The sound of sucessful old bands

'Patience' climbed to the top spot after landing at number four a week ago based on download sales alone.

The group's first number one was the hit 'Pray' in 1993. Take That split up three years later but not before they had amassed a huge fan base, sold more than 15 million records and scored eight number one hits.

Robbie Williams went on to become even more successful as a solo artist after he left the band but, for the others, their days as Take That members continued to be their main claim to fame.

Today, Take That joins a growing number of bands who have re-formed or who are re-releasing previous hits. In the album charts this week, Irish boy band Westlife fended off competition from Oasis, U2 and the Beatles to take the top slot with The Love Album. All four of these bands have been together (or in the case of the Beatles were together) for many years. In fact, together, these bands have been making music for almost 50 years.

The rest of the current top ten features greatest hits collections from Jamiroquai, George Michael and Girls Aloud, meaning that Razorlight's self-titled album is the only top 10 album consisting of new material.

So what's the attraction of all these re-worked and re-released songs? Why do people buy tracks they've bought before? For many fans it's a chance to relive their teenage years, to remember and celebrate the early years of their music buying lives.

But why do the singers keep performing the same material year after year? The cynics amongst you might think it's all just another way for them to make more money for less work. But 61 year-old Rod Stewart, whose latest album has recently gone to number one in the USA, disagrees. He continues to sing the same songs that he's sung for more than 20 years because, he says, "it's like swimming underwater, it's like diving. You know total freedom. The outlet, the emotional outlet when you're singing is the most wonderful feeling."