Lopez Blogs

Then: Take That reformed in 2005 for a one off tv documentary that charted their lives since they split in 1995. A rereleased greatest hits followed, along with a tour that was so successful that a new album and more sold out tours would follow. Still creating brilliant anthems, Patience, Shine and Rule The World all spent significant time in the top five and their come back album Beautiful World was a huge seller. Many other 90s acts tried to imitate the successful comeback and failed - and there is a reason for that. Take That didn't just decide to come back. After the documentary, there was actually a demand again for their music that went beyond nostalgia. Gary and the boys took time to see if there was demand, rather than just deciding to go ahead and record new music that would then flop and tarnish their career (see Spice Girls, New Kids, Boyzone, East 17 et al). They remain the premiere DILF band in the UK and finally have a new track out that was played today on evil Chris Moyles show...

Now: So is Greatest Day any good? It's from their forthcoming album The Circus (I think it's safe to say their circus will be dramatically different to Britneys...) and is one of many new Gary Barlow projects to be hitting the web today (check out popjustice for the full scoop). It's a classic lighters in the air ballad in the vein of Patience and Rule The World; in fact it's almost the lyrical spiritual successor to Rule The World with uplifting sentiments such as the world coming alive when two people in love are together, etc. Much like Patience, it has taken me a few listens to get into, but I am utterly on board with the return of Take That and am quite happy for this to proliferate my ears along with the many other excellent fourth quarter releases available for ecoute. And like the two other best songs (so far) out this autumn (The Promise and Human), it's more subtle and insidious than more recent efforts. That is, it's not an immediate tune, but it grows on you and you do tend to appreciate it more and more with each listen. By the time a video drops for this, I will be totally obsessed and spinning it a ridiculous amount of times per day. And yes, there are similarities with this post and the popjustice one, but sometimes you are just on the same page musically and it becomes more difficult to separate your thoughts!!

If you like this then try:

• John Barrowman ~ What About Us: I actually find Mr B intensely annoying so it's a credit to the other Mr B's (arlow) writing skills that this power pop ballad is actually quite sweet and appealing.
• Geraldine ~ The Winner's Song: Taken from Britain's Got The Pop Factor (which i wrote about yesterday, fact fans) this Barlow penned ditty is much like the show. An absolutely spot on micky take of everything XFactor/Idol-ish. The lyrics are absolute corkers ("At first i had nothing, now i have something!!") and it pisses over recent winner's songs by Leona, David and Leonb.(See video above!)
• Daniel Powter ~ Best of Me: Fucking hell, a song not penned by Gary? Blimey! Still it's a totally Barlow-By-The-Numbers epic sweeping pop piano ballad that is so absolutely saccharine sweet and lovely that I can't stop playing it over and over again.

Tomorrow: The Same Difference album?!?! Weds ~ Lenka & Marit!