Bee Gees Album: “Greatest”

The Bee Gees would have been hailed as the second coming of the Beatles if the public weren't so quick to peg them as a disco band. Their "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack proved to be both a blessing and a curse for the trio-turned-duo, who hit pay dirt in the late seventies with signature dance hits like "Night Fever," "Staying Alive," and "More Than a Woman." While that soundtrack gave them international fame, they never really lived down their reputation as "that disco group." But if you strip their songs of their dance-heavy production, you will find killer hooks, above-average lyrics, and expertly crafted pop songs that rival anything by their rock peers. This hits collection compiles the band's era from 1975-79, and while it does feature the above mentioned "SNF" tracks, there are also other gems such as the underrated love song "You Stepped Into My Life" and the near-perfect "Tragedy." There's a more recent double disc set available, but I prefer "Greatest" because it compiles the group's work from 1975-79 more comprehensively. So if the Brothers Gibb still conjures up images of disco cheese, you owe it to yourself to give these two discs a spin and listen closer with an open mind.

It took me over two decades to realize the inevitable: The Bee Gees are timeless classics. In every hit song, even the falsettos I once found repulsive, sleazy and embarrassing. Yet, I still listened anyway. Okay, not every hit hit me favorably. But most in this two-CD collection did. Taking me back to my teen years, lovingly, nostalgically, surprisingly--willingly.

What struck me best, the band's lush string-prominent arrangements. Those were the days when music truly mattered, when real live musicians played real live instruments in the studio. None of this synthesized computerized jazz. Believe me, it makes a difference. It adds layers, dimensions, depth to songs, even those that are simply two-minute ditties.

The lushness is most noticeable in the Broadway," "How Deep Is Your Love?," "Fanny," and "Love So Right." Sweeping romantic melodies leaving me weak in the knees because they epitomize what a man would sing to a woman if he allowed his insides out. It's hard not to fall in love with the stories in each of these songs. The music supports the sentiment...of love lost but fought for with open vulnerability.

Whether they're acoustic or electric, pop or funk, the Bee Gees know how to mold any instrument, any genre to their own distinctively hypnotic soothing yet groove-filled style. The groove, as in "Jive Talkin'" and "You Should Be Dancing," is infectious. I was sitting at work the other day listening to my Walkman, bopping up and down in my chair, feeling slick, snazzy and sexy somehow. I either want to dance in the rain with my dream lover or boogie on a beach. Or stand there while he kneels before me begging for my hand in marriage. With the Bee Gees soundtrack filling the air, filling our every pore.

Their blend of tragic hunger in the lyrics juxtaposed against a backdrop of sweeping, lush, orchestral melodic genius draws me in. Or they just rock my butt off. And hey, they're not always just high-pitched for any ole reason. These guys can sing various octaves to changing intended effect. When it calls for a deeper bass background to match a particular mood introduced by a pause, in "Fanny," the voice goes there. When it calls for harmonizing to parallel the violins in a stunning stand out, the voices go there. Every sound makes sense and bring forth complexity hard to easily fathom. Hard because it sounds so effortlessly simple. The key is in their expert phrasing; they know when to hook you and how.

Sometimes the effort fails, falling into trite cornball. I offer up, "Too Much Heaven," which sounds just like a bunch of wailing around by wimps. But mostly in this "Greatest" CD, it succeeds.

Is it possible to listen to "Nights On Broadway" for eight hours straight without stopping? I almost forgot how cool this song was. And the band.

Bee Gees Greatest,a 1979 compilation chronicling the Bee Gees career from 1975 to 1979 is an excellent compilation of that time period.It features all eight #1 songs,a few top ten singles and a top twenty single.It also features three choice album cuts,two choice turntable hits and a few non album B-sides.It also features an unreleased version of (Our Love)Don't Throw It All Away which would become a hit for their brother Andy.When released in late 1979,it quickly climbed to the top of the charts and went platinum.

The eight #1's represented here are Jive Talkin',You Should Be Dancing,How Deep Is Your Love,Stayin'Alive,Night Fever,Too Much Heaven(which was actually written for UNICEF at the time),Tragedy and Love You Inside Out(To clarify here,the Bee Gees first #1 song was in 1971.That song was "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?"This compilation compiles the years 1975 through 1979 when they had eight #1 songs total.For more information,see my review of Best of the Bee Gees Volume 2 Overall,they had literally nine #1 songs total).The top ten sigles are Nights On Broadway(#7)and Love So Right(#3).The lone top twenty single is Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)(#12).The three album cuts are Love Me(which would be a hit for Yvonne Elliman),Children Of The World ,both from the album "Children Of The World" and Spirits (Having Flown) from the aqlbum of the same name.The turntable hits are Wind Of Change(the B-side of Jive Talkin'respectively)and You Stepped into My Life(the B-side of Love So Right respectively).The non album B-sides are If I Can't Have You(which would be a #1 hit for Yvonne Elliman and the B-side of the Stayin'Alive single respectively)and Rest Your Love On Me(the B-side of the Too Much Heaven single respectively and like the (Our Love)song,would also be recorded by their brother Andy).This double disc compilation faithfully recaptures their late '70's period and doesn't lie when it comes to the title of ths set.

When initially released in 1979,the two record album featured photographs of the brothers to symbolize sides.Barry's photograph symbolized Side One.Maurice's photograph symbolized Side Two,Robin's photograph symbolized Side Three and a group photograph af all three of them symbolized Side Four.

So Bee Gees fans everywhere,Greatest must be in your CD library. When combined with Best of the Bee Gees Volumes 1 and 2,you have definitive Bee Gees.Every fan must have it.Once again,Enjoy.

Is there a group that better symbolizes the disco era than the Bee Gees? In my opinion, they're definitely the best disco group of the 70's. This is a definitive for any fan of the Bee Gees. Whether it's disco fever like "Jive Talkin'" or "Night Fever" or great love songs such as "More Than A Woman" or "How Deep Is Your Love" , you simply can't go wrong with Bee Gees greatest hits. Every song on both of these cd's are great. Any disco or Bee Gees fan should enjoy this album.

If you ever want to reminisc about the disco times or just want to hear some great disco music, this cd is for you.

If you are a Bee Gees fan, you should invest in the much more comprehensive box set, "Tales From the Brothers Gibb," which boasts great sound and revealing liner notes from the brothers. This collection gathers some big hits (many from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack) and some non-hits, then has the nerve to call itself the "Bee Gees' Greatest." Familiar tunes like "If I Can't Have You" and "Love Me" were chartbusters for Yvonne Elliman, NOT the Bee Gees, whose versions are included here; also, late brother Andy's hit "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" is here, but not by him--it's the Bee Gees again. Other tracks simply don't belong on this collection: "You Stepped into My Life," "Rest Your Love on Me," "Spirits Having Flown," "Wind of Change," and "Children of the World" were not U.S. hits, so why were they included when more popular hits ("Boogie Child" and "Edge of the Universe") were omitted? Instead of pondering that question, pick up the box set, which includes all the big hits from 1967 through the late 1980s.