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The Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are
unarguably one of the most successful pop groups of all-time.
Born in the Isle of Man in the 1940s (Barry in 1946, the
twins Maurice and Robin in 1949), and moving to
Manchester in the early 1950s, the three Gibb brothers
were, even as young children, learning to harmonize. But
they first tasted success after their parents emigrated
to Radcliffe in Queensland, Australia, in 1958. As early
as 1960 they were on Australian TV shows, and in 1963 got
their first record deal on Festival Records, as simply
Bee Gees. Barry Gibb was also gaining recognition as a
young songwriter, and wrote material for other Australian
artists.
The first minor hit for the Gibb brothers came in 1965,
with 'Wine And Women', followed by their first album,
clumsily entitled 'Barry Gibb And The Bee Gees Sing And
Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs'. It wasn't until The Bee Gees
moved to another label, Spin, that they had their first
big hit in Australia, in late 1966, with 'Spicks And
Specks'. Around this time the family moved back to
England, and worldwide fame beckoned...
When The Bee Gees
returned to England, early in 1967, they were signed by
the legendary Robert Stigwood, and, in that year, 'New
York Mining Disaster 1941' became an unlikely choice for
their first single to be recorded in England, but it
became the biggest hit of their career thus far, making
the top 20 in both Britain and the United States. Songs
of haunting melody were to become the trademark of The
Bee Gees early in their career, and memorable songs such
as 'To Love Somebody', 'Massachusetts', 'Words', and
'I've Gotta Get A Message To You' followed - the latter
song being about a condemned man. The group also released
the successful 'Bee Gees 1st' album, during this golden
period, which was popular with fans and critics alike.
The 1969-early 1970 period was an unhappy time for The
Bee Gees. Robin left and recorded what would have been a
surefire Bee Gees hit, the wonderfully moving 'Saved By
The Bell'. But, by the end of 1970, the brothers were
back together as The Bee Gees, though the next few years
were to be lean ones, despite occasional moments of
brilliance with songs like 'Run To Me'.
It was
soul producer Arif Mardin who helped revitalise their
career, instigating their change of direction. Out went
the ballads, and in came disco. They used Miami as their
base from early 1975, and the releases of 'Jive Talkin''
and 'Nights On Broadway' saw another golden era begin for
the group, culminating in their music being featured in
the massively successful 'Saturday Night Fever' movie of
1977. People may have laughed at Barry's new falsetto
voice, but The Bee Gees were laughing, too - all the way
to the bank. Musically, 'You Should Be Dancing', 'Stayin'
Alive', and 'Night Fever' alienated a lot of their 1960s
audience, and I, personally, much prefer their songs of
the '60s, which are some of the greatest songs of the
second half of the 20th Century. That said, from around
this time, they also produced 'How Deep Is Your Love?'
and 'More Than A Woman', both featuring on the 30 million
seller 'Saturday Night Fever'
soundtrack album, so not everything was hardcore disco.
At the end of the 1970s The Bee Gees were seen as a
busted flush in the U.S., but their songwriting still saw
Barbra Streisand ('Guilty'), Diana Ross ('Chain Reaction'),
Dionne Warwick ('Heartbreaker'), and Dolly Parton &
Kenny Rodgers ('Islands In The Stream'), record and have
hits with their songs. The Bee Gees have sold a
mindblowing 200+ million records in their career,
have had 19 UK number ones, and,
at the height of their fame in America, achieve the rare
feat of four number ones from one album - 'Stayin'
Alive', 'How Deep Is Your Love?', 'More Than A Woman',
and 'Night Fever'.
One of the biggest hits for The Bee Gees was 'Tragedy',
and they've endured some of their own for sure - the
death of their younger brother, and a successful solo
artist in his own right, Andy, in 1988, and Maurice's
death in 2003, which both Barry and Robin are still
bitter about. Musically, they've done little wrong - the
'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' movie apart - and
The Bee Gees are arguably the greatest harmony group of
them all.
- Paul Rance,
Peace & Freedom Press.
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