Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rare, precious and hauntingly beautiful melodies., June 1, 1999
By A Customer
This album was originally supposed to be a 'concept' work for the Brothers Gibb. Though it may not have finished to be what the Gibbs had originally intended, it stands to be one of their finest works ever.In retrospect, I believe this work is highly important. First, it proves that 'pre-disco' as well as 'post-disco'life existed (exists) for the Bee Gees. The melodies (Odessa, You'll Never See My Face Again, Sound of Love, Whisper Whisper, Lamplight etc.)display a unique blend of R&B, classical rock and 'Beatlesque' sound that only the Gibbs could produce. The melodies and harmonies (as well as the orchestrial blendings) are absolutely stunning. Much of this album reminds me of The Moody Blues and Electric Light Orchestra from nearly. Who got there first? Who cares? The music is hauntingly beautiful. Definately worthy of a serious listening and sincere admiration. Keep in mind, the brothers were 19 (Robin and Maurice) and 21 (Barry) when they wrote the music for this album. Even though I have been a fan of The Bee Gees since 1967, I never really cared for the Disco era. I was somewhat saddened to see them move from their Beatlesque sound to Disco. I am thrilled to see that their 80s and 90s music reflects more and more of their original stylings. In my opinion no one comes close to The Bee Gees when it comes to sheer talent in versatile writiing. After all, it was The Bee Gees that wrote the biggest selling Country and Western single ever (Islands In The Stream, written for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Pardon). These men deserve much more credit than what they have ever received for their contribution to pop music. They are righ up there with Lennon and McCartney, Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein (of their respective eras).
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Sure Ain't Disco! Their Best '60s CD, April 20, 2001
Odessa has to rank with Mr. Natural as one of the greatest unknown Bee Gees albums ever. It definitely was their best of their 4 '60s CDs (although the other 3 are all solid). What made this album even more incredible was that it came out at a time when all 3 brothers were having a tough time getting along with each other and by 1970, Robin had left the group. If all you know about the Brothers Gibb is their stuff from the late '70s, then you really need to listen to this album because you will really be amazed at what you hear. Originally envisioned as a concept album, Odessa is an hour of musical bliss. Here's a track listing and my thoughts on each: 1) Odessa -- The title track is over 7 minutes long but it's an incredible 7 minutes. Unbelievable harmonies that only the Brothers Gibb can do. Starts the theme of love lost at sea. 2) You'll Never See my Face Again -- A light-hearted piece that's okay, but not one of my favorites. 3) Black Diamond -- A great song! Robin gives one of his best performances ever in singing this gem. 4) Marley Purt Drive -- A song that definitely has a country feel to it with the banjo playing in the background. Interesting song in many aspects including the memorable line "with 16 kids and a family on the skids, I gotta go for a Sunday drive." 5) Edison -- A fun song to listen to. I love the sound of the instruments in this song. 6) Melody Fair -- Classic Brothers Gibb. An unbelievable song to say the least. One of the main reasons to buy this album. 7) Suddenly -- An okay song but like #2, one that I don't really listen to alot. 8) Whisper Whisper -- A different type of song that was somewhat revolutionary in its time. This isn't Stayin' Alive or Night Fever that you're listening to. Curiously, it's one of my least listened to songs on the album. 9) Lamplight -- An important song for Bee Gees buffs (this was the song that caused Robin to leave the group). IMHO, one of the best songs on the album. Robin gives his usual fine performance, but what makes this song great is the unbelievable harmonization by Maurice. 10) Sound of Love -- An okay song that has some good background music to it. 11) Give Your Best -- A somewhat hokey song that I usually skip when it comes on. 12) Seven Seas Symphony -- Purely instrumental. It's actually an outstanding track as it showcases the Brothers' composition talents. 13) With All Nations -- Another instrumental track that is less than 2 minutes long. Sounds alot like track #12. 14) I Laugh in Your Face -- One of my favorites on the album. I love how they develop the mood to this song and then change it to something completely different. 15) Never Say Never Again -- Another solid song featuring a fine performance by Barry. 16) First of May -- Believe it or not, the only song on this album to hit the US Top 40 (peaked at #37). Once again, Barry gives a fine performance. This was the song that was picked over Lamplight and caused Robin to leave the group. 17) The British Opera -- The third instrumental track on the album. It's a little more scary sounding than the other two. All in all a great and underappreciated album. The best tracks are #1, #3, #4, #5, #6, #9, #10, #12, #14, #15, and #16. If you like good music, then the Bee Gees are always a smart choice to get; however, where most of their albums, like all other artists, have their filler tracks, Odessa is an example of what they can do when they really focus. Once again, it's hard for me to imagine that they were able to do this considering the personal problems they were going through plus they were only 21, 19, and 19 when they did this! Do yourself a favor and buy this album!
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beatles Were White - Bee Gees Were Red, June 7, 2001
Yes, this was the Bee Gees 'white' album, only this doubled LP had a red velvet cover and a 'Titanic'-like illustration in the gatefold. Now available on a single CD, it marks the end of the sixties period for the Bee Gees.The music? This was an important time for the Gibbs' who were maturing (at ages 19 and 21) and already millionaires. The music was conceptual and starting with the title track, it delivers with powerful orchestration and emotional, lyrical simplicity. It is a skewed look at a fabled seafarer lost at sea and emotionally destitute. At least, that's what the project started out to be. Somewhere during the recordings, egos flared and tempers snapped, so what you ended up with is a collection of half Bee Gees conceptual songs and half individual Gibb contributions. It is still a remarkable recording! Stand-out cuts are "Marley Purt Drive" that could have been recorded by "The Band" and "Melody Fair", a single in some countries and a well covered track. Most of the other tracks deal with period issues like, drugs, sex, rock 'n roll, psychodelia and why not? Producer Stigwood unwittingly fueled the tensions by choosing "First Of May" as the A-Side single instead of B-Side "Lamplight", which was just as strong. Regardless, the final outcome is a conceptual album filled with an orchestrally sweeping moodiness aligned with perfect harmonies and lyrics envied by everyone. This is one of the few albums of the period with orchestral solos with the Gibbs providing the chorus. It is monumental.
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