Project 1001: Life Thru A Lens by Robbie Williams
Lazy days calling to you / Come out to play, the future lies with you / Now you can be sure love is the cure / What we're searching for is to have / A jolly good time
Robbie Williams is one of singers from the seemingly endless supply of mid-to-late 90s Brit Pop artist factory to whom I never really paid much attention. I remember back then it seemed like there was a hot new act coming out of the UK every week. And to me Williams seemed like another one producing professional, polished songs that were pleasant enough to listen to but didn’t amount to much. A nice little amuse-bouche before a something more substantial.
But listening to the album as a whole I rather liked it. The energy is infections and I appreciate the mostly youthful, optimistic outlook on most of the tracks. Williams has a good voice if not a blow torch. It sounds good and the songs are well-matched to his talents. My favorite songs are probably “Old Before I Die” and the title track. “Angels” is a lovely ballad and was probably Williams’ biggest hit. Life Thru a Lens is a nice slice of 90s pop if you’re in the mood. My rating:
AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars calling it “one of the best U.K. debuts of the 90’s” and “an uninhibited joyride through all manner of British music.”1
NME conferred a 7 out of 10 score to the album asserting:
Musically, he just about passes his self-imposed credibility exam, with a range of breezy guitar pop (see the singles) and piano ballads expanding to the dilute-to-punk buzz of the title track and loose-limbed Black Grape flavours of 'Ego A Go Go'.
Most importantly, though, there are enough tunes, enough point and enough style here to keep this crazy fool in rehab fees for a while yet. Take That and... er, party a bit more.2
Offering a retrospective of the album, Clare Martin of Paste magazine declared “Robbie Williams proves his worth as a solo artist on his imperfect but undeniably fun debut album” and that, “Life thru a Lens is not pop perfection by any means; it doesn’t reinvent the wheel and contains forgettably frothy songs alongside the bangers, as well as some truly cringeworthy lyrics. But when Williams is at the top of his game, it’s clear that he’s a born entertainer.”
She goes on to discuss “Angels,” which she calls the centerpiece of the album.
If you go to any pub in Ireland or the UK and this song comes on at the end of the night, everyone is going to join in, without fail. “Angels” is based off a track written by Irish musician Ray Heffernan, but the iconic moment on the chorus—”And through it aaaaall”—was pure Williams and (Guy) Chambers3... “Angels” is a cultural moment; if you don’t get it, you’re missing out.4
In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Andy Robbins wrote:
If nothing else, Life Thru a Lens proved you should never turn your back on a wounded animal. Just as most people had written Robbie Willims off, confining his early attempts at solo success to the bargain bin, his debut album rose from the ashes to elevate him as arguably the biggest British pop icon for a generation.
But the album would be nothing without the stellar lineup of solid populist rock arrangements co-written by Williams’ accomplice, Guy Chambers, who transformed a wide-eyed debut into a hugely successful, fully fledged, stomping masterpiece.5
Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed
Cheers!
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Angels”, #536
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on September 29, 1997. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “Honey” by Mariah Carey7
• Number one album: You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs by LeAnn Rimes8
• Number one movie: The Peacemaker by Mimi Leder9
• Most watched TV programs: Seinfeld, ER, Veronica’s Closet, Friends, Monday Night Football10
• NYT bestseller, fiction: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier11
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt12
Some other albums released that day
• Bridges to Babylon by The Rolling Stones
• Portishead by Portishead
• Levitate by The Fall
• Meet the Family by Frenzal Rhomb
• Paul McCartney's Standing Stone by Paul McCartney
• Urban Hymns by The Verve
• With a Twist by Todd Rundgren13
Sport
• Sep 18 Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo elected to World Golf Hall of Fame.
• Sep 21 Mike Piazza is 2nd to hit a HR out of Dodger Stadium.
• Sep 28 Ryder Cup Golf, Valderrama GC, Spain: Europe wins 14½-13½ to retain the Cup; first time event contested in continental Europe; first of 6 consecutive victories at home by Europe.14
Notable Births
• Sep 12 Sydney Sweeney, American actress (Euphoria, The White Lotus), born in Spokane, Washington.
• Sep 27 Mk.Gee [Michael Gordon], American indie rock guitarist, singer-songwriter, and producer ("Are You Looking Up", "Dream Police"), born in Linwood, New Jersey.
• Sep 30 Max Verstappen, Belgian-Dutch auto racer (F1 World Drivers C'ship 2021, 22, 23; CIK-FIA World C'ship 2013), born in Hasselt, Belgium.15
Historical Events
• Sep 26 Central Italy Earthquake Devastates Assisi: On September 26, 1997, two powerful earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.7 and 6.4 struck central Italy, causing significant destruction. The seismic event resulted in eleven fatalities, over 100 injuries, and approximately 80,000 homes being destroyed. A particularly notable consequence was the partial collapse of the historic Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, which damaged priceless medieval frescoes and architectural heritage.
• Sep 29 Terry Nichols Oklahoma City Bombing Trial Jury Selection Begins: Jury selection commenced for the trial of Terry Nichols, a key defendant in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which was one of the deadliest domestic terrorist attacks in U.S. history. Nichols was being tried for his role in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.
• Sep 30 Microsoft Launches Internet Explorer 4: Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 4, a significant milestone in web browser technology that would play a crucial role in the browser wars of the late 1990s and early 2000s.16
Notable Deaths
• Sep 9 Burgess Meredith, American actor (Mr Novak, The Penguin in Batman, Rocky), dies at 88.
• Sep 17 Red Skelton [Richard], American comedian (Red Skelton Show), dies at 84.
• Sep 18 James "Jimmy" Witherspoon, American jump blues singer (Ain't Nobody's Business), dies at 77.17
Guy Chambers was Williams’ writing partner on most of the songs on Life Thru a Lens.
Robbins, Andy, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fifth printing, ed. by Robert Dimmery p. 814.
Ibid.
I have a piece written about individual Take That members solo careers. Robbie's stuff was leaps and bounds better than Gary Barlow's. Great read!