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Robbie Williams, Robbie Williams Escapology Escapology

Details

Title: Escapology
Release date: 4 January, 2003
Record label: Virgin Records
Single: Feel
Official website: Robbie Williams
Wikipedia: Robbie Williams

Tracklisting

1. Feel performed by Robbie Williams - 4:26

2. Monsoon performed by Robbie Williams - 3:47

3. Sexed Up performed by Robbie Williams - 4:23

4. Get a Little High performed by Robbie Williams - 3:55

5. Come Undone performed by Robbie Williams - 4:34

6. Something Beautiful performed by Robbie Williams - 4:51

7. Love Somebody performed by Robbie Williams - 4:15

8. Revolution performed by Robbie Williams - 5:46

9. How Peculiar performed by Robbie Williams - 3:14

10. One Fine Day performed by Robbie Williams - 3:35

11. Me and My Monkey performed by Robbie Williams - 7:12

12. World's Most Handsome Man performed by Robbie Williams - 3:56

13. Nan's Song performed by Robbie Williams - 3:55

14. How Peculiar (Reprise) performed by Robbie Williams - 2:18

Robbie Williams - Escapology

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Since 1997, Robbie Williams has racked up a string of hits - "Angels," "Millennium," "Rock DJ," "Somethin' Stupid" - around the globe. With his 2001 album Swing When You're Winning, and its Grammy Award-nominated companion DVD, Robbie Williams: Live At The Albert, Robbie proved that he was every bit the consummate entertainer his Rat Pack heroes were and this while still several years shy of his thirtieth birthday.

So when it came time to begin work on his new album, Escapology, the man who kicked off his last CD with a soaring original called "I Will Talk And Hollywood Will Listen" decided to make it easier for them to do just that. He packed his bags, bid cheerio to London, and relocated to California.

Initially, Robbie had thought the only way his sunny new surroundings might influence his music was he'd write "a couple nice songs about liking Los Angeles." And he did that. But more importantly he also made new friends, threw a couple of poolside barbeques, and found himself more content - and, consequently, more excited about recording - than ever before. Caught up in a rush of creativity, new songs - half a dozen at least - kept flowing out, even as Rob and his colleagues were hard at work in the recording studio.

More importantly, Robbie found himself immersed in the particulars of singing and production (along with longtime producers Guy Chambers and Steve Power) more than in the past. "I sang more than I've ever sung before, because I heard Eminem talking about how he can spend an hour on one line of a lyric, making it sound perfect." From the musicians, however, he requested the opposite approach, hoping for rawer, more immediate results. "I wanted this album to sound less produced, so whatever they laid down the first time, we kept."

As one might expect from a someone with the opening bars of The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" tattooed across his back, Robbie takes songwriting rather seriously. While "Handsome Man" and the epic "Me and My Monkey" retain the wit and self-effacing humor that distinguished his earlier work, Escapology also features some of his most sincere and refined efforts yet. He ranks the album's lead single, the widescreen ballad "Feel," and his keen dissection of "the dichotomy of Robbie," "Come Undone," among his favorites in his catalog to date. He's also particularly pleased with the disc's quiet closer, "Nan's Song," an homage to his grandmother and his first original completed without assistance from an outside collaborator. In addition, the U.S. edition of Escapology features two new tracks, "One Fine Day" and "Get A Little High," unavailable on the British version.

Robbie Williams was born on February 13, 1974, and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, England. His first two albums, 1997's Life Thru A Lens and 1998's I've Been Expecting You (both of which went #1 in the U.K.) and their accompanying singles, established him as a consistent media presence across the pond. In 1999, highlights from both were combined for his U.S. debut, the gold-certified The Ego Has Landed, from which came two Top 40 singles, "Angels" and "Millennium." Robbie's next release, 2000's Sing When You're Winning, topped the U.K. charts too, and sparked controversy on both sides of the Atlantic when the singer stripped off more than just his clothes in the video for "Rock DJ."

In 2001, Robbie recorded two new selections for the big screen adaptation of Bridget Jones' Diary. Inspired by the warm reception received by his big band rendition of the Frank Sinatra favorite "Have You Met Miss Jones?," he decided to record an entire album in the same vein. Robbie's fourth straight #1 U.K. full-length, Swing When You're Winning, emphasized his innate showmanship and love of classic vocal pop, featuring selections originally immortalized by Nat "King" Cole, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Frank Sinatra. His special guests included actors Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding) and Jane Horrocks (Little Voice, Absolutely Fabulous), comedian Jon Lovitz, and, on "It Was A Very Good Year," the voice of the Chairman of the Board himself, with blessings from Frank Sinatra's estate. The disc's first single, "Somethin' Stupid," his sexy pairing with Moulin Rogue star Nicole Kidman, held the #1 spot on the British charts for three weeks that Christmas season.

Putting together SwingS? (which Robbie recorded live with a 60-piece orchestra) and its star-studded, one-night-only concert program, which spawned the Grammy Award-nominated DVD Robbie Williams: Live At The Albert, proved a turning point. "So many people have tried to do the same thing with standards, and it's gone right down the toilet," Robbie admits. "There was a big chance I would flopS? and it was a huge success. Every bone in my body was excited about pulling it off, and seeing people's reactions. And that gave me tremendous confidence."

2002 was supposed to be a year off. Instead, Robbie wound up the subject of a documentary film, Nobody Somebody; was the recipient of a record-breaking thirteenth Brit Award (this time for Best British Male Artist); and contributed to the CD and DVD 1 Giant Leap, featuring the single and Grammy Award-nominated video "My Culture," with vocals by Robbie and Faithless MC Maxi Jazz.

Oh, and he moved to California, and made the best album of his career. His established fans certainly agreed - within three weeks of its release in late 2002, Escapology was the fastest-selling album of the year in the U.K. Listen for yourself, and we think you'll "Feel" the same.

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