Customer Reviews

Children of the World

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After the enormous come-back sucess of "Main Course", the Gibbs' followed with this album and the #1 'across the charts' hit "You Should Be Dancing". Arif Mardin could not produce for them again, due to record contractual conflicts. But, at the same time, Billboard magazine had just started a "dance" chart and this single topped it the summer of 1976. Followed closely to #3 was "Love So Right", a severe 'Stylistics' sound copy. "Boogie Child" surprised everyone with it's complex instrumental backing and the funkadelic vocals.

It was another step up for the Bee Gees. Again, with too many hits to release in a year, other artists like Melba Moore "You Stepped Into My Life" and an old Gibb friend Yvonne Elliman, "Love Me", snatched these songs up and made them their own giant hits. Radio Host Casey Kasem remarked during the showcasing of "Love So Right", that the Bee Gees have had more songs copied by any other artists, other than the Beatles! This was in 1976 before "Saturday Night Fever".!

The title track made a big hit in Europe and several other tracks became concert staples. Who knew that the next studio album would be the biggest selling soundtrack of all time?

"Children Of The World" is another amazing groundbreaker. History will probably never repeat itself like this again.

I grew up with this album: Children of The World.

What a perfect follow up to Main Course. This is such an extension of the previous album... but I almost hate to call it Main Course Volume 2 due to the more "upbeat style" or "dance like" music that this album provides.

Every song is a gem - I can't pick a favorite. I guess if I had to choose (other than You Should Be Dancing) it would have to be "Boogie Child".

I didn't realize until I read another's review that Maurice took the lead on this song. It just goes to show you how well blended the Brothers Gibb were. He sounds just like Barry! My favorite part in that song is the part where they all sing together "You can't touch her cause you know she's mine..." then you hear (I assume Barry) do his trademark fasetto. But that whole section is great. Nice, sexy, slinky song.

Of course, other standouts are You Stepped Into My Life, Love So Right, Love Me, and the title track. Can't Keep A Good Man Down is great too.

Least Favorite Off This Album (if I had to pick one) is Lovers, but it's still very strong. Love the little scat that Barry maybe?? does between "We'll be Lovers, Lovers, Lovers..."

Get this album along with Main Course for some prime Bee Gees.

Note: This is a re-issue until Rhino Records releases the Remastered Expanded version.

After the enormous come-back sucess of "Main Course", the Gibbs' followed with this album and the #1 'across the charts' hit "You Should Be Dancing". Arif Mardin could not produce for them again, due to record contractual conflicts. But, at the same time, Billboard magazine had just started a "dance" chart and this single topped it the summer of 1976. Followed closely to #3 was "Love So Right", a severe 'Stylistics' sound copy. "Boogie Child" surprised everyone with it's complex instrumental backing and the funkadelic vocals.
It was another step up for the Bee Gees. Again, with too many hits to release in a year, other artists like Melba Moore "You Stepped Into My Life" and an old Gibb friend Yvonne Elliman, "Love Me", snatched these songs up and made them their own giant hits. Radio Host Casey Kasem remarked during the showcasing of "Love So Right", that the Bee Gees have had more songs copied by any other artists, other than the Beatles! This was in 1976 before "Saturday Night Fever".!

The title track made a big hit in Europe and several other tracks became concert staples. Who knew that the next studio album would be the biggest selling soundtrack of all time?

"Children Of The World" is another amazing groundbreaker. History will probably never repeat itself like this again.

... This record was one of my first purchases as a teenager and in spite of some of my changing tastes in music, I still always appreciated the harmonies of the Gibb Brothers and the spunky instrumental support.

Many good quality songs on here as it is indeed hard to choose a favorite. I guess that I would lean towards Boogie Child with its spunky guitars and captivating melodies. However I really appreciate the shear beauty of ballads like Love Me and The Way It Was. Those numbers are sung with so much emotion. Also Can't Keep A Good Man Down has some real spunky guitar fills.

Truthfully I prefer this recording to the somewaht overhyped Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. Its a bit more mainstream. Anyway, this is very suitable for many audiences.

If one were to assess musical artists in the Pop music era, one may not be off-base by saying that the Bee Gees are one of the Top 10 acts of all time. The Bee Gees established themselves as pop stars in the late 1960s; reinvented themselves in the 1970s as pioneers for the "Disco Era"; became acclaimed songwriters for some of pop's biggest acts in the 1980s; and then successfully made a comeback in the 1990s. It was the 1975 album "Main Course" that would be the album where the Bee Gees would reinvent themselves. "Main Course" would include a large use of synthesizers that would be key in spearheading the Bee Gees foray into the "Disco Era". While "Main Course" might be criticized because of being Disco, one cannot deny that the Bee Gees were innovators back in 1975. Following "Main Course", the Bee Gees would release their follow-up, "Children of the World". With that album, the Bee Gees continue with the formula that worked on "Main Course" - further solidifying their journey into the world of Disco.

Looking at the Bee Gees, I look at the group has covering three phases. "Early Bee Gees" covers the period from the inception of the group through 1973's "Life in a Tin Can" album. This period would have the Bee Gees characterized as pop artists/pop balladeers. In 1974, with the release of "Mr. Natural" would begin the "Disco Era" phase as the Bee Gees would introduce an R&B and Disco influence - as well as Barry Gibb's trademark falsetto. The "Disco Era" phase would run from 1974's "Mr. Natural" album through 1981's "Living Eyes" album. This would be the most commercially successful period for the band and would include their "Saturday Night Fever" material. When Disco went into decline, the Bee Gees would go into commercial decline. They would take some time off and focus on songwriting, and then in 1987 when they would launch their comeback. Beginning with 1987's "E.S.P." album, the Bee Gees would return to a more traditional sound becoming adult-contemporary artists. "Children of the World" would fall into the heart of the commercially successful "Disco Era" phase.

"Children of the World" would include all of the trademarks of the "Disco Era" phase. The R&B sound - with some influence of funk. To help construct this sound, the Bee Gees would defer to often orchestral-like sounds. The use of horns also helps supplement this sound.

Here is a track by track review of this collection:

"You Should Be Dancing": Many people consider this the signature song of during the entire Disco Era - and with good reason. This song would also be selected to be John Travolta's "solo" during "Saturday Night Fever". The song is completely electric. What many people overlook is the infusion of the horns section and the fact that the song is supplemented by a calypso sound. It are these items that really help put the song over the top.

"You Stepped into My Life": Following the electricity of "You Should Be Dancing", this song is almost a let-down. The song uses has a funk influence with lots of synthesizers. To a lesser extent, you can also hear some orchestral sounds. While it has a good beat, the vocals on this song (despite Barry Gibb's falsetto) did bore me.

"Love So Right": While not a Disco or a Funk song, this song almost is the poster child for many of the ballads the Bee Gees did in the "Disco Era" phase. This song is all about Barry's vocals - which are truly are in prime form on this song. The chorus almost has a mantra-like effect.

"Lovers": At first this song annoyed me, but slowly it started to grow on me. This song has a funk-influenced beat. Barry and Robin trade vocals nicely (and I think it's Maurice going "got to make you understand").

"Can't Keep a Good Man Down": This is perhaps one of the most underrated songs of the Bee Gees career. Barry Gibb once again is in perfect form with his vocals and Robin's vocals fold in at the right time. The use of horns in the chorus on spot on. You could easily see this song fitting into the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack (too bad it wasn't a part of it).

"Boogie Child": This song is pure Funk by the Bee Gees. The Bee Gees pull this one off flawlessly.

"Love Me": This song gives us another ballad by the Bee Gees. This ballad has a deep R&B feel to it with Robin taking the lead. While not as strong as "Love So Right", this one is still very good.

"Subway": Another song that I could hear in the urban discotheques. This song has a some great orchestral hooks in it as well as some terrific use of horns. Barry's has his falsetto in high gear on this song. I could have also seen this song in "Saturday Night Fever".

"The Way It Was": This song takes a more traditional ballad - no R&B on this one. This song has some nice keyboards in it. Again, the solid vocals by Barry help

"Children of the World": Another overlooked song in the Bee Gees portfolio. The song starts out with a nice a cappella. The song then progresses into some light synthesizers that eventually become some heavy synthesizers. The intensity of the synthesizers really provide some nice contrast to the soft-styled vocals of this track. The song eventually closes with the a cappella that started it.

This is the remastered album. The liner notes did not include any lyrics, but they did include the musician credits. Overall, this collection is at the heart of not only the Bee Gees "Disco Era" phase, but the overall Disco period. It was a great precursor to what was to come with "Saturday Night Fever". Highly recommended.

This album is basically a reflection of the Bee Gees' songs from Saturday Night Fever in my opinion. They aren't all the same (with the exception of "You Should Be Dancing") but they all have that same mood, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy this album a lot.

The songs, "You Should Be Dancing", "Boogie Child", "Can't Keep a Good Man Down", and "Lovers" are all disco-like. "You Should Be Dancing" provides you with a lot of endless beats and a blood-pumping atmosphere. "Boogie Child" is a great song that really defines ultimate disco with its marvelous pitch to it. "Lovers" was probably my least appreciate song in this album. It has a dance-like sound to it but it doesn't add up to the real quality compared to the other songs. It's hard to explain--may be the vocals, the mixes, etc.. I had fun listening to "Can't Keep a Good Man Down", which shows a lot more prowess put into it--it's definitely a moderately paced song but rapid enough to get a good dance out of.

Now this part of the album is mainly where the Bee Gees show absolutely well-thought out definition in songs like "Subway", an excellent song for a Friday night to listen to, since the song's about living in the streets of New York City--saxophones, almost a rendition of "More Than a Woman"--probably my most favorite in this album. Barry's falsetto in "Subway" does a superb job in making the song stand out with subtlety. "You Stepped Into My Life" has a more slow pace to it but doesn't slack off by adding nice touches to it. I listen to it sometimes but not quite often because it doesn't that particular emotion about it. "Love Me" and "The Way It Was" are fantastic ballads that are great to listen to....similar to a "How Deep is Your Love" atmosphere...thumbs up for those ballads. Robin's vocals in "Love Me" make the song much more appreciable with more sincerity. Barry's voice in "The Way It Was" has me listening to the song 10x better. "Children of The World" is fine I guess, although it doesn't have a real disco beat to it nor a ballad sound to it...just a casual song, not bad. I think it's cool though, a good way to sum up the album.

I must say that this is a another compilation of the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever songs because the Bee Gees exactly produce the same disco beat dance songs and the heart-renching ballads just like in Saturday Night Fever. Any Bee Gees fan will be captivated by what the Bee Gees has for show in this album, where you could listen to it and become captured by its dexterity and skill.

I remember when I purchased this album back in 1970 something, I found it a lot of fun and very well done. Some 25 years later, it's still a classic example of the tasteful writing and the trademark voices of a truly class act. As in a lot of records, the best tracks on this set are not the songs released as singles. While "You Should Be Dancing" "Love So Right" and "Boogie Child" are fun, the best songs on this collection are "Subway," with its driving beat and haunting melody and the passionate beauty of "The Way It Was." So, if you have this CD, go back and check out these gems; if you don't have it and you're a new Bee Gees fan, buy this for a good example of why they were so popular.

Like others have stated, if you liked 'Main Course' by The Bee Gees, you will like this cd too. The music on this disc is great and I bought this group of songs enough in different formats, so I must love it. Yes, I still have the 8-track, the LP and the original cd version. I also had it in cassette, but it is long gone. You obviously like the music of this disc or you would not be here and since so many others have commented on the music, I want to comment on the sound quality, in everyday terms.

Like so many of you, when it came out on cd, I snapped it up. I hope I can now save many of you the disappointment I felt in purchasing this cd all over again for the sole reason of it being - REMASTERED.

I am not going to say it is not Remastered, but I do have my doubts. I transferred the songs to WAV files and matched it against the original cd put out years ago. The changes I could see in the graphs were very minimal at best and volume level was about the same, very low. It is almost as if they may have added a small bit of volume and called it Remastered.

When I listen to selections from 'Children Of The World' on either the Remastered 'Greatest Hits' or Remastered 'Mythology' or Remastered 'The Record', the songs sound vibrant and fresh as if they were made to today's standards. 'Children Of The World' disc sounds like it was copied from a cheap source and not the quality sound you'd expect from The Bee Gees and Reprise. The other Remasters sound clear, full and crisp. The WAV files of these songs also are very noticeably fuller than those from 'Children Of The World'.

When I compare the cd inlay and cover, they are very identical and the cover is actually a folded cover with no pages like a booklet would have. The inside is basiaclly the same although they added about 6 lines of written text from the title song to a picture. When you read the credits, they are the same word for word and nothing is written about it being a 'Remastered' disc as it is advertised here and other places.

All and all, if you have the original cd, there is no need to waste your money on this one as you will not notice any written or sound differences. If you do not have this disc and like it or like the Bee Gees from the 70's, it is a great disc. For quality Remastered Bee Gees though, stick to the compilation discs I mentioned. Reprise blew it on this one. I just hope that someone will come out with a truly Remastered 'Children Of The World' and 'Main Course'. Hope this helps you.Children of the World

Far from jumping on the Disco band wagon, the Bee Gees first forays into the Diso Genre on 'Main Course' in 1975 was at a time when Disco was not that popular.
On 'Main Course' we got a little taster of what was coming from the Bee Gees, with tracks like 'Nights On Broadway', 'Jive Talkin'' and 'Fanny Be Tender'.
This album is all about Disco and R&B. At this point in time, the lads Songwriting was so strong that any track here could have been a massive hit.
'You Should be Dancing' was the choice as single and was and still is a huge hit, reaching number 1 on the billboard charts. Funnily 'Love Me' somehow found it's way to Yvonne Elliman and was a big hit for her especially in the UK. If you ask me, her version is absolutely nothing to the original sung by Robin and Barry which should have been A no.1
'Love So Right' was another big hit reaching no.3. A great soulful ballad from Barry. Boogie Child was also a minor hit.
For me this is the quintessential disco album. A real must. Every song, a classic
White boys got soul too you know......even if they are from Manchester!

I recently purchased this CD and I love it! Only a couple of tracks on this album are well known. But, it is still one of the best Bee Gees album I have heard. I especially love Maurice's lead vocals on "Boogie Child". This is fast becoming one of my very all-time favorites. And the harmony on "Children of the World" is wonderful.
I think that anyone who likes the voices of Barry, Robin and Maurice will enjoy this album.