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Author Topic:  The BeeGees are Real Country
Jon Light (deceased)


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 8:35 am    
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The News Story

Quote:
I am a country artist, always have been a country artist
......says Barry Gibb.
And if you don't believe it, he bought Johnny & June's house. There ya go.
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Bo Borland


From:
South Jersey -
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 8:47 am    
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Maybe JR's ghost will shock his voice into a baritone range.
Don't know if you saw the BeeGee skit on SNL last nite...
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Jussi Huhtakangas

 

From:
Helsinki, Finland
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:04 am    
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...yeah right, real country my @ss. When I was a kid and a teenager, the Bee Gees were the ultimate of cheese. Still are...
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Roger Rettig


From:
Naples, FL
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:18 am    
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I don't get it....

Why is something that is professionally executed and tuneful automatically written off as 'cheesy'?

The Carpenters suffered the same fate on a recent SGF thread. Guys - it's all just pop music! Even Gene Watson, Merle haggard and Ray Price - just pop music!

Some is better-presented than others, but I hate to see it vilified for that reason alone.

RR
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Phillip Lee Thompson

 

From:
Canby, Oregon
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:22 am    
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JUSSI , JUSSI , my Brother !
I think that all Jon is doing here is passing on some interesting news that indicates to me,another change forward for Barry Gibb. Lets see what Barry does with this " new field of learning " (location)
to the Country side.
I remember when the very talented Tom Brumley
"crossed over" and did the Pedal Steel in Garden Party with Ricky Nelson. Some folks said," well,Tom has blown it now !!!" I don't think he did.

[This message was edited by Phillip Lee Thompson on 17 December 2006 at 10:24 AM.]

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Dave Mudgett


From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:28 am    
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I think the villification has more to do with a lot of peoples reaction to disco than anything else. To me, that is well executed music that I just can't listen to. No insult or villification intended - there are a few other well-executed styles that I also don't like. YMMV, naturally.

But to argue "I am a country artist, always have been a country artist" is more than a little incredulous, to me. Sorta like Yanni arguing "I am a blues artist, always have been a blues artist". There's "mileage" that is, IMO, prequisite, to being an artist in those types of styles. It seems like he went down a very different road a very long time ago. He has a lot to prove if he's serious. IMO, of course.
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Glenn Austin

 

From:
Montreal, Canada
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:38 am    
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The BeeGees wrote "Islands in the Stream" which I think is probably one of the biggest selling country song of all time.
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Chris LeDrew


From:
Canada
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:53 am    
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I think he means it in a philosophical way, that his approach to songwriting and singing has parallels in country. Artists like Elvis Costello also feel connected to the genre of country because (at its best) it's the home of the heart-felt lyric over simple-but-effective chords and arrangements.

I certainly can hear Big and Rich doing "Staying Alive".

In my opinion, the Bee Gees are up there with some of the greatest songwriters in pop music. I will even go as far as to say that the Bee Gees are my favourite melody writers, next to The Beatles. Songs like "Heartbreaker" and "Islands In The Stream" contain gorgeous melodies that are unfortunately overshadowed by the sentimental lyrics that accompany them.

[This message was edited by Chris LeDrew on 17 December 2006 at 10:55 AM.]

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George Redmon


From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 11:10 am    
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i like the Bee Gee's, a little corney and bubble gum, but no more so then a lot of this so called "Country" stuff put out today. I don't seem to have any harder time listening to disco then oh lets say "Save a horse ride a cowboy"...i must admit some real though went into writing that song fur sure. I am also a big Frankie Valley and the 4 seasons fan. I would much rather listen to some of their older stuff then todays country. To me CCR and the eagles are more country then that nasty stuff out of nashville today. And i guess i stand alone when it comes to Karen Carpenter, i just love her work....
Just wanted to add, i heard a steel player on steelradio.com play a bee gee's song titled, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Remember that great old song by them? i just didn't catch who played it, it makes a great steel instrumental.

[This message was edited by George Redmon on 17 December 2006 at 11:16 AM.]

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Chris LeDrew


From:
Canada
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 11:15 am    
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George, you're not alone in your love of Karen Carpenter. I too really enjoy listening to her sing. It's amazing......her voice is so smooth that at times it sounds like it's double-tracked even though it's not. In "There's a Kind Of Hush", when she sings "hushhhhh" and the echo chambers kick in, it's heaven. Also, when she sings the 7th on the word "tonight" it's so tight and crisp. Wicked stuff.
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Glenn Austin

 

From:
Montreal, Canada
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 1:12 pm    
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If Bela Fleck can be "country" then so can Barry Gibb. And if you get right down to it, I figure that Barry Gibb is more "country" than say, Brooks and Dunn, or Keith Urban. It's very hard to put labels on music. A good song is a good song, no matter what style it's played in, and a good song can usually be played in many styles. Everybody has a different idea of what country actually is sooooo.....

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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 2:09 pm    
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For what it's worth, I covered a Bee Gees tune on my latest CD, "Home James"; the tune is "I Started a Joke", which I think lays really nicely on E9 steel. (Of course, I'm not known for being 'overly country' in my approach, but I think you can easily see the similarity of this tune to 'country music'. Same could be said of several of their other songs. Think of 'I've Just Got to Get a Message to You', or 'Words', for example.
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George Redmon


From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 4:22 pm    
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I will second that...i heard our friend Jim play I Started a Joke...what a great song, and a fantastic player. My kind of music, my kind of playing. This CD is a must have. And thank you jim for your help and sending me the e mails. GET JIMS NEW CD!
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Janice Brooks


From:
Pleasant Gap Pa
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 4:44 pm    
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Jim the ballad/pre disco period of the Bee Gees is ok.
Also Conway covered Rest Your Love on Me Awhile.
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Chip Fossa

 

From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 8:54 pm    
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Let's not forget the Carpenter's "ON TOP OF THE WORLD", with not just 1 steel player, but 2.

The rumor is, also, that brother Richard (who produced and arranged most of the Carpenter songs) figured, hey - this song needs a pedal steel. What great insight the cat had.

I'm a big Carprnter's fan. Karen could out-sing them all. JMHSO
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David L. Donald


From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 9:14 pm    
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While "I Started a Joke" is one of my LEAST
favorite tunes from this whole era, the lyrics make my cringe,
I did like Jim's instrumental version a lot.

The Bee Gees are super song craftsmen.
Even if it is not always produced to my taste,
it always produced supurbly for the market at the time.
Some of their dance stuff still sounds
pretty good to my ear today.
In some ways a corney white counter part
to Earth Wind and Fire.

I am sure if you planted these guys in
Nashville, or better yet Texas, for 3 months
and then told them to pick a band from local players
and write an album fitting their envirement it would be super.
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Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 9:45 pm    
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I am a huge fan of the early Bee Gees, starting with the "1910 Mining Disaster" ('Have you seen my wife, Mr. Jones? Do you know what it's like on the outside?') right through "To Love Somebody", "Words", "I Started a Joke", "Massachussetts", "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", and on and on. Absolutely top-shelf writing and producing. I did not care for their disco phase, but you have to admit, these guys completely reinvented themselves for the disco era and rocketed to the very top of it. Anything they tried their hands at, they excelled in. Another telling moment was when Barry Gibb recorded with Barbra Streisand. Now, let's face it, Barbra does not need to get paired up with anybody for 'commercial reasons'. She is one of the rarest of her breed of popular singers, and can pick and choose to sing with anyone she wishes. And she chose Barry Gibb. Luciano Pavarotti, eat your heart out. (Actually, I think she did some duets with him too.)

It's a tremendous shame that one of the 3 brothers, Maurice, died several years ago in a Miami hospital, due to a medical accident. If Barry and Robin have done any work since that fateful day, I'm not aware of it (but then again, they wouldn't necessarily call to let me know... )

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Jussi Huhtakangas

 

From:
Helsinki, Finland
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 10:50 pm    
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Guys, I was merely trying to be funny. I know very well their stuff is professional and well executed, they even sing good . But when me and my buddies were growing up, disco music and hairy guys singing in falsetto just wasn't cool, no matter how great their songwriting was. That's all I was trying to say! On the other hand, the state of modern country music is such that even Staying Alive sounds like "American roots music".

[This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 17 December 2006 at 10:59 PM.]

[This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 17 December 2006 at 11:00 PM.]

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Kevin Hatton

 

From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
Post  Posted 17 Dec 2006 11:04 pm    
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I also think that its incredulous for Barry Gibb to say he's country. Rascal Flatts think they are country also. He was NEVER a country artist. Farron Young was.

[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 17 December 2006 at 11:05 PM.]

[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 17 December 2006 at 11:06 PM.]

[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 17 December 2006 at 11:07 PM.]

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David L. Donald


From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
Post  Posted 18 Dec 2006 1:13 am    
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Of course I have always thought
1010 WINS is one of the great icons
of country music information retrieval.

Kevin, I suspect Barry means,
he has always listened to and written songs that were too country to play with the Bee Gees.

'Please Come To Boston' sidled up to country through folk music,
and I think he just goodn't push it closer
after that.

The record companies and market demanded the Bee Gee's
style and it was a group endevour.
He pointedly says, he can do this now that the group is disbanded.

I wish him well.
His heart seems to be in the right place.
And he has a voice that can do anything he CHOOSES.
Let's wait and see what he chooses.
It's ain't like he needs to for the money.

Who'da thunk Van Morrison would be getting good reviews for a Rhyman Hall performance
of classic country songs...

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 18 December 2006 at 01:20 AM.]

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Roger Rettig


From:
Naples, FL
Post  Posted 18 Dec 2006 3:54 am    
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Jim C....

Glad you reminded me of that Streisand/Gibb record - I loved it! I liked the Dionne Warwick stuff a lot, and I liked the band on their own, too.

Lots of artists were afflicted with disco-itis around then (the Beach Boys come to mind) but their inherent musicality always shone through. Same with the Gibb brothers. They weren't my absolute favourites at the time, but listening in retrospect reminds me of how lucky we were in those days!

RR
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Ray Minich

 

From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
Post  Posted 18 Dec 2006 6:23 am    
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Played the 10 inch discs of the Stone's "Miss You", and Rod Stewart's "Do You Think I'm Sexy" about that same time (1978).
Innocent days...'Twas a far cry from the likes of "Closer to God" by Nine Inch Nails which is being played in the clubs today...
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Tom Olson

 

From:
Spokane, WA
Post  Posted 18 Dec 2006 6:28 pm    
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Most of the BeeGee's biggest hits were written specifically for the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever." I think that fact alone is borderline amazing.

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George Redmon


From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
Post  Posted 18 Dec 2006 6:44 pm    
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i like the bee gees and karen carpenter..you can label them as you wish..it's good music.
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Ken Williams


From:
Arkansas
Post  Posted 18 Dec 2006 7:37 pm    
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George, you are not alone when it comes to Karen Carpenter. She had a tonal quality in her voice that I've only heard in 4 or 5 singers in my entire life. Can't describe it, but Nat King Cole had it. Rod Stewart, he ain't got it.

Ken
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