News of July 2004
29/07/04
FROM PLAY LOUDER:
Stoke on Trent's favourite son
Robbie Williams has announced a Greatest Hits collection which will go on sale
on 18th October and will probably be No.1 until after Christmas 2008.
This is after all the man who has sold 17 million albums in the UK, 32 million
worldwide, and who is is the holder of a record 13 Brits, responsible for the
fastest selling live album ever, and also the best selling music DVD of all
time. And some birds think 'e's reet fit, and much better lookin' than that
Ricky Martin an' all.
Which is all very well, but he's crap!
Anyway, the new album also showcases two new tracks 'Radio', which will be
released on 4th October 2004, and a second single 'Misunderstood' - which
features in the new Bridget Jones movie, 'The Edge of Reason' - will be released
on 6th December 2004. Expect it to be a bit of a slowie with some jingle bells
on it, eh the more cynical of you out there...
Plus there will be lots of hits that you will be only too familiar with.
Whoopie!
Actually, 'No Regrets' was pretty good. Oh, and 'Feel' was alright as well. Oh,
and 'Come Undone' wasn't bad either now we're thinking about it. And what was
that Gloria Gaynor one, that was alright? Oh, and 'She's the One' I suppose...
TALK!
26/07/04
Pop princess Kylie Minogue has
successfully stopped her record label from releasing a Greatest Hits album of
her songs - so she can re-record the tracks herself.
The Australian star fought with bosses over their plans to release a Best Of CD
- insisting it would be unfair to fans.
Instead the I Should be so Lucky hitmaker plans to cover the hits that made her
famous and give them a more modern sound.
A source reveals: "The record company wanted another greatest hits album which
will always rake in loads of cash. "But she wanted something different for her
fans and fought for it."
The new LP, Songs, could also see a second collaboration with Robbie Williams -
with whom she recorded hit single KIDS in 2000. The source adds: "Robbie is keen
on reworking their hit Kids with a jazz vibe. Kylie is really excited about it
all."
23/07/04
Robbie Williams is going to be a
busy chap this autumn. As well as releasing his second autobiography, Feel, the
30-year-old heart-throb will be putting out his eagerly awaited Greatest Hits
album.
And we can reveal he's putting two brand new tracks on it.
The CD, scheduled for release on October 18, will feature Radio, co-written by
Stephen Tin Tin Duffy, and Misunderstood - which is on the soundtrack to Bridget
Jones: The Edge Of Reason.
Can't wait.
15/07/04
With the excitement at Troon
reaching fever pitch for the start tomorrow of the Open Championship, a headline
in a local paper today is causing a tabloid media frenzy. "Robbie bought me a
pint!" screams the Troon Times, with its splash about Robbie Williams sailing
into the west coast harbour to watch the golf. The singer and golf fan is
reported to have moored his luxury yacht into Troon Marina at the weekend before
popping into the Lonsdale Bar in an old T-shirt and baseball cap. Says the Troon
Times: "One drinker revealed: 'During the Open you expect all kinds of thing to
happen, but the last thing you expect is to be having a blether with Robbie
Williams. "'I offered to buy him a pint of lager, but he bought me one instead -
and had an orange for himself. He was a really nice guy. He didn't have a posse
of security guards or the kind of gang the papers make out - he was by himself.
He seemed well up on his golf.'"
Other celebrities keen on golf to have pitched up in the area include Justin
Timberlake, and there are rumoured sightings of Sir Sean Connery and Hugh Grant.
What amazes me is that it's SO well known that Robbie doesn't drink alcohol
because of his drug/alcohol problems, yet people keep offering him alcohol
whenever he goes out - no wonder its hard for him to keep on the straight and
narrow!
09/07/04
Songwriter Guy Chambers
collaborated with Robbie Williams to write some of the biggest hits of the last
decade but now they are not even on speaking terms.
In a new radio interview, Chambers says: "Robbie and I were very close but after
six years we got sick of each other's faces and now we have no contact at all.
"I felt like money was taking away the fun of what we did. He was getting too
tied up in the whole deal process."
Chambers, who was behind songs such as Angels, Let Me Entertain You and Rock DJ,
reveals how his rocky working relationship with Robbie ended badly.
"Robbie was a very moody character but I think that was what made him the star
he was. I actually think that people who are very well balanced are not that
creative," he says.
"Our friendship ended very badly and we don't talk at all any more."
He loved working with Robbie but the pair split in 2003 after the singer asked
him not to write for other stars. Chambers says: "People ask me if there's
jealousy because I write a lot of the songs and yet he's the one who gets all
the fame.
"Fame is a curse. I would hate to have photographers camped outside my house
every day. I'm much happier being able to enjoy the freedom to play music."
So there are no regrets about not being a star in his own right?
"I tried it myself when I was in a band called The Lemon Trees, but I soon
realised that I didn't have what it takes to be a big star. People have to want
to watch you, that wasn't me," he says. "When you meet Robbie you realise what
true star quality is all about."
Chambers says that one of his favourite Robbie songs of recent years was Feel.
"I remember we were out in LA on a songwriting trip and things were going very
badly. He was at a real low point in his life and all the stuff we were working
on was rubbish," he says.
"Then one day I just came up with the melody for Feel. Rob's lyrics came
straight away because that was exactly where his head was at." One of the career
high points was when he wrote and recorded the song Angels with Robbie.
"That was actually the second song we ever did together. I remember we'd just
met and he came round to my house looking pretty rough," he says.
"He'd been out of Take That for about a year and he was on a real low. He had
the first verse and the lyrics for Angels and I finished the rest off. I knew it
was special even then." Now that the two are no longer writing songs together,
Chambers is enjoying working with other artists.
"I've been doing quite a lot of stuff with Charlotte Church and it's going
really well. I was a bit worried that because she was so young she wouldn't have
much to say, but she's proved me wrong," he says.
Guy Chambers is interviewed for Between Ourselves which goes out on Radio 4 on
July 13 at 9am.
04/07/04
FROM THE SKY NEWS:
Singer Robbie Williams has had a
string of secret trysts with Irish star Samantha Mumba, according to reports.
The former Take That star fell for the actress and singer when they met in the
US in February. But it was four months before she agreed to a date.
Now they are seeing one another regularly in Los Angeles where Robbie has a
home.
A friend told The News of the World: "She might have played hard to get in the
beginning, but Samantha is as keen as Robbie now.
"He made no secret of the fact he was smitten when they first met.
"They clicked straight away and got on like a house on fire but when Robbie
asked her out she turned him down. "Things have changed since then and they're
in constant touch."
The paper says Samantha has told friends: "I've been to Robbie's house but we
try to meet all over the place.
"Who knows what will happen - we're just having a laugh."
01/07/04
FROM THE SUN:
Robbie Williams has said Take That to his old college - and forked out £50,000
to give it an arts centre.
Public-spirited Robbie hopes the suite at the St Margaret Ward Catholic School
in Stoke will encourage talented young singers and actors to follow in his
footsteps to fame.
Robbie was too busy in America to fly in for the grand opening but his sister,
Sally, and mum Jan did the honours.
They read out a letter in which the cheeky star joked: "It is good to be missing
school without detention, suspension or getting a telling-off from mum."
Let's hope the pupils who use the Robbie Williams centre don't follow in ALL his
footsteps.
