TAKE

THAT

Take That are an English vocal pop group made up of five members: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Gary Barlow is the lead singer and primary songwriter. The group were created in the late 80s/early 90s by a man called Nigel Martin-Smith. Gary Barlow was the first to be found by Martin-Smith, who impressed him so much that the boy band was built around Barlow's musical abilities. Auditions were opened to men who could sing and dance, and Howard Donald was chosen after he got time off work as a vehicle painter to continue the process. Donald was asked to recruit other possible candidates, and he recommended fellow street dance Jason Orange, who had appeared as a dancer on The Hitman and Her. Mark Owen and Robbie Williams met on the day of their audition and interview. Martin-Smith named the band 'Kick It,' however the members of the band didn't like it, and instead changed their name to 'Take That.'

Background info

Take that in 1991

As their debut single 'Do what u like' was a commercial failure and only made it to 82 in the UK Singles Chart. It was released on then-manager Nigel Martin-Smith's record label Dance U.K. It seemed that the video made more of a stir than the single, in which the bad got naked and smeared jelly over themselves. It was banned from daytime television and placed at number 2 in VH1's all-time worst video list. The video was also omitted from the 2005 video compilation "Never Forget - The Ultimate Collection".

At the beginning of their career, the five members of Take That’s style was pretty much non-existent. They dressed pretty casually during this time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpqAXZI0s0s&ob=av2e

Take That in 1992

Take that did a cover of the Tavares Hit 'It only takes a minute.' It was their fourth single on their debut album 'Take That and Party.' This song was released through Sony Music and it was the bands first top 10 single, charting at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video involves the band singing and performing the song with members Donald, Orange and Owen break dancing whilst Williams and Barlow chase after a girl.

Their image has changed slightly, with each member having their own style. They are all still very casual though, with Jeans being a necessity in most outfits.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J3U4Ke0SCY&ob=av2n

Take That in 1993

This was their second of eleven number-one hits and it topped the UK singles chart for two weeks in October 1993. It featured vocals of Lulu and it was the first number-one single for her. At the time, it broke the record between an act's chart debut and their reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, happening 29 years 148 days after her debut with Shout in 1964. The video depicts the band and singer Lulu dancing and partying in a club atmosphere. Scenes showing Jason Orange in a shower are also in the video. Owen’s ripped t-shirt in the music video has become somewhat memorable by Take That fans. It was very controversial at the time, as the text printed on it read 'Junkie's Baddy Power' which caused some music channels to blur out the writing due to its reference to drugs.

It seems that in this year, they each started to develop their own style. All with new haircuts and check shirts, it seems they have found a taste for fashion.

Take That in 1995

It was released in 1995 as a single from Nobody Else and achieved great success in many countries. The song went on to reach the #1 spot in over 30 nations, making it the most successful song ever recorded by a boy band,sixth UK chart-topper, and their only US top ten hit. The music video to the song was relatively simple but iconic. It is shot in black and white and shows the band walking and dancing in the rain as well as the band performing the song in a shelter. The music video has often been an influence in the band performing the song live as they often make use of artificial rain when performing it.

It seems they still held on to the checkered shirt look. Gary still rocked the blonde highlighted hair look, with other members favouring a longer ‘curtains’ look.

After an 11 year break…

‘Patience’ was released as the first single from their comeback album ‘Beautiful World.’ The single reached the top of the charts in Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as reaching the top ten in countries such as Ireland, Italy, Austria and Sweden. The video was directed by David Mould and was shot in Iceland. The video shows each of the members trekking across the rough terrain dragging their microphone stands. After the middle eight, the band are shown on top of a cliff singing the song together at night whilst a storm occurs behind them.

They returned as a four-piece without Robbie Williams. It seems their look has changed quite dramatically, bringing them into the 21st century. Gary still sports the blonde hair, but it is of a modern cut. The other three members have all opted for the longer, wavy hair style. Their style is more sleek, with the professional looking coats.

Take that in 2008

‘Greatest Day’ was the lead single from their fifth album, The Circus. It was written by Take That themselves and produced by John Shanks. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart upon its release, and became their 11th number-one single. The song has sold over 420,000 copies in the UK so far and has been certified Gold by the Official UK Charts Company. The band also performed the song live at Children in Need, in 2008, before donating £250,000 to the charity. The video for was filmed on location in LA on top of a 60 storey building in the downtown area. It was directed by Meiert Avis, who previously shot videos for U2 and Damien Rice.

Still as a four-piece, the band re-vamped their style again. The boys all have modern, short hair cuts, and each hold their own taste in clothing. Their image is still sleek, as they are all dressed in more-than-casual clothes.

Take that NOW

It’s from their sixth studio album, Progress and it was released as the lead single in the UK. The song is the first to feature Robbie Williams since his return to the band in July 2010. The video features the five members of the band racing against another crew in specially-made five-seater Sculling boats. The band's boat is named "Progress“ after the album, whilst the band wear old-fashioned white rowing kits, bearing a custom-designed Take That crest. They are shown to be competing in a race against a younger crew and although losing the race, the group continue going past the finish line and are shown to row down the River Thames past famous London landmarks before fading away into a stormy sea.

It seems the return of Robbie brought a new style for the band. The band definitely have a recognisable image, wearing similar clothing to each other. It seems they favour more dull colours, which gives them a professional feel, still.