More Guilty Pleasures

The Brothers Gibb 1970-1974

The Overlooked Years
Friday, October 21, 2011

I first addressed my love/hate relationship with the Bee Gees back in 2009 when I published two essays and several sets of music (see above) called 'My Guilty Pleasure.' Since then my feelings haven't really changed all that much. Recently however, I was given the opportunity to hear Robin Gibb's first solo outing called 'Robin's Reign,' an LP that was originally released back in 1970 but to this day has never seen a worldwide CD release, and justifiably so. It's a disastrous mess. Unfinished songs, instantly forgettable melodies, overwrought string arrangements that drip with saccharine sweetness, laughably sophomoric lyrics, and vocals that inexplicably seemed to have been recorded from the bottom of a empty water well. What could the man have possibly been thinking? As you might imagine, after hearing this mistake, it obviously didn't serve to alter my opinions.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I then went back to the Gibb Brothers collective discography in an attempt to somehow assuage my... I don't know... Disappointment? Contempt? I'm not really certain. I sought out some of their more credible and deserving output recorded during the same period as 'Robin's Retch...' I mean 'Reign.' As I've said, I harbor an inexplicable love/hate relationship with the boys. You see, I suppose I had always hoped they would uphold the brilliant promise of 'Bee Gees 1st' or 'Odessa,' building on the foundations of those masterpieces and maturing gracefully. But while they were still capable of sterling song craft and remarkable harmonies, they inevitably let me down time and time again until I simply abandoned hope. Then of course their reinvention into something of a white 'Philadelphia Soul' act forever sealed their fate as far as I was concerned and from that point forward, I never really gave them another listen, fairly or unfairly. Yet I always treasured those earlier songs (a few exceptions notwithstanding), even if I wasn't always willing to openly admit it. If only I could have been given a shot at producing them.

This leads then to what might be referred to as the 'overlooked' years --- 1970-1974, a transitional period that saw the brothers without much in the way of hit material, briefly splitting up as a band, attempting solo projects, and then reuniting once again after those individual projects failed to find an audience (or even a release in several cases). The recordings from this hazy period are comprised of:

'Cucumber Castle,'
contributions to the soundtrack of
'Melody,'
their reunion to complete
'2 Years On'
'Trafalgar'
'To Whom It May Concern'
'Life In A Tin Can'
and
'Mr. Natural,'
the never issued
'A Kick In The Head Is Worth Two In The Pants,'
plus solo endeavors
'The Kid's No Good'
'The Loner,'
and the aforementioned
'Robin's Reign'
from Barry, Maurice and Robin respectively.

Ten albums in four years time. Possibly eleven, for I believe that Robin tried his hand once again at singer/songwriter status during this time span. So as you can see, it was actually a very productive time for the Brothers Gibb. A time when they were looking for that magic something to rekindle their suddenly faltering musical careers. By evidence of their prolific output, it's obvious that they weren't blocked, operating in a creative void. They merely needed guidance. But as they fumbled for the key, the fortunes they'd experienced just prior were rapidly moving in reverse. None of these releases saw much in the way of commercial acceptance, and the inclusion of a 'new' country influence may have contributed something to their lack of sales. Although I kinda' liked that new element, you must bear in mind that the whole 'back to the land/L.A. desperado' thing was completely out of control at the time and embracing faux-country affectations was as commonplace as the facial hair that accompanied the genre. Perhaps if it had been done tongue-in-cheek àla the Stones, it might've worked better. But it wasn't. At times, the boys earnestly seemed to be channeling George Jones, and surprisingly on a few occasions to great effect (notably 'Hold Her In Your Hand,' 'Sweetheart,' and 'I'll Kiss Your Memory'). Yet something remained askew. They appeared to be grabbing for straws and the new 'Americana' was one of them. Longtime fans may have thought the whole 'earthy' thing simply sounded out-of-place coming from three brothers who hailed from Australia by way of merry ole England, and who had just a few years prior recorded a bona fide psychedelic masterpiece ('Bee Gees 1st'). But then, after later adopting a falsetto that nearly rivaled the great Eddie Kendricks, who could have imagined that these same siblings would transform themselves into the highly successful soul and disco act (complete with chest hair and gold medallions) that they eventually did become? It's a crazy world, ain't it?

Now if someone were to take the time to distill all ten of the above mentioned recordings down into a more cohesive whole, they might just be surprised to find that there was actually a fair amount of respectable material hiding within all the indecision the band was experiencing. That's one of the things I've always admired about the Brothers collectively --- their ability to understand and create the makings of a memorable song (note that I said 'collectively.' Robin's musings might've been better left on the shelf, although I understand that his 2nd solo outing (also unreleased) plays a bit better. Whether those songs, or more specifically their arrangements coincide with my own personal tastes however is another matter altogether, but I've always had to admit that the Brothers Gibb certainly knew a thing or two about 'pop' music. Well guess what? Someone has taken the time to distill those records and that person is me. Yes, at times it was borderline tedium, while at other times it was pure pleasure. Witness 'You Know It's For You,' 'Saw A New Morning,' 'Elisa,' 'Where Is Your Sister,' or 'South Dakota Morning' as examples of the latter. Or 'Sweet Song Of Summer' for its vaguely Gothic/Middle Eastern touches. Other examples include 'Dear Mr. Kissinger,' a surprising political statement from the boys, while 'Back Home' features what is possibly the loudest, most biting guitar sound ever to appear on a Bee Gee record. Even the smoothly polished 'Charade' can manage to choke me up a bit on days when I'm a little ripe and feeling soft around the edges. Sheesh! With regard to the former category, well there aren't any included. That's generally the whole point of judicial extraction. You can hear the fruits of my labor below and judge for yourself.

The Brothers Gibb 1970-1974, Vol.1

1) Saw A New Morning
2) I Don't Wanna Be The One
3) Come Home, Johnny Bridie
4) South Dakota Morning
5) Bad, Bad Dreams
6) Give Your Best
7) Who Knows What A Room Is?
8) Turning Tide
9) My Thing
10) While I Play
11) The Lord
12) If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else
13) Harry's Gate
14) Rocky L.A.
15) Home Again Rivers
16) King And Country
17) Throw A Penny
18) Down The Road
19) It Doesn't Matter Much To Me
20) A Lonely Violin
21) Run To Me
22) Mother And Jack
(Robin Gibb)
23) Don't Forget Me Ida






The Brothers Gibb 1970-1974, Vol.2

1) Lonely Days
2) Sweet Song Of Summer
3) You Know It's For You
4) Israel
5) The Greatest Man In The World
6) Every Second, Every Minute
7) Sweetheart
8) Bury Me Down By The River
9) It's Just The Way
10) Hold Her In Your Hand
(Maurice Gibb)
11) Back Home
12) The First Mistake I Made
13) Charade
14) On Time
15) Dear Mr. Kissinger
16) Lovers And Losers
17) Road To Alaska
18) I'll Kiss Your Memory
(Barry Gibb)
19) Portrait Of Louise
20) Railroad
(Maurice Gibb)
21) Irresponsible, Unreliable, Indispensable Blues
22) Where Is Your Sister?
23) Country Woman
24) Elisa