And now, the sharp dividing line which separates those who love and those who hate this man. I fall on the side of the former, not surprisingly, but I can see why a lot of people hate him. Nevertheless, this is where we begin the discography of one
Robbie Williams
In case you've been living under a rock for the last decade or so, let me advise you that Robbie Williams came out of the boyband Take That, and began a solo career in 1997 that has since elevated him to superstardom and resulted in hit singles, million-selling albums and sellout tours. His music is mostly pop, but you'll get the odd shot of rock or at least pop/rock in there too. If you haven't already made up your mind, I'd recommend approaching his music with an open mind, and concentrating on that more than the often adverse press he's received or his admittedly massive ego.
Album title: Life Thru a Lens
Artiste: Robbie Williams
Genre: Pop
Year: 1997
Label: EMI
Producer: Guy Chambers, Steve Power
Chronological position: Debut album
Notes:
Album chart position: 1 (eventually, on the back of the success of the “Angels” single)
Singles: “Old before I die”, “Lazy days”, “South of the border”, “Angels”, “Let me entertain you”
Lineup: n/a
Review begins
As a longtime sneerer at boybands, Take That not least of them, it surprised me how much I ended up liking this album. I had heard Robbie vaguely on the periphery, through singles like the aforementioned “Angels” and “Let me entertain you”, and I think it may have been to disprove my sister's contention that he really was a musical talent that I listened to this album, and had to radically change my view of him. I expected that the singles would be flanked by some real filler, and most of that written by others. But whatever you think of him, love him or hate him, or even ignore him, you can't deny Robbie Williams knows how to pen a great tune.
Right from the very start I was impressed, with the power and melody of “Lazy days”, its semi-Indian arrangement and powerful guitar riffs getting my attention right away. In an era where much of the pop music was still based around keyboards and synths, Williams was one of the new rising stars who, with Blur and Oasis and others, would reintroduce the guitar to music fans outside of the rock genre. Pretty much every song here is catchy, and most of them could have been selected as singles. It says a lot for the quality of the album that, great song though the opener is, it's really one of the weaker ones. The title track is a good poppy uptempo with a clever twist in the lyric -
”Just because I ain't double-barrelled/ Doesn't mean I haven't travelled well” - though oddly I feel Robbie sounds a little like Neil Tennant here.
Like most of his songs (that I've heard anyway) this has a great hook in it, and it's hard not to find yourself singing it later on, and there's some great bass and a kind of northern soul idea to “Ego a go-go” with some nice brass, while you really have to feel for Ray Heffernan. Who? Oh, he's the Irish guy who wrote “Angels” and sold it to Robbie for ten grand; the song went on to become Williams' most successful, bringing him instant stardom when it looked like he was going to fall flat on his face. I think everyone knows it by now, and it's the first ballad on the album. A beautiful song, with orchestral backing and a gorgeous piano line.
“South of the border” is great fun and features another great hook in the chorus, cool little guitar solo too, then guitar drives “Old before I die”, another single and a really catchy song, hard to ignore. Another smart lyric ---
"I hope I live to see the day/ The Pope gets high.” It's interesting that the idea in the lyric reverses the traditional rock mantra of “better to burn out than fade away”, which is kind of refreshing to hear. Also refreshing is acoustic guitar, which takes us into “One of God's better people”, showing how Williams excels in writing sentimental but not necessarily cloying ballads. Certainly, he's ably assisted on almost every track by songwriting partner Guy Chambers, and I don't know how much input either has into the songs, though in my review of
Take the crown I noted that without Chambers, Williams' writing really suffers, so one would assume his partner was the main songwriter.
Again, most people probably know “Let me entertain you”, with its rising intro on piano and guitar, a real vehicle for what would become Williams' often out of control ego, but again it's really enjoyable. There's a lot of rock in the guitar and it's not too hard to see some of the harder rockers shaking their heads to this. On the other hand, there's a lot of soul in “Killing me”, with a really nice keyboard line leading it and a kind of ELO/Beatles midsection on violin and cello. “Clean” has a nice kind of swagger about it, with a good sharp, jaunty piano line and it certainly references his time in rehab, ending on a warped, twisted piano line to no doubt reflect the times he was out of his head.
“Baby girl window” then ties everything up really nicely, another acoustic ballad which rather unfortunately is followed by a bitter “hidden track” in which he speaks to his former teacher, reviling him for not believing in him and predicting he would go nowhere. It's understandable, yes, but a little unnecessary, and comes across as the equivalent of kicking a man who has already fallen to the ground. I'm sure the teacher was mortified, and its being a hidden track ironically would have brought it more attention than had it just been a normal one. Revenge may be best served cold, but this is pure ice. Oh well.
Track Listing and Ratings
1. Lazy days
2. Life through 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. Clean
10. Baby girl window
11. Hello Sir (Hidden track; spoken only)
Afterword: Given that he was, and still is to many people, something of a joke, in that his ego tends to go before him and take away from his admittedly good songwriting skills and showmanship, I was a lot more impressed with this album than I expected to be, with very little bad to say about it, and it set me up rather well for the follow-up, and those to come. I wouldn't say I necessarily became a fan of his, but I certainly appreciated his music a lot more and I still listen to and enjoy it. Mostly.
Rating: 