Robbie Williams' retrospective perspective

This is the cover image of Robbie Williams' 31st single, "Morning Sun". It's also his first single to miss the top 40 in the UK. It crashed out at an apologetic #45 after two top 10 placings with "Bodies" and "You Know Me", both plucked from his eighth, studio longplayer, "Reality Killed The Video Star".

Robbie has only missed the top 10 three times since he ditched Take That for a solo career. "South Of The Border" and "She's Madonna" peaked at #14 and #16, respectively. The third, "Sin Sin Sin", was his first to miss the top 20 with a quick appearance at #22 before slipping out the bottom end not long after it charted. Perhaps he should think twice before releasing a single with a title beginning with the letter S.

After "Reality Killed The Video Star" delivered a muted performance and Robbie decided to shelve any touring plans, it was swiftly decided that he should release a career retrospective.

To mark the occasion, Robbie Williams has reunited with his former Take That colleague, Gary Barlow, for "Shame", a song which will serve as the lead single for "In And Out Of Consciousness – The Greatest Hits 1990-2010". It will be a 39 track, double CD and will be available from all fine record "shops" and online "retailers" on October 4. A DVD of the same name will be released a week later.

No tracklisting has been announced for the elpee, but as the title suggests, it will include material from both his solo career as well as his time with Take That. His first solo release, a cover of George Michael’s "Freedom", appeared in 1996 and hit #2 little more than a year after he quit the boy band.



It has certainly been a long road since the porky, drug addled days of his youth. Eh, kittens? He sorta disowned his debut, solo single. It didn't even appear on his first hits collection.

Robbie was featured as lead vocalist on three Take That hits - "Could It Be Magic", "I Found Heaven" and "Everything Changes". If these are featured along with his 31 solo singles and the new track he penned with Gary Barlow, that would cover 35 of the 39 tracks proposed for the collection.

And if that's not enough to get your Robbie mojo working, check out this flashy little trailer they created for it.



So where does RW go from here? After twenty years of hits, surely he's at a major crossroad in his career. I guess the full on Take That reunion is expected. But in my opinion, the question surrounding whether they will or won't get back together is far more exciting. Once they cross that line, the sizzle might be good for one album and then it will be old news.