The BeeGees had a successful career singing romantic ballads and storied songs for about 8 years before fully embracing both Barry Gibb’s falseto voice, R&B rhythms, and the disco of the '70s. Their 12th album (Main Course) propelled them to the spotlight in a manner that eclipsed their earlier works. This album, released a couple of years later, exemplifies what made them great and to a certain extent what ultimately caused them to be ridiculed.
My exposure to the Bee Gees, other than their chart hits, is Saturday Night Fever and The Record: The Best of the Bee Gees (in my wife’s small collection … honest guv.) Tragedy was enough to make me run, but I stayed with it. Unfortunately, the album doesn’t get much better. It’s not only Barry Gibb’s falsetto, it’s just … to put it another way, the most irritating song of all time is the Bee Gees penned Chain Reaction. It’s a miss for me.
My picks: Too Much Heaven and Spirits (Having Flown).
Oof, you’re testing me now! As it happens I’ve just dug out my Chromecast Audio and my ‘good’ headphones, neither of which I’ve used in a long while, so this will be a good excuse to kick back with the cans on and give it a fair listen
