A Photographic Retrospective By John Robert Rowlands

The Bee Gees

This hugely successful Anglo/Australian trio comprised the twins Maurice and Robin

Gibb (b. 22 December 1949, Isle Of Man, British Isles) and their elder brother Barry Gibb

(b. 1 September 1946, Isle Of Man, British Isles).

Originating from a showbusiness family based in Manchester, England, they played as a

child act in several of the city's cinemas. In 1958, the Gibb family emigrated to Australia and the

boys performed regularly as a harmony trio in Brisbane, Queensland. Christened the Bee Gees, an abbreviation

of Brothers Gibb, they signed to the Australian label Festival Records and released a series of

singles written by the elder brother. While their single 'Spicks And Specks' was topping the

Australian charts, the brothers were already on their way to London for a fateful audition

with Robert Stigwood, a director of NEMS Enterprises, the company owned by Beatles svengali Brian Epstein.

This, in turn, led to a record contract with Polydor and the swift release

of 'New York Mining Disaster, 1941'. The quality of the single, with its evocative, intriguing lyrics and

striking harmony, provoked premature comparison with the Beatles and gained the group a

UK hit. During this period the trio was supplemented by Australian friends

Colin Peterson (drums) and Vince Melouney (guitar). The second UK single,

'To Love Somebody', departed from the narrative power of their previous offering towards a

more straightforward ballad style. Although the disc failed to reach the Top 40, the enduring quality

of the song was evinced by a number of striking cover versions, most notably by Nina Simone,

Eric Burdon And The Animals and Janis Joplin. The Beatlesque songs on their outstanding acclaimed

UK debut, The Bee Gees First garnered further comparisons. Every track was a winner, from the delightfully naïve

'Cucumber Castle' to the sublime 'Please Read Me', while 'Holiday' had the beautiful stark quality

of McCartney's 'Yesterday'. The 14 tracks were all composed by the twins and Barry, still aged only

17 and 19, respectively. By October 1967, the group had registered their first UK number 1 with the

moving 'Massachusetts', which showcased their ability as arrangers to particular effect. Aware of the

changes occurring in the pop firmament, the group bravely experimented with different musical styles

and briefly followed the Beatles and the Rolling Stones along the psychedelic road. Their progressive

forays confused their audience, however, and the double album Odessa failed to match the work

of their major rivals. Their singles remained adventurous and strangely eclectic, with the unusual tempo

of 'World' followed by the neurotic romanticism of 'Words'. Both singles hit the Top 10 in the UK

but signs of commercial fallibility followed with the relatively unsuccessful double a-side, 'Jumbo'/'The Singer

Not The Song'. Masters of the chart comeback, the group next turned to a heart-rending ballad about

the final hour of a condemned prisoner. 'I've Gotta Get A Message To You' gave them their second

UK number 1 and sixth consecutive US Top 20 hit. The stark but startling 'First Of May' followed,

again revealing the Bee Gees' willingness to tackle a mood piece in favour of an easily accessible

melodic ballad. To complete their well-rounded image, the group showed their talent as composers,

penning the Marbles' Top 10 UK hit 'Only One Woman'.
Without question, the Bee Gees were one of the most accomplished groups of the late 60s,

but as the decade ended they fell victim to internal bickering and various pressures wrought by

international stardom. Maurice Gibb married pop star Lulu and the group joined the celebrity

showbusiness élite with all its attendant trappings of drink and drugs. Dissent among the

brotherhood saw Robin Gibb embark on a solo career with brief success, while the

twins retained the group name. Remarkably, they ended the 60s with another change of style,

emerging with an authentic country standard in 'Don't Forget To Remember'. With Colin Peterson

still in tow, Maurice and Barry worked on a much-publicized but ultimately insubstantial film,

Cucumber Castle. This fractious period ended with a ludicrous series of lawsuits in which the drummer

had the audacity to claim rights to the Bee Gees name. A year of chaos and missed opportunities

ensued, during which the group lost much of their impetus and following.

Maurice and Barry both released one single each as soloists, but their efforts were virtually ignored.

Their career in the UK was in tatters, but after reuniting with Robin in late 1970 they went

on to have two major US hits with 'Lonely Days' and the chart-topping 'How Can You Mend A

Broken Heart'. After a brief flurry of transatlantic hits in 1972 with 'My World' and

'Run To Me', the group's appeal diminished to an all-time low. Three hitless years saw them

reduced to playing in cabaret at such inauspicious venues as the Batley Variety Club in Yorkshire.

A switch from Polydor Records to Robert Stigwood's new label RSO encouraged the group to

adopt a more American sound with the album Life In A Tin Can. Determined to explore a more distinctive

style, the group were teamed with famed producer Arif Mardin. Mr. Natural, recorded in London,

indicated a noticeable R&B/soul influence which was extended on 1975's Main Course.

Now ensconced in Miami, the group gathered together a formidable backing unit featuring Alan Kendall (guitar),

Dennis Bryon (drums) and Blue Weaver (keyboards). 'Jive Talkin'', a pilot single from the album,

zoomed to number 1 in the USA and brought the trio back to the Top 10 in Britain.

Meanwhile, fellow RSO artist Olivia Newton-John enjoyed a US hit with the group's country ballad 'Come On Over'.

The Bee Gees were well and truly back. The change in their sound during the mid-70s was nothing

short of remarkable. They had virtually reinvented themselves, with Mardin encouraging them to explore

their R&B roots and experiment with falsetto vocals. The effect was particularly noticeable on their next

US Top 10 hit, 'Nights On Broadway' (later a hit for Candi Staton ). The group were perfectly placed to

promote and take advantage of the underground dance scene in the USA, and their next album, Children Of The World,

went platinum. The attendant single, 'You Should Be Dancing', reached number 1 in the USA, while the follow-up,

'Love So Right', hit number 3. Not content to revitalize their own career, the trio's soundtrack contributions also

provided massive hits for Yvonne Elliman ('If I Can't Have You') and Tavares ('More Than A Woman').

The Bee Gees' reputation as the new gods of the discotheque was consummated on the soundtrack

of the movie Saturday Night Fever, which sold in excess of 30 million copies. In their most successful

phase to date, the group achieved a quite staggering run of six consecutive chart-toppers: 'How Deep Is Your Love',

'Stayin' Alive', 'Night Fever', 'Too Much Heaven', 'Tragedy' and 'Love You Inside Out'.

Their grand flurry continued with the movie Grease, for which they produced the chart-topping

title track by Frankie Valli. Having already received Beatles comparisons during their early

career, it was ill-advised for the group to accept the starring roles in the movie

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The film proved an embarrassing detour for both the brothers

and their co-star, Peter Frampton.
As the 70s ended, the Bee Gees increasingly switched their interests towards production.

Although they released two further albums, Spirits Having Flown (1979) and Living Eyes

(1981), far greater attention was being focused on their chart-topping younger brother, Andy Gibb.

A multi-million-dollar dispute with their mentor Robert Stigwood was settled out of court,

following which the group contributed to another movie soundtrack, Stayin' Alive.

With the group's activities put on hold, it was Barry who emerged as the most prolific producer

and songwriter. He duetted with Barbra Streisand on the chart-topping 'Guilty' and composed

and sang on 'Heartbreaker' with Dionne Warwick. The brothers, meanwhile, also wrote the

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton US chart-topper 'Islands In The Stream' and Diana Ross 's excellent Motown pastiche,

'Chain Reaction'. Seemingly content to stay in the background, masterminding platinum discs

for others, they eventually reunited in 1987 for the hugely successful ESP.

The indisputable masters of melody, their 'comeback' single, 'You Win Again', was warmly

received by usually hostile critics, who applauded its undoubted craftsmanship.

The single gave the group their fifth UK number 1, a full eight years after their last chart-topper,

'Tragedy'. Sadly, the death of younger brother Andy the following year added a tragic note to

the proceedings. In deference to their brother's death they declined to attend an Ivor Novello

Awards ceremony in which they were honoured for their Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

Looking back over the Bee Gees' career, one cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer

diversity of their talents and their remarkable ability continually to reinvent themselves.

Like that other great family group, the Beach Boys, they have survived family feuds, dissension,

tragic death, harsh criticism, changes in musical fashion and much else, to become one

of pop's ineffable institutions. One cannot ignore the legacy of their performing, songwriting

and production activities; their work represents one of the richest tapestries in the entire

history of modern popular music. This appeared to be recognized at the 1997 BRIT awards

which was followed by a glut of press and television promotion for their Still Waters album,

which became a sizeable hit. The brothers Gibb have shown controlled dignity in taking years of

criticism on the chin, but only in the late 90s does it appear that from all corners their work is applauded.

 

Photograph of the Bee Gees in 1974 by John Robert Rowlands