Escapology | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 18 November 2002 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2002 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Pop rock [2] | |||
Length | 73:55 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Producer | ||||
Robbie Williams chronology | ||||
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Singles from Escapology | ||||
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Escapology is the fifth studio album recorded by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was released on 18 November 2002 through EMI Records. The album features a guest appearance by singer Rose Stone and was produced by Guy Chambers and Steve Power. The album's lead single "Feel" was released on 2 December 2002, two weeks after the album. The track was an international hit, reaching the top of the charts in Austria, Poland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and top five positions in countries such as Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Three other singles from the album were released: "Come Undone", "Something Beautiful" and "Sexed Up".
The album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom with first-week sales of over 264,000, becoming Williams' fifth consecutive number one.
The album was supported by the 2003 Tour, which started on 28 June 2003 in Edinburgh, Scotland and ended on 14 December 2003 in Sydney, Australia. During the tour Williams performed three consecutive shows at Knebworth, England on 1–3 August 2003. The three shows attracted a total of 375,000 fans, becoming the "biggest music event in British history". [7]
In 2002, Williams signed a record-breaking £80 million contract with EMI. [8] The contract included a number of provisos, including the label ceding greater creative control to the artist and a commitment to breaking Williams in the American market. In return, EMI affirmed they would benefit from a cut of Williams' non-recording activities, including touring, publishing, and merchandising, thus protecting the company from any commercial downturn in the singer's album sales. [9] So far it is the biggest music deal in British history. [10]
After a year out from recording, Williams began working on what would be his fifth studio album. The album heralded a new era for Williams, as he had taken a more active role in the making of the album, giving an indication of his growing confidence in the studio. "One Fine Day", "Nan's Song" and "Come Undone" were the first three songs that Robbie wrote without Guy Chambers' input. The majority of the album was recorded in Los Angeles. Escapology was arguably conceived as a concept album, due to its lyrical content being totally reflective of Williams' life as a popstar. The album focuses on his hopes, fears and depression over the search of love.
As the contract stated, EMI attempted to break Williams in the American market; to this end the label asked him to tweak Escapology to suit the market. The American release shuffled the song order, removed "Song 3", "Hot Fudge", "Cursed" and one hidden track, added "Get a Little High" and "One Fine Day", and made "How Peculiar (Reprise)" a main album track instead of a hidden track. Williams promoted the album on shows such as Good Morning America , Last Call with Carson Daly and The Tonight Show . This version of the album won the award for Best Album by a Solo Male in the International Category at the Premios Oye! in Mexico. [11]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 53/100 [12] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [13] |
Blender | [14] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [15] |
The Guardian | [16] |
NME | [17] |
Rolling Stone | [2] |
Stylus | C+ [18] |
Slant Magazine | [19] |
Yahoo! Music UK | [20] |
Initial critical response to Escapology was generally mixed. In Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 53, based on 11 reviews. [12]
Escapology debuted at number one in the United Kingdom on sales of 264,104, becoming Williams' fifth consecutive number-one album. [21] It also reached number one in Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria. It also reached the top ten in other European countries. However, it failed to make an impact in the United States, only reaching number forty-three on the Billboard albums chart. Escapology became the best selling album of 2002 in the United Kingdom, selling 1.2 million copies, [10] and being certified 6× Platinum by the BPI in December 2003, [22] becoming the sixtieth best selling album of all time in the UK. The album sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide, and over 2 million copies in the UK alone. [23]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "How Peculiar" |
| 3:13 |
2. | "Feel" |
| 4:23 |
3. | "Something Beautiful" |
| 4:48 |
4. | "Monsoon" |
| 3:46 |
5. | "Sexed Up" |
| 4:21 |
6. | "Love Somebody" |
| 4:10 |
7. | "Revolution" (with Rose Stone) |
| 5:44 |
8. | "Handsome Man" |
| 3:56 |
9. | "Come Undone" |
| 4:38 |
10. | "Me and My Monkey" |
| 7:12 |
11. | "Song 3" |
| 3:50 |
12. | "Hot Fudge" |
| 4:08 |
13. | "Cursed" |
| 4:01 |
14. | "Nan's Song" | Williams | 3:52 |
15. | "How Peculiar (Reprise)" (hidden track) |
| 2:14 |
16. | "I Tried Love" (hidden track) |
| 3:31 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Feel" |
| 4:23 |
2. | "Monsoon" |
| 3:46 |
3. | "Sexed Up" |
| 4:21 |
4. | "Get a Little High" |
| 3:56 |
5. | "Come Undone" |
| 4:38 |
6. | "Something Beautiful" |
| 4:48 |
7. | "Love Somebody" |
| 4:10 |
8. | "Revolution" (with Rose Stone) |
| 5:44 |
9. | "How Peculiar" |
| 3:13 |
10. | "One Fine Day" | Williams | 3:35 |
11. | "Me and My Monkey" |
| 7:12 |
12. | "Handsome Man" |
| 3:56 |
13. | "Nan's Song" | Williams | 3:52 |
14. | "How Peculiar (Reprise)" |
| 2:14 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "My Culture" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) | |
2. | "Feel" (Live in Germany) | |
3. | "Feel" (Live on TOTP) | |
4. | "Sexed Up" (Live on TOTP) | |
5. | "Come Undone" (Live on the National Lottery) | |
6. | "One Fine Day" (Live on the National Lottery) | |
7. | "Something Beautiful" (Live on CD:UK) | |
8. | "Come Undone" (Live on TV4, Sweden) |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [91] | 2× Platinum | 80,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [92] | 5× Platinum | 350,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [93] | 4× Platinum | 120,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [94] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [95] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [96] | 9× Platinum | 180,000‡ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [97] | Platinum | 46,225 [97] |
France (SNEP) [98] | Platinum | 300,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [99] | 4× Platinum | 1,200,000^ |
Greece (IFPI Greece) [100] | Gold | 15,000^ |
Hungary (MAHASZ) [101] | Gold | 10,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [102] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [103] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Norway | — | 86,000 [104] |
Poland (ZPAV) [105] | Platinum | 70,000* |
Portugal (AFP) [106] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
South Korea | — | 10,761 [107] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [108] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [109] | Platinum | 60,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [110] | 5× Platinum | 200,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [111] | 7× Platinum | 2,100,000‡ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [112] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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