Agreed! The disco era songs are very well done and memorable, but my heart and soul respond to these early songs. I Started a Joke and New York Mining Disaster 1941 consistently bring a tear to my eye. ❤
So many great Bee Gees songs from the late 60s to early 70s. The Bee Gees “disco era” was real only a few years but that is what many see as defining the group when it was really just a short period of their career.
The brothers have stated in interviews that they had never been to MA when they wrote the song. It’s the sound and number of syllables that made them choose MA as the song’s focus. They made it there later. These guys were born in England, moved to Australia, moved back to England when their music first started taking off, and then later moved to Miami. Barry still lives in Miami today. To Love Somebody is an awesome one!!
Love The Bee Gees no matter what era or decade 60’s 70’s on and on! But absolutely love 60’s and early 70’s . Massachusetts was in answer to Scott McKenzie’s hippie anthem If You’re Going to San Francisco.
The Bee Gees harmonized, so well, it sounded like one person….. this is from the early stuff and I love the early stuff ! Check out . Words , Gotta get a message to you, Run to me, I started a joke which robin Gibbs sings solo
I watched one of the documentaries on the Bee Gees where Maurice said a lot of times where people probably thought it was just Barry singing lead vocals, it was actually Barry and Robin sharing the vocals. Such talent!
I heard this and was hooked. Robin's voice was so unique. Robin wrote this song and had never seen Massachusetts. Robin's voice always stood out to me but I ALWAY enjoy the The BeeGees. RIP Robin and Maurice. Love to you, Barry
The brothers were born in the Isle of Man (England) lived in Manchester for a while and then emigrated to Australia when Barry was 12 and the twins Robin and Maurice were 9. They started performing to raise pocket money. They began working regularly in resorts on the Queensland coast. In 1963 they were signed up with a record company. At 9 years of age Barry had started writing songs and eventually in their years in Australia he started writing songs for other artists. When he was seventeen years old he won the songwriter of the year award. Robin and Maurice gradually started writing songs with Barry and eventually because one of the best songwriters in pop music history. In 1967 they returned to England seeking international fame just as their first #1 song Spicks and Specks topped the charts in Australia, eventually becoming The Single Of The Year in Australia. In England they were signed up with NEMS, the same agency that represented the Beatles. Their first single in the UK was New York Mining Disaster 1941 and became international sensations. Their musical careers spanned five decades. Selling 120 million records worldwide, being inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame, vocal Group Hall Of Fame, and so many other countless awards. Writing over 1000+ songs for themselves and other top artists. ❤❤❤
My first introduction to The Bee Gees was in 1967. New York Mining Disaster 1941. A lot of us back then thought they were the Beatles, at the time! Great non-disco song 👍
Pre disco Bee Gees songs are so good! Some to check out: To Love Somebody I Started a Joke I've Gotta Get a Message to You How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Pre-Disco Bee Gees are the best. "Words," "Lonely Days, Lonely Nights," "I Started A Joke," "New York Mining Disaster 1941," "To Love Somebody," "Run To Me," "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," "I've Gotta Get A Message To You."
As some has said this an answer to Scott McKenzie's song about the hippie movement in San Francisco. That is why "All The Light Went Out" because no one were home, they were in SF.
Their predominant sound, up until 1974 or so, was this haunting sentimental stuff. Then, their manager pushed Barry to use his falsetto, and they rode the disco wave for a long time. Totally different vibe.
@@telstar4772 Robin did a lot bad things, that is fact, even Mo said something in interviews. And he has demonstrably lied, for example about Andy's song and once before. No, he was NOT the sweet, oh-so-nice, innocent guy like his super fans think and claim! Barry: "Robin wanted success more than everything."
Wochenlang lief der Song den ganzen Tag auf allen Sendern.Jugenderinnerungen. For weeks the song played on all channels all day long. Memories of youth.❤❤
The BeeGees were: the tallest and oldest brother (with the big hair and beard), Barry Gibb, born September 1, 1946, the only surviving Gibb brother. Robin Gibb (with the long hair, no beard), born December 22, 1949-passed away May 20, 2012, and Robin's fraternal twin brother Maurice (the balding brother with the beard, pronounced "Morris") Gibb, born December 22, 1949-passed away January 12, 2003. They also had another, younger, brother Andy Gibb, born March 5, 1958-passed away March 10, 1988. The three oldest brothers were born on the Isle of Man (UK). Oldest brother Barry got seriously burned when he accidentally pulled boiling tea over himself at 18 months old. He was in coma for a while, nearly died and was in hospital for many months. Because of this, he did not learn to talk until after the twins were born. Later the family moved to Manchester and from there they emigrated to Australia in 1958, right after Andy was born. All 4 brothers are just natural musical talents. All of them dropped out of high school in their early teens and none of them could read or write music. All their compositions were created completely organically. Their musical career, which they had started as little kids, didn't lead to international success so they moved back to the UK in 1967. Then they had a string of big hits, until they temporarily broke up around 1970 for 15 months. Started back up, looking for a new sound which they first found in 1974 with the transitional album "Mr. Natural". After that "Main Course" was the first album that moved them into a new direction: more rhythm&blues, dance music like with great hits like Nights on Broadway and Jive Talkin' (and was also actually the first album on which their logo was introduced). From 1976 on they went all out with falsetto driven dance music which lead to their biggest commercial success as they provided classic songs for the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (1977 Stayin' Alive, How Deep is Your Love, Night Fever amongst them). You should react to the 1979 live version of Stayin' Alive, too th-cam.com/video/7niXSh7vWRI/w-d-xo.html Other great songs to analyze: great album tracks from the 1979 Spirits Having Flown album, the title song: th-cam.com/video/WH_j90fCIk4/w-d-xo.html, the outrageously beautiful song Reaching Out th-cam.com/video/vfHUS5Mf00Q/w-d-xo.html. From their Still Waters album, Smoke and MIrrors: th-cam.com/video/MT9vRHSWNbk/w-d-xo.html. From the 1960's I've gotta get a message to you th-cam.com/video/CA4CInDnTk8/w-d-xo.html. And from the 1990's the simple song Blue Island live in an accoustic version: th-cam.com/video/162GlAEpfrY/w-d-xo.html. Andy was kind of Barry's mini me, about half a foot shorter and 12 years younger but they were the only lefties of the family. However, his voice was nowhere near as broad in range or as strong as Barry's. As producer Alby Galuten said in the book "Tales of the brothers Gibb "Andy's falsetto was nowhere near Barry's." Andy had a lower, huskier, sound to his voice and his range was not as big as Barry's. I personally always thought his voice was much better suited to songs of his first album, Flowing Rivers. Andy died of myocarditis - which is an inflammation of the heart - on March 10, 1988, 5 days after his 30th birthday. His heart had been weakened by his drug addiction over the years which, by the way, was also the main reason for his split from Victoria Principal. He also had a congenital heart problem that was later also discovered in Barry and Barry's second son Ashley. Try listening to the song Dreamin' on th-cam.com/video/-KdBVKcSSSw/w-d-xo.html which is kind of a duet with Barry. And here are the 4 brothers live on stage in 1979 doing You Should Be Dancing th-cam.com/video/_6MR-E_Qzz0/w-d-xo.html And finally a few photos of Barry and Andy: i.postimg.cc/jS6n3Jkv/Barry-Andy.jpg and i.postimg.cc/TwnPh8M0/82c126fc42a35d3b737867af41338199.jpg and the 4 brothers with their mother i.postimg.cc/FRNMbwkD/b9b2561eadffee11347573c97063c2f8-zpsd89478eb.jpg As for Barry Gibb's speaking voice: th-cam.com/video/rVbHWLvTCCw/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/users/shortsGrAF6yAEFz0
I live in upstate ny and in 1965 "The lights literally went "out in Massachusetts" and the whole norheast for about a day and I'll never forget that day and especially night with zero electricity and every time I hear this song it reminds me of that day!!
"New York Mining Disaster 1941". I always thought the Bee Gees were a studio produced sound until I saw them in live settings, even talk shows, doing their thing. These guys were phenomenal.
Barry wrote the song to sell records in America. They just pulled the name off of a map, they'd never been to Massachusetts. And it worked!!! We loved the song. Take a listen to their first US release from '67, "New York Mining Disaster" You guys rock!! PJ
@@rainsilversplash4376 🤣🤣🤣NO, WRONG!!! BARRY wrote and sung lead in the earliest songs, HE got the australiean songwriter award at the age of 17 (1963, 64,(Robin was 14 at his time) and their first hits than in the UK were NY mining desaster, In the morning, Spicks and specks, World, To love somebody, words, first of may, every second every minute, .... Barrys solo (with Mo) songs to,morrow, Cucumber castle,. And in the other songs they mostly SHARED lead! Robin is mainly known from Massachussettes! Barry: “Before we were famous was the best time of our lives.There was no competition; it didn't matter who sang what. When we had our first number one hit, Massachusetts, Robin sang lead vocals and I don't think he ever got past that; he never felt that anyone else should sing lead vocals after that. And that wasn’t the nature of the group,” he says firmly, “We brought in all the songs; Whoever brings in the idea sings the song.”
In its review of “The Bee Gees' 1st,” the “New York Times” admired the band's multifaceted style. A comparison with the Beatles is misleading. As early as 1967, the newspaper praised Barry's “strong voice” with its “tremendous range”. Over the years it becomes the core brand of the band. And still resonates today.
The Bee Gees in the 1960's have other classics like How Can you Mend a Broken Heart?, plus other 1970's No 1 hits like Jive Talking and wrote ' Grease', sung by Franky Vali. D from 🇦🇺
the Dvd "One Night Only" was their greatest perfomance. The live version that was dedicated to their late brother , Andy, is called "Don't throw it all away". It is worth a listen! Very moving.
Hi guys. This song shows they are a band and it's not just about Barry. Check out "Tragedy" which was one of their monster hits and whilst Barry's falsetto is to the fore you will appreciate the music behind it which is amongst their finest.
Apparently their record label preferred Barry as the lead singer as time went on. When you see people melt to Barry in "Too Much Heaven" you can see why. But this caused arguments between the brothers and Barry said they had many fall outs through the years. I hope the guys choose the studio version of "Tragedy" as Phil in particular should love the production.
@@DavidAston-bn9bz Also, Robin wasn't able to sing everything that Barry was. A quivering vibrato simply doesn't work on every song. For instance on Too Much Heaven, 70% of the vocals are just Barry's, the other 30% are all three together. So none of the vocals are Robins alone, or his & Mo's together. There's many songs like that, & if you've never heard Nothing Could Be Good, that's another beautiful song, with all vocals by Barry!
@@kthorJust heard "Nothing Could Be Good" for the first time. Yes it showcases Barry's vocals very well and barely a falsetto anywhere. Let's hope the guys pick both of our suggestions!
I second the call for more Pre Disco Bee Gees! Sticking with the theme of singing about American cities, I will recommend a deep cut called 'Living In Chicago' from their 'Life In a Tin Can' album.
Alone. One. Mr Natural. Living Eyes. Kiss Of Life. Bodyguard. When He's Gone. Wind Of Change. Love You Inside Out. Run To Me. Fanny Be Tender With My Love. Nights On Broadway. Tragedy. Jive Talkin. For Whom The Bell Tolls. I Can't See Nobody. Spirits Having Flown. Sacred Trust. Blue Island. Heart Like Mine. Children Of The World. Morning Of My Life. Closer Than Close. My World. Wouldn't I Be Someone. Ordinary Lives. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. Wedding Day. Tomorrow Tomorrow. Alive.
According to Wikipedia the song was intended as an antithesis to flower power anthems of the time such as "Let's Go to San Francisco" and "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" in that the protagonist had been to San Francisco to join the hippies but was now homesick. The idea of the lights having gone out in Massachusetts was to suggest that everyone had gone to San Francisco. The Bee Gees had actually never been to Massachusetts when rhey recorded the song. They just liked the sound of the name.
they were banned and hated by music supremacist and radio stations in the eighties.....one of the greatest bands with everything against them....not like other groups like queen or beatles
In the 60's the hippie movement had everyone going to San Francisco. In the storyline of this song, to me, it sounds like he left his girl in Massachusetts so he could 'hitch a ride to San Francisco'. But he misses his girl. so his friends brought him back to her.
I'll help you really understand how far they go back. I listen to all kinds of music. I went to high school and graduated in 89 but I still know all of their songs. Here's one from 1967. I am assuming if you played this one even you young folks from Canada should know this or you will have heard it. "To love Somebody" Massive hit for the Bee Gees clear back in 67 10 years before they struck it big with the disco also you will get to hear a side of Barry's voice. You don't maybe realize outside of the disco era. Barry actually has an amazing range and yes, we all know his famous falsetto but he has a powerful normal singing voice when he's not doing falsetto as well. I promise if you play" to love somebody" you'll know it.
I was at university here in Australia when they did this tour, but didn't know they were here. What a missed opportunity! Fabulous songwriters and musicians.
Love The Bee Gee's early music especially 60's-70's. Robin Gibb takes the lead on this great song. It was originally released in 1967. Some of their other early hits were "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", "World", "And The Sun Will Shine", "Really & Sincerely", "Words", "The Singer Sang His Song", "I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "Lonely Days", "Melody Fair", "First of May", "Give Your Best", "Lamplight" etc.
I was introduced to the disco Bee Gees first but then when I heard their earlier stuff, I fell in love with it as well. I love both, but the early Bee Gees stuff just hits the heart in special way.
You guys have a wonderfully organized playlist... took me only a sec to find exactly what I was looking for. Having each group, or artist, a list all their own. 👍
I have really only learned more about the Bee Gees via youtube. I mainly only knew them for their disco songs of mid to late 1970's so been a really interesting thing to learn more about them in recent years. Some songs I had heard somewhere in past as a little kid turned out to be songs by Bee Gees that I thought were other artists, simply because I only knew of their disco era sound until seeing the black and white videos of them from much earlier. I am Australian but never really thought of them as Aussies but learned they spent their youth up in Brisbane in Queensland, So this song is kind of weird as you both describe, in their longing for places that never really seemed to be their home. I still see them as Brits of origin that spent part of their life in Australia and some of their adult music career in USA. But have seen interview with Barry Gibb on 60 minutes where it seems he lives in USA but comes back to Australia often because his sister lives here. I guess their younger brother and sister were more Aussie than these guys. Interviews with Andy Gibb he sounded more Australian in way he spoke but the three others in Bee Gees mostly retained the British accents. When I heard their sounds from black and white footage you can really tell their British roots as sounds much more like the British scene of music like the Beatles and others from that era. Overall they are just international stars and so they would have travelled the world many times to have fond memories of many places. Their harmonies are crazy good.
I’m the same age as them and from Australia..they were sort of weird kids singing on Television.At first I didn’t think that much of them but boy when they harmonised the hairs would stand up on your neck…everything they have done and written ranges from good to bloody unbelievable.
You know, sometimes songwriters pick their words based on the way the words sound, there doesn't have to be a deeper meaning. "How can You mend a broken heart" was their first number one song.
Lonely Days from 1970 by The Bee Gees is one of their best IMO. They altered the audio a one point to make it sound like John Lennon. Original audio is best.
This song was written to open the American market. They felt if they sang about America, Americans would feel like they were Americans and pay more attention. It was a tactical move. I think it payed off.
Bee Gees music spans decades from the 1960's to the mid 1990's. And their sound has changed over the years, but the great harmonies are always there. Songs to check out Children of the World, Love so Right, I Can't See Nobody, One, You Win Again, Bodyguard, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1993) .
My brother came back from Vietnam with a great stereo system and an early Bee Gees album. I hadn't heard/listened to them before and that album made me a fan of them
Best freaking Harmonies ever. Take me to heaven every time. Try you should be dancing live with youngest brother Andy it's so much fun. Sam can't say Massachusetts 😊and my sister in law can't say Saskatchewan..it's the funniest thing ever 🤣. Great reaction and Peace out guys ✌️ ☮️
At the time they wrote/recorded this track (in 1967...), none of the brothers (who later on had homes in Miami, Florida - as well as in England...) had ever been to Massachusetts. However, they liked the (to them...) unusual name (which originates from the Algonquin language...) - and the fact that the letter 'S' appears four times in the name. 💖💖💖
@@kthor They wrote the song in '67, while living in the UK - eight years before moving to Miami, Florida. A flight from London, UK to Boston, Massachusetts in the US takes more than "...a couple of hours..." - the duration of the flight alone is over 10 hours.
Phil and Samantha,how about doing a video on Andy Gibb, the younger brother of The Bee Gees,I recommend this great song from him ‘I want to be your everything’ is sad that he passed away too soon because he looked like a smaller version of his big brother Barry.
❤ The Bee Gees' harmonies are top-notch. Massachusetts? I don't know if there's a connection there? I would have to assume so. No matter, the song & vocals/harmonies are beautiful!
Did you know that when they wrote this song, they had never been to Massachusetts. The Bee Gees started singing together when they were kids, Barry was 9 years old and the twins Robin and Maurice were 6 years old. They became famous in the 60's. They wrote ALL of their own songs besides writing songs for other famous singers like Barbra Strisand, Dion Warwick, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rodgers, Diana Ross, and more. They have a huge catalog of songs. Some of their later songs after the disco years are really good too just like all their songs. Next try For Whom The Bell Tolls or You Win Again or Alone., I'm sure you will like them. Love the Bee Gees. ❤❤❤
They wrote the music first and needed a place name in America with FOUR syllables. They had never been to the state. Kind of like Wichita LIneman - Jimmy Webb needed a place name with THREE syllables. This song is one of their earliest hits from about1967.
@@John_Locke_108 Interesting that this generation over analyzes all these songs , and assumes they were written by , and were the personal experiences of the singers, when in reality probably 80% of all songs are written by song writers who just dream stuff up, for a living, because they can’t sing. 🤣
![โอ้เธอช่าง... - บี้เดอะสกา ft. ต๋อง เทวัญ (Prod. by ป๋าเพชร) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zbWhiLFmVL0/mqdefault.jpg)
Staying Alive, nah! Go back further! Play the hits before the disco era and see why we fell in love with the group.
Most def!! All is great. But their early stuff is so uniquely them.
Agreed! The disco era songs are very well done and memorable, but my heart and soul respond to these early songs. I Started a Joke and New York Mining Disaster 1941 consistently bring a tear to my eye. ❤
I AGREE Their early music was the best
They're British they moved to Australia didn't do well there so then moved back to English
Their pre Disco songs are great. To Love Somebody" "I Started a Joke" are amazing also.
So many great Bee Gees songs from the late 60s to early 70s. The Bee Gees “disco era” was real only a few years but that is what many see as defining the group when it was really just a short period of their career.
Definitely....To Love Somebody!
I prefer it over the disco era.
How do you mend a broken heart, is another great song by the Bee Gees ❤.
The 1967 version of To Love Somebody
The brothers have stated in interviews that they had never been to MA when they wrote the song. It’s the sound and number of syllables that made them choose MA as the song’s focus. They made it there later. These guys were born in England, moved to Australia, moved back to England when their music first started taking off, and then later moved to Miami. Barry still lives in Miami today. To Love Somebody is an awesome one!!
Ty
Would love to see their reaction To Love Somebody!♥️
They all three were born in Isle of Man moved to England then to Australia and back to England in 1967.
Love The Bee Gees no matter what era or decade 60’s 70’s on and on! But absolutely love 60’s and early 70’s . Massachusetts was in answer to Scott McKenzie’s hippie anthem If You’re Going to San Francisco.
I think their early to mid 70s music gets over looked a lot, but it is some of thier best stuff, imo.
The Bee Gees harmonized, so well, it sounded like one person….. this is from the early stuff and I love the early stuff ! Check out . Words , Gotta get a message to you, Run to me, I started a joke which robin Gibbs sings solo
I watched one of the documentaries on the Bee Gees where Maurice said a lot of times where people probably thought it was just Barry singing lead vocals, it was actually Barry and Robin sharing the vocals. Such talent!
@@GatorScribe726 I believe it
I've always preferred this Bee Gees era over the disco era.
I heard this and was hooked. Robin's voice was so unique. Robin wrote this song and had never seen Massachusetts. Robin's voice always stood out to me but I ALWAY enjoy the The BeeGees.
RIP Robin and Maurice. Love to you, Barry
The brothers were born in the Isle of Man (England) lived in Manchester for a while and then emigrated to Australia when Barry was 12 and the twins Robin and Maurice were 9. They started performing to raise pocket money. They began working regularly in resorts on the Queensland coast. In 1963 they were signed up with a record company. At 9 years of age Barry had started writing songs and eventually in their years in Australia he started writing songs for other artists. When he was seventeen years old he won the songwriter of the year award. Robin and Maurice gradually started writing songs with Barry and eventually because one of the best songwriters in pop music history. In 1967 they returned to England seeking international fame just as their first #1 song Spicks and Specks topped the charts in Australia, eventually becoming The Single Of The Year in Australia. In England they were signed up with NEMS, the same agency that represented the Beatles. Their first single in the UK was New York Mining Disaster 1941 and became international sensations. Their musical careers spanned five decades. Selling 120 million records worldwide, being inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame, vocal Group Hall Of Fame, and so many other countless awards. Writing over 1000+ songs for themselves and other top artists. ❤❤❤
They had never been to Massachusetts when this tune was first recorded.
'To Love Somebody' next please. Cheers.
Yes, great song. Originally intended for Otis Redding.
My first introduction to The Bee Gees was in 1967. New York Mining Disaster 1941. A lot of us back then thought they were the Beatles, at the time! Great non-disco song 👍
one of my favorite Bee Gees songs
Pre disco Bee Gees songs are so good! Some to check out:
To Love Somebody
I Started a Joke
I've Gotta Get a Message to You
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Pre-Disco Bee Gees are the best. "Words," "Lonely Days, Lonely Nights," "I Started A Joke," "New York Mining Disaster 1941," "To Love Somebody," "Run To Me," "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," "I've Gotta Get A Message To You."
With Robin singing lead..
Always love a Bee Gees reaction. Especailly love those who explore all the eras (and not just disco era). Thanks!!
'I Started A Joke' is a MUST
"Nights on Broadway", Midnight Special 1975, Greatest musical genius of the 20th century
Honestly, they have so much material, you could make a career just off their music.
So wonderfully great. Nothing like the harmonies. Beautiful.
Great reaction, Sam and Phil! I think their pre-disco songs were their best!
This was the Bee Gees first 'Hot 100 Chart' Hit song.
I started a joke. Is a great song by Robin !
As some has said this an answer to Scott McKenzie's song about the hippie movement in San Francisco. That is why "All The Light Went Out" because no one were home, they were in SF.
👏👏👏 My personal favorite Bee Gees song! The only negative is it’s TOO Short!
I’ve always thought it was too short as well. 😊
Best Group ever ❤❤❤
Their predominant sound, up until 1974 or so, was this haunting sentimental stuff.
Then, their manager pushed Barry to use his falsetto, and they rode the disco wave for a long time. Totally different vibe.
Not really a long time. Just a few years.
@@pjg58x True. What I meant was, as long as it lasted. And it facilitated a couple of movie soundtrack albums.
Not only their manager, Robin too!
@@nelerhabarber5602 I doubt if Robin did.
@@telstar4772 Robin did a lot bad things, that is fact, even Mo said something in interviews. And he has demonstrably lied, for example about Andy's song and once before. No, he was NOT the sweet, oh-so-nice, innocent guy like his super fans think and claim!
Barry: "Robin wanted success more than everything."
Wochenlang lief der Song den ganzen Tag auf allen Sendern.Jugenderinnerungen.
For weeks the song played on all channels all day long. Memories of youth.❤❤
A vocal symphony - perfect!!!!
Yes definitely should do Staying Alive,love The Bee Gees thanks for this reaction ❤❤
The BeeGees were: the tallest and oldest brother (with the big hair and beard), Barry Gibb, born September 1, 1946, the only surviving Gibb brother. Robin Gibb (with the long hair, no beard), born December 22, 1949-passed away May 20, 2012, and Robin's fraternal twin brother Maurice (the balding brother with the beard, pronounced "Morris") Gibb, born December 22, 1949-passed away January 12, 2003. They also had another, younger, brother Andy Gibb, born March 5, 1958-passed away March 10, 1988.
The three oldest brothers were born on the Isle of Man (UK). Oldest brother Barry got seriously burned when he accidentally pulled boiling tea over himself at 18 months old. He was in coma for a while, nearly died and was in hospital for many months. Because of this, he did not learn to talk until after the twins were born. Later the family moved to Manchester and from there they emigrated to Australia in 1958, right after Andy was born. All 4 brothers are just natural musical talents. All of them dropped out of high school in their early teens and none of them could read or write music. All their compositions were created completely organically.
Their musical career, which they had started as little kids, didn't lead to international success so they moved back to the UK in 1967. Then they had a string of big hits, until they temporarily broke up around 1970 for 15 months. Started back up, looking for a new sound which they first found in 1974 with the transitional album "Mr. Natural". After that "Main Course" was the first album that moved them into a new direction: more rhythm&blues, dance music like with great hits like Nights on Broadway and Jive Talkin' (and was also actually the first album on which their logo was introduced).
From 1976 on they went all out with falsetto driven dance music which lead to their biggest commercial success as they provided classic songs for the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (1977 Stayin' Alive, How Deep is Your Love, Night Fever amongst them). You should react to the 1979 live version of Stayin' Alive, too th-cam.com/video/7niXSh7vWRI/w-d-xo.html Other great songs to analyze: great album tracks from the 1979 Spirits Having Flown album, the title song: th-cam.com/video/WH_j90fCIk4/w-d-xo.html, the outrageously beautiful song Reaching Out th-cam.com/video/vfHUS5Mf00Q/w-d-xo.html. From their Still Waters album, Smoke and MIrrors: th-cam.com/video/MT9vRHSWNbk/w-d-xo.html. From the 1960's I've gotta get a message to you th-cam.com/video/CA4CInDnTk8/w-d-xo.html. And from the 1990's the simple song Blue Island live in an accoustic version: th-cam.com/video/162GlAEpfrY/w-d-xo.html.
Andy was kind of Barry's mini me, about half a foot shorter and 12 years younger but they were the only lefties of the family. However, his voice was nowhere near as broad in range or as strong as Barry's. As producer Alby Galuten said in the book "Tales of the brothers Gibb "Andy's falsetto was nowhere near Barry's." Andy had a lower, huskier, sound to his voice and his range was not as big as Barry's. I personally always thought his voice was much better suited to songs of his first album, Flowing Rivers. Andy died of myocarditis - which is an inflammation of the heart - on March 10, 1988, 5 days after his 30th birthday. His heart had been weakened by his drug addiction over the years which, by the way, was also the main reason for his split from Victoria Principal. He also had a congenital heart problem that was later also discovered in Barry and Barry's second son Ashley. Try listening to the song Dreamin' on th-cam.com/video/-KdBVKcSSSw/w-d-xo.html which is kind of a duet with Barry. And here are the 4 brothers live on stage in 1979 doing You Should Be Dancing th-cam.com/video/_6MR-E_Qzz0/w-d-xo.html And finally a few photos of Barry and Andy: i.postimg.cc/jS6n3Jkv/Barry-Andy.jpg and i.postimg.cc/TwnPh8M0/82c126fc42a35d3b737867af41338199.jpg and the 4 brothers with their mother i.postimg.cc/FRNMbwkD/b9b2561eadffee11347573c97063c2f8-zpsd89478eb.jpg As for Barry Gibb's speaking voice: th-cam.com/video/rVbHWLvTCCw/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/users/shortsGrAF6yAEFz0
I live in upstate ny and in 1965 "The lights literally went "out in Massachusetts" and the whole norheast for about a day and I'll never forget that day and especially night with zero electricity and every time I hear this song it reminds me of that day!!
"New York Mining Disaster 1941". I always thought the Bee Gees were a studio produced sound until I saw them in live settings, even talk shows, doing their thing. These guys were phenomenal.
Barry wrote the song to sell records in America. They just pulled the name off of a map, they'd never been to Massachusetts. And it worked!!! We loved the song. Take a listen to their first US release from '67, "New York Mining Disaster" You guys rock!! PJ
Actually Robin wrote this. He liked the sound of the word.
Robin wrote Massachusetts but he said he had never been there, of course Maurice did the musical arrangement
I LOVE THE SONG CLOSER THAN CLOSE PERFORMED BY MAURICE
First of May is very good.
Love First of May!
I love that song!!
This is my favorite performance of this song -well done!
Something you may not realize, before the BeeGees hit the Disco craze with Barry's falsetto, Robin was the lead vocalist
No, wrong, only in a few songs!
@@nelerhabarber5602 Every song before 1971
@@rainsilversplash4376 🤣🤣🤣NO, WRONG!!! BARRY wrote and sung lead in the earliest songs, HE got the australiean songwriter award at the age of 17 (1963, 64,(Robin was 14 at his time) and their first hits than in the UK were NY mining desaster, In the morning, Spicks and specks, World, To love somebody, words, first of may, every second every minute, .... Barrys solo (with Mo) songs to,morrow, Cucumber castle,. And in the other songs they mostly SHARED lead! Robin is mainly known from Massachussettes!
Barry: “Before we were famous was the best time of our lives.There was no competition; it didn't matter who sang what. When we had our first number one hit, Massachusetts, Robin sang lead vocals and I don't think he ever got past that; he never felt that anyone else should sing lead vocals after that. And that wasn’t the nature of the group,” he says firmly, “We brought in all the songs; Whoever brings in the idea sings the song.”
In its review of “The Bee Gees' 1st,” the “New York Times” admired the band's multifaceted style. A comparison with the Beatles is misleading. As early as 1967, the newspaper praised Barry's “strong voice” with its “tremendous range”. Over the years it becomes the core brand of the band. And still resonates today.
Sorry, Robin was never the lead vocalist.
The Bee Gees in the 1960's have other classics like How Can you Mend a Broken Heart?, plus other 1970's No 1 hits like Jive Talking and wrote ' Grease', sung by Franky Vali. D from 🇦🇺
Barry wrote Grease while babysitting one afternoon!😁
For Whom The Bell Tolls (NYC version)
I LOVE THIS SONG!! Robyn’s sound is amazing!! One of my favorites!! ❤❤
*Robin
@@drieuxkoeppel8152 Awwwww…thanks.
the Dvd "One Night Only" was their greatest perfomance. The live version that was dedicated to their late brother , Andy, is called "Don't throw it all away". It is worth a listen! Very moving.
The Guys are actually from England the Isle of Mann to be exact they moved to Australia as kids
The Bee Gees have a music Video for Stayin Alive. Stayin Alive is also used by the Red Cross to teach CPR. The Song literally helps people Stay Alive.
Hi guys. This song shows they are a band and it's not just about Barry. Check out "Tragedy" which was one of their monster hits and whilst Barry's falsetto is to the fore you will appreciate the music behind it which is amongst their finest.
Of course they were a band, but Barry was the frontman of the group.♥️
Apparently their record label preferred Barry as the lead singer as time went on. When you see people melt to Barry in "Too Much Heaven" you can see why. But this caused arguments between the brothers and Barry said they had many fall outs through the years. I hope the guys choose the studio version of "Tragedy" as Phil in particular should love the production.
@@DavidAston-bn9bz Also, Robin wasn't able to sing everything that Barry was. A quivering vibrato simply doesn't work on every song. For instance on Too Much Heaven, 70% of the vocals are just Barry's, the other 30% are all three together. So none of the vocals are Robins alone, or his & Mo's together. There's many songs like that, & if you've never heard Nothing Could Be Good, that's another beautiful song, with all vocals by Barry!
@@DavidAston-bn9bz Yes, would love to see them react to Tragedy & Love You Inside Out!😁
@@kthorJust heard "Nothing Could Be Good" for the first time. Yes it showcases Barry's vocals very well and barely a falsetto anywhere. Let's hope the guys pick both of our suggestions!
I miss spoke. They were born on the Isle of man
LOVE Tragedy. Something really different from them
they had never been to Massachusetts when they wrote the song - they just liked rhe word!
MASSACHUSETTS WAS RECORDED IN NEW YORK
sending another for you,,all time fav,,Bee Gees with Celine Dion " IMMORTALITY ",,,CLASSIC
I second the call for more Pre Disco Bee Gees! Sticking with the theme of singing about American cities, I will recommend a deep cut called 'Living In Chicago' from their 'Life In a Tin Can' album.
Alone.
One.
Mr Natural. Living Eyes. Kiss Of Life. Bodyguard. When He's Gone.
Wind Of Change.
Love You Inside Out. Run To Me.
Fanny Be Tender With My Love. Nights On Broadway. Tragedy.
Jive Talkin.
For Whom The Bell Tolls.
I Can't See Nobody.
Spirits Having Flown.
Sacred Trust.
Blue Island. Heart Like Mine.
Children Of The World. Morning Of My Life. Closer Than Close.
My World.
Wouldn't I Be Someone. Ordinary Lives.
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. Wedding Day. Tomorrow Tomorrow. Alive.
According to Wikipedia the song was intended as an antithesis to flower power anthems of the time such as "Let's Go to San Francisco" and "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" in that the protagonist had been to San Francisco to join the hippies but was now homesick. The idea of the lights having gone out in Massachusetts was to suggest that everyone had gone to San Francisco.
The Bee Gees had actually never been to Massachusetts when rhey recorded the song. They just liked the sound of the name.
they were banned and hated by music supremacist and radio stations in the eighties.....one of the greatest bands with everything against them....not like other groups like queen or beatles
They are British. They emigrated to Australia when they were pre teens. Then moved back to Britain to further their career.
'Man in the Middle' Maurice Gibb lead vocal great song.
❤ Pre and post "disco" were my favorites. Damn, they were the best. Miss them
In the 60's the hippie movement had everyone going to San Francisco. In the storyline of this song, to me, it sounds like he left his girl in Massachusetts so he could 'hitch a ride to San Francisco'. But he misses his girl. so his friends brought him back to her.
Be sure and listen to "For Whom the Bell Tolls". It's from the late 80's, very very good!
Another great recommendation.
The best to watch/hear the harmonies live and all three in front of a single microphone is the medley from 1989!!!
Love their '89 medley, & love that Barry sings almost the entire thing!♥️
This was orignally released in 1967, so this live version was over 20 years later.
Try the song Alone. It's from later in their career
This is so very awesome! RIP Robin. You are so very missed! Love your reactions!
this is an older bee gees song, alot of fans just dont realize that the bee gees,have a long history vefore the disco era.
I'll help you really understand how far they go back. I listen to all kinds of music. I went to high school and graduated in 89 but I still know all of their songs. Here's one from 1967. I am assuming if you played this one even you young folks from Canada should know this or you will have heard it. "To love Somebody" Massive hit for the Bee Gees clear back in 67 10 years before they struck it big with the disco also you will get to hear a side of Barry's voice. You don't maybe realize outside of the disco era. Barry actually has an amazing range and yes, we all know his famous falsetto but he has a powerful normal singing voice when he's not doing falsetto as well. I promise if you play" to love somebody" you'll know it.
Go back even further to '59, to Time is Passing By, written by 13 year old Barry Gibb!
Great Bee Gees song. The old stuff is so good. ❤ you would like Nights on Broadway and Tragedy.
Apologies, Penelope, those are not examples of their old music.... great songs, but their old stuff is from the late '60s, and, yes, it was great!
it's a yes situation for me!!!!
Beegees rule
❤❤❤❤ You Barry 💕💕💕💕💕
I was at university here in Australia when they did this tour, but didn't know they were here. What a missed opportunity! Fabulous songwriters and musicians.
Love The Bee Gee's early music especially 60's-70's. Robin Gibb takes the lead on this great song. It was originally released in 1967. Some of their other early hits were "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", "World", "And The Sun Will Shine", "Really & Sincerely", "Words", "The Singer Sang His Song", "I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "Lonely Days", "Melody Fair", "First of May", "Give Your Best", "Lamplight" etc.
"And The Sun Will Shine" is one of my all time favorite songs ever. So poetic and Robin.....
Everything!!
I was introduced to the disco Bee Gees first but then when I heard their earlier stuff, I fell in love with it as well. I love both, but the early Bee Gees stuff just hits the heart in special way.
You guys have a wonderfully organized playlist... took me only a sec to find exactly what I was looking for. Having each group, or artist, a list all their own. 👍
I have really only learned more about the Bee Gees via youtube. I mainly only knew them for their disco songs of mid to late 1970's so been a really interesting thing to learn more about them in recent years. Some songs I had heard somewhere in past as a little kid turned out to be songs by Bee Gees that I thought were other artists, simply because I only knew of their disco era sound until seeing the black and white videos of them from much earlier. I am Australian but never really thought of them as Aussies but learned they spent their youth up in Brisbane in Queensland, So this song is kind of weird as you both describe, in their longing for places that never really seemed to be their home. I still see them as Brits of origin that spent part of their life in Australia and some of their adult music career in USA. But have seen interview with Barry Gibb on 60 minutes where it seems he lives in USA but comes back to Australia often because his sister lives here. I guess their younger brother and sister were more Aussie than these guys. Interviews with Andy Gibb he sounded more Australian in way he spoke but the three others in Bee Gees mostly retained the British accents. When I heard their sounds from black and white footage you can really tell their British roots as sounds much more like the British scene of music like the Beatles and others from that era. Overall they are just international stars and so they would have travelled the world many times to have fond memories of many places. Their harmonies are crazy good.
The audio is the true way to get the feeling,
Their last video is "This is where I came in " from 2001. Two years before Mo died. Official video is well worth the watch.
love the Bee Gees, oh gosh makes me feel young again.... gotta do the disco stuff too... this one is one of hubbies favorites... :) thanks guys...
I’m the same age as them and from Australia..they were sort of weird kids singing on Television.At first I didn’t think that much of them but boy when they harmonised the hairs would stand up on your neck…everything they have done and written ranges from good to bloody unbelievable.
Love Robins voice x
bee gees bodyguard
🙏Robin 💔
You know, sometimes songwriters pick their words based on the way the words sound, there doesn't have to be a deeper meaning.
"How can You mend a broken heart" was their first number one song.
Lonely Days from 1970 by The Bee Gees is one of their best IMO. They altered the audio a one point to make it sound like John Lennon. Original audio is best.
This song was written to open the American market. They felt if they sang about America, Americans would feel like they were Americans and pay more attention. It was a tactical move. I think it payed off.
Bee Gees music spans decades from the 1960's to the mid 1990's. And their sound has changed over the years, but the great harmonies are always there. Songs to check out Children of the World, Love so Right, I Can't See Nobody, One, You Win Again, Bodyguard, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1993) .
Of those songs I vote for I Can’r See Nobody
My brother came back from Vietnam with a great stereo system and an early Bee Gees album. I hadn't heard/listened to them before and that album made me a fan of them
The Bee Gees had a best of album before they started doing Disco ! Please check out "I Started a Joke" for more of their milder side =)
React to 855 7019 from bee gees, and Paradise 🎉
Two great songs!
Best freaking Harmonies ever. Take me to heaven every time. Try you should be dancing live with youngest brother Andy it's so much fun. Sam can't say Massachusetts 😊and my sister in law can't say Saskatchewan..it's the funniest thing ever 🤣. Great reaction and Peace out guys ✌️ ☮️
Other pre-disco great BeeGee songs, New York Mining Disaster 1941, “I Started a Joke”, First of May”,” I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You”
At the time they wrote/recorded this track (in 1967...), none of the brothers (who later on had homes in Miami, Florida - as well as in England...) had ever been to Massachusetts.
However, they liked the (to them...) unusual name (which originates from the Algonquin language...) - and the fact that the letter 'S' appears four times in the name.
💖💖💖
Though Massachusetts was only a couple hours from them when they wrote it.😉
@@kthor
They wrote the song in '67, while living in the UK - eight years before moving to Miami, Florida.
A flight from London, UK to Boston, Massachusetts in the US takes more than "...a couple of hours..." - the duration of the flight alone is over 10 hours.
Beautiful song! From Cucuta city Colombia 🇨🇴 South America
Thiswas the first live tour to Australia after the death of Andy in the year1988😢 Bee Gees were awesome..they were forever❤❤❤
Phil and Samantha,how about doing a video on Andy Gibb, the younger brother of The Bee Gees,I recommend this great song from him ‘I want to be your everything’ is sad that he passed away too soon because he looked like a smaller version of his big brother Barry.
You should do staying alive, but also their other 60's hits, beginning with "To love somebody"!!
Got a chance to see something new from Bee Gees I hadn't heard, and it was great again. Thanks again.
When the BeeGees wrote and recorded “Massachusetts” they’d never been there.
❤ The Bee Gees' harmonies are top-notch. Massachusetts? I don't know if there's a connection there? I would have to assume so. No matter, the song & vocals/harmonies are beautiful!
No connection. They just wanted to write a song about America and it's about someone who wants to return home.
They were only a couple hours from Massachusetts when they wrote it.🎼
Did you know that when they wrote this song, they had never been to Massachusetts. The Bee Gees started singing together when they were kids, Barry was 9 years old and the twins Robin and Maurice were 6 years old. They became famous in the 60's. They wrote ALL of their own songs besides writing songs for other famous singers like Barbra Strisand, Dion Warwick, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rodgers, Diana Ross, and more. They have a huge catalog of songs. Some of their later songs after the disco years are really good too just like all their songs. Next try For Whom The Bell Tolls or You Win Again or Alone., I'm sure you will like them. Love the Bee Gees. ❤❤❤
Though they were real close when they wrote it!
They wrote the music first and needed a place name in America with FOUR syllables. They had never been to the state. Kind of like Wichita LIneman - Jimmy Webb needed a place name with THREE syllables. This song is one of their earliest hits from about1967.
They admitted they never been to Massachusetts when this song came out...but i am sure made it there after it became a hit..❤
@@richiegangemi5258 Yeah, no doubt they played in Boston at some point in their career
Evidently they wrote the song while they visiting New York City.
@@John_Locke_108 Interesting that this generation over analyzes all these songs , and assumes they were written by , and were the personal experiences of the singers, when in reality probably 80% of all songs are written by song writers who just dream stuff up, for a living, because they can’t sing. 🤣