Robin then left the group – albeit briefly – but Cucumber Castle, their first release of the 70s, saw Barry and Maurice now hands-on in the studio. The fans already know it’s great, but everyone else is in for a massive surprise. Operatic, anthemic and occasionally off the wall, Odessa is one of those albums everyone should hear. The latter album didn’t create the impact one might have expected at the time, but is now considered to be a gem the 2009 deluxe three-disc set is particularly commended. Musically adventurous, their combination of baroque pop, psychedelia and blue-eyed soul was the early imprint for top albums Bee Gees 1st (1967), plus the ensuing Horizontal, Idea and Odessa – all produced by Stigwood. Robin’s vibrato was an early hallmark, while Barry’s increasingly front-of-house falsetto, with distinctive R&B depth, set the group apart and made them immediately recognisable. By 1968, Bee Gees were established stars and strode to the top with ‘Massachusetts’, as well as significant singles such as ‘I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You’, ‘I Started A Joke’ and the progressive ‘First of May’. These were vintage pop days when groups worked tirelessly and prolifically. ‘To Love Somebody’ proved they were no flash in the pan. Demos passed by Beatles manager Brian Epstein to NEMS executive Robert Stigwood led to a major Polydor deal and hit big with ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’ making the upper reaches of the charts in the UK and US. They released singles locally but didn’t reach the big time until returning to England in 1966. They cut their professional teeth for real in the tough environs of outer Brisbane, entertaining crowds for pocket money at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960. Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb were destined for the pop trade once they formed their young skiffle group, The Rattlesnakes. The story starts on the Isle Of Man, then moves to Manchester and Queensland, Australia, as an epic journey for the close-harmony kings gathers momentum. It all testifies to their incredible achievements as super-sophisticated pop masters who are also responsible for ushering in the age of mass-appeal disco with the 40-million selling Saturday Night Fever album (the best-selling soundtrack of all time), while nine No.1s and 23 Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 also count among their career pinnacles. Within the music business, Barry and his late siblings, Maurice and Robin, are revered: they have been awarded eight Grammy Awards and been inducted into both the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. With founding member Barry Gibb still at the helm, news that the band’s 22 studio albums, soundtracks, compilations, unreleased recordings and long-form audio-visual projects have been snapped up by Capitol Records is of huge interest to Bee Gees’ vast fanbase. Since forming in 1959, the phenomenal trio has sold well in excess of 220 million albums worldwide and survived huge stylistic changes in music and fashion, as well as personal tragedies that would have scuppered any lesser outfit.
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