CityLife

Take That biography

A member of Ken Dodd's backing band, the son of a Mormon, a bit part actor, a bank clerk and a mechanic. Not a particularly interesting bunch you may think, that is, until you realise they make up England's most successful group since the Beatles.

For Gary, Jason, Robbie, Mark and Howard, rose from suburban Manchester (and Stoke!) to sell records that brought teenyboppers and middle age audiences together, like no other band since the fab foursome.

With a mix of high NRG dance music and watered-down R'n'B, they conquered the nation's teenage girls' hearts while uniting gay men and middle class mothers in mutual adoration.

In a sparkling five-year career, Take That landed eight UK number one singles and topped the album charts across Europe and beyond. Only America failed to succumb to their saccharine charms, although there were signs that even they were weakening when they decided to call it a day in 1996.

But, coming from such differing, if not decidedly odd, backgrounds, few predicted greatness for them as they set out on the road to stardom.

The group were led by singer/songwriter Gary Barlow (b. January 20, 1971, Frodsham, Cheshire). One of Barlow's first compositions, Let's Pray for Christmas, was a finalist on the BBC's A Song for Christmas competition and by the age of 14 he was playing the organ in Ken Dodd's support band.

In his late teens, Barlow met two other young wannabe musicians.

Robbie Williams (b. February 13, 1974, Stoke-on-Trent) came from a showbiz family, with his mother working as a singer and his father as a club comedian. Prior to the fateful meeting with Barlow, he held a bit part role in Liverpool based soap opera Brookside.

Mark Owen (b. January 27, 1974, Oldham) was following a more mundane career path having found work in an Oldham bank. Seemingly, his path to stardom had been blocked when he failed a trial with Manchester United.

Spotting a common interest for music and performance, the trio formed The Cutest Rush, although a short-lived shelf-life; left them famed for neither.

Despite no real success, impact, or immediately discernible talent, the trio caught the eye of record producer Nigel Martin Smith, a man with the somewhat perverse desire to create a British 'New Kids on the Block.'

Following extensive auditioning in 1990, Jason Orange (b. July 10, 1970, Manchester), a former breakdancer brought up as a Mormon, and Howard Donald (b. April 28, 1968, Droylsden, Manchester), Orange's partner in dance group Street Beat, were added and Take That was formed.

Despite their boyish appeal to legions of female fans, the band also built up a key following among the country's gay scene. Their first tours were around Manchester's and Britain's gay nightclubs and their July 1991 debut single Do What You Like caused a minor sensation when the video, featuring their ten naked buttocks smeared with jelly, was released.

Later the same year, the band were snapped up by RCA Records and by the end of the year they had their first top 40 hit for the label when Promises reached number 37.
Following a Safe Sex club tour early in 1992, Take That released their third single, Once You've Tasted Love, but the record was to be their first set back, stalling at a disappointing number 47.

However, as was to become increasingly the way with boy bands, a cover version propelled them into the limelight.

Bolting on a high tempo beat and spectacular dance routine to Tavares' It Only Takes a Minute, may have seen like an idea born of insanity. However, it reaped instant dividends by hitting number seven in the UK singles chart in May 1991.

The band had struck gold, simultaneously appealing to as many groups as possible. Even the punkish element was considered, with Gary and Mark both sporting nose piercings for the early singles.

Fourth single I've Found Heaven introduced a youthful Robbie Williams to the nation's grandmothers as he shared singing duties with Gary. The song reached number 15 in August 1991 to consolidate their position as a major force in the UK singles chart.

Later the same month, debut album Take That and Party, entered the British Album Chart at number five, suggesting they appealed to a wider fan base than the typical boyband, A1 or Point Break for example.

Breaking the chain of throwaway pop singles, the band released A Million Love Songs, penned by a 16-year-old Barlow. The song hinted at a far deeper talent and, along with the band's seven gongs at the annual 'Smash Hits Awards,' helped Take That and Party climb to its peak at number two.

A Barry Manilow cover, thankfully Could it be Magic? instead of Copacabana, reached number three early in 1993 and won the Brit Award for Best British Single.

Shortly afterward, the lads hinted at a willingness to gleen every last penny from their fans' pocket money stash when Why Can't I Wake Up With You became their seventh single from their debut album.

With its sultry, laid back style and story of unfulfilled sexual desires, it became their biggest hit to date on reaching number two.

Despite their massive following in the UK, Take That's initial forays into the American market went all but unnoticed, despite their faces appearing on cereal packets as part of a nation-wide promotion.

Whatever, any disappointment was short lived as, in July 1993, Pray, the first release from forthcoming album Everything Changes became their first UK number one. The single marked the start of a move towards increasingly arty videos and a production-heavy sound. In the Pray video they took turns to appear from behind pillars before gesticulating madly in the sand.

Relight My Fire in September 1993 gave the band their second UK chart topper. The song, which was pure pop taken to the nth degree, also featured a raucous guest appearance from Lulu, giving her a first, and to date only, number one single.

In October, Everything Changes was released and inevitably debuted at number one in the UK album chart. However, in America the stock of the band was so low that the album was never released.

Every teenage girl's dream was realised when Babe was released in December 1993. The song marked number one heartthrob Mark Owen's debut as a lead singer, but despite entering the chart at number one, his squeaky vocal style lost out to Mr Blobby in the race to be the festive number one.

The decidedly downbeat Love Ain't Here Anymore broke the band's run of chart toppers when it peaked at number three in June 1994. Any doubts over their appeal were short lived though, as a return to a more uptempo style with album title track Everything Changes hit number one in August 1994.

Despite the pinch of 'Britpop' and the emergence of Blur, Oasis and Pulp as major musical forces, Take That continued to release chart topping singles.

Sure with its extended video and catchy melody hit number one in October 1994, however, it was in March 1995 that Take That would have their career defining moment.

Having never received any real acceptance from the notoriously scathing British music press, the band released Back for Good a song far more substantive than any of their previous material. The song immediately won over all bar their harshest critic and simultaneously distanced them from rivals such as East 17 and Boyzone.

Nobody Else became a number one album upon its release in May 1995, but with Robbie Williams developing a friendship with fellow Manchester band Oasis and becoming known as the 'wild' member of the group, not difficult, admittedly, the the band's future became increasingly shaky. Williams' decision to leave in July 1995 shocked no one.

Perhaps fed up with trying to conform to the squeaky clean image required of a boyband, the four remaining members, all now in their mid twenties, appeared increasingly divided. Despite an upbeat, almost Gospel sound, penultimate single Never Forget had markedly introspective lyrics, hinting at the impending split.

On February 13, 1996, after weeks of speculation, Take That held a press conference to announce the end. One more single, a cover of the Bee Gee's How Deep is Your Love followed which, on hitting number one, became their eighth chart topper. The video was a departure from their normal style, featuring the four lads tied to chairs, tortured and drowned. The Greatest Hits album that followed also entered at number one, becoming their third consecutive chart-topping album.

Ironically, at the time of the split, Back for Good started receiving heavy airplay on MTV and American radio and eventually nestled in the American singles top 10. Perhaps, but for the split, they would have launched a successful career in America.

Most of the band have found that there is some truth in the saying 'there's safety in numbers', since Take That's demise.

Howard Donald and Jason Orange have all but disappeared from view, though Orange was spotted acting on Channel 4.

Mark Owen tried his luck as a solo artist and, for a while, his personal fan base guaranteed success. His first two singles, Child and Clementine both reached the UK top five, but the disappointing sales of debut album The Green Man saw him quickly dropped by label RCA Records. He was last seen on TV doing Mark Owen's Celebrity Scooters while plans are afoot to release a new album later this year.

Gary Barlow initially made a seamless transition into life as a solo artist, but after two number one singles (Forever Love and Love Won't Wait) and a number one album (Open Road) his popularity spectacularly imploded.

In contrast, Robbie Williams has excelled at being free. Initially it appeared his career may also peter out, but the release of Angels turned him into a star in his own right.
He has now had three number one albums with Life Thru a Lens, I've Been Expecting You and Sing When You're Winning.

Meanwhile, in Take That's absence, a seemingly endless line of imitation boybands such as 5ive, A1, Westlife and 911 have tried, with varying degrees of success, to carry on their mantle.