Post by sandragracey82 on Nov 23, 2010 23:19:28 GMT 8
BOY bands are back. And there's a war on.
Britain's Take That and Ireland's Westlife - two bands famous for hits in the 1990s - are making waves once again with new albums.
Take That, reunited with estranged star Robbie Williams, released their new album, Progress, in Britain last Monday.
Westlife, whose singer Brian McFadden left in 2004 and who has not returned to the group, is set to release Gravity, their latest effort, this week. Their single, Safe, from the album, is already climbing the charts.
Currently, it looks like Take That are the ruling all-grown-up boy band.
On Sunday, they became the first group in Britain this century to sell more than half a million albums in a single week, Britain's Official Charts Company said.
The five-member group, looking considerably less boyish than in their original 1990s heyday, have seen their star soar since Williams re-joined the group earlier this year.
Progress enjoyed the biggest opening week of any album in Britain in 13 years, selling nearly 520,000 copies, the Charts Company said.
It was the biggest opening week for an album in Britain since Oasis' Be Here Now (1997).
Williams quit the group in the 1990s for a solo career as Britain's top pop star, although he never managed to repeat his success in the biggest market of all, the United States.
Take That re-formed without Williams in 2006 and had two hit albums as a foursome before he decided to rejoin.
Take That's 2006 reunion album, Beautiful World, sold 2.5 million copies in Britain and clung to the No. 1 spot for eight weeks while 2008's The Circus sold one million copies in just 18 days and, to date, it is nearing sales of 2.2 million.
Progress, the band's sixth studio album, is the first to feature the full line-up - Gary Barlow, 39; Mark Owen, 38; Howard Donald, 42; Jason Orange, 40; and Williams, 36 - since 1995's Somebody Else.
Earlier this month, the band sold 1.34 million tickets for their upcoming British tour. The first million sold in just eight hours, proving that audiences just can't get enough of the group.
Westlife, however, might be a force to be reckoned with. Their song, Safe, has hit No. 10 on the British charts.
The 12-year-old band - comprising Nicky Byrne, 32; Shane Filan, 31; and Mark Feehily and Kian Egan, both 30 - reckon that even if they can't match Take That's success for now, they can still sing better than them.
When Britain's Now Magazine asked which band featured better dancers and singers, Byrne said: "In a dance-off, probably Take That. A sing-off is another question - I reckon we'd win."
Source : My Paper
news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20101123-248637.html
Britain's Take That and Ireland's Westlife - two bands famous for hits in the 1990s - are making waves once again with new albums.
Take That, reunited with estranged star Robbie Williams, released their new album, Progress, in Britain last Monday.
Westlife, whose singer Brian McFadden left in 2004 and who has not returned to the group, is set to release Gravity, their latest effort, this week. Their single, Safe, from the album, is already climbing the charts.
Currently, it looks like Take That are the ruling all-grown-up boy band.
On Sunday, they became the first group in Britain this century to sell more than half a million albums in a single week, Britain's Official Charts Company said.
The five-member group, looking considerably less boyish than in their original 1990s heyday, have seen their star soar since Williams re-joined the group earlier this year.
Progress enjoyed the biggest opening week of any album in Britain in 13 years, selling nearly 520,000 copies, the Charts Company said.
It was the biggest opening week for an album in Britain since Oasis' Be Here Now (1997).
Williams quit the group in the 1990s for a solo career as Britain's top pop star, although he never managed to repeat his success in the biggest market of all, the United States.
Take That re-formed without Williams in 2006 and had two hit albums as a foursome before he decided to rejoin.
Take That's 2006 reunion album, Beautiful World, sold 2.5 million copies in Britain and clung to the No. 1 spot for eight weeks while 2008's The Circus sold one million copies in just 18 days and, to date, it is nearing sales of 2.2 million.
Progress, the band's sixth studio album, is the first to feature the full line-up - Gary Barlow, 39; Mark Owen, 38; Howard Donald, 42; Jason Orange, 40; and Williams, 36 - since 1995's Somebody Else.
Earlier this month, the band sold 1.34 million tickets for their upcoming British tour. The first million sold in just eight hours, proving that audiences just can't get enough of the group.
Westlife, however, might be a force to be reckoned with. Their song, Safe, has hit No. 10 on the British charts.
The 12-year-old band - comprising Nicky Byrne, 32; Shane Filan, 31; and Mark Feehily and Kian Egan, both 30 - reckon that even if they can't match Take That's success for now, they can still sing better than them.
When Britain's Now Magazine asked which band featured better dancers and singers, Byrne said: "In a dance-off, probably Take That. A sing-off is another question - I reckon we'd win."
Source : My Paper
news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20101123-248637.html