GIVE YOUR BEST
10 KILLER SONGS THE BEE GEES GAVE AWAY
1. Only One Woman
The brothers’ proteges The Marbles took this dramatic Bee Gees-backed ballad to #5 in the UK in July 1968 before cutting a number of other tailormade Gibbs tunes.
2. Four Faces West 3. Treacle Brown
Again, the brothers cut the instrumental tracks and produced both sides of this ’68 Polydor single for 10 (!) year-old Aussi girl singer, Lori Balmer.
4. Gilbert Green
Played in concert by The Bee Gees on their early ’68 UK tour, it was left to Gerry Marsden to record it in a last-ditch attempt to gain some ’67 cred. 5. Cowman Milk Your Cow
Veteran Brit rocker Adam Faith requested a Gibbs song and got this bizarre, droning, three-chord oddity. Lucky him.
6. Maypole Mews
‘Dear Mrs Applebee’ hitmaker David Garrick cut an orchestrated version of this uncharacteristically jaunty Gibbs confection for Pye in early ’69.
7. The Town Of Tuxley Toymaker
A number of artists tried their hand at this Bee Gees First-era waltz but it’s Mersey hearth throb Billy J Kramer’s woozy version from April ’67 that scores highest.
8. Mrs Gillespie’s Refrigerator
The Bee Gees’ own take of this psych-pop gem remained unreleased until the deluxe 2006 Horizontal reissue. They also cut a heavier and far superior version for a BBC session. The Sands were “encouraged” to record it by their record company boss (and Bee Gees manager) Robert Stigwood. Funny that.
9. Forever
Respected Brit singer Dave Berry had a crack at this innocuous little ditty in late ’67. Somebody thought that putting his vocal through a revolving Leslie cabinet might help its chances. They were wrong.
10. All Our Christmases
A mid-67 waltz containing some typically opaque Robin lyrics, cut by The Bee Gees during the Horizontal sessions but given a fuller treatment on a January ’68 single by Hull harmony masters The Majority.
Sunday, October 6, 1968 The group opens a European tour in Amsterdam.
Monday, October 7, 1968 The Bee Gees are in Hilversum for television work.
Friday, October 11, 1968 The Bee Gees are in Copenhagen for television work.
Saturday, October 12, 1968 In Stockholm, The Bee Gees are scheduled to perform in concert. Meanwhile, Disc & Music Echo reports that manager Robert Stigwood has ordered Robin to get his hair cut. “I have no intention of getting my hair cut,” says Robin. “I like it the way it is. After all, even Jesus had long hair.”
Sunday, October 13, 1968 The Bee Gees are back in Copenhagen to perform in concert.
Tuesday & Wednesday, October 15 & 16, 1968 The group does television work in Vienna. According to Billboard, they are due to return in November for a concert.
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Monday, November 4, 1968 Another German concert date is scheduled for Munster.
Tuesday, November 5, 1968 The Bee Gees are due to appear in Cologne. In the studio, masters are copied for the third and final volume of Rare, Precious & Beautiful (to be issued in February ’69).
Wednesday, November 6, 1968 The group is scheduled for a performance in Essen, Germany.
Friday, November 8, 1968 The band is due to appear in Stuttgart.
Sunday, November 10, 1968 Their German tour continues in Vienna.
Monday, November 11, 1968 With the group scheduled to perform in Innsbruck (in western Austria), Robert Stigwood confirms that guitarist Vince Melouney is leaving The Bee Gees. “There has been a musical disagreement between the Gibb brothers and Vince, who prefers blues, which is not The Bee Gees’ bag. So he will be coming out of the group at the end of the German tour.” Vince is now set to manage the group Ashton, Gardner & Dyke (comprised of former members of The Remo Four and Creation). Stigwood says, “…Maurice Gibb will play lead guitar on sessions in the future.”
Vince: “I didn’t get along with Hughie Gibb. He was always treating me like an outsider. It never spilled out into an
Thursday, October 17, 1968 The Bee Gees return from Vienna to London in the hopes of doing some recording before their lengthy German tour. The NME reports that Barry’s poor health halts these efforts. Nevertheless, the brothers individually manage to tape several tracks: Robin’s ‘Black Diamond’, Barry’s ‘You’ll Never See My Face Again’ and Maurice’s ‘Suddenly’.
Saturday, October 19, 1968 Disc & Music Echo reports that Stigwood has given up on his fight to clip Robin’s hair. His efforts have now returned to stopping Cream (whom he also manages) from breaking up.
Sunday, October 20, 1968 Barry frightens off a prowler in his home with a revolver from his weapons collection. Police question the eldest Gibb brother for two hours after the incident.
Friday, October 25, 1968 The Bee Gees tape demos of ‘Melody Fair’ and ‘Lamplight’ at Trident Studios in London. Both songs will be remade in the next few days at IBC Studios. Sessions will continue over the next several days with a demo and a master version of ‘Odessa’, as well as the Barry-led ‘Never Say Never Again’.
Sunday, October 27, 1968 At IBC Studio A, the band makes mono rough mixes of ‘Melody Fair’, ‘Lamplight’, ‘Suddenly’ and ‘You’ll Never See My Face Again’ prior to the addition of Bill Shepherd’s orchestral sweetening.
Thursday, October 31, 1968 The Bee Gees open a month-long European tour tonight in Bremen, Germany.
Saturday, November 2, 1968 As their German jaunt reaches Hamburg, the NME publishes a revealing interview with Vince Melouney. “I have never really felt 100% a Bee Gee,” says Vince. “Because the talent that I have doesn’t come up to the standard of the Gibb brothers’ talent and I don’t think I am adding as much as they are. Within the context of what I am playing I realise that my ideas don’t augment their ideas.”
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