The Bee Gees: Song by Song

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by skyblue17, Apr 4, 2020.

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  1. granata

    granata Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    Several boots exist - I've got two 14-track versions and 10-track version. Superb set of songs. Sadly they may only see the light of day when Barry joins the twins.
     
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  2. granata

    granata Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    I tell a lie, it was £11.50. The missing piece of my Bee Gees CD collection is the MFSL Trafalgar.
     
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  3. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    From the Still Waters album:

    Alone



    There were two versions of this video. I much prefer this one that has all of the clips from over the years.

    I've said it in other threads and I'll say again here: THIS is my favorite Bee Gees song. It's the earliest song that I remember associating with them in the 90s. My parents bought the Still Waters album when it came out and listened to it all the time. I have a lot of fond memories of listening to this song (and album) with my parents on their stereo system. Plus, it's freaking catchy. The melody, the bagpipes, the harmonies....the early 70s may be my favorite era of the Bee Gees, but I can't not consider this song my favorite. The nostalgia factor is strong with this one lol. :love:
     
  4. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    I need to pull mine out. Always enjoyed “Lovers and Losers” and “A Lonely Violin” in addition to ones already mentioned.
     
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  5. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    Did your folks buy the cd-single for this? Well worth seeking out for “Rings Around The Moon”!!
     
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  6. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    I honestly have no idea (I was like 9 or 10 years old at the time lol :laugh:). My guess is probably no though.

    However, I do have Rings Around The Moon from when they released the Mythology set (it was on Robin's disc).

    It definitely should/could have replaced one or two of the tracks that were included instead on the album. :agree:
     
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  7. ferdinandhudson

    ferdinandhudson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Skåne
    It's not the original take at all, the slow part wasn't in the song from the start but added as part of a request. They realised it just didn't work and took it out.
     
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  8. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York City
    I love, love, love this song and this video. It is my #2 Bee Gees song but it is absolutely the game-changer for me, not just in regards to the Bee Gees but music in general. I really can't overstate how important this song is to me. If this even makes sense, "Alone" is probably my all-time favorite song and the most important song to me in the grand scheme of my music life, there just happens to be another Bee Gees song that bests it ("For Whom the Bell Tolls") in a head to head comparison.

    As for the song itself, I heard it and I was just in. I loved it immediately. I was instantly taken by Robin's voice, which set the tone for my personal preferences in Bee Gees music going forward. I thought the guys all looked so cool and sleek in their all-black ensembles. Fun fact is that 14yo me didn't realize right away that the two Robins were actually one Robin! It didn't take LONG, but I definitely had a "but who is that blond guy?" question for a little bit before picking up on the fact that Rob was never gonna look exactly the same for very long!

    This era of the Bee Gees was just so cool to be around for. So much fun stuff was happening, they were celebrated and it was a perfect time for a music fan just coming into her own and finding music for herself to be into the group that grabbed her heart. I look back on it so fondly, and continue to love that era and the music that came from it!
     
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  9. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Interesting, I never even knew about it. Sounds like the second half of the song is all an added recording, only the part up to the bridge is the hit.

    The bridge is actually a pretty good song, it just ain't "Stayin' Alive."
     
  10. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York City
    "Rings Around the Moon" is beyond. Anyone who loves that ethereal voice of Robin's, this is the song for you! I find it so beautiful and moving.

    I'd have knocked off "Miracles Happen" for it but it wouldn't really work with that sequencing. May be worth a thought project to see where it would fit instead!
     
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  11. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Being a fan of Robin's voice, I have to agree. :agree:

    I'd probably knock off Miracles Happen or I Could Not Love You More.....probably MH though.
     
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  12. ferdinandhudson

    ferdinandhudson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Skåne
    Yes (had to double check the YT clip to see if it was the real deal and not the old fan convention audio or subsequent fan edits), it changes from that point on and never returns to the original.

    They could have worked it into a piece of its own but for some reason they completely dropped it and never revisited it. Blue has tried coaxing Universal into having it remixed and released but they haven't shown any interest. Barry is likely nixing the idea.
     
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  13. TheLazenby

    TheLazenby Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    Yes, the "Saved By The Bell" box has a lovely guitar demo of that song!

    Also, there's a bootlegged rough mix where the ending plays out in full - no (VERY) awkward crossfade.
     
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  14. plentyofjamjars67

    plentyofjamjars67 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan
    Really good idea for a thread. Great recollections, nice to see lesser known favorites right out of the gate (Alone Again, South Dakota Morning, If I Only Had My Mind etc). I hope it's not too soon since last clip to post this, I just don't want to forget to! Here's my favorite from 1981's Living Eyes, "Don't Fall In Love With Me". Another great vocal from Robin. Love the refrain on this. They could sing "gonna be a lonely night/nothin' but a lonely night" over and over for another few minutes and I'd be ok with that (I also like the demos I've heard for this one btw, but still album version sounds best) :):

     
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  15. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York City
    Yesss, I was going to post this one tomorrow if no one else got to it first.

    Living Eyes is an album that was off my radar for a long time and "Don't Fall In Love With Me" made me regret that right away. It became an instant favorite and is one of my favorites of Robin's lead vocals. There's a gentle but kind of raw quality to his voice on this one that I really like. It's so honest and emotive.

    I know this record wasn't popular at the time, but I'm trying to imagine (especially Robin) fans that still stuck with the band picking up this album after Spirits and getting THIS song to welcome them back to Robin lead vocals. I'd say it was worth the wait!
     
  16. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Love that song. It was one of the standouts the first time I listened to the album. :agree:
     
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  17. Jarleboy

    Jarleboy Music was my first love

    Location:
    Norway
    Agree that isn´t as great as the final single, but I would like to have it on an official CD.
     
  18. Jarleboy

    Jarleboy Music was my first love

    Location:
    Norway
    One of my favourite underrated Bee Gees songs has been this one:



    Plaintive, sad vocal intro from Robin. Barry gets the lighter part... I love it. :agree:
     
  19. Hadean75

    Hadean75 Forum Moonlighter

    Lovely. :righton:
     
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  20. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    Status Quo's first album (the one focused on Pictures of Matchstick Men) contained three covers, an iffy one of Tommy Roe's Sheila, a decent one of the Lemon Pipers' Green Tambourine and a killer one of Spicks and Specks:

     
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  21. JoeF.

    JoeF. Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    I recall reading a long time ago that Robert Stigwood was a fan of songs with slow, quiet middle sections. He must have loved "Nights on Broadway" and tried to get them to do the same with "Stayin' Alive."
     
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  22. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    This song stands out on the album to me, as it's kind of a throwback to the way they presented songs earlier in their career. Barry sings the verses, Robin comes soaring in for the chorus, there's a fantastic harmony. There's a light risk if it being a little cheesy, yet it never gets to that point. The lyrics tell a beautiful story and it's presented in a way that is near perfect to me.

    I'm sharing the live version partially because I think it's great that one exists. For a group that obviously spends a lot of their live performances singing songs made popular by their younger selves, it's refreshing to hear them perform a song written for their current voices. Barry's voice aged more over time than Robin's did, but they both sound fantastic here and come together so well on this song. I can't help but feel a little moved every time Robin joins on the chorus, it's just such a beautiful vocal and that ethereal quality of his voice that he is still able to command just gets to me! Not to mention that this is likely the last song they ever performed this way, as the other songs from this album that got live treatment are a little more individually focused and upbeat. Here, we get to see Robin singing along off mic and Maurice smiling as Barry sings his verse, there's that mid-song cheer as Robin sings his first line (I love how often this happens!), there's a big and full bridge, and then Robin taking us out with some extra riffs and trademark "ooh ohhh"s. It's just a great full group song as they usher in the fifth decade of their career.[/QUOTE]

    Totally agree with you, and quite frankly that is one of their best later day performances with Barry in high form actually nailing all the notes, something he started struggling with around that time...as many singers do as they start getting up there in age. Better vocals than most of One Night Only imo. A gem indeed from a pretty peculiar album, but good none the less.
     
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  23. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    They even couldn’t explain what some of their lyrics were about! The song Dogs from Mr. Natural? I like it, a lot, but talk about nonsensical lyrics! Yes, they were quite good at that! But still fun stuff.
     
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  24. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York City
    Barry on that bridge has to be one of his best vocals of the late 90s/early aughts. It's so strong and fantastic! As someone who prefers that quality of his voice over his more breathy style that he had a tendency to fall back on, it's really great to hear him sing like that in this song!
     
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  25. skyblue17

    skyblue17 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New York City
    "And the Sun Will Shine," from Horizontal.



    This song has been in constant rotation this past month. I find it strangely comforting, almost like a lullaby in a way. It's a fantastic vocal from Robin. I was so used to the shortened version that I first knew that I felt I was rediscovering the song entirely when I eventually was able to listen to the studio version. I love the above performance, especially the fantastic live orchestrations. Given the guys were kind of between successes at the time, I find it impressive they had such an elaborate live show! Perhaps this was just a one off?
     
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