In the world of music, the Bee Gees are that rare act that enjoyed success, lost it, went away, and then re-invented itself to be even more successful than they were the first time. The new Bee Gees compilation Number Ones, due out this coming Tuesday, is a testament to the group’s resiliency.
The album is really the first Bee Gees best-of that focuses on their top ranked hits from various charts, and leaves out anything that doesn’t make the cut. The disc is certainly in the spirit of the recent “No. 1” albums of The Beatles and Elvis Presley, in so far as it is a lean, mean hits machine. Fans may lament the exclusion of hits like "New York Mining Disaster 1941" and "More Than a Woman", but the formula says, “If it wasn’t a Number 1, it doesn’t make it.”
The disc is set up in such a way as to walk you through the hits chronologically, and the effect is tantamount to listening to The Beatles "One" disc, not in quality mind you, but in the maturity and metamorphosis of the group over a career.
“Massachusetts” kicks off the disc, and it could very well have been recorded by any number of early rock groups, not the least of which being The Everly Brothers or Dion and The Belmonts. The disc winds through several certifiable Bee Gees classics like “Words” and “How Deep Is Your Love” before it gets to “I Started a Joke”, a single that gets much flack for being too melodramatic. Whatever. I prefer to just get lost in Robin Gibb's heavenly voice and the lyrics, which are probably more nuanced than most are willing to spend time to consider.
The Bee Gees’ influences are on display on other tracks like “Don’t Forget to Remember” which reminds me of the types of harmonies the Everly Brothers or Beach Boys perfected. “Lonely Days” could have made the cut on late-60s Beatles albums; it just captures their vibe, circa Sgt. Pepper, perfectly.
After “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?”, the disc put on its bell bottoms and big hair, and morphs into the second coming of The Bee Gees, vis a vis the disco era. The songs are less about heartache and loss, and more about shaking your bootay on the dance floor. The switch is a little disconcerting if you’re listening to the album straight through, but it doesn’t take long to respect this stage of their career as much as their early years. Notable standouts are “How Deep Is Your Love?”, “Tragedy”, and “Too Much Heaven”. Of course, “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” come along for the disco ride.
The compilation ends with “Man in the Middle”, a tribute to recently deceased Maurice Gibb.
The Bee Gees’ career is littered with great successes and letdowns, to ultimately come out on the other side as one of the seminal popular acts of the last 40 years. This collection documents their greatest successes without a wasted minute to speak of.
3 ½ rants out of 4 from The BM Rant
Article comments
1 - Bill Lamb
Thanks for the balanced, open-minded review of the Gibb brothers collection. The big change that resulted in the Bee Gees disco success is due in part to their hooking up with legendary producer Arif Mardin (Atlantic house producer with credits that include arranging Aretha Franklin's 'Respect', production on Dusty Springfield's classic album 'Dusty In Memphis' and producer of Chaka Khan's 'I Feel For You') for 'Main Course,' the album that included 'Jive Talkin'
In the effort to make a comeback, the Bee Gees dug deep into American soul music of the time and 'Jive Talkin' was a smash. For me, 'Jive Talkin' and the peak hour punch of 'You Should Be Dancin' are still the group's best dance music despite the 'Saturday Night Fever' hoopla. David Bowie did a similar thing in the mid-70's when he immersed himself in Philly soul for 'Fame' and 'Golden Years.' It had similar commercial results...his first #1 hit single in the U.S. and revitalized his commercial career.