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

ok, now what we need (Barry, are you listening?)
is a DVD of all the promo clips from the beginning with a brand spankin' new 5.1 mix (and remastered original stereo).
just think how cool THAT could be!!

 

When Ed Bishop and I were discussing mono Bee Gees a while back by PM, I told Ed that I'd actualy had a dream where I'd met up with Barry Gibb and persuaded him to released a double CD of mono mixes. The first CD would included the mono 1st and Horizontal albums. The second CD would include the mono Idea, the two or three tracks mixed to mono as potential singles that appeared on Odessa (most of the mono version of that album is a fold down) and mono versions of various other 1960s singles.

Then I woke up...

 

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of being awake, either, Michael.... Ah, in our dreams, in our dreams....

Next up: HORIZONTAL, early '68.



World
And The Sun Will Shine
Lemons Never Forget
Really and Sincerely
Birdie Told Me
With the Sun in My Eyes

Massachusetts
Harry Braff
Day Time Girl
The Earnest of Being George
The Change is Made
Horizontal

Another strong entry, the only drawback, though, is that it doesn't have anything on the level of "Holiday," but that's was unique. "World" was an A-side in a lot of places, but we got ("The Lights All Went Out In)Massachussetts" instead(regrettably, the B-side "Sir Geoffrey Changed The World" didn't make the Lp cut; shame, could have used the variety!). The album was also hurt by the lack of inclusion of then-current hit "Words," something, when I did a CD-R burn, I added(fits nicely between "Earnest" and "Change"). Also used Bill Inglot's remix of "World," as the original stereo mix is just plain bad, essentially mono until near the end, when some of the orchestra turns stereo(oddly, on the mono edition, "World" runs at a faster speed than on the UK Polydor 45 or either stereo mix, or seems to...)

Some interesting, quirky stuff here, though, "Harry Braff" being some kind of childhood fable. The title track and "With The Sun In My Eyes" could have been A-sides, IMO, but again, the lads had too much good material to bother....

Original cover:



Dutch, I think:

 

Ed,

what's the story with the two Horizontal covers? Were they different for US/UK releases?

The first one I have on both the current CD and a US vinyl.

 

Michael,

I think the second cover is Dutch; out of Europe, anyway, but not the UK, their cover matches ours.

The mono edition of this Lp is more than worthwhile; like the first, some interesting mixes, like a horn part on "Harry Braff" that's mixed up near the end, while kind of subdued in stereo; the different vocal phrasings of "Day Time Girl"; and "World," which I would swear runs a little longer than the stereo mix.

After HORIZONTAL came the "Jumbo" single, which I believe, in hindsight, the brothers would sooner have forgotten. I have this German edition with the PS:



After that, "I've Gotta Get A Message To You." The single mix is night-and-day compared to the Lp version(which one might consider 'stripped down'). Bill Inglot finally remixed the single to stereo for the box set.

 

Better yet, maybe they should have flipped the A and B sides. When I first got this 45, I had never heard either side, and after listening to both sides I thought "The Singer Sang His Song" was the A-side. It actually "Bubbled Under" for three weeks in the spring of 1968.

 

Tim,

Same here! "Jumbo" I'd missed back in '68, probably because both sides split airplay, and the stores I frequented never carried it. And agreed, the flip would have been the more sensible A. Atco certainly had the option of going with something else, like "World," which they passed on for 45 release the previous fall. "Jumbo" is cute and bouncy, but seemed pretty lightweight compared to the previous A-sides. That the single missed the cut for IDEA probably says a lot, though the flip certainly deserved inclusion....

 

I remember "Jumbo" getting a bit of AM radio airplay, and then sinking without a trace. Me, I've always kinda liked it -- even if the lads would prefer to forget its existence.

 

I was a little kid when the Bee Gees were the kings of AM radio. I can remember tuning in to PBS for an "In Concert" special starring the Bee Gees. I though they were going to come out in their full-blown white suited disco glory, but instead they appeared in blue jumpsuits (like gas station workers), and they sat on stools! I was flabbergasted, but now I wish I'd watched.

The Brothers Gibb weren't anywhere near my radar until last year when my friend gave me a copy of Horizontal. I'm glad this album has been mentioned on this thread, because I played it like crazy. It just seems so prescient; not so much a straight Beatles cop, but sort of maudlin and introspective like the singer-songwriters of the early 70s (especially the title track). It amazes me that their commericial stock dropped off after 1971, because a song like Idea's "Kilburn Towers" is essentially a model for "Ventura Highway". I have a nice Japanese pressing of Odessa, complete with that gorgeous velvet cover.

I bought the box set from e-bay, and I became a fan. I just think Barry Gibb is a great songwriter, and even the disco-era tunes like "Stayin' Alive" and "Too Much Heaven" are incredible (these songs will be covered by R&B artists for years to come). I dig Mr. Natural and Main Course, but I won't venture into the ugly 80s quite yet.

I eagerly await reissues.

 

I'm surprised and delighted to see so many Bee Gees fans here. I was in Brisbane in my high-school days (graduated 1967) and the Bee Gees were local lads from Redcliffe (although they were not born in Oz, but on the Isle of Man). I grew up with them on the radio and loved their early stuff.

Fresh-faced boys at Redcliffe in 1959, Barry Gibb, 12, and twin brothers Robin and Maurice, 9 (From the Courier Mail, Brisbane)

 

How is the sound on the old non remastered CD?

 

I'm sure I have a version of Horizontal with that second cover. I can't lay my hands on it at the moment though.

I have the mono LP and the stereo CD, but I've never compared the two.

Forget is right! It never appeared on the best ofs vol 1 or 2. Spin Records, owned by Festival Records, owned the rights to distribute Bee Gees recordings in New Zealand and Australia through until 1976. As a "last rites" (or should that be "rights"?) they released a Vol 3 best of album. This is where I first heard Jumbo, The Singer Sang His Song, Alive and Saw a New Morning - the last two being favourites of mine.[/QUOTE]

 

I find the sound on the Bee Gees CDs to be fine (and I keep wondering why people are asking for remasterings). The only 1960s Bee Gees CD I have from the first releases some years ago is Odessa, which is missing a song. I've bought the first four when the CDs were reissued after the Bee Gees were inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame.

While I haven't at down and compared the CDs to the old vinyls I have, the CDs sound as transparent to the source and one would expect. One 1st for example, there's many a time when the voices sound murkey, as they're drenched in reverb, while the instruments are very clear. Buy with confidence.

 

I was seeking out reissues because I have found that the box set (which came out in 1990) sounds better than the later reissues. Just my opinion of course. I'd also like some bonus tracks!

 

Of the early albums, IDEA sounds the nicest to me, as it did on vinyl; HORIZONTAL doesn't come off so well, not sure what happened there, some of those mixes are kinda wonky, but faithful to the source, which is about all you can ask(the mono is preferable).

At least ODESSA was reissued with all songs intact(no felt cover, though...)

 

I agree with Anders B - Mr. Natural is very underated.

 

How does the new release of living eyes sound?

 

Not Ed, but it seems to be the UK cover...........

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=27343&item=4070352985&rd=1

 

Query.......

I was listening to Main Course on Vinyl and noticed an odd effect on the very first track Nights On Broadway, possibly elsewhere too.
The first line 'Here we are', there is a sort of metallic effect on the vocal, is this on the recording, or do i have a duff copy?.

 

I agree, I've always thought that "Jumbo" was the band's most underrated single. IMO, it's an excellent piece of psychedelic pop. I'm very grateful that it appeared on the "Tales From The Brothers Gibb" boxset.



Ed Hurdle
HeavyDistortion

 

Our continuing survey of Bee Gees music continues with IDEA, from August 1968.

Most notable for "I've Gotta Get A Message To You"(though it's not the single mix)and "I Started A Joke"(and after this became a US hit, the fledgling rock press wasted no time in dismissing their music out of hand, a trend that continues to this day). This one's a bit more erratic in quality than the first two, maybe because, while there's some pretty jaunty, lush and cool tracks here("Kitty Can," "Swan Song," "Down To Earth"--great arrangement--the rocking title track that has Claptonesque guitar and genuinely rocks, which the boys didn't do that often, and the lovely "Kilburn Towers"), there's also some silly("I Have Decided To Join The Air Force," "Indian Gin And Whisky Dry")and genuine treacle("When The Swallows Fly"--nice arrangement, but way too precious for its own good). Time now to note the arrangements by the sixth Bee Gee, musical director Bill Shepherd, who should get a big round of applause from every fan for his considerable contributions while working with them in these early years.

Let there be love
Kitty can
In the summer of his years
Indian gin and whisky dry
Down to earth
Such a shame
I've gotta get a message to you

Idea
When the swallows fly
I have decided to join the airforce
I started a joke
Kilburn towers
Swan song



The US cover is notable for the B&W collage of photos from the five band members assembled to make one amalgamated Bee Gee(heh). Since three out of the five were Gibbs, natch that the end result would look like them, more or less. In the UK, they were less clever: the light bulb cover came off as cheap and obvious(and it is).

Finally, one track from the UK Lp, "Such A Shame," was dropped from the US edition, even though 1st in the US included all 14 songs from the UK album. Atco was getting thrifty in '68, I guess. Thankfully, this was rectified for the CD reissue, which has all 13 tracks(and uses the US cover). This was also the last Bee Gees album to have a dedicated mono mix, which wasn't issued stateside. First pressings also have the tri-color Atco label, though most that were pressed seem to have the 2nd yellow....

 

The US version of Idea feature that hit single, while the UK version didn't.

As Ed sez, this is an interesting album with lots of variety. Despite the title track being a rocking little number, guitarist Vince Melouny seemed to have less to do and subsequently left the band.

Bill Shepherd's contributions to the first four albums cannot be understated. His orchestrations helped differentiate the Bee Gees music from most other 1960s pop groups.

I initially thought that the US cover was a stylised version of Barry Gibb!

Finding a UK mono mix of Idea is very difficult - I've ony seen a couple on eBay in the past two years. Finding one in good condition is all but impossible. I'm currently bidding on one, so hands off SH readers!

 

I've yet to snag a copy of the overseas IDEA....either the condition's been crappy or I didn't trust the seller...and the only one I've held in a store was stereo and beaten to hell, and I don't need a stereo copy.....

To recap the basics:

The RSO and Polydor Bee Gees original CD issues of their albums are, on the main, very good to excellent, even though you'd wish HORIZONTAL had a better mix(or something)....that means if you find copies of 1st, HORIZONTAL, IDEA and ODESSA--all of which are stereo--you can buy with confidence. Could they be better? Possibly, but not by a whole lot. And remember, ODESSA was reissued with all its music, that's the one with 17 cuts, the original press had only 16....

On the mono front, all I've found on legit CD of any of these cuts is "NY Mining Disaster," which appeared on one of Rhino's HISTORY OF BRITISH ROCK comps...and the sound there was mighty nice, a pity none of the first three are available on CD in wonderful monaural sound....ODESSA, as noted, may have a few dedicated mixes, but the suspicion is much of it is a fold job....not so of the first three Atco/Polydor Lp's, those are all dedicated, custom mixes and all a pleasure to hear....

Of the three, IDEA is the most radically different relative to the stereo edition; "Let There Be Love" and the title track are so different, in fact, they might as well be alternate takes(and portions of them are!). Just about every track on IDEA is obviously different, some touches minor, some major. There are a few like that on HORIZONTAL, but 1st's differences are not so apparent at first, except that the last "Jones" on "Mining Disaster" is like the 45, properly said, not unfinished as on the stereo version.

Next up: 1969.....

 

Next up: CUCUMBER CASTLE(1970)...have never seen the film, though I've been told it's quite a hoot if you're in the mood for nonsense....

The circumstances were strange, to say the least. During the recording of the "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" single, Robin had some kind of falling out with the lads, leading to his going solo(temporarily, as it turned out), and Barry and Mo left to(temporarily)go on without him. Vince Melouney had already left, and the quintet was now down to a trio, with Colin Peterson, their drummer, taking the lead on their next 45, the underrated(and quickly forgotten)"Don't Forget To Remember." Then Peterson was gone, leaving Barry and Mo as the group.

This album was the result. Kind of a patchwork effort, and comes off that way: three singles and their B-sides, one of which("If Only I Had My Mind On Something Else")would lead the brothers, again, to lament why they wrote or recorded it, let alone put it out as a single(the flip, "Sweetheart" might have done more business). It was a tumultuous time, with Mo marrying Lulu("To Sir With Love," "Shout), Robin off recording what would become ROBIN'S REIGN, etc. Better times were in the offing, but temporarily, everyone must have wondered how it all fell apart so rapidly(as if "First Of May" had been a warning of sorts). The inchoate "I.O.I.O." was quirky and almost desperate; it bombed, of course. Better times were ahead....

1. If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else
2. I.O.I.O.
3. Then You Left Me
4. The Lord
5. I Was The Child
6. I Lay Down And Die

7. Sweetheart
8. Bury me down by the river
9. My Thing
10. The Chance Of Love
11. Turning Tide
12. Don't Forget To Remember