Words@brothersgibb.com message digest 10/13/2021 03:01 (#2021-1797)

10 messages included in this issue
1=?us-ascii?Q?This_is_cool_-_Olivia_Newton-John_Expands_'Physical'_For_Its?= =?us-ascii?Q?_40th?=cmathis@brothersgibb.com
2Robin Gibb Roadcmathis@brothersgibb.com
3_The_Bees_Gees_Break_Away_From_Disco_on_'Living?= =?us-ascii?Q?_Eyes'?=cmathis@brothersgibb.com
4Can't carry a tune? Sing anywaycmathis@brothersgibb.com
5Can't carry a tune? Sing anywayhaddadgeorge@msn.com
6Robin Gibb Roadmartyhogan1956@gmail.com
7This is cool - Olivia Newton-John Expands 'Physical' For Its 40thgrant.p.walters@gmail.com
840 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes'grant.p.walters@gmail.com
940 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes'marjlarue@gmail.com
1040 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes'yasdaz17@fastmail.fm
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:41:57 -0400 From: <cmathis@brothersgibb.com> Subject: This is cool - Olivia Newton-John Expands 'Physical' For Its 40th https://tinyurl.com/8u7pyvr7 Track listing includes Barry Gibb and Olivia Newton-John "Face To Face" "Carried Away" is a Gibb song as well, (I think) and The Dolphin Song? How many Gibb Songs are on this release? The 40th anniversary edition of 'Physical' will be released on 22 October. CD 1 Original Album (MCA MCA-5529 (U.S.)/EMI EMC 3386 (U.K.), 1981) 1. Landslide 2. Stranger's Touch 3. Make A Move on Me 4. Falling 5. Love Make Me Strong 6. Physical 7. Silvery Rain 8. Carried Away 9. Recovery 10. The Promise (The Dolphin Song) Bonus Tracks 11. Landslide (Edited Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-8757, 1981) 12. Heart Attack (from Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2, MCA MCA-5547, 1982 (U.S.), 1982) 13. Tied Up (Edited Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-8948, 1983) 14. Twist Of Fate (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983/MCA single MCA-52284, 1983) 15. (Livin' In) Desperate Times (Remixed Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-9331, 1984) 16. Take A Chance - with John Travolta (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983/MCA single MCA-52284, 1983) CD 2 1. Tied Up (from Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2, MCA MCA-5547, 1982 (U.S.), 1982) 2. Shaking You (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983) 3. Face To Face - with Barry Gibb (from Now Voyager, MCA MCA-5506, 1984) 4. Physical (Long Version) (from EMI (France) 12-inch single 2C 052-52.904 Z, 1982) 5. Falling (Video Mix) (from Physical Video Album, MCA Home Video, 1982) 6. Carried Away (Alternate Mix) (source TBD) 7. Twist Of Fate (Alternate Mix) (source TBD) 8. Livin' In Desperate Times (Soundtrack Version) (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983) 9. Twist Of Fate (Extended Version / Fade) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch single MCA-13987, 1984) 10. Livin' In Desperate Times (Alternate Soundtrack Version) (source TBD) 11. Twist Of Fate (Extended Version / Cold Ending) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch promo single L33-1150, 1983) 12. Livin' In Desperate Times (Extended Version) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch single MCA-13987, 1984) 13. Livin' In Desperate Times (Humberto's Alternate Mix) (MCA (U.S.) single MCA-52341, 1984) 14. Jolene (Live) (EMI (U.K.) single 5438, 1983) 15. Physical (Live / Extended Version) (EMI (U.K.) 12-inch single 12EMI5360, 1983) DVD Physical Video Album (MCA Home Video, 1982) 1. Intro: Rolling 2. Landslide 3. Magic 4. Physical 5. Carried Away 6. A Little More Love 7. Recovery 8. The Promise (The Dolphin Song) 9. Love Make Me Strong 10. Stranger's Touch 11. Make a Move on Me 12. Falling 13. Silvery Rain 14. Hopelessly Devoted to You Olivia in Concert (MCA Home Video, 1983) 1. Olivia's Overture 2. Deeper Than the Night 3. Let Me Be There 4. Please Mr. Please 5. If You Love Me, Let Me Know 6. Jolene 7. Sam 8. Xanadu 9. Magic 10. Suddenly 11. A Little More Love 12. Silvery Rain 13. Falling 14. Heart Attack 15. Make a Move on Me 16. Hopelessly Devoted to You 17. You're the One That I Want 18. Physical 19. I Honestly Love You Recorded at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, October 12-13, 1982 Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:53:06 -0400 From: <cmathis@brothersgibb.com> Subject: Robin Gibb Road I did not know there was a Robin Gibb Road. The victim lives on Robin Gibb Road in Thame, despite the potential break-in, the woman did not report anything as missing from her home. Investigating officer PC Simon McSweeney, based at Thame police station, said: "I am appealing to anyone who recognizes this person, or believes it could be you, to please get in touch as we believe they may have important information about the incident. https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/cctv-image-released-after-attempted-burgl ary-in-thame-3406127 Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:58:26 -0400 From: <cmathis@brothersgibb.com> Subject: 40 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes' https://tinyurl.com/4vuwydvu The Bee Gees' fall from commercial grace was directly tied to changing attitudes about disco music as the '80s loomed. Even the band members themselves were pondering where the future might lead. "There was a tremendous fear that we had fallen into a rut, and I felt strongly on Living Eyes that it was time to change," long-time producer Albhy Galuten said in 2000's The Bee Gees: Tales of the Brothers Gibb. "When we started working on [what became the Bee Gees' 16th album] and it was not being fun, I remember sitting around with my friends at the time, and saying, 'It's just not working and I think that I'm going to leave.'" Part of the disconnect in the studio may have stemmed from the brothers' rustiness as a collective group: All three had contributed to outside projects as the decade turned, and reconvening wasn't without its difficulties. With a large portion of radio stations refusing to play Bee Gees records in the midst of the anti-disco movement, it was time for a new approach. Barry Gibb's R&B falsetto had dominated the group's lead vocals through the late '70s, but a change in style would also prompt a shift at the mic. "'God, every falsetto record we're putting out is a monster; we shouldn't change yet.' That's what stopped us from saying, 'Well it's time Robin [Gibb] had a lead,'" Barry recalled in The Bee Gees: Tales of the Brothers Gibb. "But now it's no longer a sales point, it's important that Robin's voice get heard. It's equally important that Maurice [Gibb]'s voice gets heard. And it's becoming less important that I get heard - and that's the way we work. There's no ego within the three of us, whoever's singing most or whoever has the most hits is irrelevant." Session musicians also took the place of the band that had recorded and toured with the Bee Gees in the late '70s. Newcomers included Don Felder of the Eagles, and an impressive lineup of well-known studio vets like Jeff Porcaro (Toto, Steely Dan), Richard Tee (Paul Simon, George Harrison), George Terry (Eric Clapton, ABBA) and Steve Gadd (James Taylor, Chick Corea), among others. Most of Living Eyes, with the notable exception of "Soldiers," ended up avoiding Barry's falsetto. It was a commercial risk that may have appealed a bit more to anti-disco consumers, but likely wouldn't go over as well with Saturday Night Fever fans. Indeed, the album fared poorly on the charts after its October 1981 release, landing at No. 73 in the U.K. and just outside the Top 40 in America. There were larger forces at work once again, Barry Gibb argued. "I've come to the conclusion that if you have too much success in this business, the business turns against you,'" he told the New York Times in 1987. "But we also had some bad luck. Besides the disco backlash, Living Eyes came out while our previous label, RSO, was in the process of shutting down. The week it came out, the president of the company was fired." In the end, Living Eyes ended up making history anyway: The album was was selected to be manufactured as a compact disc in 1981 for demonstration purposes on the BBC television program Tomorrow's World, a show intended to introduce people to developing technology. The format wouldn't be produced and distributed to the public for another year. Host Kieran Prendiville memorably tested the new technology by smearing the disc with strawberry jam, insisting that Living Eyes would play anyway. It didn't, but the Bee Gees had once again found a way to break new ground. Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 22:05:17 -0400 From: <cmathis@brothersgibb.com> Subject: Can't carry a tune? Sing anyway https://tinyurl.com/fpvyzjbp Not really any Gibb news or info, but a nice thought. The other day, I was enjoying my dinner at the Geneva lakefront, a hamburger and some fries a meal I probably should not have been eating because I am diabetic. Some people were lounging on benches, others were strolling along the pathway, and a bunch were walking dogs. All were enjoying the pleasant September evening. One couple had a loping Great Dane that was colored like a Dalmatian. All of a sudden, a man clad in bright shorts and a tank top raced by on his bike. He was belting out To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees, singing along with the song playing on his iPod that only he could hear. He was loud =97 and joyfully out of tune. He was singing, uninhibited, as he pedaled his bike fast along the path. People smiled at him, and then the quiet resumed. However, a few moments later, he was back, and bellowing the part of the song that goes, =93Im a man, thats what I am ... He rode away, clearly exuberant with what he was doing, and also clearly not giving a whit if anyone was offended, upset or uncomfortable by his impromptu performance. What immediately came to mind was the clich Live life like someone left the gate open and the vision of a dog charging down a lane. It made me think about what we, as human beings, do to truly make ourselves happy. And, also, what we dont do, either because it might be embarrassing or so different or out of character of who people think we are, or too much of a challenge. But living like that could mean missing out on the joy, the fun and the sheer pleasure that man singing along the lakefront experienced. So what if he was off-key? He was doing something he clearly loved, and because he was moving, he was not particularly annoying. I was more impressed with the fact that he was, well, living his life like someone left the gate open. It was inspiring. It reminded me that I have the ability to try something that always has intimidated me, like writing a childrens book. What if its not any good? What if it doesnt live up to Good Night, Moon or the Very Hungry Caterpillar? So I dont write it. And I feel guilty on the odd occasion when I eat something I shouldnt, like the burger and fries with too many carbs, even if I remind myself that most of the time I am vigilant. The guy on the bike? Maybe hes on to something. Do what makes you happy. Ive been told those who live in Geneva see him crooning on two wheels regularly and have so for years. The moral of this story: Take that trip. Learn to dance, Get a dog ... or two. Buy that dress (or something that you think is too extravagant or you dont deserve). Dont blow your diet or make yourself sick, but eat that hamburger once in a while. Without guilt. Write that book. Take a risk. Tackle what youve been putting off. And, even if you cant carry a tune, sing your heart out. Back to top
Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2021 02:13:49 +0000 From: Georges Haddad <haddadgeorge@msn.com> Subject: RE: Can't carry a tune? Sing anyway The culprit is without that guilt.Interesting thoughts. Georges Haddad From: cmathis@brothersgibb.com Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 10:08 PM To: Words List Member Subject: [Words] Can't carry a tune? Sing anyway https://tinyurl.com/fpvyzjbp Not really any Gibb news or info, but a nice thought. The other day, I was enjoying my dinner at the Geneva lakefront, a hamburger and some fries a meal I probably should not have been eating because I am diabetic. Some people were lounging on benches, others were strolling along the pathway, and a bunch were walking dogs. All were enjoying the pleasant September evening. One couple had a loping Great Dane that was colored like a Dalmatian. All of a sudden, a man clad in bright shorts and a tank top raced by on his bike. He was belting out To Love Somebody by the Bee Gees, singing along with the song playing on his iPod that only he could hear. He was loud and joyfully out of tune. He wa People smiled at him, and then the quiet resumed. However, a few moments later, he was back, and bellowing the part of the song that goes, Im a man, thats what I am ... He rode away, clearly exuberant with what he was doing, and also clearly not givi What immediately came to mind was the clich Live life like someone left the gate open and the vision of a dog charging down a lane. It made me think about what we, as human beings, do to truly make ourselves happy. And, also, what we dont do, either because it might be embarrassing or so different or out of character of who people think we are, or too much of a challenge. But living like that could mean missing out on the joy, the fun and the sheer pleasure that man singing along the lakefront experienced. So what if he was off-key? He was doing something he clearly loved, and because he was moving, he was not particularly It was inspiring. It reminded me that I have the ability to try something that always has intimidated me, like writing a childrens book. What if it=92s not any good? What if it doesnt live up to Good Night, Moon or the Very Hungry Caterpillar? So I dont write it. And I feel guilty on the odd occasion when I eat something I shouldnt, like the burger and fries with too many carbs, even if I remind myself that most of the time I am vigilant. The guy on the bike? Maybe hes on to something. Do what makes you happy. Ive been told those who live in Geneva see him crooning on two wheels regularly and have so for years. The moral of this story: Take that trip. Learn to dance, Get a dog ... or two. Buy that dress (or something that you think is too extravagant or you dont deserve). Dont blow your diet or make yourself sick, but eat that hamburger once in a while. Withou And, even if you cant carry a tune, sing your heart out. "Words & Music", Fans Of The Brothers Gibb ( Bee Gees ) http://www.brothersgibb.com To unsubscribe, send a message to Words-unsubscribe@brothersgibb.com Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 20:44:41 -0600 From: Marty Hogan <martyhogan1956@gmail.com> Subject: Re: Robin Gibb Road Weber State in Ogden? She also played some indian casinos in upstate New York. They must have loved her as they get squat there in Ogden. Even in the seventies, old "Brigham Young University" only had one sellout concert - The Carpenters. Yup. Marty On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 8:30 PM wrote: > I did not know there was a Robin Gibb Road… > > The victim lives on Robin Gibb Road in Thame, despite the potential > break-in, the woman did not report anything as missing from her home. > > Investigating officer PC Simon McSweeney, based at Thame police station, > said: “I am appealing to anyone who recognizes this person, or believes it > could be you, to please get in touch as we believe they may have important > information about the incident. > > > https://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/cctv-image-released-after-attempted-burglary-in-thame-3406127 > > "Words & Music", Fans Of The Brothers Gibb ( Bee Gees )http://www.brothersgibb.com > > To unsubscribe, send a message to Words-unsubscribe@brothersgibb.com > > Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 23:13:51 -0400 From: grant.p.walters@gmail.com Subject: Re: This is cool - Olivia Newton-John Expands 'Physical' For Its 40th “Carried Away” is a “Guilty” outtake penned by Barry & Robin. Curious what the alternate mix might sound like. It’s a nice track, although among the stellar songs on “Guilty”, you could see how it was a throwaway. “The Promise (The Dolphin Song)” is a song ONJ wrote herself and unrelated to the Gibbs. The inclusion of “Face to Face” is bizarre since it wasn=99t even written until 1983, but I guess it’s an interesting rarity for ONJ fans who - unless they’re diehards - probably aren’t all that familiar with it. I’ve always liked it. Grant Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 12, 2021, at 10:27 PM, cmathis@brothersgibb.com wrote: > >  > https://tinyurl.com/8u7pyvr7 > > Track listing includes Barry Gibb and Olivia Newton-John “Face To Face” > > “Carried Away” is a Gibb song as well, (I think) and The Dolphin Song? > > How many Gibb Songs are on this release? > > The 40th anniversary edition of ‘Physical’ will be released on 22 October. > > CD 1 > Original Album (MCA MCA-5529 (U.S.)/EMI EMC 3386 (U.K.), 1981) > 1. Landslide > 2. Stranger’s Touch > 3. Make A Move on Me > 4. Falling > 5. Love Make Me Strong > 6. Physical > 7. Silvery Rain > 8. Carried Away > 9. Recovery > 10. The Promise (The Dolphin Song) > Bonus Tracks > 11. Landslide (Edited Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-8757, 1981) > 12. Heart Attack (from Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2, MCA MCA-5547, 1982 (U.S.), 1982) > 13. Tied Up (Edited Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-8948, 1983) > 14. Twist Of Fate (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983/MCA single MCA-52284, 1983) > 15. (Livin’ In) Desperate Times (Remixed Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-9331, 1984) > 16. Take A Chance – with John Travolta (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983/MCA single MCA-52284, 1983) > > CD 2 > 1. Tied Up (from Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2, MCA MCA-5547, 1982 (U.S.), 1982) > 2. Shaking You (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983) > 3. Face To Face – with Barry Gibb (from Now Voyager, MCA MCA-5506, 1984) > 4. Physical (Long Version) (from EMI (France) 12-inch single 2C 052-52.904 Z, 1982) > 5. Falling (Video Mix) (from Physical Video Album, MCA Home Video, 1982) > 6. Carried Away (Alternate Mix) (source TBD) > 7. Twist Of Fate (Alternate Mix) (source TBD) > 8. Livin’ In Desperate Times (Soundtrack Version) (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983) > 9. Twist Of Fate (Extended Version / Fade) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch single MCA-13987, 1984) > 10. Livin’ In Desperate Times (Alternate Soundtrack Version) (source TBD) > 11. Twist Of Fate (Extended Version / Cold Ending) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch promo single L33-1150, 1983) > 12. Livin’ In Desperate Times (Extended Version) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch single MCA-13987, 1984) > 13. Livin’ In Desperate Times (Humberto’s Alternate Mix) (MCA (U.S.) single MCA-52341, 1984) > 14. Jolene (Live) (EMI (U.K.) single 5438, 1983) > 15. Physical (Live / Extended Version) (EMI (U.K.) 12-inch single 12EMI5360, 1983) > > DVD > Physical Video Album (MCA Home Video, 1982) > 1. Intro: Rolling > 2. Landslide > 3. Magic > 4. Physical > 5. Carried Away > 6. A Little More Love > 7. Recovery > 8. The Promise (The Dolphin Song) > 9. Love Make Me Strong > 10. Stranger’s Touch > 11. Make a Move on Me > 12. Falling > 13. Silvery Rain > 14. Hopelessly Devoted to You > > Olivia in Concert (MCA Home Video, 1983) > 1. Olivia’s Overture > 2. Deeper Than the Night > 3. Let Me Be There > 4. Please Mr. Please > 5. If You Love Me, Let Me Know > 6. Jolene > 7. Sam > 8. Xanadu > 9. Magic > 10. Suddenly > 11. A Little More Love > 12. Silvery Rain > 13. Falling > 14. Heart Attack > 15. Make a Move on Me > 16. Hopelessly Devoted to You > 17. You’re the One That I Want > 18. Physical > 19. I Honestly Love You > > Recorded at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, October 12-13, 1982 > > > "Words & Music", Fans Of The Brothers Gibb ( Bee Gees ) > http://www.brothersgibb.com > > To unsubscribe, send a message to Words-unsubscribe@brothersgibb.com Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 23:27:00 -0400 From: grant.p.walters@gmail.com Subject: Re: 40 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes' Some nice songs on “Living Eyes” but you can almost hear the tension and tentativeness. I don’t think anyone - the Gibbs, Albhy and Karl, the session players, RSO - really knew what to do with the whole situation. “Spirits” was so focused and co G. Sent from my iPhone > On Oct 12, 2021, at 10:31 PM, cmathis@brothersgibb.com wrote: > >  > https://tinyurl.com/4vuwydvu > > The Bee Gees' fall from commercial grace was directly tied to changing attitudes about disco music as the '80s loomed. Even the band members themselves were pondering where the future might lead. > > "There was a tremendous fear that we had fallen into a rut, and I felt strongly on Living Eyes that it was time to change," long-time producer Albhy Galuten said in 2000's The Bee Gees: Tales of the Brothers Gibb. "When we started working on [what becam > > Part of the disconnect in the studio may have stemmed from the brothers' rustiness as a collective group: All three had contributed to outside projects as the decade turned, and reconvening wasn't without its difficulties. With a large portion of radio > > Barry Gibb's R&B falsetto had dominated the group's lead vocals through the late '70s, but a change in style would also prompt a shift at the mic. > > "'God, every falsetto record we're putting out is a monster; we shouldn't change yet.' That's what stopped us from saying, 'Well it's time Robin [Gibb] had a lead,'" Barry recalled in The Bee Gees: Tales of the Brothers Gibb. "But now it's no longer a s > > Session musicians also took the place of the band that had recorded and toured with the Bee Gees in the late '70s. Newcomers included Don Felder of the Eagles, and an impressive lineup of well-known studio vets like Jeff Porcaro (Toto, Steely Dan), Rich > > Most of Living Eyes, with the notable exception of "Soldiers," ended up avoiding Barry's falsetto. It was a commercial risk that may have appealed a bit more to anti-disco consumers, but likely wouldn't go over as well with Saturday Night Fever fans. In > > There were larger forces at work once again, Barry Gibb argued. "I've come to the conclusion that if you have too much success in this business, the business turns against you,'" he told the New York Times in 1987. "But we also had some bad luck. Beside > > In the end, Living Eyes ended up making history anyway: The album was was selected to be manufactured as a compact disc in 1981 for demonstration purposes on the BBC television program Tomorrow's World, a show intended to introduce people to developing > > Host Kieran Prendiville memorably tested the new technology by smearing the disc with strawberry jam, insisting that Living Eyes would play anyway. It didn't, but the Bee Gees had once again found a way to break new ground. > > > "Words & Music", Fans Of The Brothers Gibb ( Bee Gees ) > http://www.brothersgibb.com > > To unsubscribe, send a message to Words-unsubscribe@brothersgibb.com Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 23:49:36 -0500 From: Kitt <marjlarue@gmail.com> Subject: Re: 40 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes' I agree. I like LE. It’s one of those albums that fans either like or dislike. I admit, I burned out on Barry’s caterwauling falsetto before SHF dropped. Years ago, I started listening to side 2 of SHF first. If not, I’d never hear it. Regardless of my non-preference for Barry’s falsetto, the backlash was over the top. Kitt- Sent from my iPad > On Oct 12, 2021, at 10:27 PM, grant.p.walters@gmail.com wrote: > > Some nice songs on “Living Eyes” but you can almost hear the tension and tentativeness. Back to top
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2021 22:52:50 -0700 From: Yasmine Ghulamali <yasdaz17@fastmail.fm> Subject: Re: 40 Years Ago: The Bees Gees Break Away From Disco on 'Living Eyes' Hi, I agree that most either really like or don't like LE, not too many are neutral. This is a very special album for me, the one that sealed the deal for me being a fan after really liking TIWICI (duck and cover). For me the big issue in LE is it has what I consider to be some of the best Robin songs and that it is the return of his voice since essentially being silent since Main Course. And of course it has Wildflower which many consider the best Mo song. I have always felt sad that the brothers did not like this album. I know they were thinking about it from a commercial point of view but I wish they could have seen how much joy this album gave to the fans who loved it, especially Robin fans :). Yasmine On 2021-10-12 6:58 p.m., cmathis@brothersgibb.com wrote: > > https://tinyurl.com/4vuwydvu > > The Bee Gees' fall from commercial grace was directly tied to changing > attitudes about disco music as the '80s loomed. Even the band members > themselves were pondering where the future might lead. > > "There was a tremendous fear that we had fallen into a rut, and I felt > strongly on Living Eyes that it was time to change," long-time > producer Albhy Galuten said in 2000's The Bee Gees: Tales of the > Brothers Gibb. "When we started working on [what became the Bee Gees' > 16th album] and it was not being fun, I remember sitting around with > my friends at the time, and saying, 'It's just not working and I think > that I'm going to leave.'" > > Part of the disconnect in the studio may have stemmed from the > brothers' rustiness as a collective group: All three had contributed > to outside projects as the decade turned, and reconvening wasn't > without its difficulties. With a large portion of radio stations > refusing to play Bee Gees records in the midst of the anti-disco > movement, it was time for a new approach. > > Barry Gibb's R&B falsetto had dominated the group's lead vocals > through the late '70s, but a change in style would also prompt a shift > at the mic. > > "'God, every falsetto record we're putting out is a monster; we > shouldn't change yet.' That's what stopped us from saying, 'Well it's > time Robin [Gibb] had a lead,'" Barry recalled in The Bee Gees: Tales > of the Brothers Gibb. "But now it's no longer a sales point, it's > important that Robin's voice get heard. It's equally important that > Maurice [Gibb]'s voice gets heard. And it's becoming less important > that I get heard and that's the way we work. There's no ego within > the three of us, whoever's singing most or whoever has the most hits > is irrelevant." > > Session musicians also took the place of the band that had recorded > and toured with the Bee Gees in the late '70s. Newcomers included Don > Felder of the Eagles, and an impressive lineup of well-known studio > vets like Jeff Porcaro (Toto, Steely Dan), Richard Tee (Paul Simon, > George Harrison), George Terry (Eric Clapton, ABBA) and Steve Gadd > (James Taylor, Chick Corea), among others. > > Most of Living Eyes, with the notable exception of "Soldiers," ended > up avoiding Barry's falsetto. It was a commercial risk that may have > appealed a bit more to anti-disco consumers, but likely wouldn't go > over as well with Saturday Night Fever fans. Indeed, the album fared > poorly on the charts after its October 1981 release, landing at No. 73 > in the U.K. and just outside the Top 40 in America. > > There were larger forces at work once again, Barry Gibb argued. "I've > come to the conclusion that if you have too much success in this > business, the business turns against you,'" he told the New York Times > in 1987. "But we also had some bad luck. Besides the disco backlash, > Living Eyes came out while our previous label, RSO, was in the process > of shutting down. The week it came out, the president of the company > was fired." > > In the end, Living Eyes ended up making history anyway: The album was > was selected to be manufactured as a compact disc in 1981 for > demonstration purposes on the BBC television program Tomorrow's World, > a show intended to introduce people to developing technology. The > format wouldn't be produced and distributed to the public for another > year. > > Host Kieran Prendiville memorably tested the new technology by > smearing the disc with strawberry jam, insisting that Living Eyes > would play anyway. It didn't, but the Bee Gees had once again found a > way to break new ground. > > "Words & Music", Fans Of The Brothers Gibb ( Bee Gees ) > http://www.brothersgibb.com > > To unsubscribe, send a message to Words-unsubscribe@brothersgibb.com Back to top
End Words@brothersgibb.com message digest 10/13/2021 03:01 (#2021-1797)