Bee Gees' "Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits" to be released April 21

Capitol/UMG will release Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits, a collection of 21 songs by the Bee Gees, presented in chronological order, and personally selected by Barry Gibb.

The track list is as follows (I have added Australia, UK and US peak positions in brackets):

1. Spicks and Specks (1966)
2. New York Mining Disaster 1941 (1967)
3. To Love Somebody (1967)
4. Massachusetts (1967)
5. Words (1968)
6. I've Gotta Get a Message to You (1968)
7. I Started a Joke (1968)
8. Lonely Days (1970)
9. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (1971)
10. Jive Talkin' (1975)
11. Nights on Broadway (1975)
12. Fanny (Be Tender With My Love) (1975)
13. You Should Be Dancing (1976)
14. How Deep Is Your Love (1977)
15. Stayin' Alive (1977)
16. Night Fever (1977)
17. More Than a Woman (1977)
18. Too Much Heaven (1978)
19. Tragedy (1979)
20. Love You Inside Out (1979)
21. You Win Again (1987)

While it is an excellent selection of their best and most recognizable songs (even if it omits "This Is Where I Came In," which deserves to be on any career-spanning compilation), making room for great songs like "Spicks & Specks" and "To Love Somebody" (which sometimes fail to make the cut on Bee Gees single-disc compilations), do we really need another Bee Gees compilation? Since 2001, we've had Their Greatest Hits: The Record; Number Ones; Love Songs; The Ultimate Bee Gees and Mythology.

 

Despite looking like a solid track-listing, a couple of obvious inclusions are missing, and this seems like pointless overkill to me.

 

Pointless overkill. I couldn't have said it better!

 

That should have been the title!

 

Pointless Overkill?

 

And Barry could support it with the 'Changing History Tour', where he takes credit for writing every Bee Gees song.

 

21 songs only? really? a compilation needs to be at least 2 cd's. one doesn't do them justice.

 

A single disc career spanning compilation, IMO, doesn't cut it for them at all.

 

I'd like to see a 3 CD set.

Darryl

 

The only comps that really cut it for them are "The Best of The Bee Gees" Vol. 1 and 2 along with "Greatest" and the "Tales From The Brothers Gibb" boxed set.

 

A fascinating Barry interview from last month:

 

It's impossible to put everything we find essential onto one disc.

That said this has the hits that most people know, but I would prefer 2 discs with material from after 1979 compiled also. Guess I will be making my own again!

 

I'm okay with this compilation as long as they were remastered by a remastering engineer with a very good reputation and sourced from the original 1st generation analog masters. A double vinyl release makes more sense.

 

No thanks.

 

I'm okay with yet another compilation if it means more of their albums will be reissued and expanded.

 

I am waiting for audiophile treatment applied to their 1974-1979 albums on vinyl.

Mr. Natural (1974)
Main Course (1975)
Children Of the World (1976)
Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (1977)
Spirits Having Flown (1979)

 

There's been more than enough Bee Gees "hits" albums, BUT I reckon that is a good list, and keeping it down to 21 makes it a non-exhaustive listen; it's a good overview, for the new fan, or your mum.

And I agree it should have "This Is Where I Came In" just to give it a complete ending.

 

Couldn't it have had Run to Me instead of Spicks and Specks? That would have fulfilled my limited Bee Gees Needs.

 

For those who don't realise how bad the Bee Gees Best of/Greatest Hits releases have flooded the market over the years here's the major ones that have come out and I'm sure I'm missing some:
Best of Bee Gees Released: June 1969 Label: Polydor / Atco
Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2 Released: Aug 1973 Label: Polydor
Bee Gees Gold Released: Nov 1976 Label: RSO
Bee Gees Greatest Released: Oct 1979 Label: RSO
Tales From The Brothers Gibb Released: Nov 1990 Label: Polydor
The Very Best of the Bee Gees Released: Nov 1990 Label: Polydor
Their Greatest Hits: The Record Released: Nov 2001 Label: Polydor
Number Ones Released: Nov 2004 Label: Universal
Love Songs Released: Nov 2005 Label: Universal
The Ultimate Bee Gees Released: Nov 2009 Label: Reprise
Mythology Released: Nov 2010 Label: Reprise
Warner Bros Years 1987-1991 Released: April 2014 Label: Rhino
1974-1979 Released: 2015 Label: Rhino

 

No Spirits Having Flown? Their finest song in my worldview.

 

I have got the 2 CD The Record and I think that's a great compilation.

 

The title should be "YAWN".

 

I'm currently working on my own Bee Gees comp.
Why does everyone include Spicks And Specks, but not any of their other Australian material?


Darryl

 

That will be the exclusive bonus cut on the Japanese SHM platinum disc.

In fairness, those last two were album boxsets just like the 1967-68 Rhino box was.

 

"Technicolour Yawn"?

(For people who are tired of track 7 of "This Is Where I Came In".)