The Bee Gees - First of May (1969)

If it hasn’t been made clear, I love The Bee Gees. Evidently a lot of other people do too.



What else explains how this posted video of the group singing First of May appears on said date?

There was arguing over which song, Robin’s Lamplight or Barry’s First of May, should be the album’s lead single.

This post, video and countless greatest hits packages reveal which song was chosen.

The Bee Gees - 1st

I’ve been playing The Bee Gees like crazy. I only recently removed their music from my MP3 player.

I've been a Bee Gees fan since childhood. My mother had the 7" single of To Love Somebody long before I would care. Even from childhood to now, that song is one of my favorite and greatest love songs I've ever heard in my life.



Their 1960s songwriting was fantastic. What else can I say about To Love Somebody that hasn't been said or sung? As great as that song is, they have about a dozen plus songs that are just as strong. The Every Christian Lionhearted Man Will Show You beat is heavy while their harmonizing is light and sweet.




I've been killing Nina Simone's To Love Somebody since I found a vinyl copy of the album. She covered The Bee Gees I Can’t See Nobody & the title track on that album. It just goes to show the Bee Gees were getting props from their contemporaries just as they do from fans like me today.

The Bee Gees - Cucumber Castle

A close family friend's sister had the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album in her collection.  The Bee Gees were on the cover and evidently responsible for its success.

While in elementary school, I cared less about Islands in the Stream, whether Boys Do Fall in Love or any Chain Reaction with Diana Ross.



Fast forward to mid-2000s and I started checking out 1960/1970s rock & soul. I always had an interest in British Invasion rock and simply explored the music deeper. Like my love for Steve Winwood, it was a matter of time until I got back to The Bee Gees.

A few years ago, there was a record store in Montreal called Le Renart Bleu on Mt. Royal. I picked up a lot of classic rock and soul records from them. Funny enough, they had a heap of early Bee Gees albums and something made me pick them all up.   Cucumber Castle was among them. 



At this point, I've got a vinyl copy of their 1967-1975 output. What I might do is get pristine copies of my personal favorites from their discography. I reluctantly bought a copy of Idea at the WFMU Record Fair for a very low price ($1) but a listen or two made me realize that not all their songs or albums are pivotal. The thing is when The Bee Gees song is on point, they're unbeatable.

My research about The Bee Gees revealed why there were only two Gibb Brothers on the album cover.  The group had broken up after disputes about the Odessa album and presumably other issues. The late Robin Gibb released a solo album around the same time as Cucumber Castle's release.   

Cucumber Castle is not The Bee Gees' strongest album. With the exception of Don't Forget to Remember, there are not many musically brilliant moments like albums prior when the group was intact. Robin's absence is blaring and thankfully they reunited within about 2 years after the split.

The Bee Gees - Idea

I saw The Bee Gees on the Saturday Night Fever album as a child.

While in elementary school, I cared less about Islands in the Stream, whether Boys Do Fall in Love or any Chain Reaction with Diana Ross.



Fast forward to mid-2000s and I started checking out 1960/1970s rock & soul. I always had an interest in British Invasion rock and simply explored the music deeper. Like my love for Steve Winwood, it was a matter of time until I got back to The Bee Gees.

I Started a Joke is no laughing matter. I’ve Got To Get A Message To You gets the message across every time



A few years ago, there was a record store in Montreal called Le Renart Bleu on Mt. Royal. I picked up a lot of classic rock and soul records from them. Funny enough, they had a heap of early Bee Gees albums and something made me pick them all up. At this point, I've got a vinyl copy of most of their output. What I might do is get pristine copies of my personal favorites from their discography.

I reluctantly bought a copy of Idea at the WFMU Record Fair for a very low price of $1. The thing is when a Bee Gees single is on point, it is unbeatable. Some songs like Kitty Can are so good that I needed to buy another copy to replace the first one.

The Bee Gees have countless cuts that could or should have been hits.

With most Best-Of, Greatest Hits, Ultimate or Definitive sets, some songs can and will get omitted from the track listing.



Such is the case with Bee Gees Mythology.

I will say that the omission of Let There Be Love from the Mythology compilation is glaring however the song gets special spotlight treatment on this blog.    

Barry Gibb may have sang about the First of May but on September 1st we wish him a happy birthday.  Thank you and the Gibb Family for the music.

The Bee Gees have countless cuts that could or should have been hits.

With most Best-Of, Greatest Hits, Ultimate or Definitive sets, some songs can and will get omitted from the track listing.



Such is the case with Bee Gees Mythology.

I will say that the omission of Let There Be Love from the Mythology compilation is glaring however the song gets special spotlight treatment on this blog.    

The Bee Gees - Odessa (1969)

In the midst of May 2012, Robin Gibb was fighting for his life.  By the end of the month, we mourned his loss.

I got the unfortunate news of Robin Gibb’s death via text message that night. I got out of the subway to read he died.

I bore the bad news to some DJ friends of mine and one remembered I am a Bee Gees fan.  

Lamplight is one of the most gorgeous songs The Bee Gees ever recorded but from my perspective was too operatic for radio.

The creativity and talent put into the album managed to undo the group.  Odessa was too grandiose for the time and suffered the fate of being The Bee Gees’ and rock music history’s overlooked masterpiece.

My rejuvenated interest in their music for the last year or so makes Robin Gibb’s death all the sadder.

I learned the Brothers Gibb broke up temporarily after the release of Odessa. They reunited two years later.  That album should make for an interesting, future post.

Bee Gees - Mythology

I’ve been playing The Bee Gees like crazy for about a year. I removed most of their music from my Sansa Fuze+ MP3 player but still kept a handful of songs to enjoy.

The good people at Rhino put this 4CD collection together to commemorate the group’s 50th anniversary. With most Best-Of, Greatest Hits, Ultimate or Definitive sets, some songs can and will get omitted from the track listing. Such is the case with Bee Gees Mythology. The Bee Gees have countless cuts that could or should have been hits.



I will say that the omissions of World, Every Christian Lionhearted Man Will Show You and even One are glaring.



After multiple listens of Mythology, including now as I write this, I will not fault the creators too much because as the liner notes state, The Bee Gees themselves selected the songs.



This proves that individual tastes are unique and not everyone can be happy with a greatest hits package. Where the Bee Gees are concerned, there is more than enough to be happy with on one disc of their music let alone four.

Robin Gibb

I got the unfortunate news of Robin Gibb’s death via text message. I got out of the subway to read he died that day.

I bore the bad news to some DJ friends of mine and one remembered I am a Bee Gees fan. As per tradition as we approach the beginning of May, I will post about the group's single First of May tomorrow. 

Gibb’s passing touches me personally.  My rejuvenated interest in their music for the last few years or so makes Robin Gibb’s death all the sadder.

I extend my condolences to Barry and the Gibb family.