Bee Gees Comforts - The 80s! (Yes)

Comforting Bee Gees Eighties, Oddities, and Hits, Oh Yes.

by Kristin Battestella

Contrary to popular belief, The Bee Gees did not disappear after the disco demolition backlash. After going underground for several years and writing for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and Dionne Warwick, The Brothers Gibb embarked on various solo efforts before reuniting under the house name for more international hits.

Paradise – “He's a Liar” is one of three Gibb songs I really dislike, and this ballad should have been the single for Living Eyes instead. Rather than falsetto run amok like Spirits Having Flown, here the classic lyrics and harmonious crescendos in many ways return to the pre-disco sound. Sadly, the tired market didn't want to hear it.

Guilty – Guilty was the first Gibb-related record I actually bought, and the catchy scandalous is superbly arranged for Barbra Streisand's highs and Barry's accompaniment. The dual story telling and culminating chorus showcase Barry's award winning behind the scenes work, and this session is an important staple in appreciating their songwriting catalog.

Woman in Love – Likewise, this moody, desperate ode isn’t like anything else Barbra had done. It's soulful and mellow in emotion with Gibb echoes rising to a grand, epic feeling, and the duet “What Kind of Fool” bookends the love eyes fall out splendidly.

The Love Inside – This track written by just Barry might be my favorite on Guilty. Barbra’s delivery takes its time as the swells escalate to tearful understanding and bittersweet mood. It's okay to need a pause and take a few minutes to step back and reflect on our hurt.

Chain Reaction – This Gibb track for Diana Ross's Eaten Alive is a Motown throwback with deliciously naughty hooks to contrast the familiar finger snapping beat. Combined with Diana's notes and Barry's harmony, I'm still surprised this was not a stateside hit in 1985.

Islands in the Stream – Anyway you cut it this Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duet from Kenny's Eyes That See in the Dark is just a superb song. I loved this song then and had no clue it was really those dreaded Bee Gees! The Brothers themselves do a wonderfully catchy rendition live, and you can't help but sing along with the perfect melody, rhythm, lyrics, and harmony.

Heartbreaker – Dionne Warwick's effortless rendition is fine sublime, but it's a treat to hear the nuances in The Brothers' versions live or recorded in full on Love Songs.The amazing lyrical refrains and relatable, snappy chorus are perfectly imperfect. There are wording changes, wispy notes, and swaying beats to echo the gone wrong sentiments.

In and Out of Love – This ballad from Robin' solo How Old Are You has an eighties sound, but it's smooth, with time to pay attention to what Robin is saying as he stretches his range. Before disco, Robin always lead the melancholy songs, but with the falsetto gone, he returns to the group with the stronger, confident voice heard here.

The Longest Night – Robin continues the eighties five o'clock shadow mood with this complex ode of dark verses and serious feeling. It's a seedy, stream of consciousness ballad with intriguing notes and solid delivery. Indeed ESP coupled with Robin's Walls Have Eyes represents deeper, mature material that everyone seemed to miss. Pity.

You Win Again – This global hit from ESP has oh babies, booming drums, and fun word play to bop your head and stomp your feet. Hot damn. That is all.

One – Likewise brimming with effortless power, enchanting lyrics, and delicious riffs, this is another fun song live, remaining fresh and tropical as The Bee Gees returned to the American charts at the end of the decade with this timeless topper.

Bodyguard – And now onto what may be one of the steamier Gibb songs from One, even the then shocking slightly soft core music video here was very naughty. Robin’s delivery is again in romantic form with moaning words every woman wants to hear amid Barry's crescendos and objections. Let The Brothers Gibb take care of you, oh yes.

Bonuses:

Man on Fire – This eighties Andy Gibb torch song builds up more Gibb heat with saucy lyrics, juicy vocals, and sexy pleas. It's strong, validating the yes please with solid escalation and climax. Despite the echoing touch of Barry's post-production, it's bittersweet to hear Andy return to form in material just before his untimely death, but what a steamy swan song it is.

The One for All Tour – Once elusive, this 1989 Australian concert video is now freely available with its unique session line up including less often performed live tracks. Most of those are slightly dated rockers from One, but live the grooves are excellent. The acid wash jeans, maybe not so much.

Please visit our Bee Gees tag or our Music label for more analysis, but do excuse any empty codes, broken links, format errors, and beloved bias in our decades old Bee Gees reviews!

Bee Gees Comforts - The 70s!

Comforting Bee Gees Disco Hits – and There are Others, Too.

by Kristin Battestella

You may immediately notice “Stayin' Alive” is notably absent from this list of famed feel good dance music from The Bee Gees. Although it is the song I like the least, maybe now in retrospect, I can say it isn't that bad. As an ardent Brothers Gibb fan, however, I object at its ubiquitous nature as the one Bee Gees song everyone knows – and it's often a mocking reference or at least not always favorable. They have a thousand songs, people! The already much beloved “Too Much Heaven” is also set aside here in favor of a few pre-disco grooves and more post-treats proving The Bee Gees were much, much more than disco.

Run to Me – The guitar cum heartstrings and vocal harmonies here are simply marvelous. Tender verses and a pleading chorus alternate whispers and swells while the lovelorn lyrics offer musical consolation. “Run to me, whenever you’re lonely”...That, after all is why we're here.

Please Don't Turn Out the Lights – This brief, two minute ditty also from To Whom It May Concern only has one problem: it's impeccable harmonizing is too damn short. I just repeat it three times in a row to make up the difference.

Mr. Natural – The Mr. Natural album and its eponymous track should definitely not be dismissed as it has been. The easy beats and ear worm refrains here are surprisingly upbeat, contrasting the hidden sadness in the lyrical story while mirroring the titular casual cool. Yeah, I'm dying inside, but I look like I'm feeling great! Barry's strong lines provide the macho front while Robin's wailing high notes represent that love lost lump in the throat.

Nights on Broadway – Before Fever, it was Main Course and this excellently arranged hit that changed Barry, Robin, and Maurice from brokenhearted to falsetto grooves. The pouting lyrics capture the bitter romance of the moment while the bridge and chorus refrains run the gauntlet in range. No need for auto tune – those notes are real, and they're spectacular!

Fanny Be Tender with My Love – You can hear all three brothers in the lofty, chorale harmonies here, yet each refrain remains tight, carefully crafted down to every echo with subtle changes on each chorus. We're hooked by the bittersweet mood while listening for the next uptick showcasing the bellowing mastery. Is it over the top? Yes. Do I care? No. Listening to this never sounds the same way twice.

Baby as You Turn Away – The last song on Main Course is my favorite for it's effortless breezy and catchy melodies once again cleverly disguising what is really a sorrowful song. Maurice's down contrasts Barry's high notes for a different, unique melancholy compared to the group's previous pathos.

You Should Be Dancing – How many movies have spoofed that white suit routine? More than a mere dance song, the full throttle here is embedded in the cultural lexicon thanks to rousing beats and get up and groove proclamations. Live arrangements and longer remixes elevate the complex rhythms, yet the simple, titular push remains hip moving essential. It's still a good dance song. Always has been, always will be.

Love Me – My mother hates this Children of the World power ballad, but I simply adore the croaking, lovelorn lyrics. It's moody, it's depressing, it's expertly handled by Robin. This is a great song to cry to, and that's perfectly okay.

Night Fever – This recognizable boogie is back in style! Cruising seventies lyrics capture the suave of the time. It's sexy and everyone can get down or cut a rug. Nostalgic fans can reminisce on the good old days in song and young listeners can immerse themselves in the not so innocent innocence with almost whimsical interludes and verses that vibe. After decades of gun shy, it's fascinating how this song came full circle, appearing in commercials and films whenever we need a pick me up bop.

How Deep is Your Love – Back then, it was unheard of for Robert Stigwood to release the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack before the film, but thanks to this excellent, most excellent Gibb staple, that's pretty much standard practice today. This sounds as good now as it did then – a penultimate love song with delivery from the soul. The emotion and artistry remain vital and fresh as the refrains tug on your heartstrings.

More Than a Woman – Even setting aside it's huge place in the Fever mythos, this swaying bliss provides musical genius with every verse. You can cha cha to the marvelous beat or indulge with the harmonious, pleasant lyrics.

If I Can't Have You – While Yvonne Elliman's powerful version brimming with female heartache showcases The Brothers versatile potential in writing for others, their flip side collected on Greatest highlights Barry's range. Three grown men screaming about love shouldn't be so catchy, but I'll be dang it is.

Love You Inside and Out – I love the naughtiness of this feel good keeper – my favorite from Spirits Having Flown. You can dance, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, and sing along to this softer falsetto capturing the carefree in words, music, and mood. The Bee Gees actually have a lot of kinky tunes, but that's a whole 'nother topic!

Tragedy – This heyday hit doesn't feel 1979 dated thanks to progressive beats, synthesizers, and pulsing notes emphasizing the mellow rage lyrics and explosions. Yes, explosions. Live this one is also a lot of fun, an entire production rousing the crowd to sing along to such bitter lyrics with a smile on their faces.

Bonuses:

I've Gotta Get a Message to You Here at Last...Bee Gees Live – If I had to tell my utmost favorite Bee Gees song, this version has to be it. Is it perfect? No. There are certainly tighter tunes compared to the live mix here. However, the original's melancholy somber and Robin's quivering sadness escalate to a Barry ad-libbed rock out. It's sets the entire tone for the big brass concert session, and you can hear someone in the crowd shouting, “You rock, Barry!”

Oh, Darling – This Robin led cover from the bemusingly dreadful and deliciously so, so wrong Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film actually charted n 1978 thanks to the soulful delivery and edgy throwback. The movie is pretty infamous, but it does have a few gems like this.

I Just Want to Be Your Everything – I don't know how anybody can not like this lead off single from Andy Gibb's Flowing Rivers. Granted the vocals are a bit ‘Barryfied‘, and the rest of the album is a much more Andy country true to himself, but the extra Gibb orchestration is what makes this sound so good.

Shadow Dancing – This Andy Gibb hit is a great sing along song for the car. It's the only recorded song credited to all four brothers, and sometimes I fancy you can hear all of them, too. If this is what the entire family would have sounded like all together, wow.

One of the reasons I hated The Bee Gees growing up was because my ballet dancer sister made me practice the moves from Saturday Night Fever with her over and over again – at least until I broke the record. I much preferred Andy Gibb! Today, however, rather than dated like several infamous “Disco Duck” type extremes, the transformative dance music here takes you to another time and place to move your hips – no matter how bad you're feeling.

Please visit our Bee Gees tag or our Music label for more analysis, but do excuse any empty codes, broken links, format errors, and beloved bias in our decades old Bee Gees reviews!

A Mini Robin Gibb Tribute

A Mini Robin Gibb Tribute

By Kristin Battestella

After reading, writing, collecting, and listening to the music of the Brothers Gibb since my own conversion in 1997, I for once, have nothing to say about them.  Or rather, I have a whole lot to say, but can’t quite express myself just yet.

Instead, here’s a complete listing of my past reviews and essays on The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, and solo work from last brother standing Barry and the now late Robin.  Sniff.

New Bee Gees Comfort Lists!

The 60s Essentials
The 70s Hits
The 80s. Yes!
The 90s and Beyond

Bee Gees Albums

First

Horizontal

Odessa

Cucumber Castle

Trafalgar

Life in a Tin Can

To Whom It May Concern

Mr. Natural

Main Course

Children of the World

Saturday Night Fever

Spirits Having Flown

Living Eyes

Staying Alive

ESP

One

High Civilization

Size Isn’t Everything

Still Waters

This Is Where I Came In

Robin Gibb Albums

How Old Are You?

Walls Have Eyes

Magnet

Robin Gibb Live

Compilation Sets

Best of Volume 2

Bee Gees Gold

Birth to Brilliance

Bee Gees Greatest

Here at Last Live

The Record

Number Ones

Love Songs

The Ultimate Bee Gees

Barry Gibb Projects

Now Voyager

Hawks

Eyes That See in The Dark

Gibb Videos

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Keppel Road

One Night Only

Andy Gibb Works

Flowing Rivers

Andy Gibb’s Greatest Hits

Songwriting Collaborations

Guilty

Guilty Anniversary Album

Guilty Pleasures

For the original review pages and matching screen capture sets, you can still visit the archived web pages for Bee Gees Chain Reaction, my original Gibb website.

 

Sniff. 

Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits

Andy Was A Jolly Good Chap!
by Kristin Battestella

An Andy LP review! Although a greatest hits album after only three releases usually spells doom for any musician (and in retrospect was no different for Andy Gibb) Andy Gibb’s Greatest Hits, released in 1980, does indeed represent the best of his career. While I praise Flowing Rivers, it does have the introductory album feel, and with Shadow Dancing and After Dark, sometimes I have to ask myself, “Where’s Andy?” Andy’s Greatest Hits is indeed his one complete album.

I Just Want To Be Your Everything is such a keeper. (We reviewed this song in detail for Flowing Rivers here.) This song put Andy on the map, and Barry’s lyrics just say what needs to be said. It’s such simple genius. Andy rings so true when singing about penne ultimate love, in a word it’s everything. Love Is Thicker than Water (also on our FR review) cemented Andy’s quick rise to fame and has an easy humming guitar break at the end. Sweetness.

Recently I have discovered Shadow Dancing is a great sing along song for the car. The only recorded song written by all four brothers, sometimes I fancy you can hear all four on the song, and if this is what all the Gibb boys would have sounded like together, wow.

An Everlasting Love seals Andy’s title as the Love Prince. Another great sing a long song written by Barry that is just so happy and blissful and true. Once I get the tears out of my eyes from Our Love Don’t Throw It All Away, I’m left with one question. Why didn’t Blue Weaver write more? This song is unique in that it symbolizes Both Andy and his brothers independently of each other. Many fans adore this Andy sung tear jerker, and The Bee Gees performed the song with his recording in many live tributes. This is one of those songs that just says everything exactly how you mean to say what you mean, but can’t. Once I was having trouble reaching a kid I was teaching in church. I began saying, “Maybe I don’t want to know the reason why,” I was like, damn Gibbness is good.

Perhaps the one downfall of this album is that it showcases the commercial and popular Andy. The Andy that didn’t write his own songs and didn’t sing without his brothers or at least their input or production. I’m no psycho analyst, but many theorize this almost Norma Jean (country without his brothers) versus Marilyn (creme de la creme with his brothers) complex was what lead Andy into substance abuse. This is not the same young idealist heartfelt country songwriter that we hear on Flowing Rivers. This is a great psychological study, but for now it suffices to say I do like both Andys, for what it’s worth. :0)

Allow me if you will to also mention All I Have To Do Is Dream. This cover was released by Andy Gibb and Victoria Principal about this time. It’s alright for Ms. Bobby Ewing I suppose, but again listeners of the day felt Andy could not stand without anyone around him, especially his brothers. And just when that old argument comes up again, something amazing happens. Side Two does give us the Andy of old!

Time Is Time was written by Andy and Barry and has a renewed sound for both. It’s got a nice happy rhythm and groove to it, just the way I like it. Me Without You is the lone track here written by just Andy and does the complete opposite of Time. Me Without You is soulful and heartfelt, and even when Andy cracks a bit in the song, it just fits the mellow mood. A totally beautiful and lovely song in its own right.

Who honestly is Pat Arnold? I didn’t even know she was a she until I heard her sing Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow here with Andy. I had to read up to find out she is the same P P Arnold that worked with the brothers before, and I still don‘t know who she is. This is one of those songs that is so great and real and true, that it can’t really be done wrong. Nothing will ever, ever compare to the Shirelles version, but hey, our team here makes a sing-along-able go at it.

As per Gibb tradition, After Dark is the record’s kinky track. There’s something about the way Andy delivers the husky chorus. Although written by Barry, Andy does his own breathy twist that I often find stuck in my head. The lyrics and delivery are just that sexy! Desire is a sweet little song, but for me it ends the album on a bittersweet note. We’ve full-fledgly returned to Andy merely echoing his brothers on their own track. It makes for a dang good song, but again with Andy I wonder what could have been.

Andy Gibb’s Greatest Hits I’ve found out can be a very thought provoking album with much more depth than Andy is given credit for. Maybe that is do to the tragedy of his life, I don’t know. Still, I recommend this lp for its sing along We Are The 70s! dance ability. After all, we listen to these boys to dance our cares away, don’t we?

Flowing Rivers

Flowing Rivers!

by Kristin Battestella

My first Andy Gibb review, of his first album, from a record, of which this is my first review! Did that make sense? 1977’s Flowing Rivers is my favorite Andy album, and in my opinion his best. He looks the hottest on this cover, too! Unfortunately, in hindsight we can see Andy started at the top, and for awhile he kept it up, but eventually the high life brought him down.
Flowing Rivers begins with the smash hit I Just Want To Be Your Everything. How can anybody not like I Just Want To Be Your Everything? I liked Everything even as a kid. My Dad couldn’t understand how I liked Andy Gibb but not The Bee Gees. “They’re the same thing!” Honestly now, we must admit the vocals on Everything are a bit ‘Barryfied‘, but that’s why it sounds so good.

To me the rest of the album is much more true to Andy himself. Unlike his later work, which became more and more Barry, with Andy writing less of the material. Andy by himself wrote eight of the ten songs presented here. Words and Music starts off slow, and actually sounds rather weak early, but it picks up steam with each turn of the lovelorn lyrics. Andy also adlibs with a touch of falsetto at the end. His falsetto-not the Barry imitation-is very sweet and true.

Dance To The Light Of The Morning is a cute country song that would get the gang at the pub up for a dance. Andy’s vocal arrangements are perfectly placed and have a sing a long-ability. Maybe this is the tweaking of producers Barry, Albhy Galuten, and Karl Richardson, but it sounds dang cool.
Too Many Looks In Your Eyes and Starlight are the first slow tunes presented. Andy’s songs have such a sweet romantic flare. It can seem idealistic at times, but it also has a feel of innocence or ‘young love’. Side One ends with you totally relaxed and feeling those special feelings.

The B-side of the record begins with the second Barry orchestrated hit Love is Thicker Than Water. Written by Barry and Andy, Andy’s voice seems more breathy natural here-less like the Barry imitation on I Just Want To Be Your Everything. I love the humming and instrumental breather at the end. (Actually this song sounds kind of scratchy on my record. I guess the previous owner played this song a lot.) The title song Flowing Rivers returns to Andy’s country feel. This one plays more like a page of a road trip journal, chronicling the highs and lows of life, fame, and the road. It’s up and down rhythm parallels this perfectly. It’s quite catchy.

Come Home For The Winter is even more country. The country styles themselves are completely different, however, and I am left to ponder what would have happened had Andy explored these country singer songwriter poetic styles further. Andy’s later duets with Olivia Newton-John are nice, but seemed forced somehow. These are easy tunes you’d expect to hear at someone’s barbecue. I like Andy this way.

Let it Be Me sounds like that Everly Brothers title. Forget that! Andy’s song here is like a cross between country and disco. No lie, square dances and disco balls do go together! And this song is good. Fittingly, In The End slows the album to a close. Andy’s lyrics of saying he tried his best are fitting but eerie. Flowing Rivers opens and closes with very strong songs from Andy, begging the question: What could be next?

Those who think of Andy Gibb as nothing more than a Bee Gee imitator will be pleasantly surprised at this listen. The similarities are evident, but these songs are worthy of the Gibb Catalog in their own right. Flowing Rivers is a very poetic and honest country album that proves Andy had the Gibby Talent to do whatever he wanted to do.