Review
by Nicholas James |
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Where to start with such a treasure trove of
music? Robin Gibb left the Bee Gees for a
period of about 18 months, due largely to a
breakdown in his relationship with Barry
Gibb, and during this time was in one of his
most creative phases. He released one album
(Robin's Reign), recorded a second,
unreleased album (Sing Slowly Sisters) and
produced numerous other 'odds and sods', all
of which are re-mastered and included in
this four-disc set.
Starting with the Robin's Reign album,
released in 1969.
The context of this album needs to be
understood. Robin was in such a creative
phase that he was trying out new instruments
and new sounds, some of which were genuinely
groundbreaking, particularly his use of drum
machines. But some of the songs sound
unfinished and lacked the slick, lush
production values that characterised Bee
Gees recordings from the late 1960s.
Pluses are
that some of the songs are deeply emotional
and slightly out of the ordinary, with one
or two pleasant melodies thrown in for good
measure. The first single, 'Saved by the
Bell' falls into this category, being
heavily influenced by the Bee Gees track 'I
Started a Joke'. It has a powerful Robin
Gibb lead vocal and an infectious melody,
although the lyrics are somewhat simplistic
(possibly even banal). The follow-up single,
'August October', is similarly catchy, as is
the jaunty track 'Most Of My Life'. Other
pleasantly simple tracks include 'Give Me A
Smile', 'Mother and Jack' and 'Weekend'. But
the album too often gets bogged down in
long, quite dreary, songs that really go
nowhere, both lyrically and melodically.
Tracks like 'The Worst Girl In This Town',
'Farmer Ferdinand Hudson' and 'Lord Bless
All' all fall into this category, being
quite simply underdeveloped.
But what
really drags this album down is the
aforementioned production, which is
relatively poor throughout, even on the
better tracks. Incessant drum machines and
shoddy multi-track vocals dominate, with
uninspiring use of strings and very little
use of guitar. The whole album is much less
fluid and exciting than any of the previous
Bee Gees albums, which suggests that Robin
had, by this time, either not fully matured
musically to sustain a complete album, or
that he had gone down something of a blind
alley in a misguided attempt to do something
different. Whether the former or the latter
(and I suspect it is the latter), this is
not an album that stands up to repeated
listening. He would, however, do much better
in future solo albums released in other
decades.
This album
also did little to end the feud between
Robin and Barry, both of whom at this point
in their careers believed they were the main
reason for the Bee Gees' success. Perhaps if
Robin's hit single, 'Saved By The Bell' had
outperformed 'Don't Forget To Remember' in
the UK charts (the latter had made it to
Number 2), things would have been different
and Robin's belief that he was the main
talent in the group would have been borne
out. However, as it transpired, 'Saved By
The Bell' managed to rise to...number 2 in
the charts, equalling Barry and Maurice's
highest chart placing.
Perhaps we
will never know.
There are a number of bonus
tracks from this album (B-sides, unused
tracks and demos), which really add to our
understanding. One of these is the fantastic
song 'One Million Years', which is almost
unbearably sad, but nonetheless great; it
will move you.
The follow-up album, Sing Slowly Sisters, is
also featured on the second disc. Never
released, due to the fact that the Bee Gees
got together again for a new album, it shows
that Robin's creativity continued and his
musical style developed. Whilst some of the
tracks sound similar in style to Robin's
Reign, there is more exploration of
different musical styles here, and some
highly unusual subject matter. This shows
that Robin was developing as a solo artist,
and it does raise the tantalising question
of where he may have ended up if he had not
rejoined his other brothers in the Bee Gees.
Again, we will never know.
The final disc is called Robin's Rarities,
and includes early demos of his tracks
(including those that featured on Bee Gees
albums), live sessions on the BBC and
discarded songs. This shows that Robin had
the most fertile mind imaginable, and it is
clear why he is regarded as one of the most
important musical talents of the modern era.
Why Buy Saved By The Bell?
Because it is a collection of re-mastered
and previously unreleased tracks from
probably the most creative period in the
life of this music legend.
Buy from Amazon
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