Bee Gees single by single thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by cut to the chase, Jul 15, 2018.

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  1. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    The Battle of the Blue and the Grey (1963)

    Released: 22 March 1963
    B-side:
    The Three Kisses of Love
    Charts: #98 (Australia)
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2018
  2. granata

    granata Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    Nice to see more love for this great group, who are slowly but surely slipping through the memory of all-but ardent fans. Unless Capitol get their finger out and re-start the reissue campaign that Rhino did a fine job of a decade ago.

    A great singles group, and an even better albums group. God save The Bee Gees (and The Kinks obv)!
     
  3. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    From Wikipedia:

    'The Battle of the Blue and the Grey' was written by Barry Gibb at the age of 16.

    It was recorded on February 1963 in Festival Studio, Sydney.

    The lyrics were based on the story of the American Civil War.

    It bore a resemblance to Johnny Horton's 1959 hit 'The Battle of New Orleans' albeit somewhat more violent with references to shooting people 'full of lead'. The story was of a retired soldier remembering his fighting experiences including dealings with the real historical figure Stonewall Jackson.

    [​IMG]
     
  4. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Here's a performance from Australia's Reg Lindsay's Country & Western Hour:

     
  5. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    The song is quite good if you consider that it was written by a 16 year-old!
    Robin and Maurice Gibb were only 13 at the time!
     
  6. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    my dad owns this 45, I've been trying to pinch it for years!
     
  7. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    I struggle with the Australian years to be honest, but do agree that it is amazing a 16 yo wrote this.

    Great thread idea!
     
  8. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Some information from Wikipedia, about the time from 1955 to 1963:

    "In 1955, the brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb moved back to their father Hugh Gibb's hometown of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, and formed a skiffle/rock-and-roll group, the Rattlesnakes, which consisted of Barry on guitar and vocals, Robin and Maurice on vocals, and friends Paul Frost on drums and Kenny Horrocks on tea-chest bass. In December 1957, the boys began to sing in harmony. The story is told that they were going to lip sync to a record in the local Gaumont cinema (as other children had done on previous weeks), but as they were running to the theatre, the fragile shellac 78-RPM record broke. The brothers had to sing live and received such a positive response from the audience that they decided to pursue a singing career. In May 1958, the Rattlesnakes were disbanded when Frost and Horrocks left, so the Gibb brothers then formed Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats, with Barry as Johnny Hayes.

    In August 1958, the Gibb family, including older sister Lesley and infant brother Andy, emigrated to Redcliffe, just north-east of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. The young brothers began performing to raise pocket money. They were introduced to leading Brisbane radio DJ Bill Gates by speedway promoter and driver Bill Goode, who had hired the brothers to entertain the crowd at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960. The crowd at the speedway would throw money onto the track for the boys, who generally performed during the interval of meetings (usually on the back of a truck that drove around the track), and in a deal with Goode, any money they collected from the crowd they were allowed to keep. Gates renamed them the BGs (later changed to "Bee Gees") after his, Goode's and Barry Gibb's initials. The name was not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb", despite popular belief.

    The family moved to a house at Cribb Island which was later demolished to allow the expansion of Brisbane Airport. While there, the brothers attended Northgate State School.

    By 1960, the Bee Gees were featured on television shows, including their performance of "Time Is Passing By". In the next few years they began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast. For his songwriting, Barry sparked the interest of Australian star Col Joye, who helped them get a recording deal in 1963 with Festival Records subsidiary Leedon Records, under the name "Bee Gees". The three released two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists. In 1962, the Bee Gees were chosen as the supporting act for Chubby Checker's concert at Sydney Stadium."​
     
  9. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    this is pretty common knowledge, not sure how this relates to 'Singles Released' thread.
     
  10. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    I just wanted to add some additional information about their early days, that's all.
     
  11. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    Okay! I have no problem with history.
    Happy to watch and contribute to the thread.
    Maybe retitle the thread that's all, anyways! full steam ahead! keep it coming!
     
    cut to the chase likes this.
  12. evh5150

    evh5150 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    I learnt something (the "Brothers Gibb" inaccuracy) so it's appreciated!
     
  13. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    Oh! I see your from Germany.... Curiosity, what was the first Bee Gees single that was released there?
     
    Jarleboy likes this.
  14. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    those early 'Leedon' singles here go for big bucks now..... there was a time you could pick
    em up for about 10 dollars quite frequently in the 90's.
    Boy! things have changed dramatically!
     
    goodiesguy and Jarleboy like this.
  15. cut to the chase

    cut to the chase Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    'Spicks & Specks', which peaked at #28. From 1966 to 1970, Germany was one of the countries where they were the most successful, with 10 top 10 singles during that time, including three consecutive #1s ('Massachusetts', 'World' and 'Words').

     
  16. bare trees

    bare trees Senior Member

    These early tracks show that the Bee Gees had something special even though they were still in the process of searching for their sound.
     
  17. Rick Bartlett

    Rick Bartlett Forum Resident

    this collection is the most and best collection of the early years:

    [​IMG]

    They certainly at this point, deserve the ultimate Box Set.
     
  18. Jarleboy

    Jarleboy Music was my first love

    Location:
    Norway
    Thank you for starting this thread, Cut to the chase!

    The early Bee Gees songs were a bit hit and miss, and mostly written by Barry or Barry and Robin. But they were learning their craft, and we all know how big the strudes they made over the years were. I play the early songs quite often, as you can hear the seeds of greatness.

    As for the first single, I like the A-side, and the B-side is one of the funniest songs they ever recorded. Not intentionally, but it exists in a world where the Everly Brothers were kings. The song is cute, but my pupils´ reaction when I play this song is also to respond with laughter. I do see why, even though I like the song. It´s a nice parody that was never intended to be a parody at all.

    Two god songs from very young songwriters with lovely harmonies and sometimes confusing lyrics. Better things were to come.
     
  19. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    Well, there is Tales from the Brothers Gibb.
     
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  20. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    always loved that song
     
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  21. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    I am an album guy and the Bee gees made some fantastic albums. I tend to love the Bee gees first to Main Course as a series of sensational albums. I like the post Main Course albums, but not as much as those prior.
    I think my favourite bee gees albums are Cucumber Castle, Odessa and Life in a Tin Can.
    I will be looking forward to seeing what the singles actually were lol
     
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  22. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Fantastic thread! :agree:

    Agreed! :righton:

    I got this collection a few years back. Fantastic collection that really shows their growth as singers and songwriters.
     
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    yea! i was annoyed that i had to pay bigger bucks than i would have liked to, to get the japanese discs. I was stunned at how hard some albums were to get.
    I always had and loved the best of the bee gees and one day it struck me that I had never bought any of their albums ... and i had one of my moments where i just dive in and get them ... expensive, but glad I did

    Edit - i actually loved Cucumber Castle so much, i bought a copy for my Dad, because i knew he would never buy it and I knew he would love it.
     
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  24. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    I didn't gain a full appreciation for the Australia-era Bee Gees (1963-66) until the release of the compilation Brilliant from Birth, released in 1998 and pictured above.

    I first heard it in a new and used CD and vinyl shop in the Minneapolis area right after Christmas that year. They had it on their in-house system, and my first thought as I listened was, "This sounds like some good obscure Nuggets-type stuff that would have been hit music in an alternate universe." And then I heard one of the two songs that had stuck out when I casually listened to those U.S. Pickwick albums that came out in 1979, in the same awful fake stereo as on the Rare, Precious & Beautiful albums of the late 1960s (we'll come to that song later), and I realized that I was listening to early Bee Gees!

    I went to the counter to find out what CD they were playing, and they said they didn't have it in stock; even worse for them, I wasn't the only person who asked. They probably would have sold half a dozen of those Australian imports that day. As for me, I would have walked out of that store with it if they had it, regardless of price. At least they showed me the CD case.

    A few months later, back in Wisconsin, where I lived from 1995 to 2013, I happened upon a copy in the racks at The Exclusive Co., a small chain in the Badger State. I think it was only $19.99, a great price for a two-CD set from anywhere, so I bought it.

    Anyway, as for the two songs on this 45, they aren't bad for a first record, but they would do better -- and sooner rather than later.
     
  25. John Adam

    John Adam An Introvert In Paradise

    Location:
    Hawaii
    Barry already sounds like Barry, the twins still in progress! This is me hearing both the songs for the first time.......and they're not bad for a teenager and his little brothers. The b-side is kind of "cringey." I don't know much about the early early years but it will be fun getting schooled in the Bee Gees humble start.
     
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