I've Been Expecting You | ||||
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Studio album by Robbie Williams | ||||
Released | 26 October 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 76:08 75:20 (2002 reissue replacement track) |
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Label | Chrysalis | |||
Producer | ||||
Robbie Williams chronology | ||||
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Singles from I've Been Expecting You | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic |
I've Been Expecting You is the second studio album by English recording artist Robbie Williams. It was released on 26 October 1998 through Chrysalis Records. The album spawned five singles, including lead single "Millennium", which became Williams' first UK number-one hit.
A critical and major commercial success, it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, marking Williams' second consecutive chart-topper, and has been certified 10× Platinum.
John Bush of AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five, and stated that the album is both a "studied" and "more mature, calculated album" than its predecessor Life Thru a Lens (1997) "from a pop star who's often gloried in being immature and spontaneous." He noted the album "may suffer from comparisons to its excellent predecessor, but it also finds Robbie Williams weathering the sophomore storm quite well."NME rated the album 8/10, saying "boy, what a record" and that Williams' "writing skills have improved enormously." The reviewer was also noted the album's "impressive diversity" and concluded that "sure, Robbie's still more Michael Barrymore than Michael Stipe, and he'll never be 'cool' by that constipated, soul-crushingly snobbish James Lavelle definition. But he's a natural-born star and he wants you to love him. I've Been Expecting You provides 12 good reasons why you should."
Williams and Chambers started the writing process of the album in Jamaica in the spring of 1998. I've Been Expecting You was released in October 1998. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to become the UK's best selling album for that year. According to the Music Week, the album has sold 2,582,016 copies in the UK as of November 2016, and has been certified 10× Platinum for shipments of 3 million copies, making it Williams' best-selling album in the country.
The album also received attention outside the United Kingdom, particularly in continental Europe and Latin America, and has sold a total of five million copies worldwide. Williams finished album promotion with an extensive European tour in the autumn of 1999. I've Been Expecting You was ranked 91st in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time.