The Bee Gees
Atco SD 33-327
1970
Reduced to a duo with the departure of brother Robin for his ill-fated solo career, Maurice and Barry Gibb don't seem to have missed him too much. They co-wrote all of the songs on the album most of which are the whiny, sappy ballads that made the Bee Gees so successful, like "If Only I Had My Mind On Something Else," "I Was the Child," "I Lay Down and Die," "The Chance of Love" and "Turning Tide" which would fit quite nicely on "Odessa" or "Trafalgar". My favorite of the ballads is the soulful "Bury Me Down by the River." The worst is "Then You Left Me" which ranks among the most maudlin songs that they ever produced. There are a few unusual songs however, most notably the country influence on such songs as "Don't Forget to Remember," "Sweetheart" and "The Lord". The first two are mildly interesting, sappy as ever but at least they depart from the usual formula, but "The Lord" is so awful, I wondered if it was a joke. These guys aren't known for their sense of humor though so I assume it was meant seriously. "My Thing" is a slight song but it has a sunshine pop flavor that briefly brightens up this gloomy record. Then there is "I. O. I. O" which might be compared to the music of groups like Mungo Jerry or Marmalade, a quasi-world music sound that is engaging and results in my favorite song on the record. I've never seen the television special that generated five of the songs on the album and since they are mostly the worst ones I'm pretty sure I never want to. If you are a fan of the pre-disco/post-teen idol Bee Gees, you will probably find stuff to like on this album. Recommended for people who think "Odessa" was too short.
No comments:
Post a Comment