History Music / TheBeeGees

The band's first three internationally-released albums, ''Bee Gees' 1st'', ''Horizontal'', and ''Idea'', were all popular successes. However, [[CreativeDifferences tensions]] began to boil during the recording of the group's next album, ''Odessa'', an ambitious double ConceptAlbum. Though the album today is considered one of the finest of their early period, it was a cause of great strife for the band. Robin began to feel that the label was favoring Barry's songs when it came to choosing singles and finally left the band to pursue a solo career. Peterson was fired during sessions for their next album, and with Melouney having left previously to pursue a different musical direction, the Bee Gees at this point were a duo consisting of just Barry and Maurice. They soldiered on with the ambitious ''Cucumber Castle'', a MadeForTVMovie, but the film and accompanying album both flopped. With the group in a state of chaos at this point, it was seemingly the end of The Bee Gees.

The Bee Gees name is commonly believed to be short for Brothers Gibb, though it's actually a reference to Australian DJ Bill Gates (no, not ''that'' Bill Gates) and promoter Bill Goode, two men who played key roles in launching the group's career. The Bee Gees for most of their history have consisted of twin brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb and older brother Barry. (Youngest brother Music/{{Andy|Gibb}} is commonly believed to have been a member of the Bee Gees, but he never was. However, they were planning on adding him in the '80s, but his death put a stop to that.) Born on the UsefulNotes/IsleOfMan to English parents, the brothers were living in Australia when they began their musical careers, with their first documented TV appearance airing in 1960 and their first released single, the Lonnie Donegan-esque skiffle song "The Battle of the Blue and the Grey", appearing in 1963. Initially performing an amalgam of covers (typically of works by Donegan and Music/TheBeatles) and self-written songs, the group eventually released two LPs of original material, the more Merseybeat-influenced ''The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs'' and the more psychedelia-tinged ''Spicks and Specks'', in the mid-'60s, neither of which sold prolifically. Frustrated by their relative lack of success, the brothers returned to England in 1967 and were snapped up by producer and manager Robert Stigwood, who would prove a major influence on their career until the turn of TheEighties. Employing a GenreRoulette of then-popular songwriting styles (aided by Stigwood's more elaborate production), the Bee Gees rapidly became one of the most prominent harmonic pop-rock groups globally, mainly characterized during this period by their three-part harmonies led by Robin's vibrato. Their first international hit was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967); other hits from this period include "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", "I Started a Joke" and "Massachusetts" (the last of these being their first UK #1 hit). These songs and several others today are staples on oldies stations. The band at this point actually consisted of five members. In addition to the Gibb brothers, the group also included guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Peterson.

[[caption-width-right:350:Maurice, Barry, and Robin Gibb.]]

Then in late 1970, Barry and Maurice (accelerated by a then-desperate Stigwood, who was attempting to rebound from his failed merger with Apple Music at the time) managed to patch up their rift with Robin. The three decided to reunite and give the Bee Gees another try, strictly as a trio this time. Not long after their reunion, the Bee Gees recorded two of their biggest hits, "Lonely Days" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", the latter providing them with their first US #1 hit. After that, however, their commercial fortunes dropped sharply, as their next album sold noticeably lower numbers. Subsequently, the Gibb brothers embarked on an attempted revamp into a country-rock group with ''Life in a Tin Can'' in 1973, which dissolved their commercial fortunes even further. Lacking faith in the group's intentions, Stigwood discarded an entire fully-recorded album in the vein of ''Tin Can'' and sent them to the USA to collaborate with notable R&B producer Arif Mardin. An initial attempt to shed their overreliance on the slow, melancholic ballads that had dominated their output since 1970, the R&B-influenced 1974 album ''Mr. Natural'', while not a major seller, nonetheless featured clearer, more atmospheric production courtesy of Mardin and a noticeable uptick in the structure and energy of the group's songwriting, with tracks such as the hard-edged funk rock of "Heavy Breathing" and the Elton John-esque "Dogs" (notable as the first released appearance of the group's trademark falsetto, sung faintly during the pre-chorus bridge) foreshadowing their artistic resurgence.

The following year, the Gibbs finally saw commercial success again with their next album, the heavily funk-flavored ''Main Course'', also produced by Mardin. In addition to providing them with their first number one hit in four years, "Jive Talkin'", the album also more prominently featured (in an attempt to homage R&B groups such as Music/TheFourSeasons) falsetto vocals courtesy of Barry, conspicuously appearing on tracks such as "Fanny Be Tender (With My Love)" and the hit "Nights on Broadway". When it came time to produce their next album, Mardin was not available, so the band began producing themselves, aided by Abhy Galuten and engineer Karl Richardson. The resulting album, ''Children of the World'' was an even more major hit, spawning another number one single, "You Should Be Dancing", and marking both the group's outright transition into disco stylistically and the point at which Barry's falsetto became the defining feature of the group's sound.

Then in late 1970, Barry and Maurice (accelerated by a then-desperate Stigwood, who was attempting to rebound from his failed merger with Apple Music at the time) managed to patch up their rift with Robin. The three decided to reunite and give the Bee Gees another try, strictly as a trio this time. Not long after their reunion, the Bee Gees recorded two of their biggest hits, "Lonely Days" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", the latter providing them with their first US #1 hit. After that, however, their commercial fortunes dropped sharply, as their next few album sold noticeably lower numbers. Subsequently, the Gibb brothers embarked on an attempted revamp into a country-rock group with ''Life in a Tin Can'' in 1973, which dissolved their commercial fortunes even further. Lacking faith in the group's intentions, Stigwood discarded an entire fully-recorded album in the vein of ''Tin Can'' and sent them to the USA to collaborate with notable R&B producer Arif Mardin. An initial attempt to shed their overreliance on the slow, melancholic ballads that had dominated their output since 1970, the R&B-influenced 1974 album ''Mr. Natural'', while not a major seller, nonetheless featured clearer, more atmospheric production courtesy of Mardin and a noticeable uptick in the structure and energy of the group's songwriting, with tracks such as the hard-edged funk rock of "Heavy Breathing" and the Elton John-esque "Dogs" (notable as the first released appearance of the group's trademark falsetto, sung faintly during the pre-chorus bridge) foreshadowing their artistic resurgence.

The Bee Gees name is commonly believed to be short for Brothers Gibb, though it's actually a reference to Australian DJ Bill Gates (no, not ''that'' Bill Gates) and promoter Bill Goode, two men who played key roles in launching the group's career. The Bee Gees for most of their history have consisted of twin brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb and older brother Barry. (Youngest brother Music/{{Andy|Gibb}} is commonly believed to have been a member of the Bee Gees, but he never was. However, they were planning on adding him in the '80s, but his death put a stop to that.) Born on the UsefulNotes/IsleOfMan to English parents, the brothers were living in Australia when they began their musical careers, with their first documented TV appearance airing in 1960 and their first released single, the Lonnie Donegan-esque skiffle song "The Battle of the Blue and the Grey", appearing in 1963. Initially performing an amalgam of covers (typically of works by Donegan and Music/TheBeatles), the group eventually released two LPs of original material, the more Merseybeat-influenced ''The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs'' and the more psychedelia-tinged ''Spicks and Specks'', in the mid-'60s, neither of which sold prolifically. Frustrated by their relative lack of success, the brothers returned to England in 1967 and were snapped up by producer and manager Robert Stigwood, who would prove a major influence on their career until the turn of TheEighties. Employing a GenreRoulette of then-popular songwriting styles (aided by Stigwood's more elaborate production), the Bee Gees rapidly became one of the most prominent harmonic pop-rock groups globally, mainly characterized during this period by their three-part harmonies led by Robin's vibrato. Their first international hit was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967); other hits from this period include "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", "I Started a Joke" and "Massachusetts" (the last of these being their first UK #1 hit). These songs and several others today are staples on oldies stations. The band at this point actually consisted of five members. In addition to the Gibb brothers, the group also included guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Peterson.

The Bee Gees name is commonly believed to be short for Brothers Gibb, though it's actually a reference to Australian DJ Bill Gates (no, not ''that'' Bill Gates) and promoter Bill Goode, two men who played key roles in launching the group's career. The Bee Gees for most of their history have consisted of twin brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb and older brother Barry. (Youngest brother Music/{{Andy|Gibb}} is commonly believed to have been a member of the Bee Gees, but he never was. However, they were planning on adding him in the '80s, but his death put a stop to that.) Born on the UsefulNotes/IsleOfMan to English parents, the brothers were living in Australia when they began their musical careers, with their first documented TV appearance airing in 1960 and their first released single, the Music/LonnieDonegan-esque skiffle song "The Battle of the Blue and the Grey", appearing in 1963. Initially performing an amalgam of covers (typically of works by Donegan and Music/TheBeatles), the group eventually released two LPs of original material, the more Merseybeat-influenced ''The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs'' and the more psychedelia-tinged ''Spicks and Specks'', in the mid-'60s, neither of which sold prolifically. Frustrated by their relative lack of success, the brothers returned to England in 1967 and were snapped up by producer and manager Robert Stigwood, who would prove a major influence on their career until the turn of TheEighties. Employing a GenreRoulette of then-popular songwriting styles (aided by Stigwood's more elaborate production), the Bee Gees rapidly became one of the most prominent harmonic pop-rock groups globally, mainly characterized during this period by their three-part harmonies led by Robin's vibrato. Their first international hit was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967); other hits from this period include "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", "I Started a Joke" and "Massachusetts" (the last of these being their first UK #1 hit). These songs and several others today are staples on oldies stations. The band at this point actually consisted of five members. In addition to the Gibb brothers, the group also included guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Peterson.

The Bee Gees name is commonly believed to be short for Brothers Gibb, though it's actually a reference to Australian DJ Bill Gates (no, not ''that'' Bill Gates) and promoter Bill Goode, two men who played key roles in launching the group's career. The Bee Gees for most of their history have consisted of twin brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb and older brother Barry. (Youngest brother Music/{{Andy|Gibb}} is commonly believed to have been a member of the Bee Gees, but he never was. However, they were planning on adding him in the '80s, but his death put a stop to that.) Born on the UsefulNotes/IsleOfMan to English parents, the brothers were living in Australia when they began their musical careers, though they had moved back to Britain by the time they hit it big. They first came to prominence in the late [[TheSixties 1960s]] as a harmonic rock group, characterized mainly by their three-part harmonies led by Robin's vibrato. Their first international hit was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967); other hits from this period include "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", and "Massachusetts" (the last of these being their first UK #1 hit). These songs and several others today are staples on oldies stations. The band at this point actually consisted of five members. In addition to the Gibb brothers, the group also included guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Peterson.

The band's first three albums (excluding a couple of Australia-only releases), ''Bee Gees' 1st'', ''Horizontal'', and ''Idea'', were all popular successes. However, [[CreativeDifferences tensions]] began to boil during the recording of the group's next album, ''Odessa''. Though the album today is considered one of the finest of their early period, it was a cause of great strife for the band. Robin began to feel that the label was favoring Barry's songs when it came to choosing singles and finally left the band to pursue a solo career. Peterson was fired during sessions for their next album, and with Melouney having left previously to pursue a different musical direction, the Bee Gees at this point were a duo consisting of just Barry and Maurice. They soldiered on with the ambitious ''Cucumber Castle'', a MadeForTVMovie, but the film and accompanying album both flopped. With the group in a state of chaos at this point, it was seemingly the end of The Bee Gees.

Then in late 1970, Barry and Maurice managed to patch up their rift with Robin. The three decided to reunite and give the Bee Gees another try, strictly as a trio this time. Not long after their reunion, the Bee Gees recorded two of their biggest hits, "Lonely Days" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", the latter providing them with their first US #1 hit. After that, however, their commercial fortunes dropped sharply, as their next few albums sold very poorly. Deciding they needed a change in their sound, they teamed up with Arif Mardin and recorded the album ''Mr. Natural'', which saw them infusing their trademark sound with elements of R&B; though the album was not a big seller, it did show that the group was starting to find themselves again artistically.

They finally saw commercial success again with their next album ''Main Course'', also produced by Mardin. In addition to providing them with their first number one hit in four years, "Jive Talkin'", the album also featured Barry's first attempts at singing falsetto, a sound the group is heavily identified with today. When it came time to produce their next album, Mardin was not available, so the band began producing themselves. The resulting album, ''Children of the World'', was another big hit, spawning another number one single, "You Should Be Dancing".

It was then that Robert Stigwood approached the Gibbs about contributing songs to the soundtrack of a new motion picture that was being produced. The project, which would focus on the disco scene, excited the Gibbs, and they happily agreed. The ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' soundtrack would quickly catapult the band to the peak of its popularity, even more so than they had been in their pre-disco days. Because of the incredible success of this album -- for a time, it was the biggest-selling album ''in history'' until that role was taken by Music/MichaelJackson's ''Thriller'' -- The Bee Gees, fairly or not, became the poster boys of the disco era. Despite this, disco songs were hardly The Bee Gees' only hits, even in this era; non-disco ballads like "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Too Much Heaven" were just as big hits as "Stayin' Alive", "Tragedy", "Jive Talkin'", and "Night Fever". Their last big hit of the [[TheSeventies 1970s]], "Love You Inside Out", was more of an R&B song than full-on disco. Whatever the general vocal ranges of the songs were, though, one thing that remained from their harmonic rock period was their tight vocal harmonies, although this time with Barry Gibb taking more of a lead role.

** "Stayin' Alive," the perennial favorite of upbeat, swaggering {{Power Walk}}ers ever since ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'', contains some rather dark lyrics that, so far, have only really suited the protagonist of the aforementioned film.

* DearJohnLetter: Mentioned briefly in "I.O.I.O."
-->She never told me why she left me\\
But the letter said "goodbye"

The Bee Gees name is commonly believed to be short for Brothers Gibb, though it's actually a reference to Australian DJ Bill Gates (no, not ''that'' Bill Gates) and promoter Bill Goode, two men who played key roles in launching the group's career. The Bee Gees for most of their history have consisted of twin brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb and older brother Barry. (Youngest brother Music/{{Andy|Gibb}} is commonly believed to have been a member of the Bee Gees, but he never was. However, they were planning on adding him in the '80s, but his death put a stop to that.) British by birth, the brothers were living in Australia when they began their musical careers, though they had moved back to Britain by the time they hit it big. They first came to prominence in the late [[TheSixties 1960s]] as a harmonic rock group, characterized mainly by their three-part harmonies led by Robin's vibrato. Their first international hit was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967); other hits from this period include "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", and "Massachusetts" (the last of these being their first UK #1 hit). These songs and several others today are staples on oldies stations. The band at this point actually consisted of five members. In addition to the Gibb brothers, the group also included guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Peterson.

* NiceHat:
** From the 1980s until his death, Maurice wore a black hat whenever he and his brothers performed live, and he even wore one on the covers of some of their albums.
** During the group's post-disco years, Maurice appeared to be the best dressed of the group. A prime example of that would be during the ''One Night Only'' concert in 1997. In addition to wearing his NiceHat, Maurice also wore a BadassLongcoat. See examples [[http://jsnouff.com/kristin/beegees/backsofbgs.jpg here]] and [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/G2tvp5j-E3Q/maxresdefault.jpg here]].

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: "Such a Shame" from their 1968 album ''Idea'', written and sung by Vince Melouney, is the only song on a Bee Gees album not written or sung by a Gibb.

The band's first three albums (excluding a couple of Australia-only releases), ''Bee Gees' 1st'', ''Horizontal'', and ''Idea'', were all popular successes. However, [[CreativeDifferences tensions]] began to boil during the recording of the group's next album, ''Odessa''. Though the album today is considered one of the finest of their early period, it was a cause of great strife for the band. Robin began to feel that the label was favoring Barry's songs when it came to choosing singles and finally left the band to pursue a solo career. Peterson was fired during sessions for their next album, and with Melouney having left previously to pursue a different musical direction, the Bee Gees at this point were a duo consisting of just Barry and Maurice. The album ''Cucumber Castle'' was a flop, and with the group in a state of chaos at this point, it was seemingly the end of The Bee Gees.

* UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers: From "Stayin' Alive":
-->"We can try to understand ''The New York Times''' effect on man"

The Bee Gees name is commonly believed to be short for Brothers Gibb, though it's actually a reference to Australian DJ Bill Gates (no, not ''that'' Bill Gates) and promoter Bill Goode, two men who played key roles in launching the group's career. The Bee Gees for most of their history have consisted of twin brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb and older brother Barry. (Youngest brother Music/AndyGibb is commonly believed to have been a member of the Bee Gees, but he never was. However, they were planning on adding him in the '80s, but his death put a stop to that.) British by birth, the brothers were living in Australia when they began their musical careers, though they had moved back to Britain by the time they hit it big. They first came to prominence in the late [[TheSixties 1960s]] as a harmonic rock group, characterized mainly by their three-part harmonies led by Robin Gibb's vibrato. Their first international hit was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967); other hits from this period include "To Love Somebody", "Holiday", and "Massachusetts" (the last of these being their first UK #1 hit). These songs and several others today are staples on oldies stations. The band at this point actually consisted of five members. In addition to the Gibb brothers, the group also included guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Peterson.

It was then that Robert Stigwood approached the Gibbs about contributing songs to the soundtrack of a new motion picture that was being produced. The project, which would focus on the disco scene, excited the Gibbs, and they happily agreed. The ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' soundtrack would quickly catapult the band to the peak of its popularity, even more so than they had been in their pre-disco days. Because of the incredible success of this album--for a time, it was the biggest-selling album ''in history'' until that role was taken by Music/MichaelJackson's ''Thriller''--The Bee Gees, fairly or not, became the poster boys of the disco era. Despite this, disco songs were hardly The Bee Gees' only hits, even in this era; non-disco ballads like "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Too Much Heaven" were just as big hits as "Stayin' Alive", "Tragedy", "Jive Talkin'", and "Night Fever". Their last big hit of the [[TheSeventies 1970s]], "Love You Inside Out", was more of an R&B song than full-on disco. Whatever the general vocal ranges of the songs were, though, one thing that remained from their harmonic rock period was their tight vocal harmonies, although this time with Barry Gibb taking more of a lead role.

The Bee Gees starred in the 1978 film, ''Film/SgtPeppersLonelyHeartsClubBand'', a pastiche based on Music/TheBeatles' music, notably the original titular album with songs from ''Music/AbbeyRoad''. Music/PeterFrampton, Music/AliceCooper, Creator/SteveMartin, Music/{{Aerosmith}}, and Creator/GeorgeBurns helped comprise the all-star lead cast. Even though it flopped at the box office, it still manages to enjoy quite a cult following in spite of its kitschiness, being praised for its renditions of the Beatles' music, and Steve Martin's comical rendition of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" can be considered SoBadItsGood as well as the movie itself.

In 1997, with Barry Gibb struggling with arthritis and back pain, the group played a show titled ''One Night Only'', intending for it to be their last. Response to the show was so overwhelmingly positive, however, that Barry decided to [[{{Determinator}} soldier on]] with one last full-scale tour despite the pain. That same year saw them inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Music/BrianWilson of Music/TheBeachBoys, who himself knew a thing or two about vocal harmonies, performed the induction.

2003 saw the temporary end of The Bee Gees, with Maurice Gibb's sudden death at the age of 53 of a heart attack while awaiting emergency surgery for a twisted intestine. After that, Barry and Robin performed off-and-on under the Bee Gees name, including appearances on ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' and ''Series/StrictlyComeDancing'' in late 2009. In May 2012, Robin Gibb passed away following a long battle with cancer, leaving Barry as the only surviving member and effectively marking the end of the group.

Barry Gibb has since continued to tour and record as a solo artist, releasing two solo albums since the end of the group and performing a well received "Legend" set at the 2017 UsefulNotes/GlastonburyFestival.

** All through their career. From Rock, Baroque Pop and ballads in the '60s and early '70s, to {{Disco}} in the mid/late -70s, to AOR, R&B and Soul from the '80s onward.

** From the 1980s up until his death, Maurice wore a black hat whenever he and his brothers performed live, and he even wore one on the covers of some of their albums.

* SomethingSomethingLeonardBernstein: "Somethinganda somethinganda somethinganda somethinga staaaaayin' alive! Stayin alive!" For the record, the actual lyrics are "Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother you're stayin' alive! Stayin' alive! Feel the city breaking and everybody shaking and we're stayin' alive! Stayin' alive!"

* TheBandMinusTheFace: ''Cucumber Castle'' featured only Barry and Maurice, no Robin.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Remember, there ''was'' indeed a time when the Gibb brothers didn't record anything close to dance ... mainly, mid-tempo to slow ballads and harmony pop. Then in 1975, someone decided their new song "Jive Talkin'" needed a beat, and Barry needed to use his falsetto more. In fact, the idea was so different that the single -- when originally sent to radio stations in the spring of '75 -- didn't label who the singers were or include a photo. The Bee Gees were that old hat and the concern was that nobody would listen to a record that had Barry, Robin and Maurice taking a radically different stylistic direction with their music. Needless to say, it paid off, and soon this "something completely different" became their primary style and peaked with the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack.

* RecycledInSpace: There's a cover band called Tragedy (named after the song), which plays much of the Bee Gees songs and some other artists' disco hits [-WITH HEAVY METAL INSTRUMENTATION-]!

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: It's "Morris", not "muh-REECE".

As the 1970s became the [[TheEighties 1980s]], the group updated its sound once more to stay contemporary, shifting from straight disco to R&B-based pop. However, the US continued to regard them as relics of the disco era, and with the [[DiscoSucks backlash against disco running strong]], the group would find only occasional success in the studio from here on out -- most notably the 1989 single "One" (their last U.S. Top 10 hit) and the 1997 album ''Still Waters'' (which sold over 4 million copies in the States, and spawned their last top 40 hits, "Alone" in the summer of 1997 and the title track in January 1998). They remained popular in the UK, though, having a massive 1987 Number One single (twenty years after their first) in the shape of thumping echo-chamber romp "You Win Again", and top 5 success into the '90s with "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Alone". They also experienced continued popularity 'behind the scenes' writing songs for other people, even in the US; songs they wrote for others include worldwide hits like Music/BarbraStreisand's "Woman in Love", Dionne Warwick's "Heartbreaker", Diana Ross' "Chain Reaction" and "Islands in the Stream" by Music/KennyRogers and Music/DollyParton.

* MusicOfNote: Say what you will about disco, but for average listeners "Stayin' Alive" is probably the archetypal example of the genre.