The Bee Gees Uktimate

A cd well worth having just to help document the Bee Gees early sound. 20 good & varied songs from probably the most talented set of brothers in the world…

Polydor wised up with this 1997 expanded version of their 1990 set, The Very Best of the Bee Gees, in that they took the collection and added nine tracks (from 12 to 21), intensifying the study of the impressive depth and breadth of the Bee Gees catalog. The collection runs chronologically from the group's late-'60s folk-pop period through their legendary disco contributions, thus tracing the arc of the Gibbs brothers' diverse career via their influence on pop culture and vice versa. The collection is then topped off by two late-'80s cuts that sit alongside the collection remarkably well and serve as a reminder that the Bee Gees were much more than the definition of disco, but continued to write some great songs regardless of production or arrangement.

THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART takes audiences on a unique cinematic journey through the brotherhood of the Bee Gees and their ever-enduring musical accomplishments. The story of Barry, Maurice and Robin is one of phenomenal success, of loss and heartbreak, and a continual spirit of creative reinvention…

One is the Bee Gees' eighteenth studio album (sixteenth worldwide), released in April 1989 (August 1989 in the United States). After the European success of their previous album, E.S.P., the Gibb brothers began to work on the One album in early 1988. In March, their brother Andy suddenly died and the Bee Gees took a break until November when they returned to the studio to complete the album, but this time they shifted to Mayfair Studios in London, making One their first album since Mr. Natural to be recorded partly or fully in the British capital, though "Ordinary Lives" was started before Andy Gibb's death. The style of One was more melancholic than E.S.P., and heavily influenced by the loss of their brother. The album was dedicated to Andy and the song "Wish You Were Here" was written as a tribute to him.

In its original form, this double-LP compilation was a very generous repackaging of four years' worth of hits and notable album tracks, plus the Andy Gibb-authored "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away." It was a perfect distillation of the sound that had put the Bee Gees on top of the pop music world from 1975 onward. At the time, it did elicit some unspoken resentment from older fans who knew their hits from the 1960s, but as a collection of first-rate '70s dance music it was unimpeachable. It's also a statement of just how successful the Bee Gees were at the time that this was a double LP, representing just those four years, and how generous the group and RSO Records could afford to be – indeed, anything less would have seemed like exploitation of the fans, but extending it out past the obvious hits (including the Saturday Night Fever material) made this collection an event of sorts, and a release that could stand alongside their albums from Mr. Natural (where their '70s sound really begins) through Spirits Having Flown.

In terms of hit singles and precise musical vision, it would have been difficult for anyone to have to follow-up the brilliant Spirits Having Flown album, but these industry veterans created a real gem in Living Eyes which seems to have gotten lost in the maze that is their deep catalog. The title track is almost up there with "Spirits Having Flown," which is significant praise, and the song "Paradise" follows suit, pretty and passionate. "Don't Fall in Love With Me" has all three Bee Gees brothers contributing to this ballad with their trademark highly creative hooks. The one downer, unbelievable as it seems, is the hit single "He's a Liar." It just doesn't make it – odd vocals on a theme which goes nowhere. Nicking the Top 30 in October of 1981, well after "Love You Inside Out," their final (and questionable) number one hit, the tune disrupts their staggering array of wonderful singles.