Progress (Take That album)
Encyclopedia
Progress is the sixth studio album by British band Take That
. It is the band's first album to feature Robbie Williams
since 1995. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010. The album received positive reviews, with most critics commending the influence of electronic music
and synthesizers. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart
, becoming the fastest-selling album of the century and the second fastest-selling album of all-time. Progress also became the biggest-selling album of the year by selling over one million copies in 24 days. As of June 2011, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the UK. The album also became a commercial success in Continental Europe
, where it charted within the top ten of twelve countries. Progress has been certified two-times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of two million copies inside Europe. On 10 June 2011, the album was released alongside the EP
Progressed, which features eight previously unreleased tracks.
is to make a return to Take That
. Gary, Howard, Jason, Mark and Robbie have been recording a new studio album as a five-piece, which is due for release in November." Work on the album commenced in September 2009, following the final date of their sell-out "Take That Presents: The Circus Live
" tour. Shortly afterward, it was confirmed that, 'all five members of the band had met up, to begin writing the six songs which would set the foundation for the album.' The album marks the band's 20th year in the Music Industry, as well as fifteen years since the release of the Nobody Else
album, the last material the band recorded as a five-piece. The album cover was photographed by Nadav Kander
, who had previously photographed Barack Obama
.
It mimics the iconic ape-to-man image, and has been positively received by critics.
, becoming the band's sixth number-one album. By the end of its first week on sale the album sold around 520,000 copies, which made it the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history. In its second week, the album sold another 208,000 copies retaining the number one spot, and in its third week it sold over 174,000 copies remaining at number one. The following week Take That sold over 200,000 copies of Progress retaining the number one spot for a fourth week. On 8 December 2010, the album reached 1.009 million copies, taking 23 days to reach the figure—only four more than the 19 days it took The Circus
to reach one million in 2008. Progress became the first album in 2010 to break through one million sales in the UK.
On its fifth week the album sold over 330,000 copies to stay at the top of the UK Albums Chart
and become Take That
's third Christmas number 1 album, having sold more than 1.4 million copies in under 5 weeks. The album retained the number 1 spot for a sixth consecutive week selling over 433,000 copies, bringing total sales to 1.87 million copies and becoming the first UK number 1 album of 2011. The album dropped to number two after a six week run at number one but still sold 350,000 copies to bring total sales to 2.22 million. In April 2011, the album finally reached the 2 million sells mark making the album having taken 139 days to do so. It is the fourth album by the band to sell upwards of 2 million of copies, following Beautiful World, The Circus
and Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection. This makes the band the only one to have four million-selling albums in the 21st century. As of June 2011, Progress had sold 2.8 million copies in the UK. The album also debuted at number one in the Irish Albums Chart
on 19 November 2010, making it the band's sixth number-one album in Ireland. and at number one in Scotland. Across Europe the album achieved success with it going to number one in Greece, Germany, Denmark (going platinum by selling 30,000 copies in its first week.) and the European Top 100 Albums
chart. It also debuted inside the top 10 of the charts in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".
Q
praised the album calling it "a triumph; musically, conceptually, personally." Virgin Media
gave the album 7 out of 10, calling it "a deceptively dark offering from the usually quite cheerful man band". The Guardian
gave Progress a rating of four out of five commenting that "Take That's first album as a quintet since 1995 is informed by two things: a genuinely new sound and Robbie Williams
's seamless reimmersion into life as a band member, which is played out on emotional duets with Gary Barlow
and Mark Owen
" and concluding that "[Williams] and his bandmates have produced a noteworthy modern album." BBC Music
gave the album a positive review stating: "If the title of Progress suggests the band's new sound will be a merging and evolving of Take That Mk.II and recent Robbie Williams fare, the reality is startlingly different. Progress is something entirely new – Take That Mk.III – and the strangest, most ambitious and most exciting record its creators have ever been involved in." Yahoo! Music UK
awarded the album 8/10 and wrote, "It's all about Robbie Williams. His vocals dominant seven out of ten tracks, the keyboard heavy makeover has little to do with Take That and everything to do with his last three solo albums, and while the reunion has clearly done him the world of good, it doesn't seem like a fair and equal exchange."
Adrian Thrills of Daily Mail
praised producer Stuart Price
for "pushing Take That towards new horizons without compromising their melodic power or ability to pen a sing-along chorus" and stated "Despite trying too hard in places, Take That deserve credit for taking risks." Luke Turner of the NME
gave the album seven stars out of ten stating the album is a "triumphant and quite crudely banging stadium synth-pop record" and praised Take That for "setting the pace [for other bands]." In his review for The Independent
, Andy Gill wrote: "Rather than pop balladry, the album leans heavily on electronic beats and textures, and reflects misgivings about science and humanity", rating the album four out of five. AllMusic awarded the album four stars out of five stating "the emphasis is not on harmonies, it’s on groove and texture, ballads taking a backseat to clever rips on Gorillaz
or synthesized glam stomps" and concluded "Progress is the hippest and best music Take That has ever made." The Express
gave the album a positive review stating, Progress is a testament to the fact they know what they’re doing. This is classic pop that dips into R'n'B and rock, and it’s a job well done." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph
gave the album three stars out of five and said that Robbie Williams "seems to have infused his band mates with his very peculiar sense of fun. [...] But, be warned, it is not the Williams of Angels and Let Me Entertain You
, it’s the maverick maniac of the derided Rudebox
" and stated "They should be applauded for daring to deliver a laugh out loud, big, brash, electro stadium epic". Entertainment.ie
s Jenny Mulligan described Progress as "jammed with smart, stylish and irresistibly catchy tunes" concluding that "[the album] is a belter."
Sputnik Music gave "Progress" 4 stars out of five stating that "on one dimension, it is mathematically composed with each sound and beat clean and shine, full of electronic soundings, on the other - it is an autobiographical story of Take That which at the same time can be interpreted as the evolution of the global society as a whole [...] four stars out of five are given for the album and its songs for being very clear, straightforward, understandable and, at the same time, far not meaningless - this is what pop-music was created for, wasn't it? In Russia many would suggest that a good music is when a listener can understand the meaning of the album without even knowing a word in a foreign language - in this Take That succeeded truly amazingly".
stadium tour for 2011, starting off in Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 27 May and ending with a record breaking eight nights at Wembley Stadium, before playing 7 dates across Europe. On 13 November 2010, ITV aired Take That: Look Back, Don't Stare, which focused on the reunited band through fly-on-the-wall studio footage as well as candid interviews. A DVD and Blu-ray release, Look Back, Don't Stare. A Film About Progress, followed on 6 December.
The band announced in early December four extra dates for the tour and as a result it was necessary to reschedule the planned Wembley show on Sunday 3 July for Thursday 30 June. The promoters and band apologised for the inconvenience.
and written by Midge Ure
, Chris Cross
, Warren Cann
and Billy Currie
.
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. It is the band's first album to feature Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
since 1995. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 15 November 2010. The album received positive reviews, with most critics commending the influence of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and synthesizers. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, becoming the fastest-selling album of the century and the second fastest-selling album of all-time. Progress also became the biggest-selling album of the year by selling over one million copies in 24 days. As of June 2011, the album had sold 2.8 million copies in the UK. The album also became a commercial success in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
, where it charted within the top ten of twelve countries. Progress has been certified two-times platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for shipments of two million copies inside Europe. On 10 June 2011, the album was released alongside the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Progressed, which features eight previously unreleased tracks.
Background
On 15 July 2010, it was announced that Robbie Williams would be returning to the band. A joint statement between Williams and the group said, "The rumours are true... Robbie is back... and to celebrate, we've written and recorded a new album, due for release later this year." On the same date, national newspapers printed the headline: "Following months of speculation, it has been confirmed that Robbie WilliamsRobbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
is to make a return to Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. Gary, Howard, Jason, Mark and Robbie have been recording a new studio album as a five-piece, which is due for release in November." Work on the album commenced in September 2009, following the final date of their sell-out "Take That Presents: The Circus Live
Take That Present: The Circus Live
Take That Presents: The Circus Live is a concert tour by reunited British boyband, Take That. The tour promoted their fifth studio album, The Circus. The tour began on 5 June 2009 in Sunderland and finished on 5 July 2009 at London's Wembley Stadium. The Circus Live is Take That's biggest tour to...
" tour. Shortly afterward, it was confirmed that, 'all five members of the band had met up, to begin writing the six songs which would set the foundation for the album.' The album marks the band's 20th year in the Music Industry, as well as fifteen years since the release of the Nobody Else
Nobody Else
- Peak positions :- US Import Version :- Year-end charts :- Personnel :* Gary Barlow – vocals, songwriter, producer, programmer* Robbie Williams – vocals, songwriter* Jason Orange – vocals* Mark Owen – vocals, songwriter...
album, the last material the band recorded as a five-piece. The album cover was photographed by Nadav Kander
Nadav Kander
Nadav Kander is a London based photographer, artist and director, internationally renowned for his portraiture and landscapes. His work forms part of the public collection at the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Kander's work is also exhibited in numerous...
, who had previously photographed Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
It mimics the iconic ape-to-man image, and has been positively received by critics.
Release
The album was originally due for release on 22 November 2010, however, the release date was later brought forward a week to 15 November 2010. Barlow claimed that the decision was made after "massive pre-orders for the album" and after "analysing airplay and order data" with him revealing that "We've also never seen one of our singles played so much." A Take That spokesman claimed the change in release was also due to "huge response to their press conference" where they announced tour datesSingles
- "The FloodThe Flood (Take That song)"The Flood" is a song by British pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. It was released as the lead single in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2010...
" was released as the album's lead single on 7 November 2010.
- "KidzKidz (song)"Kidz" is a song by British pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. It was released as the second single from the album on 20 February 2011...
" was released as the album's second single on 20 February 2011.
- "Happy NowHappy Now (song)"Happy Now" is a song by British pop group Take That from their sixth studio album, Progress. The song features Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams performing lead vocals...
" was released as the third single from the album on 18 March 2011.
- "Love LoveLove Love (Take That song)"Love Love" is a single by British pop group Take That from the band's first EP, Progressed. It serves as the official single of the movie X-Men: First Class. The song features Gary Barlow and Mark Owen on lead vocals...
" was released as the album's fourth single and the first single from the double disc edition entitled Progressed.
- "When We Were YoungWhen We Were Young (Take That song)"When We Were Young" is the second and final single by British pop group Take That from the band's first EP, Progressed. It acted as the theme song in the feature film adaptation of The Three Musketeers, which premiered in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2011. The song features Robbie Williams and...
" was released as the album's fifth single and the second single from the double disc edition entitled Progressed.
Commercial reception
Prior to the release of the album it had become the most pre-ordered album of the year. On the first day of the release the album sold over 235,000 copies across the UK, making it the fastest-selling record of the century. On 21 November 2010, Progress debuted at number one on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, becoming the band's sixth number-one album. By the end of its first week on sale the album sold around 520,000 copies, which made it the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history. In its second week, the album sold another 208,000 copies retaining the number one spot, and in its third week it sold over 174,000 copies remaining at number one. The following week Take That sold over 200,000 copies of Progress retaining the number one spot for a fourth week. On 8 December 2010, the album reached 1.009 million copies, taking 23 days to reach the figure—only four more than the 19 days it took The Circus
The Circus (Take That album)
The Circus is the fifth studio album from the British pop band Take That. The album was released on 1 December 2008.- Album information :...
to reach one million in 2008. Progress became the first album in 2010 to break through one million sales in the UK.
On its fifth week the album sold over 330,000 copies to stay at the top of the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and become Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
's third Christmas number 1 album, having sold more than 1.4 million copies in under 5 weeks. The album retained the number 1 spot for a sixth consecutive week selling over 433,000 copies, bringing total sales to 1.87 million copies and becoming the first UK number 1 album of 2011. The album dropped to number two after a six week run at number one but still sold 350,000 copies to bring total sales to 2.22 million. In April 2011, the album finally reached the 2 million sells mark making the album having taken 139 days to do so. It is the fourth album by the band to sell upwards of 2 million of copies, following Beautiful World, The Circus
The Circus (Take That album)
The Circus is the fifth studio album from the British pop band Take That. The album was released on 1 December 2008.- Album information :...
and Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection. This makes the band the only one to have four million-selling albums in the 21st century. As of June 2011, Progress had sold 2.8 million copies in the UK. The album also debuted at number one in the Irish Albums Chart
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
on 19 November 2010, making it the band's sixth number-one album in Ireland. and at number one in Scotland. Across Europe the album achieved success with it going to number one in Greece, Germany, Denmark (going platinum by selling 30,000 copies in its first week.) and the European Top 100 Albums
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...
chart. It also debuted inside the top 10 of the charts in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Critical reception
Progress received positive reviews from music criticsMusic journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".
Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
praised the album calling it "a triumph; musically, conceptually, personally." Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
gave the album 7 out of 10, calling it "a deceptively dark offering from the usually quite cheerful man band". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave Progress a rating of four out of five commenting that "Take That's first album as a quintet since 1995 is informed by two things: a genuinely new sound and Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
's seamless reimmersion into life as a band member, which is played out on emotional duets with Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
and Mark Owen
Mark Owen
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005...
" and concluding that "[Williams] and his bandmates have produced a noteworthy modern album." BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
gave the album a positive review stating: "If the title of Progress suggests the band's new sound will be a merging and evolving of Take That Mk.II and recent Robbie Williams fare, the reality is startlingly different. Progress is something entirely new – Take That Mk.III – and the strangest, most ambitious and most exciting record its creators have ever been involved in." Yahoo! Music UK
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
awarded the album 8/10 and wrote, "It's all about Robbie Williams. His vocals dominant seven out of ten tracks, the keyboard heavy makeover has little to do with Take That and everything to do with his last three solo albums, and while the reunion has clearly done him the world of good, it doesn't seem like a fair and equal exchange."
Adrian Thrills of Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
praised producer Stuart Price
Stuart Price
Stuart Price is a three time Grammy-winning British electronic musician, songwriter, and record producer whose remixing and production skills are in demand by artists including New Order, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon...
for "pushing Take That towards new horizons without compromising their melodic power or ability to pen a sing-along chorus" and stated "Despite trying too hard in places, Take That deserve credit for taking risks." Luke Turner of the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
gave the album seven stars out of ten stating the album is a "triumphant and quite crudely banging stadium synth-pop record" and praised Take That for "setting the pace [for other bands]." In his review for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, Andy Gill wrote: "Rather than pop balladry, the album leans heavily on electronic beats and textures, and reflects misgivings about science and humanity", rating the album four out of five. AllMusic awarded the album four stars out of five stating "the emphasis is not on harmonies, it’s on groove and texture, ballads taking a backseat to clever rips on Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
or synthesized glam stomps" and concluded "Progress is the hippest and best music Take That has ever made." The Express
The Express
The Express is a 2008 American sports film produced by John Davis and directed by Gary Fleder. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Charles Leavitt from a book titled Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, authored by Robert C. Gallagher...
gave the album a positive review stating, Progress is a testament to the fact they know what they’re doing. This is classic pop that dips into R'n'B and rock, and it’s a job well done." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
gave the album three stars out of five and said that Robbie Williams "seems to have infused his band mates with his very peculiar sense of fun. [...] But, be warned, it is not the Williams of Angels and Let Me Entertain You
Let Me Entertain You (Robbie Williams song)
"Let Me Entertain You" is a song written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. Released as the fifth and last single from Williams' debut album, Life Thru A Lens. It has no connection to the songs by Queen or Shakespears Sister carrying the same title. In March 1998, the track became a top three hit...
, it’s the maverick maniac of the derided Rudebox
Rudebox
Rudebox is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released on 23 October 2006 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
" and stated "They should be applauded for daring to deliver a laugh out loud, big, brash, electro stadium epic". Entertainment.ie
Entertainment.ie
entertainment.ie is a Dublin-based Irish website which provides extensive cinema, TV, live music, theatre, comedy, exhibition and festival listings for free, as well as celebrity gossip, music and movie news, movie and DVD reviews, CD reviews and up-to-date lottery results.The site was developed in...
s Jenny Mulligan described Progress as "jammed with smart, stylish and irresistibly catchy tunes" concluding that "[the album] is a belter."
Sputnik Music gave "Progress" 4 stars out of five stating that "on one dimension, it is mathematically composed with each sound and beat clean and shine, full of electronic soundings, on the other - it is an autobiographical story of Take That which at the same time can be interpreted as the evolution of the global society as a whole [...] four stars out of five are given for the album and its songs for being very clear, straightforward, understandable and, at the same time, far not meaningless - this is what pop-music was created for, wasn't it? In Russia many would suggest that a good music is when a listener can understand the meaning of the album without even knowing a word in a foreign language - in this Take That succeeded truly amazingly".
Promotion
The band have since announced that plans are under way for a tour in the summer of 2011. The tour is expected to include material spanning their 20 years in the music industry. The band called a press conference at 10 am on 26 October 2010 in London, where they announced the Progress LiveProgress Live
Progress Live was the eighth concert tour by British male vocal group Take That. The tour, sponsored by Samsung, supported their sixth studio album, Progress as they visited the biggest cities in the UK and Europe. It was the first tour wherein all five original members will perform since 1995...
stadium tour for 2011, starting off in Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on 27 May and ending with a record breaking eight nights at Wembley Stadium, before playing 7 dates across Europe. On 13 November 2010, ITV aired Take That: Look Back, Don't Stare, which focused on the reunited band through fly-on-the-wall studio footage as well as candid interviews. A DVD and Blu-ray release, Look Back, Don't Stare. A Film About Progress, followed on 6 December.
The band announced in early December four extra dates for the tour and as a result it was necessary to reschedule the planned Wembley show on Sunday 3 July for Thursday 30 June. The promoters and band apologised for the inconvenience.
Track listing
The main album's track listing was announced through the group's official site on 19 October 2010. Two special versions of the album were available. The Deluxe version of the album comes encased in a three-sided gatefold wallet, which also contains an additional 12-page album booklet and five portrait cards. The Super Deluxe version of the album contains a bonus DVD containing the documentary Look Back, Don't Stare, as well as six super art prints of the band. A double disc edition was then announced on 19 May 2011. The first disc features the main Progress tracklisting, whilst the second disc consists of a mini-album, Progressed, which contains eight new songs. This version of the album was released on 13 June 2011. "Eight Letters" samples the song "Vienna" as performed by UltravoxUltravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
and written by Midge Ure
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
, Chris Cross
Chris Cross
Chris Cross is the bass guitarist in the band Ultravox.-Early years:Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, William Forster Comprehensive...
, Warren Cann
Warren Cann
Warren Reginald Cann is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.-Early life:...
and Billy Currie
Billy Currie
Billy Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...
.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 65 |
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
2 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
36 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
32 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 21 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
4 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 46 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
42 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
1 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
1 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
3 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
25 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
14 |
| Scottish Albums Chart Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
1 |
| South Korea Gaon Albums Chart Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... |
26 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 17 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
7 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
2 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| UK Download Chart | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums Chart | 6 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 51 |
| German Albums Chart | 15 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
2 |
| Scottish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 73 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
Certifications
Chart precession and succession
Personnel
The following people contributed to Progress:- Gary BarlowGary BarlowGary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
– songwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, vocals, keyboards and programming - Howard DonaldHoward DonaldHoward Paul Donald , is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist, dancer, DJ and house producer. He is a member of English pop band Take That. As well as working with Jason Orange as band choreographers, he sang lead vocals on one of the band's many number one singles first time round, "Never...
– songwriting, vocals and drums - Jason OrangeJason OrangeJason Thomas Orange is an English musician and dancer. He is a member of the pop band Take That who gained popularity in the 1990s and are currently enjoying further success since their reunion in 2005.-Early fame and Take That:...
– songwriting and vocals - Mark OwenMark OwenMark Anthony Patrick Owen , is an English singer-songwriter. He is a member of pop band Take That. The band were hugely successful during the 1990s and have enjoyed even more success since their reunion in 2005...
– songwriting and vocals - Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
– songwriting and vocals - Stuart PriceStuart PriceStuart Price is a three time Grammy-winning British electronic musician, songwriter, and record producer whose remixing and production skills are in demand by artists including New Order, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Take That, Missy Elliott, Scissor Sisters, The Killers, Pet Shop Boys, Brandon...
– production, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, keyboards, guitar, bass and programming - Dave Emery – mixing assistant and engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Mark 'Spike' StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
– mixing - Matty Green – mixing assistant
- Ryan Carline – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
and programming - Noah Goldstein – assistant engineering
- Ghian Wright – assistant engineering
- Andrew Kitchen – assistant engineering
- Mike Houge – assistant engineering
- Ben Mark – guitar
- Karl Brazil – drums
- Will MaloneWill MaloneWill Malone is a British music producer, who has worked with artists including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack and Italian rocker Gianna Nannini. In 1976, Malone & Lou Reizner covered a Beatles song, "You Never Give Me Your Money", for the evanescent musical...
– strings arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and conductor - The London Studio Orchestra – stringsStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
- Everton Nelson – leaderConcertmasterThe concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
- Perry Montague-Mason – orchestra contractor and strings supervisor
- Richard Lancaster – strings engineering
- Tim Young – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
CD, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... (standard and deluxe edition) |
275592-7 | |
| United Kingdom | ||||
| Germany | CD, digital download | 274478-1 | ||
| Australia | Universal International Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
274847-4 | ||
| Japan | UICP1121 | |||
| Canada | Polydor Records | 0252748474 | ||
| Brazil | Universal International | 2748474 | ||
| United Kingdom | Polydor Records | CD, DVD (box set edition) |
275742-5 | |
| CD – Progressed | 277495-1 |