Fan Fare

Robbie on course for another No.1 album

Robbie Williams looks set to maintain his impressive UK chart record this weekend, with his latest album “Reality Killed the Video Star” on course for the number one slot come Sunday which would make it eight chart-topping studio albums out of eight since he went solo after leaving Take That in the mid-1990s.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the 35-year-old, whose previous album “Rudebox” was poorly received and recorded sharply lower sales than his previous efforts. He failed to make it big in the key U.S. market and has said he suffered from chronic stage fright — a surprising admission from someone renowned for his cheeky grin and apparently indomitable character.

A statement from his spokesman says Williams is at number one in the midweek album charts in the UK, with over 85,000 copies sold in the country on the first day of release on Monday. It is also number one on the iTunes chart in 16 countries, including Germany, France, Austria and Belgium.

That, however, is not enough to stop the questions about his eventual reunion with Take That, a group which has enjoyed a remarkable comeback of its own in the last few years. Robbie has proved he has what it takes to go it alone, but everyone, it seems, wants to see him back with the band.

Robbie wins over doubters with comeback gig

Robbie Williams did himself few favours when he sang his new single on the X Factor TV show, with the former Take That star clearly nervous, some would say positively wired.

But the 35-year-old put that setback behind him on Tuesday night with his first full concert in three years at the Roundhouse in London which scored well with the critics. Both the Guardian and Telegraph broadsheets gave Williams four stars out of five, quite an achievement for someone who says he suffers from stage fright.

The best-selling Sun tabloid agreed, saying: “Robbie Williams overcame his nerves to nail the brilliant show he needed last night – his first gig for three years. After looking shaky on X Factor just over a week ago, the pressure was on to prove he’s still got it. I’m relieved to say he certainly has, and maybe a bit more besides.”

George Harrison returns to charts with solo hits record

My Sweet Lord, indeed. George Harrison is back on the pop charts with the first hits package covering his entire solo career. 

“Let It Roll: Songs By George Harrison,” released last week, boasts tracks from 1970′s “All Things Must Pass” to his posthumous 2002 set “Brainwashed.” It also includes three Beatle-era tunes from 1971′s “Concert for Bangladesh” all-star live charity album. 

In the U.K., “Let It Roll” debuted at No. 4, his highest solo ranking since “Living In The Material World” reached No. 2 in 1973. In the United States, it debuted at No. 24 after selling 18,880 copies, EMI said on Wednesday. It also peaked at No. 1 on Amazon.com and at No. 2 on iTunes last week, the label said. 

Harrison did better Stateside with “Brainwashed,” which debuted at No. 18 with 74,000 copies. That marked his first studio set since his 1987 comeback “Cloud Nine,” which hit No. 8 (Sales data did not become available until 1991, when SoundScan launched its point-of-sales system.) In all, Harrison enjoyed six top-10 solo hits before he succumbed to cancer in 2001. But “Let It Roll” outranks his two other compilations: “The Best of George Harrison” reached No. 31 in 1976, and “Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989″ stalled at No. 132.

Revived Alice in Chains releasing first album with new singer

Alice in Chains, the Seattle rock band silenced by the slow drug-fueled demise of late singer Layne Staley, will release its first studio album in 14 years on Sept. 29. 

“Black Gives Way To Blue” marks the band’s first release with new singer/guitarist William DuVall (at right in picture) who shares vocal duties with guitarist Jerry Cantrell (second from left). It will also be the band’s first release for Virgin/EMI; all its previous albums were handled by Columbia Records.   During the 1990s when Seattle was at the epicenter of the “grunge rock” phase, Alice in Chains spearheaded the gloomy genre with a string of dark, druggy albums. Four of them hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200, including the chart-toppers “Jar of Flies” (1994) and its self-titled studio swan song the following year.   But Staley’s chronic heroin problems hampered the band’s progress, and it ended the decade on an enforced hiatus. Staley eventually died of an overdose in 2002.

Just when it seemed like Alice in Chains would be no more, Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez (left) and drummer Sean Kinney (second from right) recruited punk-rock veteran DuVall to fill in for Staley, and started touring with him in 2006. The reception was surprisingly strong, and the emboldened band started recording its new album in Los Angeles last October with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters).

But bands with new singers invariably face a tough challenge regaining their past glory. Deep Purple, AC/DC and Van Halen all thrived after personnel shifts. Other groups like the Doors, Queen, INXS, Anthrax and Motley Crue struggled. In the case of Alice in Chains, DuVall won’t face the harsh glare of the spotlight by himself: The lead vocals are a 50/50 split with Cantrell, who often harmonized with Staley and sang lead on such nuggets as ”Heaven Beside You.”

(photo credit: James Minchin)