Robin Gibb the George Harrison of the Bee Gees

By Steve Horowitz 18 November 2014


Robin Gibb was the George Harrison of the Bee Gees. He was the quiet one who stood in the background while his siblings Barry and Maurice (and later Andy) received the bulk of the attention. Robin’s distinctive warbling on songs such as “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”, which he co-wrote with his brother Barry, revealed his vocal and lyrical talents. But Robin may be the least known and celebrated of the brothers Gibb.

 

Like Beatle George, Robin died too young. Cancer killed him back in 2012 when he was 62 years old. His career with the BeeGees is well-known, but Robin’s solo work never fared well in the United States. (The British / Australian sold best in Germany for some reason.) Robin’s last record has just been issued. Most of the songs on the 17-track 50 St. Catherine’s Drive were recorded between 2006 and 2008, but never released. The material was compiled by his wife Dwina Gibb and son R.J, who also co-wrote three songs on the album. Dwina writes in the liner notes that the selections were the ones Robin would have wanted to include.

 

Again, like Harrison, Robin was the most spiritual member of the group. That can be heard here on the divinely secular philosophy of “All We Have is Now” that speaks of celebration and recognition of living in the moment. The immanence of lines such as “All we have is love as we fly through space and time / We are only visitors and nothing’s by design” are not all that different than what Harrison sings about in Harrison’s Living in the Material World. The implied koan, we can make a change / nothing ever changes, suggests the importance of human relationships, music, and time.

 

As a whole, the individual songs on 50 St. Catherine’s Drive suffer a bit of generic instrumentation. The drums in particular seem to be too much in the foreground and don’t do much else than keep time. However, Robin’s has the good taste to sing and play beautifully no matter what is in the background. At this point, it is probably useful to note that Peter-John Vettese produced, did string and bagpipe arrangements, played keyboards, co-wrote many of the cuts, and sang backup on the record. While deciding who supplied what and how much to each song may be impossible, this clearly seems to be a Robin-dominated effort.

 

The best songs are the most triumphant. “Allen Freeman Days”, named after a British deejay from Robin’s youth, captures the carefree spirit of when music meant something wrapped up in love and life and provided the soundtrack to everyday existence. “Days of Wine and Roses” shows the glorious impermanence of it all. Romance is all the more valued when it is ephemeral, Robin proudly claims. “Time and tide wait for no one,” he sings bagpipes swell in the background. And the new version of the Whitmanesque “I Am the World”, which was written originally in 1966 and appeared as the B-side on the Bee Gee’s first hit single, “Spicks and Speck”, boldly proclaims Robin contains multitudes.

 

Americans may have never recognized Robin’s solo talents, but this album should cause many to go back and listen to his discography. Like George Harrison, whose career and influence only grew after his death, Gibb’s final efforts reveal that he too deserves a re-evaluation of his solo offerings. Those Germans must have recognized something that listeners in the United States did not hear.


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Samantha Gibb "Wild at Heart" (Official Teaser)

A teaser to Samantha Gibb's Wild at Heart video. Please subscribe and stay tuned to updates on when we will be releasing new material and for extra behind the scenes bloopers. You can also pre-order on iTunes. Hope you enjoy! -sam

Andy Gibb: "I'm Tired of Running Around..."

  "I haven't exactly led the most typical or understated life in the world," says Andy Gibb with typical British understatement. The world's number one male singer has lately been doing some thinking and re-evaluating of his much-chronicled, frenzied lifestyle. There's a new Andy Gibb emerging - with some major surprises in store for his millions of fans.

First, there are the girls. Andy has already been married and divorced and he is a father, although he declines to discuss his past. He has dated countless girls, mostly blondes. "I like all females," he grins, "but I admit blondes have a certain attraction for me. However, my ideal girl could just as easily be a brunette or a redhead - anything but bald," he laughs during one of his SRO concert tours. Susan George, Andy's former flame, is now his best friend and he is coming to respect girls as friends.

He declares, "When I was a teen I was scared of girls. All boys are, really, only they act like they're not. Especially in countries where the macho thing is very big. Then I discovered they were fun to be with and I did a lot of dating. I've had good times and bad times, but I've come to find that having a terrific friend is worth more than dates, which are a dime a dozen, to borrow a cliché."

Of late, Andy hasn't been seen painting the town after hours, and he is spending more time at home in Florida, near his brothers and his protective, loving family. The singer hopes to do more songwriting and to compose material that is also worthy of other performers. He much admires Billy Joel, who is both a musician as well as a composer and singer. So far, a number of Andy's hits have come from his famous brothers, and biggest brother, Barry, is giving him more sound career advice than ever.

"It's not the easiest situation," admits Andy, "because each of the four of us has a sort of ego. That's healthy and natural, and in show business you can't help it. Even so, Barry has the most know-how, and I trust him implicitly. We all do. He's the wonder-boy of the family, you might say."

Barry recently disclosed that by mutual consent Andy will eventually become one of the Bee Gees, although he may retain part of his separate career, depending on how things work out. The integration will reportedly commence in 1980, perhaps with a joint worldwide concert tour and an album. How does Andy feel about becoming the fourth Bee Gee?

He can't say much about it yet, but admits, "They're the greatest. I think anybody would be flattered to become a part of that powerhouse of talent and performing." Andy still can't understand why or how Sgt. Pepper, his brothers' film debut, could have flopped, and says he's seen it several times. But what about Andy's own film future? Obviously, he has the potential of being another Travolta, and inside sources say he has acting talent and is preparing for the big day. Producer Allan Carr has tapped Andy for the lead in the sequel to Grease, titled Summer School. However, after the trouble the Bee Gees had, he's making certain his debut goes smoothly.

"Olivia Newton-John and I are good friends," he notes enthusiastically. "I'd love to work with her. We sang a duet at the United Nations for the UNICEF program my brothers and Robert Stigwood organized. I'd like to get together with her further, for maybe an album or in a movie . . . I like love stories myself, perhaps because I'm kind of romantic. But they don't make that kind of movie anymore."

A few recent rumors have connected Andy and Olivia romantically, but he denies this. "We're only friends. She has a beau and anyway, she is a bit older than me [she's 30]. I'm used to being linked with every other girl, and I don't really mind because it's kind of flattering. But if I get a steady girl who means a lot tome, then I'll mind it, because I won't want her to get hurt."

Likewise, big brother Barry watches over Andy and has helped him stay away from the destructive drug scene that's so prevalent in Hollywood. he's also trying to get Andy to settle down - not into marriage yet, but to focus his talents on his career and do a bit less partying.

"I'm tired of the running around kind of life," reveals Andy. "Touring all the time can be very tiresome, and so is meeting and dating several girls, none of which I get to know very well. I'd rather have a few good close friends than truckloads of acquaintances, and my family life is very important to me. I mean, I'm not a square or anything, but I think some of the old-fashioned values are great."

What kind of girl does he prefer? He has definite ideas: "Somebody a lot like Olivia, really." He enumerates, "She should be confident and self-respecting, intelligent and attractive, interested in herself and the world around her. I think if a person likes himself a lot, other will like her or him. Losers only attract other losers; people usually treat you the way you want to be treated; act grown-up and that's how you'll be treated."

So for now Andy is cooling his heels by the family pools outside Miami Beach, working on his music, preparing himself for movie stardom and perhaps to become the fourth Bee Gee soon. He is also seeing one "special" girl but it isn't very serious - yet. "I've never had the time, being an active performer, to get to know one girl really well. I'm still pretty young and there's lots of time, but I look forward to having more meaningful relationships. I think one-on-one is a beautiful concept."

Lulu: Why I had to dump Bee Gee husband Maurice Gibb over his drinking

Sixties pop icon Lulu has told how she had to dump Bee Gee ­ex-husband Maurice Gibb over his heavy drinking.
The celebrity couple wed in 1969 after a whirlwind affair, then split just four years later when Maurice’s rock and roll lifestyle started to take its toll.
Now, 39 years on, Lulu has admitted they should never have got married in the first place.
She and Maurice met ­backstage at Top of the Pops. She was 20, he was 19 and they fell for each other at once, marrying later the same year.
But Maurice, who died from a twisted intestine in 2003 aged 53, was battling alcoholism and it did not take long for cracks in the relationship to appear.
Lulu said in an interview for Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: “We thought we were king and queen of the world and were fabulous.
 

Turbulent marriage: Lulu with then husband Maurice Gibb

“The drinking was a part of it but we shouldn’t have got ­married in the first place... we should have just had a romance.
“I decided it had to end. He didn’t want it to end and it hurt him. I totally loved and adored him but... in love with him? I was ­probably in love with love.”


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Lost Albums: Robin Gibb: Sing Slowly Sisters

Lost Albums: Robin Gibb: Sing Slowly Sisters by Pete Paphides on Mixcloud

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"I've Never Paid My Dues!"Why Andy Gibb is Scared of Success

Teen Beat
July 1979
Price: 75 cents
Pgs: 12-14

"I've Never Paid My Dues!"
Why Andy Gibb is Scared of Success

"I don't have any degrees and I've had very little education really. I've gotten past the age where people said I was going to start wishing I'd gone back to school - and I still don’t' wish I had. My brothers and I only wanted to be musicians. We didn't want to be anything else, it's as simple as that. I wasn't interested in formal education, I was interested in learning only what I was interested in. I made it very hard on the school teachers … Actually, traveling has been a big education for me, more than anything else. It's important to find out what is going on in the world."

Now those are the words of a young man who seems to know exactly what he wants out of life, who's determined to seek his goal no matter how unconventional his methods are, whose driving ambition is his mainstay in life. Well, perhaps, that's one description of Andy Gibb, but there are those, even some close to him, who see an insecure, somewhat unsettle little boy. As a matter of fact, Andy's brothers, the Bee Gees, have become synonymous with Mom's home cooking and Sunday afternoon drives. Then Andy came on the scene, made it big with his first hit "Words and Music" and then hit the headlines with his marital woes with his Australian wife.

In an almost "fatherly" tone, Andy's brother Maurice explained it all: "He's taken up with the glamour of it all. He wouldn't be human if he didn't, but he'll get over it."

Even Andy, in moments of insight and honesty admits that just maybe he wasn't ready to handle all that has come his way in such a short time. Says the singing idol: "When people ask about my beginnings, I can't just answer them. It's weird. I have evolved totally from what the Bee Gees have done. I have no "roots" of any kind and I'm the first to admit I've not paid my dues musically speaking. My brothers certainly have and they handed it down to me … on a silver platter, I think the saying goes … I know that people try for years to break into even the lowest level of the music business, and I just stepped into the top level. I never even had to audition. So it doesn't bother me when people connect my break with my brothers, because I realize that, without them, I would not be where I am. But, as I said, it also makes me feel that I haven't paid my dues."

Actually, it seemed to be a double-edge sword for Andy - he felt somewhat guilty for "not paying his dues" and a little bit resentful for not really having an identity of his own. Why, when he first started, and even after he had made his first hit, he was often billed as "The Bee Gees Younger Brother!" At that time, Andy admits: "I had no say in it and it used to worry me: Will I ever have an identity of my own?"

Then real success came and Andy saw it wasn't so much of an "identity of his own" that was important, but a strength of character that can only be built by the long, hard climb to the top. His brothers had made that climb - and had their lumps along the way, too. There was a time the Bee Gees were just considered a mediocre rip-off of the Beatles and another time that drugs and family dissention almost destroyed the group completely.

Andy remembers those times, but then he was just on the outside looking in, he never really experienced them himself. That's why success has scared him so much - he had to wonder if he could handle it without the background, without the "root" his brothers have. After all, even they admit that if they hadn't gone through all they had, they would have never been able to be the hottest singing group in the world today. Trials and tribulations do tend to teach tough techniques - it may sound good, but it really is true!

Andy claims that in the beginning he was totally caught up in being a star, that "you want the excitement of needing security. You want to be well-off. You want to be famous. But after a while you start analyzing it and you almost feel like you don't have any more communication with the outside.

"It's a strange mental thing to walk down the street and have people you don't even know turn around and look at you. Or turn and whisper to each other. Or to come up and want to touch you. You think 'Gee, I never used to have that. I could go anywhere. Burger King, McDonald's.' No more. Privacy is an advantage you never know is an advantage until you don't have it anymore. Like anything else, the novelty wears off after a while."

And what should be there when the novelty wears off is an understanding that this is part of the "dues" you have to pay if you want the fame and fortune. Actually Andy is just now learning that lesson and though there have been moments when he's really questioned his entire "star trip," Andy knows that he'll get through it. Indeed, even though he had his place at the top handed to him on "a silver platter," it probably has been harder for him than most to really handle his success. At least he's been able to have the advice and love of his older brothers and they've been able to help him get through the rough spots. Hopefully there will be a day soon when Andy Gibb will be able to say proudly and loudly: "I am a man, then a star, and I intend to stay right here on my own!"

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Flashback: Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers Take 'Islands in the Stream' to New Heights

 

By Rolling Stone | October 29, 2014                                             

On this day (October 29th) in 1983, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers reached the top of the Billboard 100 chart with their now-iconic duet, "Islands in the Stream." Written by the Bee Gees (and later performed on their 1998 live album), the tune was inspired by Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name and was meant to have a very different, more R&B sound. Co-writer Robin Gibb once told ABC News that he and his brothers originally wrote the song with Marvin Gaye in mind.
               

When Rogers got a shot at "Islands," he went in to record it solo — with the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb producing — and just didn't click with it, he has admitted in several interviews over the years. Parton just happened to be at the same recording studio, so the two musicians tracked her down and approached her about turning the song into a duet. Thus was born an award-winning musical partnership (and very special friendship) of more than three decades.


The year after "Islands in the Stream" was released, Rogers and Parton teamed for a Christmas album and TV special, followed by a duet on another chart-topper, "Real Love." They have since recorded dozens of duets together, including one nominated at this year's CMA Awards, "You Can't Make Old Friends."
"We were cutting this song, 'You Can't Make Old Friends,' and it's really our lives. We are in the middle of the song and she comes over and throws her arms around me and she says, 'Kenny, I want you to know something: I could never sing at your funeral.' I went, 'We are assuming I am going first…. is that what you're saying?'" Rogers tells Rolling Stone Country of the October 2013 recording session for their latest duet. "We realized in the studio that day that it had been 30 years to the day since 'Islands in the Stream' went Number One on the pop charts."
"Islands in the Stream" was the only country song to reach Number One on the all-genre Billboard 100 until 2000, when Lonestar topped the chart with "Amazed." It also reached the pinnacle of the country and adult contemporary charts and was CMT's pick for the Number One greatest country duet of all time.

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