THREE albums in as a trio – and Take That are finally equals.
“It’s taken us to make this new record to all become the same level,” says Gary Barlow. “
This album shows that we’re all good singers and now we’re also all good songwriters.
“We’ve all grown at different rates and it’s taken us all these years to get to this point.”
For latest album This Life — Take That’s ninth record — Gary, Mark Owen and Howard Donald brought in their own songs to work on as a three.
For the first time in their 33-year career, Take That took a different approach to writing.
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Rather than meet up in a studio and jam together with Gary’s ideas taking the lead, This Life began life by the three working on songs separately then bringing them to the table to see what the others thought.
Howard, 55, says: “That’s when we change the melody or the lyric as a team — but it was like an experiment. It was a different way of working and the way forward for us.”
Gary, 52, adds: “Howard thinks he’s the weakest singer and songwriter, but he isn’t — we’re all on the same level now.
“And it makes this record a lovely experience. Everyone gets their moment on it and everyone gets to put their message across.”
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Howard says: “My input on past albums was not as important as Mark’s and Gary’s.
"I’ve got the youngest kids and, making the last album, my wife Katie was pregnant so I wasn’t in the studio as much.
"Mark’s done solo stuff and Gary’s always writing — it’s in his DNA as he’s been writing since he was 14. I only wrote when something was coming up.
“But making this album has changed my outlook and attitude.
“Going off in different direct-ions to write has helped me to spread my wings — and opened doors to myself.
“The good songs win in the end.”
I catch up with Take That on a video call the morning after their special Radio 2 gig — with Howard calling in from his home office, Gary lying on his bed and Mark, who lives in LA, speaking from his London hotel room.
“I’m listening!” shouts Mark as he moves off camera. “I’ve got my daughter with me this week. I’m juggling this with her having lunch.”
“And apologies for Gaz being in bed, he looks like he’s about to take a nap,” laughs Howard.
“Last night was a lot of fun,” smiles Gary. “It was nice to play the new songs and you never quite know until you get them out there what it’s going to be like — but it was lovely. Really lovely.”
During the performance, Take That debuted four new songs from This Life — the title track, Windows, Brand New Sun and One More Word.
The latter was dedicated by dad-of-four Howard to all the daughters in the room, including the trio’s own girls.
“I was nervous,” he admits. “It’s an emotional song, so I was holding it together because there’s a vocal and not so much music — so no room for error.
“I couldn’t look at the crowd because if I saw anyone crying it would break me.”
It’s an impressive album, with songs like March Of The Hopeful, Days I Hate Myself and album closer Where We Are all about reflection and positivity.
“We are an upward-thinking group of people,” says Gary. “I hope that comes through in the music because we need those messages right now.”
Soundwise, Windows set the ball rolling with a gorgeous, soaring Seventies feel.
“I came up with Windows quite early,” says Gary. “It was some-thing that we all jumped on soundwise — that American sound with vocal harmonies. We’re a vocal group and we all sing well.
"We all sing in harmony and have our ranges, and so on Windows we sound good.
“That song really sums us up as a band in 2023.”
Teaming up with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb — who has worked with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile and Lady Gaga — and heading to Nashville last January was central to the album’s feel.
“It was important to find a new producer to work with us,” says Mark. “We were coming back with a new record on a new label [EMI] and Dave seemed perfect.
“He’d made a Barry Gibb record, Greenfields, which he was very proud of. And the idea of going to Nashville, to the legendary RCA Studio B, made us so excited.”
‘It felt exciting, it felt important, it felt right’
Being in Studio B was inspiring for Take That, as Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison have all recorded there.
“If you weren’t a confident person, it would scare the bloody life out of you being there,” says Gary. “It was the most impressive studio I’ve ever been in.
“That Nashville studio really had those ghosts in there, for sure. It was brilliant.”
“Yes, it was an amazing atmos-phere and a great way to start everything,” agrees Mark.
“We got in there and Dave had the band ready, so we started singing. We hadn’t even taken our coats off — they still had guest stickers with our names on.
“Within four minutes, we all looked at each other to say, ‘This feels good’. It felt exciting, it felt important and it felt right.”
Gary adds that being in the US, away from the spotlight, helped the feel of the record.
He says: “We also recorded a lot of the record at Dave’s home in Savannah, Georgia.
“We travelled there, just the three of us, and it’s not very often just the three of us go anywhere without security or someone else. It was lovely.
“We were wandering around town, meeting for breakfast, and hired a car and drove ourselves around. We were grateful for this whole new experience.
“Making a record in this crazy environment made it all feel new.”
Mark adds: “I loved it. I always feel like I’m learning in the studio. I’m on this lesson in life.”
Howard adds: “We are really enjoying being in the band now, things are good.
“Doing the podcast has been great. We’ve ended up having conversations about each other’s lives and stuff we’ve never ever talked about. It’s been like a therapy session.”
This Life marks a new chapter for Take That, who are on a journey that’s seen them overcome a few bumps along the way.
The trio have survived the departures of Robbie Williams and Jason Orange — who left saying he was tired of touring and fame. The trio have released albums III in 2014 and Wonderland in 2017.
The following year, Odyssey, where Take That reworked some of their best-known songs, then gave them their eighth No1 album.
So, when Wonderland got to only No2, held off top spot by Ed Sheeran, did it hurt?
“What? Which album didn’t get to No1? What was going on?” jokes Gary.
“No, I think we answered that with Odyssey going to No1 — which said, ‘We don’t want a No2 this time’.
“But how lucky are we to be sat here saying No1 or No2, for God’s sake. Don’t get us wrong, we love No1.”
Robbie Williams, who re-joined the band in 2010 for their hugely successful album Progress, has just released a four-part Netflix documentary.
So, have Gary, Howard and Mark watched it?
“It’s on my list — that and David Beckham’s,” says Gary. “I haven’t got round to it yet as I’ve been so busy.”
Howard adds: “I’ve seen the first episode of Robbie’s thing, and it’s great.
“It rewinds to the Nineties. And you know, I sent Robbie an email about it, actually, because back then when Robbie left we didn’t talk about stuff.
You don’t really understand what he was going through with his addictions and it must have been tough. No wonder he was rude and the way he was.
“And all this crap between Gary and Rob going back-wards and forwards, he wasn’t in a nice place with his mental health.
"Thank God there’s more awareness about it now and it’s been acknowledged. Luckily, I’ve never been in that position.”
So, how does Gary feel about his former bandmate apologising to him during the series?
“His apology came in 2010, so it’s not a new thing for me,” says Gary. “And coming from the human’s mouth is more important.
“A lot of the things I hear are in the documentary, I’ve heard from him directly. So 2010 was an important period for all of us.
"To say, ‘Hey, come on, we did some good here, let’s not have it as a bad memory’. That’s how we look back on it. We try to take the good stuff from it.”
Mark, who was the closest in the band to Robbie, says of the Netflix project: “It’s a brilliant thing for him to have done. I was up at his house while he was filming — it was quite tiring for him.
“When I look back at the band then, compared to now, I almost don’t remember parts and I don’t connect to it.
“I remember Rob going to Glastonbury, and Oasis, and the excitement for that.
"But it’s hard to remember how we felt — whether it’s because we were younger, travelling continents all the time.”
‘We are blessed to be doing what we love’
And what about Jason Orange? When did the band last hear from him?
“I don’t know where he is,” says Howard. “He’s difficult to get hold of, and I believe that’s the way he wants it.
“When an album is coming out he’ll send an email saying, ‘I wish you all the success in the world’. And then the next day you try replying to it and it’s a no-reply email address.
“Wherever he is, I really hope he is happy. He’d done his time in Take That — although he’s welcome back anytime.”
“It’s a tricky one with Jay,” adds Gary. “I almost think if there had been a big argument it would be easier, but there wasn’t.
"He just wanted a change in his life. But he does keep an eye on us. And it’s nice to know that.”
Looking ahead, Take That say they feel blessed to still be doing what they love — and growing older and adapting to the changes that time brings.
Mark says: “My kids were watching old footage and said, ‘Why don’t you have your hair cut like you did back then?’
"I was like, ‘I was a teenager then. It’s different times now and we’re a different band. I used to do windmill spins on my head. But now I can’t.’”
Howard nods in agreement. “This is my life and I don’t ever want it to stop,” he says.
“We will get to a point where the dance moves may stop, but we will always have an energy.
“Next year’s tour will be amazing and different to previous ones. They’ve all been unique.
“We are so proud of how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved with this album.
“It’s a new era and it almost makes me feel like we are just getting started.”
- Take That’s new album This Life is out today. You can watch their Radio 2 show on BBC Two tomorrow then on iPlayer.
TAKE THAT
This Life
★★★★☆
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