Customer Reviews

Cucumber Castle

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My one complaint about Cucumber Castle is its length. At only 36 minutes, it seems cut short, despite having 12 songs. Of the 12 songs presented, they definately prove Barry and Maurice could hold their own without Robin. Cucumber Castle is of course the only album done by only two brothers. After a rift during the making of Odessa, Robin went solo. Barry and Maurice here make a worthy contribution to the Bee Gee catalogue.

Cucumber Castle takes the road less traveled. It is mainly a country style broken hearted sound, with a few stand outs. I like If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else. Of course, I like them all. I think Barry's voice is very strong on this album, and this track in particular. He's got a lot to prove without Robin backing him or to hand off to. The lyrics are well done in this opening track. Sometimes in the later songs the writing seems a bit thin lyrically. I.O.I.O is such a fun jubliant song in its beat and reggae feel, that its easy to forget the lyrics about the girl leaving. Maurice's background contribution defines the song. The arrangement of only the two voices is very well done. Although not a traditional song, indeed a Bee Gees classic! My only complaint is its too short.

Sweetheart was made famous by Engert somebody Hickdink , another one of those songs that people have to stop and say, "Wait? This is The Bee Gees?!" Again a love lost type song, but the tone is upbeat and easy to get stuck in your head. The vocals are particularly strong, again due to Maurice. As with The Lord, Bury Me Down By The River is again not your typical Bee Gees song. This is a very country gospel style album defined by this song, in my opinion. It seems very personal, and Barry is at top form. The simple arrangement is very well done and has a very southern gospel church feel. One might wonder about the lyrics, but to each his own when interpreting lyrics.

My Thing is a worthy song if only to hear Maurice sing lead. I'm not quite sure what this song is about. The lyrics are, well, short on words, but again its all in one's interpretation. But be careful, you will get this one stuck in your head, whether you love it or hate it.

Once the brothers came back together, Don't Forget To Remember was the song always added on compilations as representive of this album. (Usually along with Saved By The Bell, from Robin's Reign.) It's lyrics are top, as are the voices and arrangements, and the style is true to this broken hearted country sound, but I don't think its the best song on the album. In the Bee Gee songlist, Don't Forget to Rembember is just another easy listening sappy love song, and not exactly the best to represent the album. Still, its on par with If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else and thus Cucumber Castle starts and finishes on a strong note.

Those who enjoy Robin's vilbrato voice will not enjoy this album naturally. It is also tough to listen to each song and not wonder what Robin's parts would or should have been, and vice versa with Robin's Reign. As good as they are separately, the brothers are the best together. Cucumber Castle is a treat for Barry fans and worth a listen to anyone who doubts the Bee Gees can do country.

I wan't going to do this, and I'll try to keep a straight face. I mean, just check out that cover. This is approximately the second greatest album in the world, ever. I won't bother saying what the greatest is. CUCUMBER CASTLE is probably the Bee Gees' most wistful album, even without Robin, and that's saying a lot, folks. Don't let the kooky cover fool ya. Right off the bat, from track one, you know they'd rather be doing something else. And from then on it's pretty much one wistfest after another ('The Lord' is an exception, but what do you expect with a title like that?). And lush? CUCUMBER CASTLE makes the competition sound like morse code. It's almost over-orchestrated, in fact; 'Then You Left Me' has loads of Mellotron and drips with full orchestration and wonderfully choking, lachrymal vocals from Barry. Also great are the haunting 'I Was The Child', the faux-jazzy acoustic 'My Thing' (yet another transcendent Maurice moment) and the staccato-piano driven 'I Lay Down And Die' (love these titles!). But the greatest song here is the gospel/country 'Bury Me Down By The River', with backing vocals from PP Arnold. This astonishing little piece of work just soars into regions wherein the Brothers had previously only gazed longingly. Smashing, transcendent- -and I can't tell whether any of it means a damn thing. Don't care, either. The whole affair concludes with the Patsy Cline-stylized single, 'Don't Forget To Remember', its soaring chorus the perfect epitaph for the first phase of the Bee Gees' career. You really should hear CUCUMBER CASTLE; if you haven't already, it just might change your life.

In 1970,the Bee Gees found themselves in an awkward position.Robin had left to record a solo album.(The brothers were having some bitter rivalries at the time).Barry and Maurice were at a loss of what to do."Should They Go Solo?" or "Should They Record Another Album Together?"Taking Robert Stigwood's advice, they decided to record and release their next album as the Bee Gees even though Robin was "Missing In Action"(M.I.A.).They were also set to star their own television film entitled Cucumber Castle(which would also star Maurice's then wife LULU).Likewise,the album of the same name would be released in May 1970.Cucumber Castle would be their first commercial flop in the U.S.A.It climbed to #94 and than disappeared without a trace(it sold modestly in the U.K. reaching #57).Also,three singles were released which were Don't Forget To Remember(U.K.#2 U.S.#73),If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else(U.S.#91)and I.O.I.O.(U.K.#47 U.S.#94).

It's sad that this album wasn't a commercial success.Artistically,Barry and Maurice soldier on as the troopers that they are.Though Robin is noticeably M.I.A.,the brothers do deliver a very good album with some musical experimentation on some songs.In particular,I.O.I.O has a strong calypso beat that actually makes you want to get up and dance.I Lay Down and Die has an infectious opening drum riff that sends shivers up the spine.The drums continue to dazzle throughout this song.Sweetheart is where pop and country meet and create a unique sound in itself.The Lord(which was featured in the TV film)is an interesting experiment in songwriting.It shows that the brothers are going to believe in Jesus and let the world believe in what it wants to.Bury Me Down By the River has a nice R&B like quality.Other songs like My Thing(which was also featured in the TV film),If Only I Had My Mind On Something Else,The Chance of Love,Turning Tide and Don't Forget To Remember(which was also featured in the TV film)feature some of the Bee Gees best guitar,piano,bass guitar and organ playing.Maurice also displays his versatility by playing the Mellotron.

The Bee Gees also show off their trademark balladry in songs such as Then You Left Me and I Was The Child(which were also featured in the TV film).Though it isn't their best album,the brothers do carry on.They alongside Robert Stigwood deliver a very good album that demonstrates that the Bee Gees are not afraid to experiment and go into different directions artistically.The album is also very entertaining.

Aside from Robin,the other noticeable absence is the song that has the same name as the album(a song entitled Cucumber Castle which appeared on their debut Bee Gees 1st three years earlier).For some unknown reason,the Bee Gees didn't rerecord that song for possible inclusion on the album or in the TV film.Nonetheless,it isn't a total loss.

Overall,Cucumber Castle is a very good album that no fan should be without.

There is not a bad cut on the album. It is quite poppy, but there are definitely country and gospel influences, with a little art-rock thrown in for good measure. All the melodies are good, and there is quite a bit of variety within the confines of their pop sound. The arrangements are inventive, and Barry sounds inspired in his singing. Every song has something good to recommend about it. I am not sure why this record doesn't get more critical notice, but it is definitely more consistent than, say, Trafalgar. Maybe the fact that there were no big hits on it caused people not to notice. OK, maybe the arrangement on Then You Left Me is overblown, but it works! I bought it when I was 16. I am 45 now, and it is still an excellent record, an overlooked album in the Brothers Gibb catalog.

I bought this gem of an album off the budget rack at KMART in 1970. I was already a huge fan of the BEE GEES and my curiosty had been piqued by the little-known offering CC. When I first heard those richly composed melancholy tunes such as Bury Me Down By the River and Then You Left Me...I was hooked. It's some 35 years later and I still have the original album in near Mint condition! And I'll say this- holding onto this treasure has been a real challenge in and of itself. I once drove fifty miles from Salt Lake City to Provo, Utah to recapture this record from a lowly character whom I had trusted with this marvelous work and a wonder. The songs on this particular collection are extremely poignant to me since my Mother had passed on in April 1970...a couple of months before Cucumber became available.

When "Robin's Reign" was a disappointment and Barry and Maurice scrapped their solo efforts, "Cucumber Castle" carried on the Bee Gees name. Extremely typical in their ballad approach throughout this album, they still manage to bring in a few gems...and a few duds. "If Only I Had My Mind On Something Else," is one example. Singing about captains, submarines and an ace in an airplane flying to Spain, might have been more serious in its lyrics as it is in it's sound. "The Lord," "My Thing," "The Chance Of Love" and "Turning Tide" all seem odd and frivolous, as if to fill the album with whatever came to mind. Teenage love songs come to mind. But remember, the Bee Gees were a 'singles' oriented group at the time. They released three singles from this album that went nowhere. Some face is saved by the tempo building "I Lay Down And Die" and an extremely strong blues number called "Bury Me Down By The River," where Barry really belts it out. I only wish they had given credit to the female back-up singers. The Gibbs are, after all, songwriters first. They were paid compliments from this collection by Janis Joplin, who covered "I.O.I.O." and Englebert Humpberdink who recorded "Sweetheart." All in all, a modest, pleasant effort.

This CD is proof positive that without Robin, Barry and Maurice can still deliver. I've listened to this CD and I just can't get enough. My favorites here are "I.O.I.O.", "Sweetheart", "Bury Me Down By The River", "If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else", and the classic "Don't Forget To Remember". If you appreciate good music, maybe you should check this one out. Although this did not have any big hits on it, It's still worth the money. Buy it.

I have always enjoyed Cucumber Castle great deal, but I have come to cherish this album since Maurice's tragic death in 2003. Written and recorded by Barry and Maurice after Robin briefly left the group, this collection of songs showcases Maurice's skills as a musician, songwriter, arranger and a harmonist, and let's us hear the beautiful but seldom-heard blend of Barry's and Maurice's voices. Not all of these songs rank among the strongest in the vast Bee Gees catalog, but the harmonies are magical, and the album is one of the most listenable, taken as a whole.

If the short but ugly dispute between Barry and Robin had any upside, it's the existence of this album, and the little bit of spotlight it gives to a man who spent more than his share of time in the shadows. I am grateful for all of Maurice's work, and every recording that gives fans a peek at the musical skills and tastes of the "quiet" Bee Gee who left us too soon.

I've loved this album from the get go and it's albums like this that made discovering the Bee Gees so entertaining for me. It was the magic of the "Fever" songs that hooked me in and then as I started buying more and more of their back catalogue it was the realisation that those falsetto songs were just the tip of the iceberg.

This is an album of country/r&b that features arguably the best natural voice singing the Gibb's ever laid down. "Then You Left Me," "Bury Me Down By The River," "I Lay Down And Die," etc are all such beautiful and wonderfully weird songs. Maybe their appearance in the silly film that the album accompanied made people dismiss the music without giving it a chance.

"Cucumer Castle" is the sort of album that would have done Robbie Robertson and The Band proud in that it is more evoking of their Americana sound (country, gospel, southern r&b, folk) than it is of the Beatles. It certainly isn't slick pop, but the hooks are as glorious as ever and the vocals, despite the absence of Robin, are sublime.

Stunning.

This is a a great album for those of us who heard it in the early seventies. You need to be a real fan to appreciate the Bee Gees at the start of their career (as I am). This is by far the most played Bee Gees album in my collection (I own everything they recorded on CD), especially for "I Lay Down and Die" and "Then Yoy Left Me" which are the standout cuts. There is a considerable amount of distortion in some tracks, but overall a very emotional listening experience.