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Take That
Biography
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 its 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 preteen girls and a kitschy gay audience simultaneously.

Take That were also able to make inroads in the adult audience in Britain through Gary Barlow's melodic, sensitive ballads. For nearly five years, Take That's popularity was unsurpassed in Britain, as they racked up a total of seven number one hits. By the middle of the decade, however, all of the members were entering their mid-twenties and became disenchanted with each other.
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