Take That: When the Singles Outshone the Originals

Take That are renowned as one of the UK’s most successful and best-loved boybands. Propelled by their clean-cut image and Gary Barlow’s songwriting talent, they enjoyed huge success in the 1990s before returning, a decade later, as a four-piece — achieving even greater and more enduring success.

Back in the early 90s, the band’s songwriting was largely a solo effort from Barlow, who quickly gained a reputation as a gifted and mature writer.

What many might not realise is that several of Take That’s best-known hits were heavily reworked or remixed before their single releases. Here, we take a look at some of those transformations.

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Monthly Mixtape – April ’25

Hey!
Hope you’re doing well and enjoying this glorious sunny weather, if you’re in the UK. It just makes everything feel that little bit brighter, doesn’t it?

I’m super excited to share these songs with you. It’s been another brilliant month of music, and the longlist was extensive. Going forward, I won’t be sharing the entire playlist—just the top 20 tracks I’ve been enjoying. That’s probably still quite a lot, but I couldn’t narrow it down any further!

I’m hoping there’s something here for everyone. Lots of Pop, of course, but also Soul, R&B, indie-pop, Country, and Folk.

I really, really appreciate every visit and read.

Love as always,
Marc

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Five – Their 15 best songs ranked

It’s been an exciting time for early noughties pop fans with the news that the rough-and-ready, brilliant boyband Five are reuniting as a full five-piece for the first time since their 2001 split. While the band have had various line-ups over the years, this marks the first time all five members are back together.

I liked Five as a child, but as an adult, I’ve come to appreciate them even more. I’ve always loved their singles, but over the past few days, I’ve delved into their full discography, listening to and thoroughly enjoying all three of their albums—far more than I expected!

To celebrate their reunion, I’ve ranked some of their best songs. It’s a mix of singles and album tracks, with a few notable omissions—no ‘We Will Rock You’ here!—and some personal favourites that just missed the cut. But here are my Top 15 Five songs.

Enjoy!

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Monthly Mixtape – January ’25

Happy New Year!
Excited to be sharing my listening habits with you again this year—if anyone’s interested, of course!

This month’s mix is a bit all over the place. January always feels musically odd to me—there’s a lingering hangover from last year’s hits, but not much new to get excited about yet. I think that’s reflected in my listening habits over the past few weeks—an eclectic collection of songs spanning different eras and genres.

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Presenting: The 2024 Christmas Pop Calendar

Hi!

Over the years, I have often shared Christmas songs throughout December, with varying themes.

I’ve decided to return the feature this year.

Each day throughout December, I’ll be sharing two songs. One ‘Christmas Classic’ – a classic Christmas song and one ‘Hidden Gem’ – a song which might be buried away on a Christmas album or be too new to be a classic just yet.

Think of it as a gift from me to you!

Hope you enjoy.

Marc

Monthly Mixtape: November ’24

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Hey Hey!

I’m back with my final Mixtape of the year. Sorry I’m late (as always!) – life’s been busy.

A short but sweet one from me for November, therefore there’s no ‘Essential 5’ in this post. Lots of songs on repeat but these were my standouts.

I’ll be posting music still but have something different planned for December… (watch this space!)

As always, I really appreciate every visit and read so thanks for being here, and let’s dive in!

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Monthly Mixtape: June ’24

Reading Time: 8 minutes

Howdy. I’m quite late again, aren’t I? Sorry. Life is busy but I love doing this!

From now on, I’ll be trying to keep the mixtape to 20 songs dissected, but other stuff I’ve enjoyed this month are at the bottom in the complete playlist.

Short on time? My Essential 5 are featured at the top!

As always, I really appreciate every read, scan or visit and hope you find some new music you love.

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