FANTABULOUS!!!
I LOVE this CD!!! I particularly love Robbie's rendition of "Angels", which he performed well before Jessica Simpson did a few years back!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this CD!.
Good intro to Brit phenomenon
That doesn't necessarily mean much because the same could be said for (gag) Kylie Minogue. I lived in London from 1999 to 2003 and it's impossible to explain to Americans what a huge phenomenon Robbie Wiliams was (is) in the UK and Europe. But Williams broke completely clear of his boy-band background and made some very convincing and entertaining pop/rock. Stylistically, he could be seen as a 20th century successor to Elton John's 70s period. Which leaves me dumbstruck that he never really broke huge in America.
This CD actually combined the best stuff from his first two UK releases for introduction to the U. S. market. So it's all pretty good stuff. But U. S. radio has long become so formulaic that there doesn't seem to be room for someone who can do a gorgeous piano ballad ("Angels"), a muscular rocker ("Win Some, Lose Some") and a melodic modern pop singalong ("Millennium") on the same album. That's too bad because we could use a few more versatile pop/rockers like this to break the monotony on the airwaves.
One of the best , sadly unknown in the USA
I went on to discover that I actually like a lot of his stuff. I discovered Robbie through the fabulous song, "She's the one". I was gratified to see that he gave the best received performance at Live 8 last year. This was, unfortunately, followed by his reviled hip-hop-type release this year.
I can't understand how the rest of the USA never discovered this guy. I know that early Justin Timberlake fans would have eaten him up. And there are even a few songs here that Matchbox 20 fans might have bought into. Again I can only ask, what happened here?
Regardless, Thanks Robbie for what you have given us. A lot of people out there really enjoy your work. Even some of us in the USA!!.
If a tree fell in the woods, and no one was around......
I felt like I was listening to a greatest hits album. What the heck happened? I remember listening to this CD five years ago and nodding to every song as my ears witnessed one pop materpiece after the other. I know it's a combination of two albums, but still. . . pretty good stuff for two album's worth of material crunched into one amazing CD. So, now, here we are five years later, and, well, if I walked up to give or take 150 people and asked them if they knew who Robbie Williams was, 148 of them would say he was that funny guy in Mrs. Doubtfire. This should have been the biggest album of the past decade. I'm not a music critic, but I've been listening to all types of music for the past 30 or so years. I have to tell you. . if you're checking this out, wondering whether or not to buy this album, then by all means, do it. Granted, Robbie Williams is his own worst enemy. . . he did cancel a show I went too, and apparently it wasn't the first show he's cancelled. He also called his video for Angels "Poo" on MTV. So, maybe he's just some one with an amazing voice but punk sensibilities(not refelected in his pop songs, though, just his attitude). I can respect that, but, if the record company's doing everything it can to promote you and you're just 'blow'ing it all and shoving your luck up your nose, or into your liver, then maybe you don't deserve what ever is on the golden platter that's in front of you. Hopefully some day he'll learn and get with it. I certainly hope so. If he lives long enough to pull through, and puts out another album as good as this one, then America will be given an amazing gift. Until then, the rest of the world is keeping an amazing well known secret to itself and Robbie Williams will be an enigma to the thirty or forty of us who hum his tunes on a daily basis. Heck, at least we don't have to put up with anyone joining in on a hum along. On second thought, keep drinking Robbie, you might be one of those obnoxious recovery people like Steven Tyler and end up playing half time in a space suit. .
Did I mention?
Now that's art. That Robbie Williams is a TRUE ROCK STAR? He's ego personified, yet he can go in so many different directions. I think his next album "Sing While your Winning" is even better, but "Ego" is no slouch. "Angels" shows his sensitive side. . . "Millenium" is the jaded RW. . . but he still has enough humor left for a little tongue in cheek.
"Regrets," "Strong" and "Killing Me" are all classics in my book. It just goes to show that a boy band CAN introduce the world to a pop genius. RW is not afraid to show how smart he is and I love that.
You can see a complete list of all Robbie Williams discography, or go back to the Robbie Williams tabs
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