Second Disc HQ always buzzes when new catalog acquisitions are announced, and last week had us feeling like bees…Bee Gees, that is!
Last Tuesday, it was announced that distribution of the legendary Australian trio’s discography (including 22 studio albums, the bestselling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, compilations and unreleased material) would transition from longtime home Rhino to Capitol/Universal Music Enterprises.
Barry Gibb, along with his late brothers Robin and Maurice, guided the group from psych-pop outfit in the late ’60s and early ’70s to disco juggernauts and songwriter/producers extraordinaire–some 220 million records sold in all. But this is hardly the start of Bee Gees catalog activity over the last quarter century or so. Join us for a brief trip down memory lane of Gibb-oriented reissues!
Tales From The Brothers Gibb (Polydor, 1990)
A gorgeous relic of the original CD box set boom (produced by box set guru Bill Levenson), Tales covered more than two decades of Bee Gees material, focusing largely on single sides from 1967 to 1989 as originally released on Polydor, RSO and Warner Bros. Records, offering bits of solo material from Robin and Barry, some first-time stereo mixes by Bill Inglot on some of the early, pre-disco material, and a few unreleased treasures from the band’s then-current tenure on Warners (a demo of the title track to 1987’s E.S.P. and live tracks from a 1989 concert).
Their Greatest Hits: The Record (Polydor/UTV, 2001)
A double-disc career-spanning collection (which goes right up to that year’s This is Where I Came In, the last Bee Gees studio album) that makes itself essential by illustrating some of the Gibbs’ works as songwriters/producers, with new or unreleased versions of hits for Samantha Sang (“Emotion”), Dionne Warwick (“Heartbreaker”), Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton (“Islands in the Stream”) and Celine Dion (a demo of her “Immortality”). Track down the Target-exclusive edition for five bonus live cuts.
The Studio Albums 1967-1968 (Reprise, 2006)
While previous Bee Gees comps were comprehensive, fans had long clamored for the trio’s early, psychedelic-inspired recordings (released on Polydor around the world and ATCO in the U.S.) to get the attention it deserved. That finally happened with The Studio Albums 1967-1968, which presented expanded editions of the band’s first three international albums (Bee Gees’ 1st (1967), Horizontal (1968) and Idea (1968)). Each album was presented in both mono and stereo, with bonus discs for each album. This is the ideal place to catch early hits like “To Love Somebody,” “Massachusetts,” “Words,” “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” and “I Started a Joke,” the group’s first Australian No. 1 hit.
Bee Gees Greatest (Reprise, 2007)
While there were far more comprehensive Bee Gees comps during the Rhino era (2009’s double disc Ultimate Bee Gees is the likely go-to), this original 1979 compilation does a thorough job covering the group’s hits-packed disco period on RSO between 1975 and 1978. And Reprise’s remaster bridges a gap for fans old and new, offering two vault tracks (Saturday Night Fever outtake “Warm Ride” and an original 12″ mix of “Stayin’ Alive”) and a host of decent modern remixes of Fever-era material.
Mythology (Reprise, 2010)
Mythology stands apart from other Bee Gees comps by being something of a family affair. The 4CD set features three discs of handpicked favorites of each of the brothers (Barry and Robin selected theirs, while Maurice’s disc–which featured two unreleased outtakes and the CD debut of single “Hold Her in Your Hand”–was curated by his widow, Yvonne). And as an added treat, Mythology becomes the first collection to include material from Andy Gibb, the youngest of the brothers and a star in his own right with hits like “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” and “Shadow Dancing.” Andy’s daughter Peta curated his disc, which featured the debut release of his final recorded song, “Arrow Through the Heart.”
The Festival Albums Collection 1965-67 (Festival/Warner Music Australia, 2013)
For those wishing to go back further than Bee Gees’ 1st, try The Festival Albums Collection, which, for the first time on CD, gathered the scattershot collections of the group’s earliest official material: The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs (1965), Spicks and Specks (1966, featuring the Australian Top 5 title track) and 1967’s non-LP singles collection Turn Around, Look At Us.
The Warner Bros. Years 1987-1991 (Warner Bros./Rhino, 2014)
While the Bee Gees (most notably Barry) struck gold in the ’80s as producers and songwriters, they’d done so at the cost of their own hitmaking streak. As The Warner Bros. Years shows, that would change after the end of a six-year gap between albums and a new record deal. 1987’s E.S.P. featured the U.K. chart-topper “You Win Again,” while 1989’s One gave the group their last U.S. Top 10 hit with the peppy title track. (The group’s last Warner album, 1991’s High Civilization, included a U.K. Top 5, “Secret Love.”) Remastered versions of all three albums populate this box (which feature bonus B-sides and remixes for E.S.P. and One), as well as the 2CD debut of 1989’s One for All concert, released in part on Tales From The Brothers Gibb.
Saved by the Bell: The Collected Works of Robin Gibb 1968-1970 (Rhino, 2015)
While Barry’s production techniques often stood out after the Bee Gees became proven hitmakers, Robin’s melancholy voice and baroque pop compositional gifts were a secret weapon of the group, particularly during their earlier years. Robin released a solo album, Robin’s Reign, in 1970, while the group were apart. That LP forms the backbone of the lovingly-assembled Saved by the Bell (named for the album’s hit single); producer Andrew Sandoval collected the stereo album, select mono mixes, outtakes, demos, BBC recordings and, for the first time, the previously unreleased material for Robin’s planned second album, Sing Slowly Sisters. As Joe can tell you, it’s a must for Bee Gee devotees!
1974-1979 (Rhino, 2015)
The most recent catalog offering from the Bee Gees collects the meatiest parts of the trio’s RSO tenure, remastering Mr. Natural (1974), Main Course (1975), Children of the World (1976) and Spirits Having Flown (1979) and including a bonus disc, The Miami Years, which featured the four original songs from Saturday Night Fever (“Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep is Your Love,” “Night Fever,” “More Than a Woman”) plus other B-sides and relevant tunes (“Warm Ride,” “(Our Love) Don’t Throw It All Away,” “If I Can’t Have You”). An accompanying Record Store Day 12″ single featured additional disco mixes from the time period which were, perplexingly, left off The Miami Years.
What sort of releases would you like to see come from this new Bee Gees/Capitol/UMe partnership? A Kick in the Head is Worth Eight in the Pants? Physical releases of Barry’s demos for other artists? A super deluxe Saturday Night Fever? Vinyl reissues? Tell us your ideas in the comments!
Release Round-Up: Week of January 8
Cherry Red’s “A Slight Disturbance in My Mind” Collects The Psych-Pop Sounds of 1966
Extravagant Gestures: Cherry Red, SoulMusic Box Up Dionne Warwick’s Arista Albums on New 12-CD Set
Sunny Day: Warner Licenses Sesame Street Catalog for Digital, Streaming, and Future Physical Reissues
A Kick In The Head
The Kid’s No Good
Many unreleased songs / demo’s
Videomaterial from Trafalgar promotion shot in Netherlands. Can’t wait!
Unreleased australian concertvideo’s, there so much to explore!!!
Looking for Living Eyes and Robin’s Secret Agent. + pretty much all solo stuff from the 80s. They’re probably going to lead off with a new compilation, but I’m good on those.
Want a “Secret Agent” reissue with the “Boys Do Fall in Love” and “Secret Agent” 12 inches, a “Living Eyes” and new “Staying Alive” soundtrack with the “Woman in You” 12 inch included. Would also like to see Andy’s albums reissued.
Resume the previous reissue series starting with Cucumber Castle.
^ THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU EARL! This is the only way to study the great BEE GEES! Trafalgar and To Whom It May Concern are brilliant records! PLEASE!
Agreed! Long past time to finish what Rhino started.
Would also love to see a compilation of the work the Bee Gees had a hand in for other Australian artists during the ’60s, although that might be far too much of a specialist item.
Blu-ray audios with hi-res stereo and 5.1 mixes!
Your list above missed the 3 CD “fuzzy box” reissue of Odessa. One of my favorites.
Please release all songs / albums in digital download format 24bits / 96Khz and of course the spirits tour in blu ray
Session materials, unreleased demos, tracks and videos ( if available ) from Main Course, Children of the World, Saturday Night Fever and Spirits Having Flown !! And PLEASE a full concert ( audio AND Video ) from The Spirits Having Flown Tour 1979 !!! Blu-Ray Pure Audio of all these albums and more… The Bee Gees catalogue is so huge.
Wasn’t there rumor once of an unreleased Christmas collection. If so, please earmark that one! And an official Kick in the Head. Thanks, Santa!
Wasn’t there rumor once of an unreleased Christmas collection? If so, please earmark that one! And an official Kick in the Head. Thanks, Santa!
Sorry, friends. I double clicked.
Would be nice to get Barry’s Now Voyager remastered and expanded, I mean, since it was on MCA anyway. Too long out of print.
^ THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU EARL! This is the only way to study the great BEE GEES! Trafalgar and To Whom It May Concern are brilliant records! PLEASE!
Hopefully we don’t just get a bunch of ICON or GOLD collections.
I’ve been waiting on Deluxe Edition reissues for Two Years On and Trafalgar for what seems like forever.
Would like to see released Maurice’s “The Loner” Barry’s The Kids No Good” including “This Time” & Bee Gees Kick In The Head
Plus restarting the Studio Album releases From Cucumber Castle plus releasing Cucumber Castle on DVD
NO More Best Of Please
Here at Last Live Deluxe CD and BlueRay
Spirits Tour Live CD and BlueRay
Saturday Night Fever Deluxe maybe including hits like Grease, Shadow Dancing etc.
Soundstage 1975 Live CD and BlueRay
A Kick In The Head
The Kid’s No Good
Barry Gibb 1986 Album featuring unreleased Songs like Distant Strangers
Barry Gibb’s “The Kid’s No Good” album circulates unofficially and with full fidelity. The album is best left unheard. It is a dreary M.O.R. country music effort, whose arrangements sounded bland and dated even by 1970 standards. It is not Bee Gees type music.
Is unlikely that the new license is going to yield anything more than verbatim reissues. Barry Gibb is not keen to release vault material, but he was willing to agree to it when Robin was still alive. Let’s hope that Capitol got it in writing that the deal includes vault material.
I’d like to see a vinyl release of “This is Where I Came In.” While it’s a little inconsistent and disjointed there are a handful of tracks that rank with their best.
I assume this deal also includes Andy’s stuff. All three of his studio albums and handful of non-LP tracks would easily fit on a two-disc collection. It would be nice to finally get the “All I Have To Do Is Dream” duet with Victoria Principle on CD.
All the demo versions they wrote for other artists would be great.
This new arrangement should be interesting. How about a complete 12″ collection on CD, including those that were on the RSD vinyl, so that we could have all of these in one place?
I was fortunate enough to find a CD of Living Eyes a few months ago at one of my favorite used CD stores. Set me back $6 in store credit. It’s the only copy I’ve ever seen.
I would love to see the early 1970s reissues continue from Cucumber Castle onwards in the same style as the 1974-79 box set. I’m not that worried about vault material. Live…At Last & Living Eyes on CD would be wonderful too.
My wish list includes:
1. An official release of “A Kick In The Head”
2. Blu-ray of all the promotional films and videos made between 1967 and 2001
3. Blu-ray box set for all their filmed concerts, especially the never before seen Children of The World Tour and the Spirits Tour.
Restart with the release of old album with unreleased material (like BG’s first, Horizontal, Idea, Odessa).
It would be great if also the solo unreleased albums will be made available. I mean for example Barry’s albums and also The Loner and The Breed Apart from Maurice.
Also Sunrise from Jimmy Ruffin (but written and produced by Robin) is not available on cd, but maybe this is out of the agreement.
Hell Or High Water, Price Of Fame and an instrumental of Arrow Through The Heart from Andy Gibb,just some of many i would like to see released
I would like to see all BEE GEES ,their SOLO work ,and any ANDY GIBB demos & unreleased songs.Especially like to see Barry’s “A KICK IN THE HEAD” &” THE KIDS NO GOOD” on CD.
Also CUCUMBER CASTLE DVD.
Also would like to see MYTHOLOGY TOUR CONCERT on DVD.Thank you.
I hope to see all the unreleased Bee Gees music especially A Kick in the Head, all solo work especially unreleased work by Maurice including the Loner, The Breed Apart soundtrack and any other his instrumentals, demos for other artists by Bee Gees individually or as a group,
according to EU copyright law, unreleased materials will lose copyright after 50 years, hopefully this will make Barry as last member of the Bee Gees to release for the group, himself ,his brothers including Andy anything in the vault, whatever they have registered for copyright
All the visual materials including all concerts, tours, music videos, interviews, movies like Cucumber Castle, Bunbury etc
available in whatever format at least downloadable and best remastered, box sets etc
There have been so many great hits compilations – what I would like to see is a compilation of lesser known songs (album tracks, B-sides, lesser known singles and yet-to-be released classics) that will add to the publics appreciation of the Bee Gees music. I’d love to see them get some contemporary acclaim for their diversity of music, for their harmonies, melodies, and songwriting – ie a compilation that highlights these things instead of another greatest hits compilation that only adds to the publics belief that the Bee Gees only did falsetto disco songs.
I’m thinking of such songs as Every Christian Lion Hearted Man, And The Sun Will Shine, Mrs Gillespies Refrigerator, When The Swallows Fly, Marley Purt Drive, Black Diamond, Sun In My Morning, Morning of My Life, Trafalgar, Walking Back To Waterloo, While I Play, Wouldn’t I Be Someone, Castles In The Air, Mr Natural, Voices, Had A Lot of Love Last Night, Wind Of Change, Come On Over, Country Lanes, Spirits Having Flown, Paradise, Wildflower, Evening Star, Shine Shine, Tokyo Nights, When He’s Gone, Blue Island, Rings Around The Moon, My Destiny, Irresistible Force, Wedding Day, Deja Vu, Walking On Air.
I hope to see all the unreleased Bee Gees music. MYTHOLOGY TOUR CONCERT on DVD.Thank you.. Blu-ray box set for all their filmed concerts, especially the never before seen Children of The World Tour and the Spirits Tour.Andy’s stuff.
I’d like to see A Kick in the Head . Life in a Tin Can. Walls have Eyes, Mr Natural, Ones heard less but deserving of release.
Maurice’s unreleased stuff….The
Loner, Breed Apart, Strings and Things.
Maybe an instrumental only album with fabulous songs like Seven Seas Symphony.
All video of concerts not seen yet on DVD.
Everything!!!
Straight reissues of the first four albums as before, the mono versions are superior let’s not lose them
Continue with Cucumber Castle, Robin’s Reign, then 2 Years On , Trafalgar etc. All have great stuff on them.
I think individual reissues are needed on their big RSO records, the current ones are barebones with meh sound. Bee Gees Live should be included.