''Intensive Care'' is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

, released on 24 October 2005 in the United Kingdom. It was produced by

Stephen Duffy Stephen Anthony James Duffy (born 30 May 1960 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was a founding member, vocalist, bassist and then drummer of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo perform ...

and Williams and was the first of Williams' albums to not be produced by longtime songwriting partner

Guy Chambers Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams. Education Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, h ...

. The album was supported by four singles: " Tripping", "Make Me Pure", "

Advertising Space "Advertising Space" is a song by British singer Robbie Williams, for his sixth studio album, ''Intensive Care'' (2005). It was released as the third single from the album on 12 December 2005 and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. Will ...

" and " Sin Sin Sin". Like most of the singer's previous albums, ''Intensive Care'' topped the charts in many countries. The album was promoted with the

Close Encounters Tour The Close Encounters Tour was a concert tour by British recording artist, Robbie Williams. Running from April to December 2006, the tour supported Williams' sixth studio album, ''Intensive Care''. To date, it was the singer's largest tour, play ...

which started on 10 April 2006 in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa and ended on 18 December 2006 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia.

Background

After touring Latin America in late 2004 for the promotion of his ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' album, Williams started working on what would become his sixth studio album. Recorded in his bedroom in the

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

, the album was co-written by

over the course of 24 months. The album was launched in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, Germany on 9 October 2005. It was not shown on television, but broadcast to various locations around the world in cinemas and theatres, in a high-definition "cine-cast". It was shown on Saturday 22 October 2005 on Channel 4. The album's artwork was designed by

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, humanist philosophy and countercultural leanings. Morrison has written extensively for th ...

and

Frank Quitely Vincent Patrick Deighan (born 1968), better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as '' New X-Men'', ''We3'', ''All-Star Superma ...

, in response to Williams' request that they "turn illiamsinto a superhero" for the tour.''Supergods'', by

; published 2011 by Spiegel & Grau; page 395-96 (chapter 26) The "talismanic images" and "witchy hieroglyphs" include a "

sigil A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...

" that, in Morrison's words, "can be activated by finding the CD in the shops or pulling the cover up on-screen and pressing Rob's finger. If enough of us do this the world will most certainly enter a new Golden Age of peace, creativity, and prosperity!"

Production

Williams started recording demos for what would become Intensive Care on 12 June 2003 at

Air Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

alongside record producer Stephen Duffy. On that particular day, Duffy played Williams a backing track and he started making up the melody and lyrics of what would later become the song " Sin Sin Sin". Recording continued throughout the summer of 2003 and by March 2004, the songwriting duo had already recorded several demos including "Sin Sin Sin", "

Radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

" (which would be released on the

compilation in late 2004), "Ghosts", "Tripping Underwater" (which would later become " Tripping"), "The Trouble With Me" and " Misunderstood" (which would also be released on the

compilation in late 2004).

Release and promotion

When ''Intensive Care'' was released in October 2005, it became a smash hit around the world, hitting number-one in the United Kingdom, selling 373,832 copies in its first week, as well as topping charts in twenty other counties including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, New Zealand and many other countries. Following the success of the album, Williams won the

MTV Europe Music Award The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...

for 'Best Male', and also entered

The Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for selling 1.6 million tickets in a single day for his 2006 world tour. The album became the best selling album in Europe by the end of 2005, with sales of over four million copies. However, it only managed to become the third best selling album in the United Kingdom that year. Williams launched the album live in Berlin. He performed 8 of the 12 songs from the album at the live concert. In January 2007, it was revealed ''Intensive Care'' had sold over 5 million copies in Europe, and as such, was certified 5× Platinum by the

IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

. It was also certified 5× Platinum in the United Kingdom around the same time. In Mexico, the album was certified platinum shortly after its release, and later Platinum+Gold in 2006, for shipping 150,000 copies of the physical album. In December 2008 the album was certified 2× diamond for pre-loaded sales of 1,000,000 copies. By shipping 1,100,000 copies and reaching 11× gold, ''Intensive Care'' became the eighth best-selling album of the decade in Germany. It also became Williams' fifth album to reach a position in the top twenty of the best-selling album of the decade, with ''

Swing When You're Winning ''Swing When You're Winning'' is a swing cover album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, and his fourth studio album overall. It was released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2001 and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart. ...

'', ''

Escapology Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and ...

'', '' Live at Knebworth'' and ''

'' also earning places. According to

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

, the album has sold 6.2 million copies worldwide. Williams kicked off his

in South Africa in April 2006 in promotion of the album. More than 2.5 million attended the early stages of the tour, with nearly three million having been reported to have seen one or more shows.

Critical reception

''Intensive Care'' received a varied response from music critics. Alexis Petridis from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' gave the album four out of five stars, writing: "The lovely, lambent melodies of 'Advertising Space' and 'The King of Bloke and Bird' may well be Duffy, the Smiths-like guitar of 'Spread Your Wings' and the autoharp on 'Please Don't Die' definitely is, but their epic qualities seem to stem entirely from Williams." Lucy Davies from

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

gave the album a positive rating stating that: "Williams is putting more self reflection and understanding in his music than ever before, and he's a rich seam of material. Gloriously imperfect, the personality makes the album, and it's his best yet." John Bush from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

gave the album two and a half stars out of five. He praised songs like "Ghosts", " Tripping" and "Spread Your Wings", but felt that "Duffy's arrangement is a pale shadow of a Smiths song from 20 years earlier." He concluded that the album is "much more interesting than the creatively bankrupt Escapology."

Singles

* " Tripping" was released as the album's lead single on 3 October 2005, becoming an international success, topping the charts in Germany, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Argentina and Mexico. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a double A-side with "

Make Me Pure "Make Me Pure" is a song by British pop singer Robbie Williams, released as the second single from his album ''Intensive Care'' in late 2005. It was written by Robbie Williams, Stephen Duffy, and Chris Heath. It was first released in New Zealand ...

". However, "Make Me Pure" was also released separately in Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. * "

" was released as the album's second single in December 2005, becoming another international hit, reaching the top ten in Europe, Australasia and Latin America. * " Sin Sin Sin" was released as the album's third and final single in the summer of 2006. It was the first song Williams and Stephen Duffy co-wrote together. The video was shot in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa just days before the start of Williams' tour there. It became Williams' first single to miss the UK Top 20, charting at number twenty-two, however, it performed much better internationally, hitting the top ten in Europe and Latin America.

Track listing

Musicians

: lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar, Epiphone Casino, synthesizer *

: guitar, keyboards, Nord Lead, wine glass,

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

, harp, sequencers, shakers,

dilruba The dilruba (also spelt dilrupa) is a bowed musical instrument originating in India. It is slightly larger than an esraj and has a larger, square resonance box. The dilruba holds particular importance in Sikh history. It became more widely k ...

, harmonica * Claire Worrall: backing vocals, (track 11) piano, mellotron, Hammond B3, helicopter * Melvin Duffy: pedal steel guitar (track 11) * Neil Taylor: guitar (track 11) *

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage band cultu ...

: guitar * Justin Duarte: acoustic guitar * Jerry Meehan: bass guitar, fender precision (track 11) *

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

: drums, percussion (track 11) * Kate Kissoon: backing vocals *

Tessa Niles Tessa Margaret Niles ( ''née'' Webb; born 27 January 1961 in Ilford, Essex) is an English singer, best known as a backing singer for a wide variety of contemporary artists. She began her professional singing career in 1979. Early life and ca ...

: backing vocals * Jeff Babko:

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

(track 11) * Cleto Escobedo: baritone saxophone (track 11) *

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...

: guitar (track 11) * Jebin Bruni: synthesizer *

Davey Faragher David Allen "Davey" Faragher (born August 18, 1957) is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band Cracker, and his subsequent work with ...

: bass guitar, Fender Precision * John Paterno: guitar * Buddy Judge: guitar * Max Beesley: percussion, vibes * Gary Nuttall: backing vocals (track 11) * Carlton E. Anderson: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Maxi Anderson: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Randy Crenshaw: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Judith Hill: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Julia Tillman: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Carmen Twillie: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Oren Waters: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Maxine Waters Willard: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Will Wheaton Jnr: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Terry Wood: choir (tracks 3 and 11) * Charlie Bisharat: violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12) * Mario De Leon: violins (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8) * Armen Garabedian: violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 12) * Berj Garabedian: violins (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8) * Alan Grunfeld: violins (tracks 1, 3 and 5) * Sara Pakins: violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12) * Michelle Richards: violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12) * Sarah thornblade: violins (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8) * Josefina Vergara: violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12) * John Wittenburg: violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12) * Denyse Buffum violins (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12) * Matt Funes: cello * Roland Kato: cello * Evan Wilson: cello * Larry Corbett: cello * Suzie Katayama: cello * Dan Smith: cello

Credits

*Album produced by

and

*Original production by Andy Strange *Mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Mix This *Engineered by John Paterno, Andy Strange, Stephen Duffy Pablo Munguia, Tony Phillips, Adam Noble and Dan Porter *Strings arranged and conducted by David Campbell *Strings engineered by Alan Sides at NRG *Mastering by Tony Cousins at Metropolis Studios, London *A&R: Chris Briggs *Photography: Hamish Brown *Design and artwork:

and

*Art co-ordination by Tom Hingston Studio

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intensive Care (Album) 2005 albums Robbie Williams albums