The Ego Has Landed
Encyclopedia
The Ego Has Landed is a compilation album
by English
pop singer Robbie Williams
. After the success of Williams around the world (especially in Europe
), Williams was signed to Capitol Records
in the United States
, which is a part of EMI
, the album was released in May 1999 in the United States and Canada
, and later issued worldwide. It is not classed as one of his own solo albums as it was a compilation of his first two albums. It was his American debut album, combining tracks from his two official UK studio albums at the time, Life Thru A Lens
and I've Been Expecting You
. The title is a parody of the famous transmission, "The Eagle Has Landed," from the first manned spacecraft
to land on the moon.
. The album The Ego Has Landed was released in May 1999 in the United States and peaked at No. 63 in the Billboard
Albums Chart, not having the success that he enjoyed in Europe. Despite this, Williams enjoyed good video airplay and received a nomination for the MTV Video Music Awards
for "Best Male Video" - he did not win, but the exposure helped the sales of the album.
Capitol Records, trying to make Williams a bigger star, released a second single from the album, the ballad "Angels", for which Williams shot a new video. When it was released in the autumn of that year, the song became a somewhat bigger hit than "Millennium", charting at No. 41. However, this was not enough for Williams, so he concentrated on the rest of the world where he was already an established act. The album went on to sell 596,000 copies in the United States being certified Gold by the RIAA in November of that year.
The compilation was released worldwide (as a limited edition in Europe, pressings for the album are still going strong in Latin America, Asia and New Zealand to this day) and the album was a success in New Zealand, reaching No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart. It went on to sell 140,000 copies being certified 9x Platinum. In Australia, the album ensured platinum sales over 70,000 copies. The album was promoted in Latin America as well. Williams recorded a Spanish version of his hit "Angels" and it was included as a bonus track on the album and then released as a single (almost 2 years after its original release in English). The Spanish version was a substantial hit in most Latin American countries, but as the single had already been big in 1997, most video and radio outlets focused on the tracks from his album "I've Been Expecting You". Despite this, the compilation proved to be a medium success giving him Gold sales in Mexico
and Argentina
. It has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
pop singer 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...
. After the success of Williams around the world (especially in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
), Williams was signed to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which is a part of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, the album was released in May 1999 in the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and later issued worldwide. It is not classed as one of his own solo albums as it was a compilation of his first two albums. It was his American debut album, combining tracks from his two official UK studio albums at the time, Life Thru A Lens
Life thru a Lens
Life Thru a Lens is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was Williams' first solo album following his departure from Take That.-Background:...
and I've Been Expecting You
I've Been Expecting You
I've Been Expecting You is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Robbie Williams.-Success:Williams and Chambers started the writing process of the album in Jamaica in the spring of 1998. I've Been Expecting You was released in October 1998. It debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart,...
. The title is a parody of the famous transmission, "The Eagle Has Landed," from the first manned spacecraft
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
to land on the moon.
Track listing
- "Lazy DaysLazy Days"Lazy Days" is a July 1997 single released by Robbie Williams, the second single released from his 1997 album Life thru a Lens. The song became a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, but success was limited elsewhere....
" – 3:53 - "MillenniumMillennium (song)"Millennium" is a song by Robbie Williams, released as the first single from his second album, I've Been Expecting You. The song was released in 1998....
" – 4:04 - "No Regrets" – 5:09
- "StrongStrong (song)"Strong" is a song by Robbie Williams, released as the third single from his 1998 album, I've Been Expecting You in early 1999. The song managed to break into the top five in the United Kingdom. The b-side is the live version of Let Me Entertain You recorded at the 1999 BRIT Awards, the performance...
" – 4:37 - "Angels" – 4:24
- "Win Some Lose SomeWin Some Lose Some"Win Some Lose Some" is a song by British popstar Robbie Williams, released as the fifth and last single from his album, I've Been Expecting You in New Zealand, in March 2000...
" – 4:19 - "Let Me Entertain YouLet 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...
" – 4:21 - "Jesus in a Camper Van" – 3:38 (replaced by "Phoenix From The Flames" - 4:02)
- "Old Before I DieOld Before I Die"Old Before I Die" is a 1997 song by Robbie Williams, and the first single to be taken from his debut album, Life Thru A Lens. It became a number two hit in the United Kingdom when it was released in April that year. The video has Williams performing for the camera with ageing rock stars as his...
" – 3:54 - "Killing Me" – 3:57
- "Man Machine" – 3:35
- "She's the One" – 4:18
- "Karma Killer" – 4:28
- "One of God's Better People" – 3:35
- The album contains a hidden poem after track 14 called "Hello Sir".
- Latin-American editions of the album feature "Angels (Spanish Version)" as the track 15.
Success
Williams embarked on a US Promotional Tour and when his first American single, "Millennium" was released, it peaked at No. 72 in the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The album The Ego Has Landed was released in May 1999 in the United States and peaked at No. 63 in the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Albums Chart, not having the success that he enjoyed in Europe. Despite this, Williams enjoyed good video airplay and received a nomination for the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
for "Best Male Video" - he did not win, but the exposure helped the sales of the album.
Capitol Records, trying to make Williams a bigger star, released a second single from the album, the ballad "Angels", for which Williams shot a new video. When it was released in the autumn of that year, the song became a somewhat bigger hit than "Millennium", charting at No. 41. However, this was not enough for Williams, so he concentrated on the rest of the world where he was already an established act. The album went on to sell 596,000 copies in the United States being certified Gold by the RIAA in November of that year.
The compilation was released worldwide (as a limited edition in Europe, pressings for the album are still going strong in Latin America, Asia and New Zealand to this day) and the album was a success in New Zealand, reaching No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart. It went on to sell 140,000 copies being certified 9x Platinum. In Australia, the album ensured platinum sales over 70,000 copies. The album was promoted in Latin America as well. Williams recorded a Spanish version of his hit "Angels" and it was included as a bonus track on the album and then released as a single (almost 2 years after its original release in English). The Spanish version was a substantial hit in most Latin American countries, but as the single had already been big in 1997, most video and radio outlets focused on the tracks from his album "I've Been Expecting You". Despite this, the compilation proved to be a medium success giving him Gold sales in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It has sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Charts
| Country | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 20 |
| Canada | 17 |
| New Zealand | 1 |
| United States | 63 |