Poll: Bee Gees/Solo. Pick your favourite 70s and 80s albums.

Just what it says in the title. I haven't room for the 60s albums. That will have to be separate. I chose the 70s and 80s because that's when I think they did their best work. I've also included Barry, Robin and Andy's solo albums, even though only the latter's were really successful.

I've also added their soundtrack work, even though they aren't 'pure' Bee Gees albums.

You can't leave out Saturday Night Fever, can you?

Pick up to 7.

Share your thoughts on why the albums are special to you.

 

Sorry for spelling Trafalgar wrong, BTW. Can't change it now.

 

50 St. Catherine's Drive https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M9R9CQU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XyFqxbHJ6B4T7


Saved By The Bell: The Collected Works Of Robin Gibb 1968-1970 (3CD) Robin Gibb - Saved By The Bell: The Collected Works Of Robin Gibb 1968-1970 (3CD) - Amazon.com Music »
Above isn't gees 70's but this comp is mesmerizing.... You see why Robin had an ego of his talents over Barry and Maurice. These were times of the Gees split.... Of course they reunited rebounded and wrote Broken Heart and Lonely Days in one night I believe, two #1 hits gees 71--72...

 

To Whom It May Concern
Mr. Natural
Main Course
Saturday Night Fever (Okay, not a Bee Gees album but I'd be daft to exclude it)
Spirits Having Flown
Living Eyes
One

 

I went for the obvious four, which I assume will be the biggest vote getters (and are, so far): Main Course, Children, SNF, SHF. I don't think any explanations are necessary.

 

Which ones to choose... I went with "Main Course", "Spirits Having Flown", "Living Eyes", "Mr. Natural", "Now Voyager", "How Old Are You?" and "Shadow Dancing". I disagree with Bobby´s opinion - I think they "committed" a lot of their best work in the 60s and 70s, and then only intermittently in the 80s and 90s. Every one of their albums had their gems, but the consistency of their work faded after "Living Eyes", IMO. I am puzzled that I didn´t go with "Children Of The World". I love the title track and several others, but I do not think it works that well as an album. And I am sorry, but I am not fond of "Love So Right". One of their most boring ballads - the synths are way too high in the mix. (That´s just my opinion.) But whatever your preference is, there´s "gold in them thar hills".

 

I've not heard 'em all but voted
anyway , the first 5 + RR

 

I went with;

Andy's 3 albums. I'm surprised they've not done better.
Main Course. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say this is a bad album
Spirits Having Flown. So good I created a thread about it.
Living Eyes. Aside from Be Who You Are, pretty flawless. Not as hooky and hit-strewn as Spirits, but some lovely tracks. Paradise, Wildflower, Soldiers and the title track for starters.
Saturday Night Fever. It could lose a couple of tracks. But neither of them would be by the Bee Gees. A great pop album. There was a reason it sold so many copies, you know.

 

To Whom It May Concern: One of several albums I was given by a friend who was offloading their vinyl collection. Like many of their LPs it's all over the map, starting with three ballads then throwing in a genuine WTF moment with Paper Mache, Cabbages And Kings. After that point it's a case of "anything goes". A few more sweet ballads interspersed with some offbeat curios and the Brothers inventing Oasis on Bad Bad Dreams. Weird and wonderful album, this.

Mr. Natural: Their first effort with Arif Mardin, a solid set of songs and a commercial disaster. A shift towards harder rhythms and a soulfulness that would develop into a riveting R&B sound that would carry them through to the end of the decade before the inevitable burst of the bubble. Myriad highlights and in Down The Road a tale about male prostitution. Not many albums can boast that! "Ain't no heavy Mr. Leather gonna paddle my butt." Indeed.

Main Course: I love this album, it's just beautiful. Everything fell into place on this one and, to my ears, they never bettered it. Each track a keeper and they were rewarded by a 75 week run on Billboard and their first US platinum LP. Supposedly it's their first disco album. R&B, Funk, Country, hell, there's even a waltz here! But it's a disco waltz, naturally. And that sleeve. A naked woman in a spoon as a main course? Oh, go on, then.

Saturday Night Fever: There's little new to be said about a zillion selling album which delighted as many people as it pissed off. Such is the nature of mega-success. Stayin' Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin' Alive, Night Fever, Stayin' Alive, More Than A Woman, Stayin' Alive, If I Can't Have You, Stayin' Alive, You Should Be Dancing etc...
Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm rather fond of Stayin' Alive.

Spirits Having Flown: Or 'The Barry Gibb Show'. Fair play to Lion Man, however. His songwriting chops were at an all-time high. Even the falsetto overkill doesn't quite detract from the quality on offer here. In fact, it's almost charmingly surreal the way the vocals come across as demented banshees in high distress. Could have used a tad more Rob and Mo, though. Ho hum. Again, this is apparently a disco album. Whatever.

Living Eyes: The comedown. Their Goat's Head Soup, if you will. But prettier. Robin and Maurice come in from the cold and it plays like a natural successor to Main Course. Should have fared better on the charts, but... hey, it's just another disco album, right? It would be six years before they properly regrouped. They would win again, of course, but the US would never truly forgive them their dancing sins.

One: Then again, this one did actually spawn a US top 10 with its infectious nod-to-Jive Talkin' title track. Elsewhere it sounds like they'd been listening to George Michael who had been listening to them. Melodic and mature, this is a serious and sophisticated work. A few dark corners, no doubt resulting from the death of their younger brother, but much of it sounds like a sunny day. Bodyguard is simply gorgeous. They'd get weirder again next time around.

 

As you'll remember, Ordinary Lives was the lead single from One here. There was a bit of a You Win Again vibe to it, though it's a more somber song. Always liked that one. I actually thought it would be a smash! Seems to be largely forgotten nowadays.

 

Aye, never understood why it failed to take off here. Big hit in Germany, though.

 

Was there ever an act with weirder singles placings than the Bee Gees? You Win Again flops in the States but hits #1 here. Same with Diana's Chain Reaction. One dies here but is a top 10 US hit. I could go on and on. But won't.

 

Maybe it's my age but for me the pre-Main Course albums are the ones I continue to return to as time goes by.

 

I think that period that contained To Who It May Concern, Life In A Tin Can, A Kick In The Head and Mr. Natural represented some of their best work. Alive, Elisa, Wouldn't I Be Someone, Harry's Gate was some beautiful stuff.

 

Main Course gets a positive review from Record Mirror in 1975.

 

This was easy ... with 7 choices everything through main course and then out. I don't hate the albums that followed ... just like the earlier ones better.

 

And the only four I picked, too!

 

I also voted for the first 7.

Darryl

 

Where's Odessa?

 

In the 60s. This is a 70s and 80s poll.

 

"A Kick In The Head" NEEDS to be on here. That would be my choice.

 

I have a special place for "Living Eyes." I like it exactly because it was a pop album and not a dance album and that the falsettos were mostly gone. The only song I didn't like was the lead single "He's a Liar." Robin's solo leads were great as was Maurice's lead on "Wildflower." However, as time has gone on, I have now come to really like "Spirits Having Flown." "Love You Inside Out" is a great pop song. Still, my favorite Bee Gees song of all is "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)" from "Main Course."

 

I think Barry Gibbs work with Dionne Warwick on Heartbreaker and with Barbra Streisand on Guily is better than most of these choices, good though the top four or five are.

 

2 years on/sat night and yes.....sgt peppers! someone has to!

 

It always seemed odd to me that at the very peak of their powers, the Bee Gees made a movie celebrating the music of their main rivals from the 60's.