2-01. Australian years 1963-1966 (Bee Gees)
Description
This article is from the Bee Gees FAQ, by David Garcia garc@compuserve.com with numerous contributions by others.
2-01. Australian years 1963-1966 (Bee Gees)
Festival records has a large library of recordings from the
Bee Gees during their Australian years of 1963-1966. These are
the only recordings the Bee Gees themselves have no creative
control over, and Festival has used this to great advantage,
licensing the rights to these songs throughout the world.
Polydor had a brief license to distribute these in the
three-volume "Rare, Precious and Beautiful" series back in the
late 60's.
Some Australian demos, such as "Top Hat" and "I'll Know What
To Do", are truly rare. Other recordings, especially singles
such as "Claustrophobia" and "Spicks and Specks", seem to be on
every record rack in town.
There are a total of sixty Bee Gees songs from the
Australian era. The following list of albums provides a partial
sampling of the many reissues of these classics. Rather than
offer a separate track listing of each of these albums, all sixty
songs are listed below, with cross-references to the various
albums on which the songs appear. Please feel free to add to
this list with your own findings...
Available on CD:
[A] Birth of Brilliance
Label: FESTIVAL
Cat #: D 45813/4
[B] The Magic Collection: The Bee Gees
Label: ARC
Cat #: MEC 949044
[C] To Be Or Not To Be
Label: THUNDERBOLT
Cat #: CDTB 170
Released on LP: (likely out of print)
[01] THE BEE GEES SING AND PLAY 14 BARRY GIBB SONGS (Leedon,
1965)
[02] SPICKS AND SPECKS (Spin, 1966)
[03] TURN AROUND, LOOK AT US (Calendar, 1967)
[04] RARE PRECIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL (Polydor, 1968)
[05] RARE PRECIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL, volume 2 (Polydor, 1968)
[06] RARE PRECIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL, volume 3 (Polydor, 1969)
[07] INCEPTION / NOSTALGIA (Karussel, 1970)
[08] BEE GEES (Impact, 1975)
[09] BIRTH OF BRILLIANCE (Festival, 1978)
[10] MONDAY'S RAIN (Pickwick, 1978)
[11] TAKE HOLD OF THAT STAR (Pickwick, 1978)
[12] TURN AROUND, LOOK AT ME (Pickwick, 1978)
[13] PEACE OF MIND (Pickwick, 1978)
[14] BEE GEES BONANZA (Pickwick, 1978)
The Australian Bee Gees songs:
1. All by myself [A-07-09]
2. All of my life [03-05-13-14]
3. And the children laughing [C-01-06-12]
4. Big chance [C-02-04-10-14]
5. Born a man [A-02-04-09-13-14]
6. Butterfly [A-07-08-09]
7. Cherry red [A-03-05-09-13-14]
8. Claustrophobia [A-B-C-01-05-09-11-14]
9. Coalman [A-07-08-09]
10. Could it be [A-B-C-01-05-09-11-14]
11. Daydream [07-08]
12. Don't say goodbye [01-05-13-14]
13. Every day I have to cry [A-B-C-03-05-09-11-14]
14. Exit, stage right [A-07-09]
15. Follow the wind [C-01-05-11-14]
16. Forever [07]
17. Glass house [C-02-04-10-14]
18. Hallelujah, I love her so [07]
19. How love was true [A-C-01-06-09-12]
20. How many birds [A-C-02-04-09-10-14]
21. I am the world [A-B-C-03-06-09-12]
22. I don't know why I bother with myself [C-02-04-10-14]
23. I don't think it's funny [A-B-C-01-06-09-12]
24. I love you because [07]
25. I want home [A-B-C-03-06-09-12]
26. I was a lover, a leader of men [A-C-01-03-05-06-09-11-13-14]
27. I'll know what to do [07]
28. In the morning (early recording) [A-B-07-08-09]
29. Jingle jangle [02-04-13-14]
30. Like nobody else [A-07-09]
31. Lonely winter [A-07-08-09]
32. Lum-de-loo [07-08]
33. Monday's rain (album version, see note below) [C-02-04-10-14]
34. Monday's rain (single version, see note below) [A-B-09]
35. Paperback writer [07-08]
36. Peace of mind [A-01-03-06-09-13]
37. Playdown [C-02-04-10-14]
38. Second hand people [A-C-02-04-09-10-14]
39. Somewhere [07]
40. Spicks and specks [A-B-C-02-04-09-10-14]
41. Storm [A-07-08-09]
42. Take hold of that star [C-01-05-11-14]
43. Terrible way to treat your baby [A] [07] [09]
44. The battle of the blue and the grey [A-B-C-03-06-09-12]
45. The end [07]
46. The three kisses of love [A-B-C-03-05-09-11-14]
47. The twelfth of never [07]
48. Theme from "The travels of Jamie McPheeters"
[A-B-C-03-05-09-11-14]
49. Ticket to ride [07-08]
50. Timber! [A-01-06-09-13]
51. Tint of blue [02-04-13-14]
52. To be or not to be [A-C-01-05-09-11-14]
53. Top hat [07]
54. Turn around, look at me [A-B-C-03-06-09-12]
55. Where are you [02-04-10-14]
56. Wine and women [A-B-C-01-03-06-09-12]
57. You won't see me [A-07-08-09]
58. You wouldn't know [B-C-01-06-12]
59. You're nobody till somebody loves you [07-08]
60. You're the reason [07-08]
Note: The album and single versions of "Monday's Rain"
feature two entirely different vocals on the recordings. Among
the several differences, the easiest to note is that the first
chorus of the album version begins "Don't let me down...", while
the single version has "Don't go away...". The vocal style on
the second verse is also notably different. On the single
version, it is unmistakably sung by Barry. The album version, by
contrast, is quite mistakable indeed... ;-)
Sincere thanks to Joe Brennan for his web site, which
provided track listings for the old LPs. Also, I wouldn't have
known about the two "Monday's Rain" versions if he hadn't told
me. Once you know about it, of course, it's easy to spot.
For more info on the Bee Gees' Australian era, be sure to
check Joe Brennan's web page, at:
http://www.cc.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/
THE "of COURSE I'll pay $16 for this CD to hear the one Bee Gees
track" RECORDINGS:
[1978] Grease (movie soundtrack)
Label: POLYDOR
Cat #: 825 095-2
(thanks to Robert Phan for the catalog number) Frankie Valli
sings "Grease" title track, a Barry Gibb composition.
[1978] Sesame Street Fever (children's album)
Robin Gibb sings "Sesame Street Fever" and "Trash" (not Gibb
compositions)
[1980] Times Square (movie soundtrack)
"Help Me", written and performed by Robin Gibb and Marcy Levy
[1988] 1988 Summer Olympics Album - One Moment In Time
performed by various artists
The Bee Gees perform Gibb composition "Shape of Things To Come".
Another Gibb composition, "Fight (No Matter How Long)", is listed
as by "The Bunburys" and features Eric Clapton's performance from
"The Bunbury Tails" album.
Label: ARISTA
Cat #: ARCD - 8551
[1979] Chicago - Hot Streets
If you've bought everything else on this list, but find that
you still have money to burn, buy this one to hear falsetto Gibb
backing vocals on "Little Miss Lovin'." Chicago, incidentally,
returned the favor with some horn work on the "Spirits (Having
Flown)" LP, if I recall correctly. And yes, I suppose somewhere
there is a Chicago fan who bought "Spirits (Having Flown)" JUST
to hear those horns. Go figure.
[1990] Nobody's Child - Romanian Angel Appeal
performed by various artists
Featuring "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" from the 1989
Melbourne concert appearance
Label: WARNER BROS.
Cat #: 26280-2
[1993] Jose Y Durval - Todo Por Amor
Something was mentioned on the mailing list previously about
a Brazilian pop duo, Chitaozinho e Xororo, recording a cover of
"Words" in Miami with guest vocals by the Bee Gees. Now Joe
Brennan has been sent some info on yet another latin cover of
"Words" with the Bee Gees by Jose y Durval, and Xororo listed as
guitarist. Both albums are titled "Todo Por Amo". I don't
evenPRETEND to know what's going on here, but CompuServe's
All-Music Guide (use GO command to GO ALLMUSIC) cheerfully
coughed up the catalog number for Jose y Durval, and refused to
acknowledge any info for Chitaozinho e Xororo (quite possibly due
to a spelling error, I would suspect...). Catalog info for Jose
y Durval is as follows:
Label: PHILLIPS
Cat #: 314-510464-2
[1995] Tapestry Revisited - A Tribute to Carole King
performed by various artists (video also available)
The Bee Gees sing Carole King composition "Will You Still Love Me
Tomorrow"
Label: Lava Records
Cat #: 92604-2
[1996] Paul Anka - Amigos
According to Grant Walters, "Barry sings backround vocals
with Paul and Anthea Anka on the song "Yo Te Amo" (Do I Love
You). It's a very light, breezy ballad, and the three voices meld
quite nicely. Barry's vocals are mostly falsetto, sung very
gently and breathily - but there are times we get to hear that
wonderful airy regular voice of his :-) All in all well worth
the purchase of the CD."
Label: COLUMBIA
Cat #: CK 91110
[198*] Barbra Streisand - One Voice
Barry appears live and sings "Gulity" and "What Kind of Fool"
with Barbra.
Also available on video.
Label: COLUMBIA
Cat #: CK-40788
[199*] Coca-Cola Comercials
Our efforts to resolve the cola mystery are finally starting
to pay off. Let's follow the trail so far.
In the sixties, around 1968 from what I've heard, the
brothers wrote and recorded two songs for Coca-cola. It sounds
as if Bill Shepherd is doing the orchestrations. I've heard them
on tape, but not on any commerical (no pun intended) releases.
One jingle is entitled "Another Cold and Windy Day". This
tune is reminiscent of "Holiday," and features Robin seeking
solace to his miserable and unceasing agony in a bottle of
sugared phosphoric acid (otherwise known as Coca-Cola). If
Tolstoy were to write soft drink jingles, they would sound like
this. "...I turn my face into the sun, the time of winter has
begun..."
The other clip is "Sitting in the Meadow", which is rather
similar to "Sir Geoffrey Saved the World". Robin leads on this
upbeat tune, with Barry joining in on the chorus. "Sitting in
the meadow, frolic in the grass / Wouldn't you be lazy, everybody
asks..." and so on.
I never understood the reason these were made until I took
my son to see the "Turbo Rangers" movie a while back. Before the
movie started, they had a little 90-second music video with some
angst-ridden nineties ensemble. It was... a Coca-Cola jingle.
Since I go to the movies about as often as an Amish farmer,
I don't know how many others of these were made. But it seems
entirely possible that the Bee Gees appeared in some such promo
as this, to be played in the movie theatres. For you restless
collectors out there, perhaps this is yet another thing to keep
an eye peeled for. I wonder...
But all this aside, the issue has been, where can you buy a
CD with these commericals on it?
I had heard from others that Coca-cola had (or so they
heard) released this as a promotional CD. However, it was
conspicuous in its absence at the official Coca-Cola boutique and
souvenir-stand near Trump Tower on 5th Avenue.
The road next led me to HMV at Herald Square, where I found
an import CD called "Great Cola Commercials - Vol. 2" (Vox
Records, UK) that had jingles from Del Shannon, Johnny Cash and a
cast of dozens... but no Bee Gees.
So I speculated that there MUST be a Volume One somewhere,
another Holy Grail of soda jingles yet to be found.
Then we heard from Douwe Dijkstra, in the Netherlands.
Douwe read my earlier pleas for assistance, and provided the
following:
"The CD that I have is called 'Coca-Cola Comercials.' This
is the official title.
"Furthermore in the inlay it says: '65 sensational tracks'
and 'things go better with Coke.'
"The only Bee Gees performed track is #37 being the one
starting with "Sitting in the Meadow"
"In my view there is no "Great Cola Commercials vol 1", but
#2 is just called #2 because the above mentioned Coca Cola did
already exist.
"You can order both CD's from "Offshore Echoes Magazine" to
be found on
http://www.guernseyweb.co.uk/cdjing.html"
So, there you have it. Case closed. Thanks, Douwe!!
Now, what's this about Dentyne commercials? ;-)
* Guilty Pleasures: The Songs You Hate To Love"
performed by various artists
The most disturbing cover art I've ever seen, bar none.
Aside from this, the album is noteworthy for its inclusion of
rare Gibb composition "Gilbert Green" as performed by Gerry
Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers.
LABEL: SONY MUSIC SPECIAL PRODUCTS
Cat #: AK-53923
* Roy Orbison - Rare Orbison Vol. 2
Barry Gibb/Larry Gatlin composition "Indian Summer"
originally came out on the Gatlin Brothers "Smile" album in 1985.
It features vocals by Barry, Larry Gatlin, and Roy Orbison. It
is also available on the "Legendary Roy Orbison" box set.
(Thanks to Jill Thompson and Imran for this info!)
Label: MONUMENT
Cat #: AK-45404
Also available on:
Label: COLUMBIA SPECIAL PRODUCTS
Cat #: 45404
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