Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Rudebox
2. Viva Life on Mars
3. Lovelight
4. Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus
5. She's Madonna
6. Keep On
7. Good Doctor
8. The Actor
9. Never Touch That Switch
10. Louise
11. We're The Pet Shop Boys
12. Burslem Normals
13. Kiss Me
14. The 80's
15. The 90's
16. Summertime

Disc 2:

1. Rudebox
2. Viva Life on Mars
3. Lovelight
4. Bongo Bong and Je Ne T'aime Plus
5. She's Madonna
6. Keep On
7. Good Doctor
8. The Actor
9. Never Touch That Switch
10. Louise
11. We're The Pet Shop Boys
12. Burslem Normals
13. Kiss Me
14. The 80's
15. The 90's
16. Summertime

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13920 in Music
• Released on: 2006-10-23
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .38 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
With the help of producer/songwriters William Orbit, Mark Ronson, Jerry Meehan, Joey Negro and Soul Mekanik (plus guests as diverse as The Pet Shop Boys and Lily Allen), Robbie Williams has achieved a most radical transformation. Gone is the slick, pop-rogue of yesteryear: in his place is a new Robbie that raps, embraces club beats and (mostly) favours personal indulgence over cheesy, universal pop. Recent single "Rudebox", all electronic riddims and slack-rap vocal delivery, was just the start of this transition. The rest of Rudebox completes the remarkable overhaul with several eclectic covers - from Manu Chau's "Bongo Bong" and Lewis Taylor's underground classic "Lovelight," to subversive takes on The Human League ("Louise"), My Robot Friend ("We're The Pet Shop Boys") and Stephen Duffy ("Kiss Me") – and tracks such as "Keep On", "Good Doctor" and "Dickhead", which confirm his quite bewildering quest to becoming a comedic, Staffs-accented version of The Streets.

Slightly more serious are his attempts at what he describes as 'wonky pop'. Songs like "Viva Life On Mars", his odd ode to Madonna ("She's Madonna"), the dark "The Actor" and catchy club-hit-in-waiting "Never Touch That Switch" all feature innovative production and interesting arrangements. Toward the end, we get "The 80s" and "The 90s", two more amusing "rap"-tracks that cover the singer's adolescence and his Take That years respectively; these underline the nostalgic, end-of-an-era feel of the LP. Audaciously eclectic and admirably upfront, Rudebox is overtly a form of personal catharsis. Not all the experiments work, but they're better than you might think, and now they're off his chest it'll be interesting to see where the new Robbie Williams heads to next.--Paul Sullivan

CD Description
The follow-up to 2005's 'Intensive Care', 'Rudebox' is Robbie's seventh studio album, and is sure to add to his album sales which already top 45 million worldwide. Moving away from his usual ballads and uptempo pop songs, Williams experiments with a fresher, hip hop sound, with suprisingly successful results. Robbie has also recruited a team of production superstars to help him hone this new sound, including Mark Ronson, William Orbit and the Pet Shop Boys. Includes the single 'Rudebox'.

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Customer Reviews

"I found myself by circumstance"...

This seems to be the ALBUM of the year that even music critics either love or hate. When Escapology came out it was an album that sort of had grow on you because it was different, and this is another one that might need that...

Some of the songs are simply electro/rap/pop that dosn`t give me anything, but then there`s these tracks that are so brilliant they lift the album to a totally different level:

The first time I listened to Viva Life On Mars I went "oh no! what on earth is this country inspired sound doing on a RW cd?" The second time; "it`s actually not that bad" and it`s still growing on me

Bongo Bongo is one of several coverversions, but I so want to go on hols!

She`s Madonna might be the most commercial track, but elctro pop at it`s best and I can`t figure out why on earth it`s not released as the albums second single!?!

Louise is another coverversion, but who else than RW can make electro pop sound sad?

Good Doctor is another musical mix and I actually tried hating it. But it`s jazzy and soo swings! And that in the combination with some pretty serious lyrics; I find it to be the best track on the album. Simply can`t stop playing it!!!

If Robbie ever manages to pull off Keep On live I`ll simply take my hat off and bow, but it`s such a mental musical mix I can`t decide if I like it or not; I`ll either end up loving it or hating it...

The album is def different, it`s brave, thankfully not so comercial as the previuos ones the musical critics love and as RW at last - according to himself - is making music like the one he likes all I have to say is FINALLY!!!

I`d given this product a 5 star + if it wasn`t for the DVD.

The documentary is more or less simply combined clips of behind the scenes from the Close Encounters Tour; if you`re an ISmember you`ve already seen most of them. It gave an instant feeling of a recordcompany going "let`s make even more money". Though with that in mind, if you`ve read Feel it confirms what the recordindustry is all about. And you get to see - the only pluss - the moodswings of RW and might manage to find some sort of truth in there.
Rudebox perfomed live at Leeds:naah! They could have put the music video in insted.
And to add a trailer for the forthcomming RW-dvd; EMI please.....

Funniest album I have heard in ages!
I am writing this because I feel this record has received a lot of unfair reviews on this site, especially from people who haven't even heard the album. I bought it this week, have heard it a few times now, and personally think that it is the funniest album I have heard for a long time. Some of the lyrics had me in stitches, especially those in Good Doctor, the 80's and the 90's, autobiographical songs where Rob is at his witty best and that many people can identify with, at least the two last ones.
The whole album presents a collection of 80s'-influenced electro-pop tunes, some of them originals and some well chosen covers, such as the amazing Lovelight and the bonkers Bongo Bong. Also collaborations with the likes of the Pet Shop Boys and Lilly Allen, not to be missed.
All in all, this is one of the best albums released this year and a definite must-have, but it must be listened to with an open mind. I bet if the name Robbie Williams wasn't on the cover, people would be praising it a lot more.
As for the DVD included in this special edition, it contains Rudebox live from Leeds as well as the documentary 'We Are Not Alone', which was shown on Sky in September. If you haven't seen the documentary yet, it is more than worth buying this special edition, as it contains a lot of backstage footage from the last tour.
Welcome back, Mr. Williams!

Robbie's Rudebox Rocks!
This is the first time that I've ever been so excited and impressed by an album that I've felt compelled to write a review of it for a website. I don't know if it's simply because I'm the same age as Robbie and have therefore been subject to lots of the same influences as him growing up, or if it's that we've got a lot in common generally, but this is an album which I can really relate to, from Robbie's constant references to the music and pop stars that I grew up with as well as lines from (and covers of) my favourite 80's pop songs, to his incredible sense of humour which shines through in almost every track. It's definitely an album you can laugh as well as sing along to if you listen carefully enough to the lyrics! My favourite track is 'Viva Life On Mars' as it is just so catchy - I am rarely captured by a song the first time I listen to it but I was hooked on this from the second I heard the chorus for the first time and I haven't been able to stop listening to it ever since! Being a one-time fan of The Pet Shop Boys my second favourite track is 'We're The Pet Shop Boys' which incorporates the titles of all my old PSB faves! 'The 80's' and 'The 90's' are pure autobiographical rapping genius and, if you like Obie Trice then 'Dickhead' (the hidden track at the end) is an amusing and clever variation on the 'Adrenalin Rush' theme and I'm sure I can hear some Eminem 'Puke' type sound effects in there just before the chorus...I wonder why...?!