beyond the Sea." The lone Robbie Williams original is "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen," a sweeping pipe-dream fantasy of true American superstardom for Britain's biggest pop star. It could happen, too; Pierce Brosnan surely isn't growing any younger. John Bush, All Music Guide



	SING WHEN YOU'RE WINNING release date: 28.08.2000 1.Let Love Be Your Energy 2.Better Man 3.Rock DJ 4.Supreme 5.Kids 6.If It's Hurting You 7.Singing For The Lonely 8.Love Calling Hearth 9.Knutsford City Limits 10.Forever Texas 11.By All Means Necessary 12.The Road To Mandalay REVIEW Robbie Williams, England's top entertainer of the moment, pulls from pop's past like a hip-hopper samples a groove, chasing lavish contemporary beauty. Known for crowd-pleasing shenanigans onstage, the former boy-band bad boy turns into a craftsman within the protective studio womb. On his second U.S. album, Williams and collaborator Guy Chambers achieve an audio spectacle showcasing their melodic wit and stylistic valor. The opening "Let Love Be Your Energy" is the essence of power pop -- a huge hook, even larger rock symphonics, and fat, flowery sonics to shake your soul. The Oasis inflections from Williams' debut are gone, replaced by a theatrically earnest cry. Layering Barry White violins over Frankie Goes to Hollywood throb, "Rock DJ" is Williams' cheeky-dumb party anthem, while "Better Man" sings a sweet-ballad sequel to his "Angels." In "Kids," Williams raps his own pop biography; no one but this twisted star could rhyme "Sean Connery" with "sodomy" and then "ornithology," and have it all describe his aesthetic symbology. Barry Walters, Rolling Stone (no 852)


	I'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU release date: 26.10.1998 1.Strong 2.No Regrets 3.Millennium 4.Phoenix From The Flames 5.Win Some Lose Some 6.Grace 7.Jesus In A Camper Van 8.Heaven From Here 9.Karma Killer 10.She's The One 11.Man Machine 12.These Dreams 13.Stand Your Ground 14.Stalker's Day Off A more mature, calculated album from a pop star who's often gloried in being immature and spontaneous, I've Been Expecting You may suffer from comparisons to its excellent predecessor, but it also finds Robbie Williams weathering the sophomore storm quite well. While Williams' debut was infectious and outrageous, the second is indeed a more studied album. The opener, "Strong," begins very well, with the spot-on lyrics: "My breath smells of a thousand fags/And when I'm drunk I dance like me Dad," and "Early morning when I wake up/I look like Kiss but without the makeup." Many of the tracks on I've Been Expecting You show an undeniable growth, both in songwriting and in artistic expression; two of the highlights, "No Regrets" and "Phoenix From the Flames," are sensitive, unapologetically emotional songs that may not be as immediately catchy as those on his debut, but pack a greater punch down the road. Williams does indulge his sense of fun occasionally, playing up James Bond during the transcontinental hand-waver "Millennium" (which samples Nancy Sinatra's theme for You Only Live Twice), and simply roaring through "Win Some Lose Some" and "Jesus in a Camper Van." John Bush, All Music Guide

	LIFE THRU A LENS release date: 29.09.1997 1.Lazy Days 2.Life Thru a Lens 3.Ego a Go Go 4.Angels 5.South Of The Border 6.Old Before I Die 7.One of God's Better People 8.Let Me Entertain You 9.Killing Me 10.Clean 11.Baby Girl Window + Hello Sir (hidden poem) REVIEW You leave a boyband, and a very successful one at that. What do you do? Well, you release a crass and embarrassing cover of George Michael's 'Freedom', then go indie after hanging out with Oasis, or at least at the same places as Oasis. Get seen with a healthy amount of ROCK stubble on your chin at Glastonbury. Release a string of singles to preview your first album proper, all of which chart progressively lower until one song, 'Angels' becomes a big hit. Voila! A superstar is born!! Well, not quite. One song doesn't change how predictable and lacking in surprise most of this album is. It doesn't change how calculated it all comes across as. He likes Tom Jones, really respects him. Robbie Williams you see has a desire to be an all-round entertainer. He wants to be a writer, he wants to be loved and for his cheeky face to beam from magazine covers. He wants somebody else to actually write all his songs for him, and then layer his own lyrics over the top, none of which reveal a single thing about Robbie Williams. I'd rather listen to Robin Williams. At least he's funny. Let's be fair. 'Angels' is pretty good all told, 'Lazy Days' is suitably laid back and flowing and a decent enough song. Uh...... 'Old Before I Die' could be seen as a clever inversion of a line made famous by The Who - shame the song is a poor Oasis rip-off, vocal mannerisms included. There are some awful things here, the very earnest sounding 'One Of Gods Better People' for one. Nothing seems to happen, everything is far away but his voice comes at you, he starts yelling, and it may as well be the universally despised Michael Bolton for all it matters. 'Let Me Entertain You' is a desperate piece of misplaced self-bravado, but what's this? Does he like The Who? It's possible. A certain faint echo of a time gone by, when music was good and singers like Robbie Williams...... but wait! There have always been singers like Robbie Williams aping genuine artists work. Tom Jones? God, I hate Tom Jones. Why the fuck would I want to listen to a nineties version of Tom Jones? I may as well listen to Tom Jones. I'd throw-up in the meantime, but at least Tom is Tom. I can respect Tom Jones for what's he's done and who he is, and I bet he's a really nice bloke. I bet Robbie Williams is a cunt. In fact, i'm sure of it. Why such a high rating? If 'four' can be seen as high? Well, this is accomplished music of a kind. It's produced well, performed well, Robbie sings well enough. I don't like his vocal mannerisms, but there is a level of talent here. It isn't absolutely awful or anything. 'Angels' is quite good, so is 'Killing Me' actually. It's softer, more humble, possibly only because less effort was put into it, eg, it wasn't a prospective single and as desperate sounding as much else of what's here. 'Angels' actually WASN'T initially a prospective single. It was released as a last throw of the dice, and it worked. (adriandenning.co.uk)