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Robbie Williams / Life Thru A Lens reissue

25th anniversary 4CD deluxe

By Paul Sinclair

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Life Thru A Lens / Robbie Williams 4CD deluxe edition

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3.3

Robbie Williams’ debut album Life Thru A Lens will be reissued for its 25th anniversary in November.

The album contains four top 10 UK singles including ‘Angels’ which was an enormous hit single and rather transformed the fortunes of the long-player and arguably Robbie’s solo career when it was released in December 1997. Despite only peaking at number four (‘Old Before I Die’ got to #2), it’s Williams’s best-selling single, and is in fact the 34th-bestselling UK single of the 1990s.

Life Thru A Lens wasn’t released in America, where the excellently titled The Ego Has Landed was his debut. Issued in 1999 (after both Lens and 1998’s I’ve Been Expecting You) it’s a compilation of the best of both of those two records and for that reason is better than both of them!

Life Thru A Lens is reissued as a 4CD set (click image to enlarge)

The reissue of Life Thru A Lens is a 4CD deluxe set that brings together the original album, B-sides and extra tracks, ‘work in progress’ (demos, rehearsals, etc) and the ‘Live in Your Living Room‘ concert (from The Forum on 3 June 1998) on CD.

There’s also a new clear vinyl LP of the album as well, which is rather confusing given that UMC reissued Life Thru A Lens only last year on black and limited edition white vinyl.

Life Thru A Lens will be re-released on 2 December 2022, via UMC/Island.

Tracklisting

Life Thru a Lens Robbie Williams /

    • CD 1: Life Thru A Lens: The Original Album
      1. Lazy Days
      2. Life Thru A Lens
      3. Ego A Go Go
      4. Angels
      5. South Of The Border
      6. Old Before I Die
      7. One Of God’s Better People
      8. Let Me Entertain You
      9. Killing Me
      10. Clean
      11. Baby Girl Window
      12. (silence)
      13. Hello Sir (hidden track)
    • CD 2: Life On The Flipside; B-Sides and Bonus Tracks
      1. Freedom (from ‘Freedom’, CD Single 1, July 1996)
      2. Better Days (from ‘Old Before I Die’ , CD Single 1, April 1997)
      3. Average B-Side (from ‘Old Before I Die’ , CD Single 1, April 1997)
      4. Making Plans For Nigel (from ‘Old Before I Die’, CD Single 2, April 1997)
      5. Kooks (from ‘Old Before I Die’, CD Single 2, April 1997)
      6. Teenage Millionaire (from ‘Lazy Days’, CD Single 1, July 1997)
      7. Falling In Bed (Again) (from ‘Lazy Days’, CD Single 1, July 1997)
      8. She Makes Me High (from ‘Lazy Days’, CD Single 2, July 1997)
      9. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (from ‘Lazy Days’, CD Single 2, July 1997)
      10. Lazy Days (Original Version) (from ‘Millennium’, CD Single 2, September 1998)
      11. Cheap Love Song (from ‘South Of The Border’, CD Single 1, September 1997)
      12. Walk This Sleigh (from ‘Angels’, CD Single 1, December 1997)
      13. Karaoke Overkill (from ‘Angels’, CD Single 2, December 1997)
      14. Get the Joke (from ‘Angels’, CD Single 2, December 1997)
      15. Angels (acoustic version) (from ‘Angels’, CD Single 2, December 1997)
      16. Angels (Spanish Version) (from ‘The Ego Has Landed’ (South America Editions). April 1999)
      17. Let Me Entertain You (Full Length Version) (from ‘Let Me Entertain You’ CD Single 2, March 1998)
      18. Medley Of Songs From The Motion Picture Soundtrack ‘The Full Monty’ (from ‘Let Me Entertain You’ , CD Single 1, March 1998)
      19. I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing (from ‘Let Me Entertain You’ , CD Single 1, March 1998)
      20. I Am The (Res)erection (from ‘Let Me Entertain You’ , CD Single 1, March 1998)
    • CD 3: Work In Progress: The Making of Life Thru A Lens
      1. Freedom (Ambient Mix) (July 1996 Promo Release)
      2. Freedom (New Sound Dub) (July 1996 Promo Release)
      3. Hey Little Girl (Axis Studios Demo, October / November 1996)
      4. Clean (working title Mr. Sheen) (Axis Studios Demo, October / November 1996)
      5. Old Before I Die (Crescent Moon Studios Demo, October 1996)
      6. Lazy Days (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)
      7. Angels (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)
      8. Red Lights (Tower Studios Demo, January 1997)
      9. Average B-Side (Westside Studios Demo, February 1997)
      10. Teenage Millionaire (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)
      11. South of the Border (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)
      12. Killing Me Rehearsal (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)
      13. Life Thru A Lens Rehearsal (Rehearsal Recording, Spring 1997)
      14. South of the Border (Mother’s Milkin’ It Mix)
      15. Let Me Entertain You (The Bizzaro Mix)
    • CD 4: Life On The Stage
      1. Let Me Entertain You (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      2. I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind Of Thing (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      3. Clean (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      4. South Of The Border (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      5. Average ‘B’ Side (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      6. Baby Girl Window (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      7. One Of God’s Better People (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      8. There She Goes (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      9. Killing Me (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      10. Life Thru A Lens (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      11. Teenage Millionaire (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      12. Lazy Days (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      13. Ego A Go Go (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      14. Old Before I Die (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      15. Angels (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)
      16. Back For Good (Live at The Forum, London 3 June 1998)

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