Robbie Williams Bowing Out Of Take That’s New Album…For The Time Being

Robbie Williams has confirmed he will not be taking part in the recording of Take That‘s upcoming album — news that, depending on where your longstanding loyalties lie, will either be good or bad. The band’s seventh LP is expected to be released in late 2014, with a tour to follow.

Williams has his own 46-date European tour to deal with, in support of last year’s Swings Both Ways. And then there’s the small matter of his wife Ayda being pregnant with the couple’s second child, who is due in November.

“Logistically, I can’t do it. I have the tour and I’m going to be a dad again,” Williams recently told The Sun. He then added, “It doesn’t mean to say I won’t join in along the way. Whatever happens, I am absolutely going to be in Take That — I love being in Take That.”

Williams was a member of Take That’s original fivepiece lineup in the early ’90s, but left under less than happy circumstances in 1995 to pursue a solo career. Take That split the following year, reunited a decade later and found themselves more popular than ever in the UK upon the release of 2006’s Beautiful World and 2008’s Circus.

Robbie joined up with Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald again for Take That’s most recent LP, 2010’s Progress, an its 2011 spinoff EP Progressed.

Personally, Take That were pretty great with Robbie, both with the music on Progress and live on their subsequent tour. But Gary, Mark, Jason and Howard are just as capable of producing great material without him.

Three cases in point below.

“Patience”

“Rule The World”

“Up All Night”

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