Intensive Care (album)

Intensive Care is the sixth studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released on 24 October 2005 in the United Kingdom.

Intensive Care
Studio album by
Robbie Williams
Released24 October 2005
RecordedJune 2003–May 2005 in Los Angeles
Genre
Length53:02
Label
Producer
Robbie Williams chronology
Greatest Hits
(2004)		 Intensive Care
(2005)		 Rudebox
(2006)
Singles from Intensive Care
  1. "Tripping"
    Released: 3 October 2005
  2. "Make Me Pure"
    Released: 14 November 2005
  3. "Advertising Space"
    Released: 12 December 2005
  4. "Sin Sin Sin"
    Released: 22 May 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
BBC Music(positive)[4]
Entertainment.ie[2]
The Guardian[1]
MusicOMH(positive)[5]
PopMatters(7/10)[6]
Yahoo! Music UK[7]

Background

After touring Latin America in late 2004 for the promotion of his Greatest Hits album, Williams started working on what would become his sixth studio album. Recorded in his bedroom in the Hollywood Hills, the album was co-written by Stephen Duffy over the course of 24 months.[8] The album was launched in Berlin, 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.[9]

The album's artwork was designed by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, in response to Williams' request that they "turn [Williams] into a superhero" for the tour.[10] The "talismanic images" and "witchy hieroglyphs" include a "sigil" 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!"[10]

Success

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,[11] 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 for 'Best Male', and also entered The Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1.6 million tickets in a single day for his 2006 world tour.[12] The album became the best selling album in Europe by the end of 2005, with sales of over four million copies.[13] 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.

Williams kicked off his Close Encounters World Tour 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.[14] 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.[15] It was also certified 5× Platinum in the United Kingdom around the same time.[16] In Mexico, the album was certified platinum shortly after its release, for shipping 150,000 copies of the physical album, and in December 2008 the album was certified 2× diamond for pre-loaded digital sales of 1,000,000 copies.[17] By shipping 1,100,000 copies and reaching 11× gold,[18] 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, Escapology, Live at Knebworth and Greatest Hits also earning places. According to EMI, the album has sold 6.2 million copies worldwide.[19]

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", however, "Make Me Pure" was also released separately in Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.
  • "Advertising Space" 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.[20] The video was shot in Cape Town, 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

All tracks are written by Robbie Williams and Stephen Duffy, except where noted.

Intensive Care – Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."Ghosts"3:42
2."Tripping"4:36
3."Make Me Pure" (Williams, Duffy, Chris Heath)4:33
4."Spread Your Wings"3:50
5."Advertising Space"4:37
6."Please Don't Die"4:47
7."Your Gay Friend"3:21
8."Sin Sin Sin" (Williams, Duffy, Heath)4:09
9."Random Acts of Kindness"4:15
10."The Trouble with Me"4:20
11."A Place to Crash"4:34
12."King of Bloke and Bird"6:13
Intensive Care – Additional recordings
No.TitleLength
13."Meet the Stars" 
14."Bag Full of Silly" (Williams, Duffy, Heath)4:17
15."Don't Stop Talking" 
16."Family Coach"4:48
17."Twist" 
18."Don't Say No" 
19."Overture for Berlin" 
20."Our Love"4:14
Intensive Care – Special edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."In Intensive Care" (Documentary) 
2."Make Me Pure" (music video) 
3."Tripping" (Tarot Card Visuals) 
Intensive Care – RW 20th Anniversary edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Radio" (Live on TOTP) 
2."Radio" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
3."Misunderstood" (Live on TOTP) 
4."Trouble with Me" (Live on TOTP) 
5."Tripping" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
6."Ghosts" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
7."A Place to Crash" (Live on Later... with Jools Holland) 
8."Advertising Space" (Live on TOTP Christmas special) 
9."Misunderstood" (Live in Germany) 
10."Tripping" (Live in Spain) 

Musicians
  • Robbie Williams: Lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar, Epiphone Casino, synthesizer
  • Stephen Duffy: Guitar, keyboards, Nord Lead, wine glass, sitar, harp, sequencers, shakers, dilruba, 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: Guitar
  • Justin Duarte: Acoustic guitar
  • Jerry Meehan: Bass guitar, fender precision (track 11)
  • Matt Chamberlain: drums, percussion (track 11)
  • Kate Kissoon: Backing vocals
  • Tessa Niles: Backing vocals
  • Jeff Babko: Trombone (track 11)
  • Cleto Escobedo: Baritone saxophone (track 11)
  • Waddy Wachtel: Guitar (track 11)
  • Jebin Bruni: Synthesizer
  • Davey Faragher: 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 Violas (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 Stephen Duffy and Robbie Williams
  • 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: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
  • Art co-ordination by Tom Hingston Studio

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[41] Platinum 40,000^
Australia (ARIA)[42] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[43] 3× Platinum 90,000*
Belgium (BEA)[44] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[45] 2× Platinum 80,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[46] Platinum 62,524[46]
France (SNEP)[47] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Germany (BVMI)[18] 11× Gold 1,100,000^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[48] Platinum  
Ireland (IRMA)[49] 5× Platinum 75,000^
Italy (FIMI)[50] Platinum 80,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON)[17] 2× Diamond 1,000,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[51] 2× Platinum 160,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[52] Platinum 15,000^
Portugal (AFP)[53] Platinum 20,000^
Russia (NFPF)[54] Gold 10,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[55] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[56] Platinum 60,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[57] 3× Platinum 120,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[16] 5× Platinum 1,619,894[58]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[15] 5× Platinum 5,000,000*
Worldwide — 6,200,000[19]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Alexis Petridis. "CD: Robbie Williams, Intensive Care". the Guardian.
  2. "Entertainment.ie review". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2012.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  3. Allmusic review
  4. "BBC - Music - Review of Robbie Williams - Intensive Care". bbc.co.uk.
  5. Music OHM review
  6. "Music Reviews, Features, Essays, News, Columns, Blogs, MP3s and Videos - PopMatters". PopMatters.
  7. "Yahoo Celebrity UK". Yahoo.
  8. "Discography>Albums>Intensive Care". Robbiewilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  9. "Intensive Care". Britandgrit.wordpress.com. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  10. Supergods, by Grant Morrison; published 2011 by Spiegel & Grau; page 395-96 (chapter 26)
  11. "Westlife top singles chart, Williams dominates albums". Music Week.
  12. "Robbie Williams Enters The Guinness Book of World Records". News.softpedia.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  13. "IFPI Certification for "Intensive Care"". Zpav.pl. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  14. Time. "EMI Music México". Emimusic.com.mx. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  15. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2006". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  16. "British album certifications – Robbie Williams – Intensive Care". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Intensive Care in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  17. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Robbie Williams in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Intensive Care in the box under TÍTULO
  18. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Robbie Williams; 'Intensive Care')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  19. Cashmere, Paul (13 January 2007). "EMI Share Price Drops on Restructure Announcement". Undercover Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  20. "Discography>Singles>Sin Sin Sin". Robbiewilliams.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
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  23. "Ultratop.be – Robbie Williams – Intensive Care" (in French). Hung Medien.
  24. "Robbie Williams: Intensive Care" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
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  26. "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  27. "Italiancharts.com – Robbie Williams – Intensive Care". Hung Medien.
  28. "ロビー・ウィリアムスのアルバム売上ランキング". ORICON STYLE.
  29. "Dutchcharts.nl – Robbie Williams – Intensive Care" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  30. "Los Más Vendidos 2005 - Top 100 México > Mejor posición" (PDF) (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  31. "Charts.nz – Robbie Williams – Intensive Care". Hung Medien.
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