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NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > MUSIC CRITICS CONFUSED AS ROBBIE WILLIAMS COMEBACK SPECIAL SMASHES RECORDS
MUSIC CRITICS CONFUSED AS ROBBIE WILLIAMS COMEBACK SPECIAL SMASHES RECORDS
October 22 2009
London, U.K. – The history of pop music in the United Kingdom is as about as formidable as one can get. With names such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd just a few of the many great and legendary musical acts to 
come out of the country one would be hard pressed to pick a favourite. In recent years music in the country has passed from artists such as Eric Clapton and Ozzy Osbourne to pop acts like Natasha Bedingfield and Lily Allen, creating new stars along the way.
At the top though one man must stand alone, and in the case of British pop music that man is Robbie Williams. With 55 million records sold and more awards than virtually anyone in the country’s formidable history, Williams continues to be a musical force to be reckoned with, much to the confusion and consternation of many music critics across the country. Williams’ latest triumph is a sell-out show broadcast on over 250 screens across Europe as he debuted tracks from his newest album, ‘Reality Killed the Video Star’. With that Guinness world record setting debut Williams has confirmed himself as one of the greatest and most confusing musical acts in the history of the country. 
"It's been a few years since we've seen Robbie in the record books, so it's great to see him back on stage and breaking records. Robbie's been a multiple Guinness World Record holder thanks to his phenomenal chart successes in the past, and I'm sure this new record for most simultaneous cinematic screenings of a live concert will be the first of many more to come,” said Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday to the Telegraph. “There’s no better measure of musical success than an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. It affirms a place in the hearts and minds of people across the United Kingdom and across the world. It also confirms what we have always known, that Robbie Williams is truly an act for the ages.”
It is that status that has most confused critics since his solo debut in 1996 which started with a bang, a number two hit with a cover of George Michaels’ ‘Freedom’. Since then Williams has left competitors in the dust and many observers out of adjectives to explain his career.
“One can certainly expect a certain type of success from someone like Tom Jones. Williams in many ways is like Jones but he is likable and charismatic. Williams is often petulant and moody, more at odds with the public. Even with all those millions of records sold he has maintained that bad boy image yet somehow that hasn’t affected record sales,” said U.K. Music critic Nigel Bellancourt. “The most confounding thing about those sales though is where they are coming from. I see the concert footage with all of these screaming girls but I have yet to find a fan out in the wild. With so many records sold you would think that occasionally you would encounter a fan but that is actually very rare. His career is really a mystery.”
Other artists such as Nickelback have equally confused observers and critics with their largely incomprehensible success.
“The music industry is an odd one, always has been and success in it, big success is both easy to attain and extremely difficult. In film a person has to have a certain level of quality at least in presence but with music as long as you have the right formula quality is almost secondary,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “I doubt anyone could have guessed that Robbie Williams would have become more successful than David Bowie or Elvis Costello but that’s exactly what has happened. It’s really a little mind boggling and from the looks of things that’s going to continue for some time.”
Williams has gone on record stating that he will never do anything to change the nature of his music in order to stay true to his fans.
Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent
NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > MUSIC CRITICS CONFUSED AS ROBBIE WILLIAMS COMEBACK SPECIAL SMASHES RECORDS
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