[U5pz6B71]

Link:

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/...er-dies-at-62/


I know people die all the time, it just gets depressing when several you knew kick it in short order.....

[Aozenee]

I liked their stuff & have some of it, and their falsetto period was a bit annoying, but the music behind it holds up. Only Barry is left, pretty sure.

[Varbaiskkic]

They'll probably mostly be remembered for the annoying falsetto disco stuff... but Robin Gibb did write and sing one of the greatest soul ballads ever. From 1967:



And covered by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone.... and others.

[pissmanvd]

That and "Gotta Get A Message To You' are my top 2 faves.

[DenisLevvin]

Wow--Donna Summer and a Bee Gee, Robin Gibb, gone in the same week.

I guess all the Baby Boomer/Disco '60s music greats are reaching some kind of a demographic plateau and they are starting to pass in significant numbers.
When Donna Summer died last week, a huge piece of the glam-rock, coke-and flash Disco history of the early '70s went with her, and now that yet another Gibb has gone, even more of the seminal history of that now distant musical era is quickly receding. We are down to 2 Beatles and one last -Gee.

I was living in New York in the time of Disco and went to a LOT of the clubs and happenings, some which didn't START to party until 2 AM. My fave was The Apple on 2nd Ave, a three-story showplace dedicated to Disco decadance. A lot of the club music was crap back then, but some jewels stood out and have become songs that rightfully define the time. Bee Gees were played a lot, defining things way back then through their unique sound.

I hope The Bee Gees are not remembered as Disco artists. They were much, much more than that. They allowed a LOT of their early songs, created in a pre-Disco time, to be used in "Saturday Night Fever", and when that ULTIMATE movie of the New York club scene was released in 1979, the Bee Gees instantly became known only for the Disco themed soundtrack of the movie, not for the 10-12 years of excellent music they had already made. When "Saturday Night Fever" was released, true BeeGees' fans immediately recognized their "old" music and wondered why some new stuff wasn't comissioned for the movie instead.

In 1967, at the height of the Beatles/Stones/Cream/ era-- the "British Invasion" Era, if you will-- the Bee Gees emerged as musical equals, creating from the get-go well-written things like "New York Mining Disaster" and "I Can't See Nobody". Their creative lyrics and distinctive falsetto delivery system were a background soundtrack throughout the late '60s, and they blended well with the pumped-up Disco sound of the next decade... each time a new Beatles album came along, it seemed, so did a Bee Gees' album, and they gave birth to gems like "Massachusetts", "The First of May", "Stayin' Alive", "Jive Talkin' ", "You Should be Dancing", "To Love Somebody"...and so on.
After about 6 years of astounding record sales, their star faded somewhat and they became a bit obscure, but then came the Travolta movie in '79-- and then, inspired by the acclaim they got for their soundtrack, they regrouped and produced the classic "Spirits Having Flown" album ( which contains my personal favorite Bee Gees song, "Inside and Out") and with that they were in The Pantheon of Great Rock Acts forever.

I have most of their albums ( in each format) and I have never tired of hearing their music.

Farewell, Robin. And thanks.

[JacomoR]

The popularity of the Gibb brothers: Billboard's top selling recordings of 1978...

PositionArtistSong Title1Andy GibbShadow Dancing2Bee GeesNight Fever3Debby BooneYou Light Up My Life4Bee GeesStayin' Alive5ExileKiss You All Over6Bee GeesHow Deep Is Your Love7PlayerBaby Come Back8Andy Gibb(Love Is) Thicker Than Water



And if I may drop a few names... I did get to meet his brother Andy Gibb once and that was nice (in his dressing room backstage at the Merv Griffin show...long story) but I remember almost nothing about him.

He was totally upstaged by the fact that he was with the super-fabulous (well, for me anyway) JoAnne Worley from Laugh-In fame... a campy childhood fave of mine.

(To be fair to Gibb: as far as I was concerned... even the Queen of England and the Pope would have faded into the background with her there.)

They were promoting their production of Pirates of Penzance. They did a few numbers on the show... I do remember Gibb was not quite B'way material. And he seemed rather frail. A few years later he was gone.

[steansathtpos]

Gotta feel for Barry. He had three brothers. Now he's the only one left, and he's not that old.

[irrehoobe]

They'll probably mostly be remembered for the annoying falsetto disco stuff... but Robin Gibb did write and sing one of the greatest soul ballads ever. From 1967:



And covered by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone.... and others.

A great song.