Ed's Bee Gees Appreciation Thread Part 1: 1963-1974

Okay, right off the bat, a threadcrap: some of the Bee Gees music most certainly sucks..... I'll leave it to better folks than me to clue us in as to what sucks and what doesn't. However, I will say that their late '60s albums haved some strong stuff that holds up quite well, and ODESSA is one of those pop masterpieces that remains fairly forgotten, except by stalwart, discerning lads like us....

How cool are the Gibb Bros? Well, cool enough to have had "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" covered by no less a genius than Al Green, while Nina Simone's version of "To Love Somebody" is damn near definitive.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the disco stuff, with the notable exception of "Tragedy," which is as good as anything that dubious genre had to offer.

With Mo gone, not very likely the boys will ever tour again, though one can't rule out recordings entirely.

What do you think? They pretty good, or chew rotten eggs?

 

Pretty good, occasionally tending toward great.

My personal favorites:

-How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (I agree, Ed - Reverend Green's version is for all time)
-Lonely Days
-Nights On Broadway (this song reminds me of being 11 years old more than any other)
-Jive Talkin' (this is one of the songs I first taught myself to play on the bass - a great disco bassline that is still fun to play.)
-All the Saturday Night Fever songs
-Emotion (the Concert For New York reminded me of this song, a long forgotten favorite)

Chris

 

I love early Bee Gees, the 1st album in particular. Besides the hits, nearly all of the album tracks on that one are great. "I Can't See Nobody" is a stone classic.

I enjoy most everything through Odessa and selected stuff after that. The only disco-era Bee Gees song I can stomach is "Nights on Broadway." You can have all the rest of them.

 

I adore the Bee Gees; I have every album they released, including the BIRTH OF BRILLIANCE comp from their early early days. The breadth of their musical accomplishment is unparalled IMO. Their music always sounds fresh to me, and frankly much of it moves me in a way no other band does. A lot of their work is unfairly maligned and/or underappreciated (ODESSA, LIFE IN A TIN CAN, LIVING EYES, THIS IS WHERE I CAME IN, etc etc.).

Just a couple of nights ago I gave a "critical listening" to the MFSL CD of TRAFALGAR. I've always felt that as an album it's among their greatest achievements. It starts off with "How Can You Mend..." and only gets better from there; an amazing set of songs. It's also one of the best sounding 70's-era redbook CD's (and MoFi's) I've ever heard!

I am not ashamed of loving the Bee Gees!

 

On a long-gone Beatles message board, I once had the temerity to make the lofty claim that "Holiday" was a match for anything on REVOLVER....of course I was ridiculed and reviled for speaking such heresy, but believed it then, still do, that's a little masterpiece of economy and creativity Sir Paulie would be proud to claim as his own.....

Their catalog is filled with little gems like "Turn Of The Century"(covered by The Cyrkle), "World," "Swan Song," "Kilburn Towers," the wonderful "Melody Fair" and the just plain weird "I.O.I.O." Sure, there's crap scattered throughout, true, but anyone with such a deep, rich catalog is gonna wind up recording some dross, the nature of the business. Still, for me, ODESSA remains among the more listenable of 2-Lp sets, and while it's a concept album where the concept seemed to have been abandoned, they do get the distinction of recording just about the saddest pop song I've ever heard("First Of May")....

 

I always loved the Bee Gees.
I never got a chance to see them live but always enjoyed their television appearances.
Their last release "This Is Where I Came In" is classic Bee Gees.

Joe L.

 

I always enjoyed the early stuff like Words but never cared much for the later discoey stuff. I did get the chance to see them kinda live? at a Midnight Special taping. The lip synched everything but one song (Bye Bye Blackbird).

 

Bee Gees was "Huge" during my junior high and high school era, I will always love the Bee Gees.

my favorite early Bee Gees album:



My favorite disco era Bee Gee's song is "How Deep Is Your Love".

BTW, Bee Gees 1997 "One Night Only" at MGM DVD is a must have for all Bee Gees fans.

 

Not a fan of the disco stuff, but they were certainly brilliant. They could rock hard when they wanted to.

 

I don't know their earlier stuff - yet. Based on recommendations here and in previous threads, I hope to check it out someday.

At the time, I hated the Saturday Night Fever-era stuff - but I did like some disco songs by other artists - I'd probably enjoy their later stuff more now.

 

Only thing i had before was a 'BEST OF' the early stuff. I picked up Main Course recently and love 'Come On Over'. My dad has the Red Velvet sleeve Odessa.

 

When they were on A&E's BY REQUEST I tried phoning in to request "Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy Of Arts"....woulda been hilarious if I'd gotten though, they probably don't remember that one.......and couldn't have played it if they did....

 

On Time is my fave track. Sounds like a Paul Buckmaster string arrangement!

 

That would have put a damper on it, yes....

 

I'm not a big fan of the disco stuff either, but they at least did it better than anyone else. But some of their earlier stuff is brilliant. The first "Greatest Hits" collection from the 60s was one of my favorite albums at the time, and the CD is actually sitting in my CD player at home at this moment. My favorite Bee Gees disc is "Trafalgar." (I prefer the original standard release to the MFSL.) That album has a sad dreamlike quality that takes a while to appreciate, but that I find intoxicating.

 

Ed, "Dearest" off TRAFALGAR has to be a contender:

I hear you calling me ’dearest’ too .
My dearest, I’m nearest, than I’ve ever been before
To have you calling me ’dearest’ once more.
My dearest, this picture, my own memory.
Wishing this picture was reality.

Where do I go from here? the Lord took you away.
And if you could see me today, I will remember you .
I will remember you
My dearest, sincerest, there’s no one but you and
Here in my heart you’re my dearest too.

 

I'm a bigger fan of the ballad-heavy Beatles-influenced first phase Bee Gees than of the second phase Bee Gees (where the output is so varied I won't attempt to classify it).

That said, the first side of 1981's criminally overlooked "Living Eyes" may well be the best album side they ever released.

FWIW, their last studio release, "This is Where I Came In," is pretty decent.

Kwad

 

Greetings, fellow traveller!

 

well, I enjoy the gibbs enough to have both mono and stereo versions of the first 3 lps, all of which I like very much, I like tracks on Odessa (great felt cover with that one), selected tracks from the early 70's and quite a bit of the disco stuff if I only hear it rarely
I have been very impressed with some of their later stuff, This Is Where I Came In is a great track! I admire their songwriting and passion.

 

The Bee Gees were fantastic. They did it all from the orchstratred English pop in the late 60's to the r&b flavored sound that they explored in the late 70's. ( I will refrain from using the D word.)

 

The Bee Gees are/were highly loved in the African American community. Along with Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, and believe it or not Pink Floyd's song Money.

I love these guys and always will!

 

There's something in every era of their career for me. But I've always seemed to enjoy most those few albums that came right after the first hit period and before the second run of the mid 70's, up until around Wouldn't I Be Someone or thereabouts.