Ed's Bee Gees Appreciation Thread Part 2: 1975-Present

It was the USA where this album and the single just didn't connect. Not really sure why. Not for lack of promotion, since WB did make a big deal over landing the boys. Things would improve for the next album....

 

I guess US was still suffering from Bee Gees bashing syndrome, that explains it all. For folks around the world You win again was THE "Bee Gees are Back!" song. I remember it topping the MTV chart and the title track vid had some serious airplay as well. I actualy like ESP as much as YWA.

STILL, WHAT'S ESP??? Please, I really don't know. It took me years to find out what NIB actualy meant so I don't want to wait anymore on this one!

 

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/e/esp_extrasensory_perception.html

 

Oh, thanx! Funny it kinda sounds more like a title of a prog record...though Bee Gees are known for cool "proggy" titles like Horizontal, Odessa, Trafalgar etc.

 

Funny how hard rock fans always complained about Bonnet looking too unmetal and in fact a bit like the guy on your avatar, Emilio!

 

Time for ONE, from 1989. And, with the title track, their final Top Ten appearance on a US chart(AFAIK).

Side 1:

1. One
2. Ordinary Lives
3. Bodyguard
4. In My Neighborhood
5. Tears

Side 2:

6. Tokyo Nights
7. Flesh And Blood
8. Wish You Were Here
9. House Of Shame
10. Will You Ever Let Me

11. You Win Again (CD bonus track)

 

No comments on One, Ed?

btw, my CD doesn't have You Win Again as track 11. Instead it has a track called Wing and a Prayer. Unlike the rest of the album, which was produced by the brothers and Brian Tench, this track was produced by BR&M.

 

The same as my CD. By the way - did anyone notice that One is one crappy sounding CD? Desperately needs remastering IMHO. As for the music - the same problem as with ESP - 2 first tracks are really good and the rest - mediocre at best. Somehow the spark was gone from Bee Gees since the reunion (though they had much better albums ahead).

 

"Wish You Were Here" is an old-Bee Gees-school-style tribute to Andy. I like the song a lot but the rest of the album (after "One") is not very strong.

 

No, it isn't...which is why I didn't even bother commenting on it. Their tenure with WB was a rocky one, artistically.

But now, time for a side trip to TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GIBB: A HISTORY IN SONG 1967-1990, that glorious 4-disc box set that remains one of the better overviews of its kind, and certainly is THE Bee Gees compilation of record(one can go for lesser comps, but why bother?). Excellent sound quality, best source tapes..what more could ya ask for?

Disc 1 alone would be worth the price of admission, what with its first-time or remixed stereo tracks from the early Atco/Polydor years. A lot of time, work and care went into this collection. Bill Levenson produced(with input from the brothers, who wrote some great song annotations found in the booklet); Dennis Drake mastered; Bill Inglot worked on most of the stereo remixes; Steve Kolanjian(frequent partner with Ron Furmanek during their comp work for EMI)helped with the research. All tracks STEREO. *-first-time stereo(AFAIK) **-remix

Disc 1:

1. New York Mining Disaster 1941 (same old mix, no full "Jones" at end)
2. I Can't See Nobody
3. To Love Somebody
4. Holiday
5. Massachussetts
6. Barker Of The UFO *
7. World ** (full separation throughout, not just at end like original mix)
8. Sir Geoffrey Changed The World *
9. And The Sun Will Shine
10. Words ** (better separation than BEST OF BEE GEES mix)
11. Sinking Ships *
12. Jumbo *
13. The Singer Sang His Song *
14. I've Gotta Get A Message To You *(finally! The 45 version!!)
15. I Started A Joke
16. First Of May
17. Melody Fair
18. Tomorrow Tomorrow *(with annoying countoff intro, however; otherwise, great!)
19. Sun In My Morning *
20. Saved By The Bell (regrettably, same ol' ROBIN'S REIGN version; 45 mix/edit far different during last portion)
21. Don't Forget To Remember
22. If I Only Had My Mind On SOmething Else
23. I.O.I.O.
24. Railroad
25. I'll Kiss Your Memory *(remixed by DD)

Disc 2:

1. Lonely Days
2. Morning Of My Life *
3. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
4. Country Woman
5. Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself
6. My World
7. On Time
8. Run To Me
9. Alive
10. Saw A New Morning
11. Wouldn't I Be Someone
12. Elisa
13. King And Country
14. Mr. Natural
15. It Doesn't Matter Much To Me
16. Throw A Party
17. Charade

Disc 3:

1. Jive Talkin'
2. Nights On Broadway
3. Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)
4. You Should Be Dancing (4:44 remix)
5. Love So Right
6. Boogie Child
7. Edge Of The Universe [5:15]
8. How Deep Is Your Love
9. Stayin' Alive
10. Night Fever
11. More Than A Woman
12. If I Can't Have You
13. (Our Love)Don't Throw It All Away
14. Too Much Heaven
15. Tragedy
16. Love You Inside Out

Disc 4:

1. He's A Liar
2. Another Lonely Night In NY (Robin)
3. The Woman In You
4. Someone Belonging To Someone
5. Toys (Robin, though all three appear)
6. ESP (demo version)
7. You Win Again
8. Ordinary Lives
9. One
10. Juliet (live)
11. To Love Somebody (live)
12. Medley: NY Mining Disaster/Holiday/Too Much Heaven/Heartbreaker/Islands In The Stream/Run To Me/World(live)
13. Spicks And Specks (live)

The live material was previously unreleased.

 

Agreed that this is one of the best box sets of its kind ever.

Probably the only semi-significant omission was "Rest Your Love on Me," the B-side that became a top-40 country hit in 1979 (and was later made by Conway Twitty into a #1 country hit).

Also, of course, everything from the Festival Australia era was missing; it would have been neat to perhaps have from 6 to 10 of the early Australia singles to start off the box, in proper chronological order.

I might have used more single edits on disc 3, but (except for "Boogie Child") the LP versions are so familiar that there are some people who probably remain blissfully unaware that such songs as "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)," "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Stayin' Alive" even had single edits. "Too Much Heaven" and "Tragedy" also had edits, but only on promos. I can imagine the kvetching, especially in 1990, if the single edits had been used. I remember people complaining when single edits were used on the original version of Billy Joel's Greeatest Hits in 1985; now, most of them have disappeared.

Several additional notes on the tracks:

Actually, this is a different mix from the Bee Gees First or Best of Bee Gees stereo version. It comes close to matching the mono single except for the obvious flaw, the missing full "Jones" at the end.

Not only that, but it's the 45 version with a slightly longer fade than the original 45.

First-time stereo on this single B-side.

I think this single B-side also is first-time stereo, at least in the USA; I can't remember if the Atco 45 was still mono.

That's Throw a Penny ... also, there was an edited single version that, AFAIK, remains available only on the original RSO 45.

This is the single version (hooray!). The single version was noticeably sped up from the LP cut and also has a longer fade. The version on The Record is the LP version.

 

Tim,

I believe "On Time" may have been stereo on a few import 45's; might have been mono here.

As for "Throw A Party"...hey, I was typing fast, had to head out quick... Lucky I have you guys to correct my flubs...

Since we're on the subject of TALES, THE VERY BEST OF was a 1-disc reduction of the box set, issued in the UK and other countries, but an import in the USA. Same mastering and mixes, IIRC(the bugger is around here somewhere, but pretty sure this is correct).

1. New York Mining Disaster 1941
2. To Love Somebody
3. Massachussetts
4. World
5. Words
6. I've Gotta Get A Message To You
7. First Of May
8. Don't Forget To Remember
9. Saved By The Bell (Robin)
10. Run To Me
11. Jive Talkin'
12. Nights On Broadway
13. You Should Be Dancing
14. How Deep Is Your Love
15. More Than A Woman
16. Stayin' Alive
17. Night Fever
18. Too Much Heaven
19. Tragedy
20. You Win Again
21. Ordinary Lives


[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][size=-1][/size][/font]

 

Hmmmm.....


I always hated that "Very Best Of" comp precisely because of the remixes!

Also, I prefer the original album CDs (mastered by Ted Jensen in the main?) to the "Tales...." box. There just seems to be more atmosphere/magic on the original CDs.

<---- Bee Gees Smiley™

 

Continuing on, HIGH CIVILIZATION was next. Can't say it does a thing for me, and it still sounds as trendy today as it did back then. Seemed to me that in the wake of Andy's death, the brothers were artistically rudderless, just slogging on to no real purpose.

1. High Civilization
2. Secret Love
3. When He's Gone
4. Happy Ever After
5. Party With No Name
6. Ghost Train
7. Dimensions
8. The Only Love
9. Human Sacrifice
10. True Confessions
11. Evolution

 

While there are huge fans of this record among Bee Gees fan community I'm not one of them. This is sure the album that goes nowhere. One interesting exception is the single - Secret Love. Aside from being a fine catchy tune this is the biggest auro-rip off I ever heard. This is the closest thing to Dianna Ross' Chain Reaction (written by Bee Gees of course) that you'll ever hear! I guess Barry was so upset that he didn't keep Chain Reaction (N1 or N2 single in UK) to himself since Bee Gees were desperately needing a hit that he decided simply to rewrite it! Thanx God the next album, while no Main Course was so much better!

 

HIGH CIVILIZATION didn't even chart in the USA, that's how disinterested their fan base was....it's really a cluttered, overproduced mess.

 

Couldn't agree more. That is why what was to follow was a pleasant surprise.

 

The cover is certainly "artistically ruderless"

I don't have a copy of High Civilisation. From the comments here, maybe I should avoid it...

 

Well, if you're a Bee Gees completist, you need it. If not the only track that really matters is the above mentioned Secret Love, but it's included on The Record comp.

 

It didn't even do very good in Europe though Secret Love received plenty of airplay. Probably the least succesful Bee Gees album ever.

 

We now come to SIZE ISN'T EVERYTHING...and maybe not, but quality counts for a lot, and this was a considerable upgrade over the past three albums!

1. Paying The Price Of Love
2. Kiss Of Life
3. How To Fall In Love, pt. 1
4. Omega Man
5. Haunted House
6. Heart Like Mine
7. Anything For You
8. Blue Island
9. Above And Beyond
10. For Whom The Bell Tolls
11. Fallen Angel





[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica][size=-1][/size][/font]

 

Oh man, what a total dog! I thought One, while REALLY spotty, suggested the brothers weren't yet toally spent. But after High Civilization, I strongly believed that, yes, they should hang it up. I just HATE this album. Happily, later albums, especially their last (This Is Where I Came In) proved me wrong.

Kwad

 

Yeah, despite the fact that they never had a major comeback/return to form album again the quality seriously improved on the last 3 CDs and Size isn't everything was the first sign. Good album full of good songs. Now the weird thing is that For whom the bell tolls is the most well known song in US while Paying the price of love was the european hit most people here assosiate with an album.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by this album and found Paying The Price Of Love far superior to For Whom The Bell Tolls. It has even found a spot among the 1500 songs on my ipod mini.

 

Yeah and the video (with Bee Gees in white suits) hinted that good old disco aesthetics were coming back. Of course by mid 90's the whole "70's nostalgia" and disco revival made Bee Gees cool once again, now among the new "club" generation.