Take That

As the most popular teen pop sensation in Britain since the '60s, Take That ruled the U.K. charts during the first half of the '90s. In strict commercial terms, the band sold more records than any English act since The Beatles, though the cultural and musical importance was significantly less substantial. Conceived as a British answer to New Kids On The Block, Take That initially worked the same territory as their American counterparts, singing watered-down new jack R&B, urban soul, and mainstream pop. Eventually, the group worked their way toward Hi-NRG dance music, while also pursuing an adult contemporary ballad direction. Take That's boyish good looks guaranteed them a significant portion of the teenybopper audience, but in a bizarre twist, most of their videos and promotional photos had a strong homosexual undercurrent -- they were marketed to pre-teen girls and a kitschy gay audience simultaneously. Take That was also able to make inroads in the adult audience in Britain through Gary Barlow's melodic, sensitive ballads. For nearly five years, the group's popularity was unsurpassed in Britain, as they racked up a total of seven number one hits. By the middle of the decade, all of the members were entering their mid-twenties and became disenchanted with each other. Furthermore, the pop music tastes in Britain were shifting toward the classic guitar pop sounds of Brit-pop bands like Blur and Oasis, who were able to appeal to both the indie rock and teen pop audience. Consequently, the group called it quits in 1996, as Oasis began to surpass Take That both in terms of sales and cultural impact. Nevertheless, Take That remained one of the most interesting and popular British teen pop phenomenons not only of the '90s, but of the rock & roll era.

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