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The Titanic Requiem - Robin Gibb (2015)
Audio CD
Track Listing  
Review
by Nicholas James

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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