The first record I ever bought was by the Bee Gees.
And
having bought and discarded literally tens of thousands albums by lesser artists since
that fateful purchase
in December, 1977, I feel that I am in a perfect position to review not only the Bee Gees
entire recorded
output--but the output of Presidential Papers issued by each successive President since
Jimmy Carter, who
was in office at that time! And that is exactly what Mark Prindle has asked me to do.
But before I begin to discuss Carter's Presidential Docket #78-001-A8492493389, let me
just tell "Pioneer
Mark" that I think I speak for Everyone when I say that this whole "guest record
reviewer" thing on your
record review pages is ridiculous. No one who goes to your pages ever reads these
"outsider's" opinions. It's
Prindle they want! It doesn't matter that you've segregated these guest reviews into
their own hideous
ghetto. Encountering guest reviews anywhere on markprindle.com is akin to being served a
bucket of
Extra-Crispy Kentucky Fried Chicken at a vegetarian restaurant. It's a slap in the face!
We "guest
reviewers" can swear and talk in circles and make lasagnas with grated anti-depressants
instead of cheese
and throw around "10's" and "2's" all we want--but it just won't have the same impact.
Mark, you are IN
CONTROL here: you should be CLIPPING our palsied wings, not encouraging us to feebly try
and
SPREAD THEM! This isn't a game: THIS IS COMPETITION! You don't invite wolves in sheep's
clothing
over for dinner and then feed them your 11 secret herbs and spices! Mark, it is your
DESTINY to review
every single album ever recorded. Stop passing the buck!
As for the Bee Gees, it's no secret that not only have they sold xillions of records,
they've BROKEN
xillions of records--sales records! Not to mention the qillions of records they've set
for their songwriting
accomplishments. These guys are so bursting-at-the-seams with talent, that in addition to
their own
uyillions of hits, they tossed off #1 smashes for folks like cranky Barbra Streisand and
fried-chicken
impresario-wannabe Kenny Rogers. The Brothers Gibb are talented enough that they could've
(and
should've!) written songs powerful enough to make even Colonel Sanders into a top-selling
youth-market
vocalist! Throw out your D.R.I. and Suicidal Tendencies albums, Mark--the New York City
landfill is
crying out for them! It's time you make some room in the house for the entire recorded
works of Barry,
Robin, and Maurice Gibb: THE BEE GEES! I've been a fan of this band for longer than I've
been alive! I
was there at the height of Bee Gee mania, when they had 5 songs in the top 10 at
once--and I suffered
through the truly depressing backlash, when the public "got wise" to disco and starting
listening to Kenny
Loggins and The Vapors instead. I've seen them live, twice--once at Dodger Stadium during
the "Spirits
Having Flown" tour, and once in Los Angeles during the taping of a TV show in 1992, where
I was
standing 10 feet away from the Three Gods--Barry and the twins! And I hope and pray that
they come to
my town again soon.
Alright. I'm being paid* here, so let's get down to business.
*(Mark's paying me in DUNG.)
Forget your Bee Gees First: this is the TRUE Bee Gees
debut LP.
Of course, it only came out in Australia, and in such small quantities that if you do
ever see one (and you
won't), it'll set you back a cool GRAND. But nonetheless, it's real! It exists! And in
addition to being a
mind-boggling artifact, it's not a bad record. Somehow--I'll never quite understand how
or why--I scored a
copy of this in Vancouver, Canada, in 1992, for the measly cost of $75 Canadian dollars.
This same store
also had copies of the Bee Gees most common titles for $25-$30 each (as opposed to the
usual $1-$3 you
can pick them up for anywhere), so clearly they were retarded. With hands trembling, I
took it right up to
the counter, plunked down my cash...and immediately fled the country, in fear of my life!
It wasn't until I
reached Blaine, Washington, that I was able to take the record out of the bag and sit
staring at it for 6
straight hours.
As for the music...most fans have heard these particular tunes in one or another of their
myriad
repackagings. It's the same stuff that later turned up on the Atco LPs Rare, Precious,
and Beautiful Vol.
1 & 2, or on those shoddy Pickwick Records reissues that featured incongruous and
misleading photos
of the disco-era Bee Gees on the front covers. These songs (some of which date back to
1963) are quite
good--the boys "had it" from the start. Most of the songs are Barry Gibb originals. The
production is very
dated and fairly sparse, and without any of the psychedelic flourishes of their UK debut
a year or two later.
The sound is more reminscent of the Everly Brothers than the Beatles. There are plenty of
mellow ballads
with acoustic guitar accompaniment...but with an Australian feel. Still, if you see this
for cheap (say, under
$500), it's definitely worth picking up.
They're unbelievably short, mostly one paragraph in length each...I don't
know about you, but I would expect a lot more effort from someone who claims
to be a lifelong fan of the band.
There is almost no detail given at all. Each album review basically lists a
handful of songs, saying this one is good and that one is bad, with hardly
ever a reason given for these statements.
I like the Bee Gees a lot. They're one of pop's most influential bands and
have been around longer than most. I was considering doing a review page on
them myself seeing how little exposure they seem to get on band review sites
like this one. I was so happy to see in today's update that somebody got
around to reviewing them, and then I read them. Now I really wish I had
wrote them. I read the entire page and the reviews tell me fuck all. All I
got out of them was that this giddy clown who wrote them somehow managed in
each brief paragraph to utter "OH! (insert song title) IS THEIR BEST SONG
EVER!!!!"
What a slapdash, half-assed effort, and this from a huge fan?? The whole
page looks like it took half an hour to write.
And Mark, what's up with posting this trash on your main page??? If
anything, this is the one guy who truly deserves to be banished to the
dungeon of the now seperate outside reviews page. Chrikey...
Seriously now. You want a person who's NOT reviewing the Beegees just for
fun? Go to newstar.rinet.ru/music. Just don't insult a guy who had no
intention or goal of satisying YOU. That's not his job, this is not a fan
site, and your going out of your way to be an ass toward this guy mystifies
me. There's a fine line between constructive criticism and the alternative,
and you crossed it here, sir. Honestly, your site is good, and you're
probably a nice guy in person, but this was definitely uncalled for.
By the way, I just bought "Spirits" and "Main Course" based on the
recommendations here. "Robin's Reign" I have misgivings about, however.
Following Odessa simply can't be done.
The brothers moved back to England, quickly hooked up with
manager and
guiding light Robert Stigwood, and BINGO: a great album chock-full of distinctive,
timeless CHART-
HITS. With a rock band behind 'em and a full orchestra at their disposal, the boys crank
out one terrific
song after another: "Holiday," "To Love Somebody," "New York Mining Disaster 1941," "I
Can't See
Nobody"...Goddamn, they must've scared the shit out of their competition with this album!
They make it
look so easy! And the non-hits are top-notch too: in a futuristic world in which great
songs had the ability
to ring bells, it is a sure thing that "Cucumber Castle" and "Red Chair Fade Away" would
ring any bell that
space-aliens dared to set in front of them.
The follow-up didn't spawn quite so many hits, but it did
showcase the
boys' versatility. Whether you were a sentimental grandmother or a stoned hippie asshole,
if this record was
in your house in 1968, you were no doubt listening to it all day long, tears of joy
streaming down your face.
Years in the biz gave the Brothers Gibb the confidence and the know-how to pull this shit
off! And
Stigwood gave them the budget to corral that string section and whip 'em into place.
These Bee Gees were
not fucking around! I bet they wrote "Massachusetts" without ever having visited the
place--but you'd never
know it. With the Bee Gees, there's never a false note!
The "idea" here is to continue to make another good, solid
album
showcasing the entire spectrum of Bee Gees styles, from weepy emotional ballads to
psychedelic rockers.
The highlight of this album (and perhaps Robin Gibb's all-time finest moment with the Bee
Gees) is surely
"I Started A Joke," a massive chart-hit which encompasses everything that is beautiful
and bizarre about the
Bee Gees in one short song. The peculiar, theatrical nature of the song's lyrics makes it
an easy target for
the kind of tongue-in-cheek delivery that it's been given in subsequent (inferior) cover
versions by artists
ranging from Faith No More to the Zip Code Rapists--but Robin of course plays it straight
and the result is
a true musical miracle. No one can top this song! The cover art for this album was
different in the US than
in the rest of the world--and quite frankly Atco's pastiche of bits from the boys' faces
was not an
improvement over the lightbulb design used in the UK. The UK version also includes a song
written and
sung by one of the auxiliary members of the band, Australian Vince Melouney. Good on ya,
Vince!
It should also be noted that many great tracks from this pop-toytown-psych
phase were not on the LPs. Single tracks and outtakes like "Jumbo", "sinking
ships, "deeply, deeply me", "cowman milk your cow", "Gilbert Green", "Sir
Geoffrey saved the world", "Mrs. Gillespie's refrigerator", "Town of Tuxley
toymaker pt. 1" and the mega smash "words". Some of the best song titles
ever, oui?
The original double-LP version on Atco came in a red velvet
gatefold jacket
with fancy gold lettering...unless you kept it in a plastic bag, it tended to pick up a
lot of lint, but still, what
a package! Between the red velvet, the album's title, and the extra-heavily orchestrated
songs, this thing
sure appears to be some sort of high-brow concept album. But it's not. It's just a
collection of tunes the
Gibbs threw together whilst in the process of drinking too much and fighting with each
other. Some of it is
great ("Melody Fair," "First of May"), but the overall album seems unfinished somehow,
and it's hard to
listen without feeling as though there's a black cloud hanging over your record player.
Black diamonds? C'mon!!! this is the total package.
This is probably the best double album of all time. Seriously. Mwa ha HA, ha ha. And you probably thought I was joking with that comment on the Smashing Pumpkins' page. No, seriously. I think this is better than any double album I've ever heard-- better than The Wall, 1999, Physical Graffiti, Exile on Main Street, Blonde on Blonde, Tommy, Quadrophenia, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and even The White Album. Even better than Mellon Collie, by a hair. As good as all those other albums are, so help me, NO other band that I know of has managed to fill out an entire double LP, all sixty-plus minutes of it, with absolutely nothing but classics. Except for this one. The BEEGEES?! Godfathers of disco?! Who woulda thunk it. That said, if you are a hardcore hardcore nut, or you have a severe allergy towards nineteenth-century classical music, or both, stay the heck away from this album. Stay AWAY, I tell you. Or better yet, buy it anyway and use it as an anti-insomniac. That way, you'll still be able to enjoy it, and the remaining Brothers Gibb will still get slightly richer. Not that they don't deserve it, mind you.
After Odessa's release, the Bee Gees split into two.
Robin on the
one hand, and Barry and Maurice (retaining the Bee Gees' name) on the other. Though this
album is
technically a Robin Gibb solo, Maurice plays on it, and it deserves to be reviewed
alongside the album
Barry and Maurice released together during this dark period in Bee Gees history.
Or was it such a dark period? This album is phenomenal! Though Robin has always
disparaged his Reign
in interviews as an unfinished work produced under the influence of drugs, for my money
it's one of the
best things in the Bee Gees catalog. It's as if the most ominous, ambiguous qualities of
"I Started A Joke"
have been isolated out and blown up into a full album-length project. The production is
particularly
interesting--on many songs, a primitive, prototypical drum machine is paired up with a
full orchestra,
giving songs a simultaneously hokey and bombastic feel. The bleak, morose lyrics to songs
like "The Worst
Girl In This Town" and "Farmer Ferdinand Hudson," in conjunction with Robin's quavering,
emotionally
unstable sounding vocals give this album a similar feel to the best works of Scott
Walker...only better!
It should be noted, some of the best tracks didn't make it onto the LP-
"moon anthem", "Janice", "Alexandria good time" and the complete 13-minute
"Hudson" suite. This could have been a mad double!!! Imagine a gatefold LP
of this with more pictures of Robin dressed up. Wow.
O, after this and "cucumber castle" each BG made a solo album that are still
unreleased. Perhaps they could get reviewed. OK, I'll do it, just say the
word. They are great. Then came "2 years on". A killer LP with ten songs
chosen from a possible 50 or so, all unreleased. What was going on with
these guys???
"I died for you, I cried for you"............. okay, okay, calm down now, grab a Kleenex, hide the sharp objects........ Robin made a halfway decent LP........"..now I walk down heartbreak lane"......................................sob!
With the departure of not only Robin, but auxiliary members
Vince
Melouney and Colin Peterson as well, the Bee Gees were down to a duo. Barry and Maurice
put together a
television special called "Cucumber Castle" during this time, and this album served as a
semi-soundtrack.
The TV special is horrible beyond belief; it's as if the Bee Gees, often accused of
imitating the Beatles,
decided to imitate the incoherence and pointlessness of their "Magical Mystery Tour"
film. The record, on
the other hand, is tops! Don't get me wrong, it's no Robin's Reign, but somehow its blend
of bright ideas
and general unfinished-ness has a magical quality to it all its own. "If I Only Had My
Mind On Something
Else" and "I Lay Down And Die" are out-and-out gorgeous numbers; "I.O.I.O." is ridiculous
but extremely
catchy; we get a rare Maurice lead vocal on a stupid novelty pseudo-gospel song called
"The Lord;" and the
whole album overall is fascinating to listen to in a deconstructionist sense as you can
really "hear" Robin's
vocals missing from the blend.
Not a very good LP, but wait! they'll make a worse one, (pardon the pun) two years on!
Yay! All three of the "real" Bee Gees are back together again!
Except that
this album is not so hot. "Lonely Days" was a hit--most of the rest of it is unmemorable.
The boys go for
more of a "rock" sound on this album than in the past. "Sincere Relation" features one of
Robin's most
over-the-top "emotional" vocals--but isn't much of a song.
"How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" kicks things off here--one of
the
best Bee Gees songs EVER! Jesus, that one's unbeatable. No other hits on here, but the
"album tracks" are
of such uniform high quality that even without hits, this one's a strong "8". The
production on this is
probably the nicest of any of the Bee Gees' pre-disco efforts. In fact, I liked the
general sound of this
album so much that I sprung for the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs version that's made of
SOLID 24KGOLD
and thus will last FOREVER, and even when I had a horrible cavity in one of my teeth that
desperately
needed filling, I refused to let my dentist melt the CD down to make a gold crown, and
instead settled for a
filling made of mercury-amalgam, which means that when the mercury starts leaking (it
will) I will suffer
from negative health effects like delusional thinking and debilitating anxiety--but at
least I know I'll be able
to listen to the glorious title track and "Somebody Stop the Music" and "Don't Wanna Live
Inside Myself"
for all of eternity, on headphones, in my grave!
This was the beginning of the "bad period" for the Bee Gees.
There was a
hit single off of this ("Run To Me"), but it was to be the last one for quite some
time...and the album tracks
have that sound of a band trying everything they can to remain relevant to contemporary
music. That
particular technique of remaining contemporary NO MATTER WHAT was later mastered (like
wildfire!)
by the Brothers Gibb, but, uh, not here. "Alive" is pretty good--and I wouldn't have my
teeth removed if
they started picking up radio waves of illegal 24-hour-a-day broadcasts of this album in
its entirety...but I'd
certainly consider it.
Definitely a couple of steps down from To Whom It May
Concern,
this forgettable album dabbles in country-rock, but very quickly runs out of steam. And
it's only got 8
songs! This is the first (and maybe the only) Bee Gees album that has really has an air
of falseness to it.
The subsequent (unreleased) album A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants
is much
better--it's got songs about Nixon and Kissinger and Jesus and all the best topics...but
the record company
powers-that-be, still smarting from the underwhelming response to Life In A Tin Can, made
them throw it
in the trash when they submitted it. Which makes me even madder at this damned Life In A
Tin Can!
For all you clever internet "hunters": THIS is the "secret gem"
in the Bee
Gees catalog! Recorded in Florida with producer Arif Mardin in charge, the brothers take
the first few
tentative steps towards converting their fading act into disco GOLD! Stylistically this
is exactly half-way
between the failed-rock sound of their last couple records and the unstoppable dynamite
R&B; of their next
couple...but with the last few key pieces not yet in place (Barry's falsetto; renewed
confidence), it sold
poorly. Despite the lack of even one familiar tune, this record really packs a punch--the
title track and
"Down the Road" are catchy as can be, and the ballads "Dogs" and "Throw a Penny,"
despite the
impenetrability of their lyrical content, are strangely moving.
Holy Moses, this record is UNSTOPPABLE! From the first notes of
"Nights on Broadway," you feel that you are in the hands of masters! As good as Mr.
Natural was,
it offered no hint that the next time they entered the studio the Bee Gees would unleash
an ATOMIC
BOMB of an album! Motherfucking Jesus, Stand Aside And Behold The Main Course! I'm
not
just talking about the hits, like "Nights on Broadway" and "Jive Talkin'"...I’m talking
about these album
tracks which have a Quality and Sheen to them that you are not going to find elsewhere in
these pages, or
on this planet. "Winds of Change"?! C'mon, folks! This is the Album! This is the One! The
One that made
me kick into my Hyper-Capitalization disfunction that I probably will keep on with until
we get into their
shitty later albums.
The disco shit is A+++, but even the country song on here is mind-blowing! "Come On
Over"? You bet I
will! And "Baby As You Turn Away"? It wasn't a hit--but it's certainly one of the best
Bee Gees songs
ever. They didn't even NEED to put tits on the cover of this record to make people buy
it. But I appreciate
that they did. And how about that sparkling new Bee Gees logo! It's a Triumph--and a far
cry from that
dirty neon sign logo that graced the cover of Mr. Natural. The new falsetto voices
rule! As does
this powerful new production style--it will give you chills! Thank you Mr. Arif Mardin!
And God Bless the
Lion-Man, BARRY GIBB: HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!
Due to some legal mumbo-jumbo with Atlantic Records, the Bee
Gees were
unable to get Arif Mardin back to produce the follow-up to their all-time great Main
Course, so
they had to do it themselves. Was that a problem? NO! This thing's mother-forking
fantastic! Everything
you'd hope for in a follow-up...and more! It's ever more discoey than Main Course,
but I don't
mind--bring it on! "You Should Be Dancing" and "Love So Right" were the big hits off
this. And you just
gotta love that RSO pig logo.
THANK YOU BROTHERS GIBB!
Though this is certainly a good souvenir of what it's like to
see the Bee
Gees live, you're better off with the studio versions of all this stuff. Plus, it's got
the ultimate live-album
drag: a MEDLEY. Still, in its defense, it's well-recorded, the performances themselves
are flawless, and the
cover photos are the only ones in Bee Gees discographical history in which Robin sports a
beard.
Based on the strength of the 15 seconds of "Stayin' Alive" that
I'd heard on
a radio advertisement for the upcoming movie Saturday Night Fever way back in
1977, I was
driven into an absolute panic to obtain and hear the rest of the song--at any cost! So I
dug through trash
cans for a couple weeks picking out aluminum cans, took 'em down to the automatic can
recycling
machine, and let it spit out quarters until finally I had enough to buy this, my first
musical purchase.
Unfortunately, the double-length cassette was too heavy for my shitty GE cassette player
to handle and it
played the tape at a slower speed than intended. Many tears later, I ended up with the
double-LP edition,
and have never looked back! (Whatever that means.) Anyhow--Side One of this, featuring
the World's
Greatest Song, "Stayin' Alive", is, as everyone knows, the best Side One of all time,
with its 5 number one
hits in a row. There are a couple of other (old) Bee Gees tunes on the album as well,
along with some HOT
stuff from KC & The Sunshine Band (who put out quite a few great albums themselves), Kool
& The Gang
(back before they got that fucker lead vocalist who turned them into a cornball
shit-band), and The
Trammps (the classic "Disco Inferno", itself worthy of a "10", though if I remember
correctly, everything
else by The Trammps is mmiserable). This was back in the day when soundtrack albums
actually contained
the music heard in the film, so the inclusion of a substantial amount of so-so
instrumental material by the
likes of David Shire and Ralph McDonald will forever keep this record out of the "10"
category. But if
anyone ever sets up a website devoted to reviewing only Side One of various
albums...well, I'm certain that
this record will reign supreme!
I must say that this review is spot on, but I just have to single out one moment of Pure Pop Bliss, one that I never fail to crank to ear shattering levels (well, they’d be ear shattering if I was listening to, say, Meshuggah) when it comes on Lite FM stations locally. I’m speaking, of course, of “How Deep is Your Love,” one of the honest to God ten greatest ballads ever to grace the airwaves. I’m not shitting anyone here – that song is PERFECTION! We live in a most imperfect world, so when one finds true perfection, one must cherish it like a really, really good piece of raspberry cheesecake. Oh, wait, the songs on – I’ve got to take a few minutes to enter nirvana. I’ll be right back.
Okay, I’m back. Anyway, the album on the whole is really the shiznit, pure and simple. Never the more, I do agree that, iconic status aside, it simply doesn’t deserve a ten, for the Beethoven and Mussorgsky desecrations (not that I like those two old white hacks that much, but still…) Everything else here cooks or sooths in the best possible way. Clearly, one of the best soundtracks ever made, from the movie that forever popularized falling off the Verrazano Narrows bridge. How cool is that? Oh, I think it dealt a little bit with dancing, sex, and Al Pacino, too. Good movie, great soundtrack!
The Bee Gees' otherwise brilliant manager Robert Stigwood,
intoxicated on
the movie business, herded them into this horrible movie at the height of their success.
The resulting
soundtrack album, well...it's not something you'd want in your house. Strangely enough,
much of the blame
must be laid mostly at the feet of drunken (?) Sir George Martin, who proves that
"lightning DOESN'T
strike twice" by creating backing tracks that are just barely better than something you'd
find on an album
called Sounds Like The Beatles on Pickwick Records. Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees
didn't exactly
thrive in each other's presence, and tracks sung by elderly alcoholics like Alice Cooper
and George Burns
are even worse. Robin's solo version of "Oh! Darlin'" is possibly the only thing on the
entire double album
that isn't bad, and in fact it was released as a single. The rest of it sounds like it
was recorded at gunpoint.
In the industry, the joke at the time was that this album was shipped gold and returned
platinum.
(about a month later)
Forget what i said before! I LOVED THE WHOLE THING...hah...don't go dissin' the movie man! it's awesome, i love it, it's BEAUTIFUL...(lol) ...I love all the songs the bee gees and peter frampton sang, i think george burns "Fixing a hole" was the worst song though...hehe.
Even with the depressing specter of Sgt. Pepper in their
recent
past, nothing could prevent this "first-Bee-Gees-album-since-Saturday-Night-Fever"
from being a
mega, massive, monster, mammoth, hit! Which of course it was. But, unperturbed by the
fact that they were
the biggest selling act since Abraham Lincoln, the Gibb men took extra care in the
Quality Control
department with this album and the fact remains, all sales-figures aside, this record is
a stone-cold classic!
Though they took pains to move away from the disco-sound on this record, they couldn't
help but get
harmed by the anti-disco backlash that was beginning to take hold, and unfortunately,
this BILLION-seller
album was the "last hurrah" for the Bee Gees for awhile. But the Greatness of its hits
("Tragedy" and "Too
Much Heaven" among them) was only surpassed by the Greatness of its non-hits:
sophisticated adult
productions like "I'm Satisfied" and "Spirits (Having Flown)." The ultra-red cover
featuring wind-blown
hair and gold chains was an easy target for Those Who Hate, and the era of the Bee Gees
overly reigning
supreme was about to go up in smoke.
I LOVE too much heaven, maybe im the only one who understands the song, but it rocks.
My favorite songs are, Mr.Natural, nights on broadway, run to me, how deep is your love, charade, massachusetts and too much heaven, well thats my thought,
P.S : the bee gees rock, no singers will ever be as successful as them *in sound quality* the beatles were too plain, the bee gees had a lot but "disco fever" in them
Considering what a huge #1-with-a-bullet hit Spirits Having
Flown
had been, it's amazing that this record's release a couple years later was barely noticed
by anyone--even the
Bee Gee faithful. It must've sold less than 1% of what Spirits did. A decision
had obviously been
made to junk the falsettos and get with the modern-rock sound of the time. It wasn't a
good decision, and
more importantly, it wasn't a good album. And it was to be their last for quite some
time!
This rotten soundtrack to a rotten movie features just a
handful of Bee Gees
songs, all of which prove conclusively that at that time they were giving all their good
material to outside
singers (Babs Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Dionne Warwick). In addition to the four Bee Gees
non-gems, the
album contains additional tracks performed by Frank Stallone (Sylvester's depressing
brother) and lesser
artists. "How can there be a lesser artist than Frank Stallone?" you ask. Well...ever
hear of TOMMY
FARAGHER?
SO--Get off my guys' backs and just listen to the beautiful words that come out of the minds (and mouths) of three of the most talented songwriters EVER.
Didn't their "E.S.P." warn them not to release this
UNLISTENABLE
MONSTROSITY? Thank God they ditched their old logo--this record is not worthy of it! The
main
problem is the production--it's all that '80s shit with the cheesy synthesizers and drum
machines and
grotesque guitar solos. Having mediocre songs with titles like "Backtafunk" doesn't help
matters any either.
This album is a major bummer and (falsely) hinted that the Bee Gees as a band had reached
the end of the
line. "You Win Again," the album's sole (minor) hit is passable, but a far cry from the
glory days. (And
incidentally, the solo albums issued by Robin and Barry during the '80s are not so hot
either.)
Just letting you know that while "You Win Again" was a minor hit in the US, it was one of the biggest hits of 1987 everywhere else in the world and spent 3 weeks at UK #1. The "ESP" album is not universally regarded as a "monstrosity" and was produced by the late, great Arif Mardin. "The Longest Night" and "Angela" are held up as two of the finest post "Fever" songs the Bee Gees ever wrote. I am a radio announcer and journalist and am astonished that you fail to hear the precision and skill in the production of these songs. Brian May from Queen said shortly after the death of Maurice Gibb that "You Win Again" was truly one of the greatest songs of the 80s.
All the best
The title track is one of the best Bee Gees tracks EVER--and
it's no surprise
that it brought them right back to the top of the charts again, even in the fickle ol' US
of A! Great video,
too...they're looking hipper then they have since 1968. The Gibb Brothers' expertise at
turning male pattern
baldness into a visual advantage is rivalled only by their skill at staying on top of the
Billboard charts.
The rest of the album is fair-to-middlin'. A couple of the songs really irritate. "Tokyo
Nights" in particular.
But as readers of Mr. Prindle's website are well-aware, "One" great song can really boost
an album's overall
rating!
Overall it's a better album than their previous effort, but it
lacks that "One"
special song. I personally wouldn't mind some more falsetto from Barry, but what the
fuck, I'm just still
glad they're still alive and that they've left that '80s production behind.
Some of this album suffers from the same lack of excitement
that plagued
their last three, but the inclusion of the lovely ballad "For Whom The Bell Tolls" makes
up for it, as that
particular track is the easily their best post-'70s song. Barry and Robin both out-do
themselves vocally on
that number--any true Bee Gees fan will burst into tears with LOVE and ADMIRATION. And
"Paying
The Price Of Love" is pretty "HOT" as well, in a completely different way. This album
has a more relaxed
vibe to it than the last few. If you're an old-school Bee Gees fan looking to score
something new, this
album could be your magic ticket!
Boxed set containing all the hits, plus B-sides, unreleased
material, solo
stuff (some of which is also unreleased), demos, live versions of some of their
compositions for other
artists, and more! And it comes with a book in which the Bee Gees themselves comment on
each and every
song. You really can't go wrong with this thing...as boxed set retrospectives go, it's
near perfect. Buy two
and put one in the freezer.
Another decent album, well-crafted and reasonably
"contemporary" in
sound and scope. "Alone" was a big enough hit that you still hear it in supermarkets and
things. If I was as
loose with my numbers as Mark was, this would surely be a "7". But I need to save up
those numbers, you
never know what could come down the pike.
An enjoyable live album, marred only by the presence of guest
star Celine
Dion on the song "Immortality". The woman is not in your league, Barry! Kick her off the
stage. I'm sure
one of your fans will help bandage her up and get her on the first plane back to Canada.
This album's
drawing card is that it includes live versions of Bee Gees' compositions like "Grease"
and "Guilty". But
nothing compares to Barry's 4-track demo version of "Woman In Love", which came out on a
Japanese
bootleg that I would rank at least a "9", if Mark let me review bootlegs on his site. (He
steadfastly refuses,
on the grounds that "it is hurting America.")
As one who works chiefly amidst jazz and blues genres, I have to say the Bee Gees have my utmost respect for their talent as songwriters and performers.
I love these guys so much, I don't want to have to say anything
bad about
them. They are Miracles on Earth. I say, if you can keep making albums fellas, then keep
making albums!
For God's Sake, please keep making albums. Now this particular one has a few problems,
but that doesn't
mean I don't want more. And TOUR! Please! And eat healthily. I'd be happy to send the Bee
Gees my
recipe for vegan tamales...it could add years to their lives! And confidential to Barry:
take magnesium
supplements. They're good for the heart. CoQ10 as well. It's a dollar a pill--but worth
it. As Dr. Bronner
said, "Health is our only real wealth."
The song "This Is Where I Came In" is "TOTALLY AWESOME"--it's a treat and adds favorably
to the
Bee Gees Legacy. The problem with the album of the same name, however, is that it sounds
like (and IS) a
collection of Bee Gee solo recordings collected together to make a "Bee Gees album". I
don't know why
they chose to do this right now, but judging from their promotional interviews, that's
what they WANTED
to do, so I can go straight to Hell. Maurice's faux-Beach Boys song is mighty good (even
Brian Wilson said
so), and Barry's fake-o 1920's music hall number is completely different than anything
I've ever heard from
the man before, which is nice...but too many of these tracks sound like they're trying to
sound like The Cars
or something. And other tracks sound like attempts to recreate the vibe of Life In A Tin
Can (gasp!)! The
Bee Gees have run me through all kinds of emotions over the years, but this is the first
time they've left me
just plain confused!
P.S Did you know that there is a new Robin Gibb solo Album being released at the start of next year?? Should be interesting!!! Fingers crossed he
doesnt get too EUROPOP style like all his other solo efforts where you could not hear a decent bit of base if you tried!!
best wishes from the UK
I sometimes wonder if there was trouble in the camp, all the talk about
going off to do are own thing dosen't seem quite right? The best songs over
the years are the ones credited to B, R, M Gibb. Could technicolour dreams
been Barry's "Mary had a little lamb" ?
I didn't review Bee Gees Gold or Best of the Bee Gees
Vol. 1
& 2 or Bee Gees Greatest or The Very Best of the Bee Gees...and I
shouldn't review
this latest "hits" repackaging either, except that it's the best of the bunch, and
instantly renders all those
others obsolete. The controversial studio re-makes of "Emotion," "Islands In The Stream",
and
"Heartbreaker" don't bug me in the slightest, though they do prove conclusively that
recording studios just
aren't what they used to be. This could well deserve a "10," but on principle I don't
believe that greatest hits
compilations should ever be awarded that magic number.
p.s I LOVE ROBIN GIBB!
When the Bee Gees Were Three
Feel free to post this at your site if you like the song.
Other Bee Gees Sites
Mr. Gregg Turkey, I'm sure you're a nice guy and that you meant well writing
a review page on the complete discography of what's obviously your favourite
band. Your enthusiasm and passion for the Bee Gee's is quite engaging, but
these reviews stink.
Yeah Roland, i agree 100% with what you said!
Kudos, Mr. Ratzl. We ALL have sticks up our asses at this site. I
recommend reading some Dale Carnegie POST-HASTE.
Hello- firstly I would like to point out, this LP is from 1965, not 1966.
Then there are two Australian albums in between this and "1st", both from
1966. "Spicks and Specks" and the quasi-released "Monday's rain". Any Bee
Gees Fan worth their salt knows this.
This was a good one for sure, this may sound odd, but "close another door" is my favourite song on that album!
Bee Gees First is truly a phenomenal LP... from the first notes of "Turn Of the Century" ringing in to the dying fade of "Close Another Door", as far as I'm concerned no other Bee Gees album can compare to this one! (yeah. I'm one of those people who consider 'Red Chair, Fade Away" a psychadelic masterpiece)
Not up to par as "Bee Gees First", but I absolutley love the song "Harry Braff".
Idea was the first Bee Gees album I bought (All the earlier ones soon
followed) and what an exelent album it still is. So many groups at that time
filled albums with A and B sides of singles and standards. I was suprised to
see on buying that the group composed all the songs and what songs. The
first track "Let there be love" is still an all time favourate the strings
and brilliant vocals sweep you away. the album keeps the quality up
throughout the 12 Gibb fantasy tales, ending in a tipical Barry tear jerking
ballard "swan song" of which someone in the UK magazine DISC said: it sounds
like he's put part of himself in to that song.
"Idea" completes the pop-psych trilogy of the early UK period. I really feel
these 3 albums are quite equal. Equally brilliant. "Idea" is the beginning
of Robin's peak period (68-70) and he mostly steals the album with these
killer cuts- "I've decided to join the air force", "down to earth", "India
gin and whiskey dry" and "I started a joke". Having said that, the absolute
highlight of the LP, and one of the most delicious pop-dream-psych tracks
ever is Barry's "Kilburn towers". After this, the band moved onto possibly
greater things with their ultra ambitious orchestral-weirdo phase, including
the 4 solo albums (3 unreleased)
This one is a lot easier on the brain than Horizontal and the title song is just unbelievable! - The Bee Gees at their rockin' best! (check out the mono mix of this on the Reprise cd re-issue). Unfotunately (or maybe fortunately), Barry and Robin were brewing up a top-notch war within their ranks, and Vince Melouney was soon to leave ( try as he may, he had hoped the band would get heavier, and this is as about as heavy the band would ever get!)..... Odessa's next and then all hell breaks loose!
My all time favorite album. Since I found it in a record store in 1989 I am more and more convinced with each new/old album I buy by new and old bands that there may never be a better complete album. It has moments of Hugeness and then delicate passages that are so whispery and faint they're hardly there. Not in the sense of LOUD soft LOUD drum break LOUD LOUDER but true orchestration. And they lyrics, I mean c;mon 'you said good bye so I declared war on spain'? that is so kick ass. 'filing this berg to the shape of a ship' the whole thing, square dance, opera, rock, it's like I don't even know what to say about this thing. I've been listening to it nonstop since last Wednesday when I got it on cd finally.
You're going to probably think I've jumped off the crazy cliff into Loony Gulch with this next comment, Mark, so I'll just say it straight out. . .
Nice to Know I'm not alone on My Thoughts on "Odessa" I agree it is the best Double album of all Time. Can't wait 'til april, when it's re-issued as a Double CD with Bonus tracks
From about 1969 to about 1975 various progressive/rock FM stations were playing this wonderful song by "THE BAND" called "Gotta go For a Sunday Drive", but for some reason it wasn't on any of their albums. Was it on a single? I wonder!?!........Hey everybody.. It was the Bee Gees, and the Song was called "Marley Purt Drive" and it's on Odessa and it should've been a mid- charting hit, had it been released as a single. (and the rest of the Lp is killer too!).. okay class... everybody wave goobye to Colin Peterson..He's leaving now!
very much a lost classic even in 1970. robin's voice and vibrato is ethereal and that is the reason to own the album. solo albums can be good or bad: lennon's was political and angry like plastic ono band or sweet and charming like mind games or double fantasy. macca is hey hey hey pop songs. ringo's is stupid novelty shit. harrisongs like the rights to harrison's music is hare krishna. gene simmons of kiss was showtunes. criss was jazz. paul was pop. ace was hard rock to some it may have been dated oldies pop in the style of lulu but I still liked. oh yeah! joe perry will have a solo joint since his days w/o aerosmith. girls, prepare to swoon!
Nicely put. I think of this album in lofty terms- up there with "Scott 4",
"Odessa" and "The Yard went on forever" at the peak of bizarre orchestral
song-suites of 1969. These are the greatest LPs ever, in many ways.
Help! the BEE GEES are disintegrating
Okay, by this point it was which one is going to go solo, and which one would be "THE BEE GEE"?!?!?
I used to own this one too. Always seemed really slow to me. Though I guess that was their style in the early 70s. Some of the songs were gorgeous, I
recall.
...Shoud've rounded up Peterson and Melouney to perk up this batch of snoozers....Lonely Days is interestingly nice though...... Hey! the boyz'll get inspired for the next one!!!!!
Try as I want to, I can't be really mean about this LP, It's a high point in an otherwise blah period of the Brothers career (....that's Brothers with a capital "B"!), Yes, yes, I know "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" has Barry shifting between his natural voice and the beginnings of that infernal falsetto (though this is just a prototype version). This album at least has some Balls (that's Balls with a capital "B"), which sadly the two albums before and three after lack....maybe the innebriates, snorts and illegal substances were wearing them down a tad, .......this album is at least worth checking out though!..............neat inner spread and their father (Hugh Gibb) is the Generalish looking soldier!
What? You don't give that album enough CREDIT!!!! It's my FAVOURITE album with my FAVOURITE SONG run to me!!
....aside from "Run to Me", the best thing about this lp are the 'pop-up' Bee Gees when you opened up the original gatefold 12" version....(I especialy liked the "Robin" with his characteristic hand to his ear)........why "My World" isn't on this long player is anyones guess...would have made the album a touch stronger.............oh well.. get ready for the doldrums on the next 2 (and one unreleased) lp's.
Yes, but this LP has their best post-Trafalgar, pre-SNF song on it- "I hear
a new morning". Total classic.
I have recently been listening to all of the Bee Gees pre-disco albums again after years and years. This one I got almost the day it came out and loved it then and now. It holds up pretty well, I think with Saw A New Morning, Living in Chicago,and Come Home, Johnny Briddie. Had the included the single Wouldn't I Be Someone, from the same period I think it would have been a hit. Also with guest steel pedal master Sneeky Pete they really hit the mark if they were intending to make a great country album. peace.
i agree, this was a great album, everyday i want to listen to it again and again, my fav song is *as the album* mr.natural ... though i am not so sure what the lyrics mean, but i love robins voice in it, all of them had incredibly wonderful voices, i love robins, he has a very unique style to it.
"Jive Talkin" is one of their best songs ever. I actually really love their disco songs. But all these albums also have a ton of slow r'n'b-style ballads on
them, and I'm not really into those too much.
At this point in my life, I'd sorta given up on the good ol' Brothers Gibb, but when I heard "Fanny (Be Tender with my Love)" , I couldn't believe that the song would ever stop modulating (rise higher in pitch,key).... Incredible... I kinda disliked their DISCO phase ( I turned to new wave), but now thirty some-odd years hence, It's quite listenable (old age)...Get this album..listen to it now...
"You Should Be Dancin'" = GODHEAD. I could listen to it all day.
Y'know folks, at some point at the beginning of the Nineties (before my daughter was born) I bought a secondhand bass guitar! (nuthin' fancy, just a two-pick up Charvel), just so I could have one around, I had been playing guitar for about fifteen years already and now it was time to broaden my horizons! Well, competing with Larry Graham, John Entwistle, and Paul McCartney was hard on the fingers...... BUT... "Children of The World" ....what a great lp to go thumping along with!!!! (nuthin' fancy, but a good steady throbbin beat!).... I'm in Bassman heaven! With my headphones on, Bass in hands plugged directly into the stereo, and a big dopey smile on my face!!!!
Yeah, I know I posted too many replies on this review page, but I just have to say..what the hell are you thinking! This is amazing record, I own it, and some of these songs are much better than the studio versions! The medley was terrific, Yet again, I disagree with you....
Worth owning just for the gorgeous harmony on the final chorus of 'World' in the medley.
Althoguh I'd argue the greatest side one is side one of 'The White Album', in response to Gregg Turkington, I think I'll agree with you Mark and say 'I like the Bee Gees song, but nto everyone else', except Yvonne Elliman's 'If I can't have you'. But I will say I think disco is great music. What I will say is I think it was very melodic, funky and somehow mystical. I picked up a Donna Summer record recently, 'A love trilogy', and I thought it was excellent. The Bee Gees kind of took disco and made it a universal thing, however it was charting before 1977, even appearing as early 1973 on a Wings record. Well, I'd argue that '1985' is a disco song.
I just read the “Saturday Night Fever” review, and was moved to put that bad boy in my ‘ol CD playin’ contraption (right after listening to Screaming Trees “Sweet Oblivion,” – very odd juxtaposition. By the way, Mark, I’d get really hard if you’d review the Screaming Trees/Lanegan records. Do it!)
Elderly??? Alice Cooper was 30 years old at that time. Dumbass.
i agree, i only watch sgt peppers cause the bee gees are in it, I thought the part where robins headphones whipped off his head was hilarious, thats the only good part...
I own the DVD and recently purchased the CD Soundtrack from a record shop downtown, I think all the tracks all the soundtrack are amazing. The sound quality is great, it's 2 CD's, and obviously Robin's rendition of "Oh! Darling" was outstanding and did well on the charts in that time. I recommend the soundtrack to anyone contemplating purchasing it!
"Tragedy" is unforgettable -- I've forgotten the rest of the album entirely.
My Favorite albums include Mr.Natural, Life In A Tin Can, To Whom It May Concern and Spirits Having Flown.
I think that you are a little harsh on this LP. It remails a firm favourite of many fans and did have some good tracks on it. (Hes a liar, iving eyes, Paradise,
Crying every day)
I think that there were a lot of problems with the band (As they had all been sacked) Also I am not too sure that it was promoted too vigorously.
I absolutely love it my favorite track is Soldiers the way the emotion wells up and Barry's voice is pure magic on this track. A lot of people dismiss it or merely skip over it. I feel they wrote performed it well, it seems as if they did it for me. I also like He's A Liar, Don't Fall In Love With Me and Cryin Everyday. I have it on tape sent from a friend but my hope is to own on it cd one day. I hope this is a half way decent review.
Ok, I realize that I must be one of the few who really LOVED this album! It was really refreshing to me to here my first loves use their natural voices. It was like rubbing your skin against silk! Why the rest of the public seemed to not grab hold and hang on for dear life is beyond me! Favorites? Living Eyes, Soldiers, Paradise,Cryin' Everyday--hell-- I loved the whole thing. I must admit, however, that My guys could sing the alphabet song and I would think it was the greatest thing I ever heard. Barry, Robin and Mo tend to get stereotyped, and I think that this album just came at a time when the public at large was unwillling to let them change with everyone else.
I disagree, "You Win Again" was a major hit. It was #1 all around the world. The entire album is somewhat blurred but it did bring their sound back to the forefront.
What are you TALKING ABOUT!? I think every single song on that album is great!...i disagree with what you said..Have you ever listened to "Nothing could be good, Cryin' Every Day, Wildflower?"....wow...i'm only 13 and i know better than to shoot-down this great album!
I love the title track "Living Eyes", and "He's A Liar". I believe that the track "Don't Fall In Love With Me" is one of the Bee Gee's most beautiful and comforting songs. This album was good. And every Bee Gees fan should have this in their collection.
Ok, so the movie was bad and the soundtrack wasn't the best, but my guys can sing with the best of them. My favorite song was "Someone Belonging to Someone". Maybe because I was going through that emotional teenage time when it came out, but nonetheless, when I hear it, I have to fight back the tears.
im still around.
i've written and produced hits for taylor dayne, al green, paul young,
eternal, australian popstars. bardot, the ojays to name a few.
you dont have to be so mean.
A very succesfull LP in Europe. Sold very well due to the high ammount of publicity that gave it I think. Not too many good songs though I must agree!
Hi there,
I personally love all the tracks on this album, especially "Tokyo Nights". I love the song "Wish You Were Here", "Bodyguard", "Ordinary Lives", "Flesh and Blood", etc. Great album overall.
I borrowed this CD from a friend to get a refresher course on the Bee Gees. The rendition of "Immortality" with Celine Dione was the first time I heard the tune. It is absolutely stunning. Hard to imagine this was done live. From a production standpoint it sounds as if all the tweaks were in place at just the right moment. As it dawned on me what kind of talent this group has in a live setting, I realized it would be a good thing to acquire some of their studio work on CD. Today I received and played Greatest Hits: For the Record.
I think that the lead single was a cracker but due to the fact you have to hear new beegees songs a few tims to get used to them the lack of air play
masses it all up a bit. I do like the first 5 songs on the album but then I generally get bored!!
Not the best album, but Loose Talk is a beautiful and haunting R&B-ballad;
I thought the first 5 or 6 tracks were exelent but then the album tailed off
a bit. Oh for the old double sided LPs.
This is one of my favourite albums out of my entire music collection. I can listen to all the tracks and not get bored. I love the three extra tracks: "Just In Case", "I Will Be There", and "Promise The Earth" (all with Robin on lead). Awesome album.
dude, man in the middle is really cool
I have admired and been annoyed by the Bee Gees for over 20 years. I always
found it disturbing that they never (previously) released their own versions
of "Islands In The Stream" and "Heartbreaker" (two of the best singles by
anybody in the 80's). Knowing now that they did, I will track this album
down at once!
I happen to LOVE the bee gees, and when people are insulting them i feel like i want to tear them apart, they are jelous because Robin, Barry, Maurice, and Andy, had something important in their lives, and they were successful at it, add this on the page so viewers can see.... THE BEE GEES ARE THE BEST, AND MOST HARD WORKING GROUP I HAVE EVER SEEN SO SHUT UP AND GET OVER IT! other fans like me you people have great taste, talk with you later
I wrote this song in memory of Maurice Gibb:
words and music by Dr. BLT (c)2006
http://www.drblt.net/music/beegees.mp3Another "Idea" for a Bee Gees site you could visit "One" day, perhaps "Two Years On," is The Brothers Gibb Fan Club - Europe.