Robbie Williams' surprise new album will not compete for a chart place with his former Take That bandmates - because it's only available to fans via the singer's website.

Williams' Under The Radar: Volume 1 was made available to devotees on Monday (01Dec14) - the same day as the release of Take That's new album, Iii, but it will not be eligible to chart.

The album, which includes songs that didn't make it on to the Angels singer's last release, features an album cover shot of a naked Robbie jumping into a swimming pool.

Announcing the release last week (ends28Nov14) in a video posted on his website, the former Take That star revealed he was ignoring record company and management advice and releasing the tracks direct to fans, explaining, "Otherwise they're (songs) just gonna remain in my computer."