Bee Gees

If you buy the IMPORT, you'll receive "Decadance", a high-tech remix of "You Should Be Dancing". It's worth the search. If you are very lucky, you may be one of the few to find a 'hidden track' - another version of "Decadance" not listed on the cover notes!

Einfach super für jede Party      5 von 5 Punkten
ICH BIN EINFACH BEGEISTERT WAS DIE BEE GEES DA WIEDER AUF DIE BEINE GESTELLT HABEN DAS IST FÜR MICH EINES DER BESTEN ALBEN DER GEBRÜDER GIBB DA IST FÜR JEDEN WAS DABEI FETZIGE SONGS ( PAYING THE PRICE OF LOVE, KISS OF LIVE, FALLEN ANGEL) UND RUHIGE SONGS ( FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, HEART LIKE MINE) MIT DER WUNDERSCHÖNEN WEINERLICHEN STIMME VON ROBIN GIBB. ALSO ALLES IN ALLEM IST DAS ALBUM WIRKLICH EINE BESTELLUNG WERT.

Genial      5 von 5 Punkten
Das ist ein geniales Album, diese 3 australischen Boys bringen einen Kracher nach dem anderen raus. Das Album besteht aus ruhigen und fetzigen Ohrwürmern. Welche Band hat sich so lange über Wasser gehalten und über 100 Ohrwürmer ins Leben gerufen. Sie sind so gefragt das viele aktuelle Künstler ihre Hits covern müssen. Ich kann es nur nochmal betonen Kaufen lohnt sich hundert mal. Das Original ist wirklich das Beste.

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Mit 'World' und 'Massachusetts' enthält 'Horizontal' zwei Top 10 Hits und mit 'Massachusetts' (im September 1967 veröffentlicht) auch noch die erste # 1 Single in England und Deutschland, während es 'World' (im Dezember veröffentlicht) in Deutschland mmerhin noch auf Platz 2 schaffte und in England auf dem 8. Rang hängen blieb.

Auch dieses Album erschien sowohl als Mono- und als Stereo Mix 1968 auf LP. Die Mono Version unterschlägt aber einige der Arrangements, die im Stereo Mix hörbar sind. Was allerdings beabsichtigt war, um den Mono Sound nicht zu überladen. Der Nebeneffekt war, dass diese Version des Albums noch trockener und rauher klang, als sein Stereo-Pendant. Wer jahrelang nur die Mono Version gehört hatte und erst später die Stereo Variante, der glaubte nicht selten, ein ganz anderes Album zu hören.

The Confident 2nd Album!      4 von 5 Punkten
This being the Bee Gees 2nd album, they distanced themselves a bit from the previous heavy orchestration and established themselves more of a rock/pop band. Featuring the #1 UK hit "Massachusetts" and the loud, rocking "World" (UK only), this set contains everything from plaintive sad ballads to rock and roll standards. Robin's "And The Sun Will Shine" is a classic tear-jerker and reputably, recorded on the first take. "Lemons Never Forget", "The Earnest Of Being George" and "The Change Is Made" are fine examples of late sixties rock and roll. The Beatles influenced is heard on "Birdie Told Me", a bouncy McCartney-esque tune and "Day Time Girl" also falls into this category. "Really And Sincerely" is a tad too melancholy and "Harry Braff" is simply annoying. However, the album succeeds in the end and finishes with "Horizontal", a brilliantly simple song with the piano chords reading - literally - horizontally.

Da es sich um die gleiche Produktionsfirma wie bei den Cream und den Who handelt, ist damit zu rechnen, dass hier dieselbe Reissue-Marketing-Strategie betrieben wird : zuerst Wiederveröffentlichungen ohne Bonustracks - und später mit, sodass viele Kunden dieselbe CD zweimal kaufen werden. In diesem Sinne könte sich zuwarten lohnen - da die Original-CD's des Anfangs (1st, Horizontal, Idea etc.) eben nur die Hälfte der damaligen besten Lieder der Bee Gees enthalten.

Wegen dieser Marktstrategie (und nicht wegen der Musik !) : 2 Punkte Abzug.

EIn Highlight des Psychedelic-Pop      5 von 5 Punkten
Bis heute zählt dieses Album zu den Highlights des Psychedelic-Pop. Alles, was ein solches Album braucht, kann man hier finden, von albernen Pop Songs ('Red Chair Fade Away', Cucumber Castle') über melancholische Balladen ('Holiday') bis hin zu kleinen Hymnen, derentwegen wir die Bee Gees ja so lieben. Der ganze Optimismus, der ausgehenden Swinging Sixties ist hier durch die durchweg grossartigen Songs dokumentiert.

Robert Stigwood zeigte sich zwar interessiert an den Demos, die er Ende 1966 erhielt, aber nicht unbedingt begeistert. Das Vorspielen in London schien zum Flop zu werden. Aber 'New York Mining Desaster 1941', in 15 Minuten geschrieben, überzeugte ihn schliesslich, und er bot den Bee Gees einen 5-Jahresvertrag an.

Viele Titel dieses Albums wurden später von anderen Musikern gecovert (Am häufigsten sicherlich 'To Love Somebody').

Wie damals üblich, gab es von diesem Album eine Mono und eine Stereo Version. Die einzelnen Titel unterscheiden sich oft erheblich in ihren Mixen. Viele Stereo Mixe blenden früher aus. Generell kann man aber sagen, dass die Mono Mixe besser klangen. Erst die Polydor CD konnte mit Stereoklang aufwarten, der deutlich besser klang als alles, was es an Stereo Mixen davor gab.

Die Bee Gees hatten sich inzwischen personell durch Colin Peterson, Schlagzeug, und Vince Melouney, Lead Gitarre, verstärkt.

An Incredible Debut!      5 von 5 Punkten
The Brothers Gibb first international album is a masterpiece of songwriting, singing and production. Squeezed in the time zone of British Pop Groups ala the Beatles, they had small chance of doing well, considering they had the same vocal harmonies that the Beatles had (although they started them earlier than the Beatles in Manchester, England). Other than that, this set contains classic, everlasting songs that continue to be covered by other artists. Nearly EVERY song has been sung by another artist and "To Love Somebody" has been covered more than 250 times, according to Rolling Stone. Not a small achievement, by any mean, by three teenagers! Hats off to the three teen brothers who took the current technology of the time and survived, despite the georgeous Beatles, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" of 1967. What a start!

Footnote: 1980's Bee Gees technical engineer, Scott Glasel mentioned to me that whenever he feels a need for inspiration, he puts on Bee Gees First.

Auch wenn das Album aus heutiger Sicht sicher etwas angestaubt klingt, so ist es doch das erste Bee Gees Album, das im 16-Spur Verfahren aufgenommen wurde, und was auch - neben der perfekten Produktion - dazu führte, dass es 1996 als MFSL-Masterdisc veröffentlicht wurde.

'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart' war wochenlang die #1 in den Billboard Charts und die erste #1-Single der Bee Gees in den Staaten. Zugleich aber auch der letzte grosse Hit der Brüder für einige Jahre.

The True Bee Gees Concept Album!      5 von 5 Punkten
Although "Odessa" has been stated to be a concept album, "Trafalgar" seems to be more consistent in it's theme and musical harmony. Taking the motif from the battle of Trafalgar, this album excels in diversity and vocal variety. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" was #1 in the United States for four weeks but "Israel" was only released in Europe as a single. No matter. "Israel" shows demonstrates Barry's flair for screaming rhythm and blues with a marvelously typical passion. "Remembering" and "Dearest" are two ballads that Robin and Barry suck sorrow from their gut that surpasses anything they have sung before this album. Maurice also excels with a strong, consistent heavy bass and a piano pounding energy in songs such as "Somebody Stop The Music", "Israel" and "Walking Back To Waterloo". He was quoted as saying that Barry loved all his multi-layered work on the song "Trafalgar" and told him not to change a thing. He stated he felt surprised and happy to gain brother Barry's unconditional approval. "When Do I" shocks the listener with Robin's vocal range, stretching his pronounced vocals to the limit. Robin also screams out the blues on "Lion In Winter", fading into a rising orchestral arrangement. Maurice gets his way with "It's Just The Way" with some nice overlayed guitar work. Want to rock? "Somebody Stop The Music" pulls out all the stops and proves the Gibbs can still belt them out. On a more somber note, I wonder why "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" was released as a US single. It is far too long for AM radio and somewhat sullen. However, it did get to #52 on the AM charts, so it couldn't have been that unpopular. What better a song to finish this masterpiece than "Walking Back To Waterloo", a grand finale. What make this album so consistent? All songs have a orchestral lushness that carries from song to song, giving it a rich and appealing feel. Once Maurice was joking that there were too many strings on this album, but in person he said he felt it was a "wonderful" disc. Now this is a concept album and it is no small wonder that Polydor chose to release it on Ultradisc Gold.

The True Bee Gees Concept Album!      5 von 5 Punkten
Although "Odessa" has been stated to be a concept album, "Trafalgar" seems to be more consistent in it's theme and musical harmony. Taking the motif from the battle of Trafalgar, this album excels in diversity and vocal variety. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" was #1 in the United States for four weeks but "Israel" was only released in Europe as a single. No matter. "Israel" shows demonstrates Barry's flair for screaming rhythm and blues with a marvelously typical passion. "Remembering" and "Dearest" are two ballads that Robin and Barry suck sorrow from their gut that surpasses anything they have sung before this album. Maurice also excels with a strong, consistent heavy bass and a piano pounding energy in songs such as "Somebody Stop The Music", "Israel" and "Walking Back To Waterloo". He was quoted as saying that Barry loved all his multi-layered work on the song "Trafalgar" and told him not to change a thing. He stated he felt surprised and happy to gain brother Barry's unconditional approval. "When Do I" shocks the listener with Robin's vocal range, stretching his pronounced vocals to the limit. Robin also screams out the blues on "Lion In Winter", fading into a rising orchestral arrangement. Maurice gets his way with "It's Just The Way" with some nice overlayed guitar work. Want to rock? "Somebody Stop The Music" pulls out all the stops and proves the Gibbs can still belt them out. On a more somber note, I wonder why "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" was released as a US single. It is far too long for AM radio and somewhat sullen. However, it did get to #52 on the AM charts, so it couldn't have been that unpopular. What better a song to finish this masterpiece than "Walking Back To Waterloo", a grand finale. What make this album so consistent? All songs have a orchestral lushness that carries from song to song, giving it a rich and appealing feel. Once Maurice was joking that there were too many strings on this album, but in person he said he felt it was a "wonderful" disc. Now this is a concept album and it is no small wonder that Polydor chose to release it on Ultradisc Gold.

Dabei fehlten zwei Songs, die im Vorfeld der Veröffentlichung für Furore in den internationalen Charts gesorgt hatten. 'Words' (#1 in Deutschland) und 'The Singer Sang His Song' (#5 in Deutschland) blieben singles-only Veröffentlichungen.

Auch 'I've Gotta Get A Message To You' sollte nur in den USA auf diesem Album erscheinen. Im Rest der Welt gabs dafür die Vince Melouney Komposition 'Such A Shame'.

In Amerika hatte das Album ein alternatives Cover, das heute auch die bei und erhältliche CD ziert.

Die Mono Version dieses Albums wurde in den USA nie veröffentlicht. Der Stereo Mix war auch auf jeden Fall die bessere Wahl. Er klingt frischer, besser arrangiert und 'Idea' hat sogar völlig andere Gesangsspuren.

Thier Strong Third Album!      4 von 5 Punkten
After their unique introduction on "Bee Gees 1st" and a more somber 2nd album, "Horizontal", the Bee Gees are far more confident in their writing, singing and performing on this CD. Barry Gibb's guitar work is exemplary and his voice is strongest on "When The Swallows Fly" and "Swan Song", as well as Robin Gibb on "In The Summer Of His Years" and the huge hit, "I Started A Joke". Maurice experiments a great deal with his bass guitar on the bouncy "Kitty Can", the pensive "Down To Earth" and strong pulsating bass notes (and piano) on the massive hit "I've Gotta Get A Mesage To You". Lead guitarist Vince Melouney writes the only Bee Gees song never written by the brothers; "Such A Shame", an upbeat, harmonica driven rocker with his Mickey Dolenz sound-alike voice. It is the last strong group effort of an album, before the Bee Gees, temporarily went their separate mucical ways.