Best of Bee Gees

Bee Gees

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 3, 2004)
• Original Release Date: June 1969
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Universal Import
• ASIN: B000001FLX
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,916 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Long before they reinvented themselves as the kings of Saturday Night Fever, The Bee Gees were an amazing Australian trio singing songs that were more rooted by lilting folk guitar melodies than dance floor beats. The high, almost falsetto, harmonies were in place even in their hits of the mid- and late-1960s. The melodicism of hits like "Holiday" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" had a darker, even eerie, quality compared to the more typically melancholy "To Love Somebody." Comparing the music on Best of the Bee Gees, Volume I to the later antics of the Brothers Gibb is the proverbial apples and oranges. It's clear that the boys truly knew how to craft a hit regardless of the genre, but it does beg the question, "Will the real Bee Gees please stand up?" While both periods have their moments, the smart money seems to be on their earlier work. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fab Three's Biggest Sixties Hits, May 22, 2000

By	Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When the Bee Gees first charted in 1967 with "New York Mining Disaster, 1941," Barry Gibb was 19 and his twin brothers Robin and Maurice were 17. Despite their youth, their Beatles-inspired pop would return them to the Top 40 seven more times over the next two years and they're all here.

For this aging Baby-Boomer, this is the Bee Gees at their best--not a disco song in sight--just the Gibb brothers' voices wrapped around timeless melodies like "To Love Somebody," "Holiday," Massachusetts," "Words" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You." ["I Started a Joke" is an equally exquisite song, but am I the only one completely baffled by the lyrics?]

As has been noted earlier, this is not exactly the original Best of the Bee Gees released in 1969. "Spicks and Specks" (which topped the charts in Australia before the band broke out in the U.S.) has been replaced by the duet "Tomorrow Tomorrow' (a minor hit at #73 and recorded during Robin's two-year hiatus from the group). [Attention Polygram: Why only 12 tracks and 37 minutes? Couldn't you have left "Spicks and Specks" on the disc? And while you're at it, why not also add the minor hit "Jumbo" (#57) from 1968?]

After getting this CD, get Best of Vol. 2 and you'll have all of the big hits and also-rans from the pre-disco Bee Gees. [Note: Vol. 2 has a more generous 14 tracks and runs nearly sixty minutes.]

If you're old enough to remember the Bee Gees before they became the reigning kings of disco in the Seventies, this is a must-have purchase. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Compilation Of Early Bee Gees Hits!, July 11, 2002

By	Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It is probably accurate to say that those of us old enough to remember the original incarnation of the Australian supergroup "The Bee Gees" recall their singular vocal and harmonic sound and the string of smash hits they had in quick succession in the 1960s. Most of those original hits are included in this compilation of their early work, from an ethereal "Holiday" to a plaintive "Got To Get A Message To You". Indeed, they had a rapid succession of monster hits along the lines of favorites like "Words", "I Started A Joke", and "First Of May".

Really, then, until one listens to the CDS, it is easy to forget just how many times they rolled songs up to the top of the charts in that brief three or four year period. Of the twelve hits included here, my own personal favorite is, of course, "Massachusetts", but I also like "To Love Somebody", "New York Mining Disaster", and the strange but memorable "Every Christian Lion-Hearted Man Will Show You". Indeed, the Bee Gees (for Brothers Gibbs) cut a wide and special swath through the history of sixties pop music, and this album showcases their talent and their memorable lineup of hits. I can heartily recommend this CD. Enjoy!

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great--though short--compilation of first great Bee Gees era, December 3, 1999

By	David Pearlman "sound fanatic" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a reissue of the first Bee Gees best-of album, which covers only their early, lush pop era. Later converts be forwarned: There is nothing approaching a danceable song on this album. This is pop, and nothing but pop. But what great pop. There are more than a few bonafied standards on this set, including "Words", "I Started a Joke", "To Love Somebody" ,etc. This material is more than enough to justify an entire career.

Two complaints about this collection: 1) It's short--just 12 tracks. That was fine in the vinyl era, but is very chintzy in the CD age. A more complete single CD compilation combining the best of "Best Of" vols 1 and 2 would be a fairer deal for the consumer. But at least what's here is mostly top-notch. 2) Although this CD sports the same cover as the original vinyl album on Atco, one track substitution has been made: Spicks and Specks has been replaced by Tomorrow, Tomorrow. This is an unfortunate substitution, but was probably required due to licensing problems for the original track (which was originally issued prior to the Bee Gees signing with RSO).

Those caveots noted, this is still a great listen. The one star this has been docked is for the shortness of the comp.

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