With the Sun in My Eyes: Brothers Gibb (Bee Gees/Andy Gibb) Song-by song thread

Onn this thread, starting today, I’m going to start holding up songs by The Brothers Gibb (Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy inclusive) including all of The Bee Gees songs.


As usual, I plan to go about this in my style, giving information about each song as we go along (where it’s available) and I encourage other users to add information that I might not have or correct information which I present, if necessary.

Participants may rate the songs on a 1 to 5 rating system, and decimals are allowed and counted. However rating is optional: discussion is the name of the game. I like rating as it focuses my internal critic, but of course, at the end of the day, rating works of art is nonsense. Although I am interested on seeing how collective ratings play out.

Other than Bee Gees and “Brother Gibb” solo projects I also plan to include, wherever possible, the dozens of songs which were written and/or produced by The Brothers Gibb over their long and remarkable career. In contrast to my Beach Boys thread, though, I will not be covering well-known “bootleg" recordings which have circulated widely (early seventies solo albums by Maurice and Barry in particular, or the --tragically--aborted A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In the Pants. The only non-released song I plan on going over, in fact, is today’s song, as an exception, to kick off the thread in a small way.

If those unreleased songs should be released, then I will go over them at some later point.

___A Brief Biography__________________________________________________
I think that The Bee Gees biography is fairly well-known and I won’t go too far into it here in this introductory post. Barry, and twins Robin and Maurice Gibb were born on the Isle of Man in in 1946 and 1949, respectively.


They loved singing together and knew they wanted to be professional singers from a very early age. Their father was a professional drummer who played at Manx hotels during the summer holiday season and worked odd jobs in the rest of the year; and their mother had been a singer in her youth. Eventually the gruel of that life, caused the family family to move to Manchester, England, where their youngest sibling, Andy, was born in 1958. Their parents don't seem to have pushed them into a musical career, but they enthusiastically supported them from the beginning.

Barry had been gifted with a cheap acoustic guitar on his tenth birthday. Learning an open guitar tuning from a neighbour, he was pretty much self taught, and continued to play mostly on open tunings throughout his career. He started writing songs almost immediately.

It was in Manchester in the late fifties that the Brothers really began their career. Legend has it that they enlisted to appear as “The Rattlesnakes” in a lip-synching talent show at a cinema in Manchester. The record they were planning to mime to (“Wake Up Little Susie”, by the Everly Brothers) was dropped by Barry on the way. The record shattered. Without a song to mime to, the brothers, accompanied by Barry’s acoustic guitar, sang instead an a cappella rendition of the Mudlarks’ ‘Lollipop”. The audience response was so enthusiastic that they sang a further five songs.

After that, the band played a number of short, but paying gigs in Manchester, never earning much money but doing what they loved, and also busked on the street for spare change.

In 1958, not long after Andy was born, the Gibb family left Manchester behind and moved to Australia, entertaining fellow passengers on the way.

Not long after arriving, the brothers began performing at various events in Australia for change, and eventually caught the ear of radio DJ Bill Gates,(not the Microsoft guy) who was blown away by their professionalism and sound and invested in the band, buying them instruments and paying for some recordings to be made. After they began performing at hotels and some pubs and some of their performances were played a little on local radio.Their act included not only covers but original songs written by Barry, from whom songs were beginning to geyser at a pace faster than they would ever be recorded. It also included comedy skits that the brothers wrote themselves, as well as amusing impressions of celebrities and other musicians.

They became known as “The Bee Gees”. The name was chosen for the initial of both Barry Gibb and Bill Gates, as well as their mother, Barbara Gibb and racecar driver Bill Goode, who had called Bill Gates’s attention to the brothers….Eventually of course, the letters stood for “The Brothers Gibb”, and first performed Barry’s original “Time Is Passing” at this point.


For this intitial phase of the thread, I plan to go over all of their songs --recorded either by The Brothers Gibb themselves or other artists -- in the order they were recorded, more or less, and I will follow this tack through their debut album, 1965's The Bee Gees Sing And Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs, which was more a compilation of previously recorded tracks than a proper album.

After that, I’ll go through the songs of 1966’s Spicks And Specks, and follow that album and each subsequent album with various non-album songs (A-sides, B-sides, outtakes) as well as songs written by one or more of the brothers for other artists.

I will not be holding up any of the numerous songs on which The Bee Gees sang back up vocals for other artists separately; but will focus mainly on original songs, although a handful of covers that have been officially released by The Bee Gees themselves, will also be held up for discussion.

Note: The Bee Gees, especially Barry, were unusually prolific songwriters, particularly in these early years. So I can understand if any followers of this thread will want sit out some of this early stuff — it is quite extensive and, though always tuneful, not quite at the truly expressive stage. Just a warning. It will be some time before we get to the High Years of the late sixties, much less the years of The Brothers’ superstardom in the late seventies.

And thus on posts like these, I plan to regularly give updates on upcoming songs, as we go through each “chapter" of The Brothers’ career. This is so people who aren’t interested in the paraphernalia of the Brothers’ career but do want to talk about their more well-known songs, can sit them out if they wish.

For all this material I will be drawing from the information published on the simply awesome Gibbs Songs website, which is an exhaustive online resource for all things Brothers Gibb.

I’ll also be consulting various books about The Bee Gees for this thread, though in my opinion, no resource beats the Gibbs Songs website in conciseness while simultaneous providing specificity in details as well as a clear overview.

The songs I will cover in the next few days from this initial period, starting today, are (all songs are by The Bee Gees unless noted otherwise):

1960-1963

• Time Is Passing (Barry Gibb) {1960, performed on Australian television}
• The Battle of the Blue and the Grey (Gibb) {May, 1963, A-side}
• The Three Kisses of Love (Gibb) {May 1963, B-side}
• Underneath the Starlight of Love (Gibb) - Col Joye {1963, B-side}
• Timber (Gibb){July 1963, A-side}
• Take Hold of That Star (Gibb) {July 1963, B-side}
• The Bee Gees ep (September, 1963, to be held up the same daythe same day)
• I’d Like to Leave If I May (Gibb) Lonnie Lee & the Leemen {1963, B-side}
• Let’s Stomp, Australia Way (Gibb, Johnny Devlin) Tony Brady {1963, A-side} above two songs on the same day
• Lucky Me (Gibb) Tony Brady {1963, B-side}
• Surfer Boy (Gibb) Noeleen Brantley {1963, B-side}

1964

• Peace of Mind (Barry Gibb) {A-side}
• Don’t Say Goodbye (Gibb) {B-side}
• Can’t You See That She’s Mine (Dave Clark, Mike Smith) {released on Brilliant From Birth, 1998}
• From Me To You (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) {released on Brilliant From Birth, 1998}
• Yesterday’s Gone (Chad Stewart, Wendy Kidd) {released on Brilliant From Birth, 1998}
• Just One Look (Doris Payne, Gregory Carroll) {released on Brilliant From Birth, 1998}
• Claustrophobia (Gibb) {A-side}
• Could It Be (Gibb) {B-side}
• Turn Around, Look at Me (Jerry Capeheart) {A-side}
• Theme from “The Travels of Jerry McPheeters” (Jerry Winn, Leigh Harline) {B-side}
• House Without Windows (Gibb) Trevor Gordon {A-side, 1965}
• And I’ll Be Happy (Gibb) Trevor Gordon {B-side, 1965}
• One Road (Gibb) Jimmy Little{A-side}
• Scared of Losing You (Gibb) - Reg Lindsey{B-side}
• Never Like This (Gibb) Del Juliana{A-side}
• I Just Don’t Like to Be Alone (Gibb) Bryan Davies {A-side}
• Love And Money (Gibb) Bryan Davies{B-side}

1965:

• Everyday I Have to Cry (Arthur Alexander) {A-side}
• You Wouldn’t Know (Gibb) {B-side}
• Little Miss Rhythm & Blues (Gibb) Trevor Gordon{A-side}
• Here I Am (Gibb) Trevor Gordon{B-side}
• I Wanna Tell The World (Gibb) Michelle Rae {A-side}
• Everybody’s Talkin’ (Gibb) Michelle Rae {B-side}
• Wine And Women (Gibb) {A-side}
• Follow The Wind (Gibb) {B-side}
• Watching The Hours Go By (Gibb) Noeleen Brantley {A-side}
• I Was a Lover, a Leader of Men (Gibb) {A-side}
• And The Children Laughing (Gibb) {B-side}
• I Don’t Think It’s Funny (Gibb) {The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs}
• How Love Was True (Gibb) {The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs}
• To Be Or Not to Be (Gibb) {The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs}
• The Bee Gees Sing & Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs
• Baby I’m Losing You (Gibb) Noeleen Brantley {A-side}
• They’ll Never Know (Gibb) -Wayne Newton {from Red Roses for a Blue Lady}
• I Will Love You (Gibb) -Tony Brady{A-side}
• Who’s Been Writing on the Wall Today (Gibb) Jenny Bradley {A-side}
• Chubby (Gibb) Jenny Bradley {B-side}
• That’s What I’ll Give to You (Gibb} Jimmy Boyd{A-side}
• Bad Girl (Gibb} Dennis & The Delawares{A-side}
• They Say (Gibb}Dennis & The Delawares{B-side}
• You Do Your Loving with Me (Gibb} Lynne Fletcher{A-side}

1966

• I Want Home (Gibb) {A-side}
• Cherry Red (Gibb) {B-side}

So, I’ll start holding up songs from The Bee Gees’ first proper album Spicks And Specks on January 8th. I will post over Christmas.

Note: (I”m aware that the Bee Gees and Robin Gibb both have some Christmas songs…but I’m going to save those for the Christmas season 2024.) We’ve got a ways to go…

Another note. It’s very possible that some of these very early songs, especially the side-projects will not be available on public streaming sources like YouTube or Spotify outside of Australia. I hope that they are, but if they aren’t, then I suppose I’ll have no choice but to move on to the next song that does, which will mean that we will get through these sooner than I’m planning. I've already checked and found a few songs that aren't available and I assume there will be more.

A final note: I was planning to start this thread tomorrow, but I'm going abroad for a few days so I'm posting an early song today that has only been released on video to kick off the thread early. I should still be able to post, though. If I am unable to post where I'm going (Giant Mountains, Polish side) I'll be back home on Sunday afternoon Central European Time and will post then.

 

Today’s song is “Time Is Passing”, written by Barry Gibb. Performed by The B.G.’s.

Background:
“Time Is Passing” was written by a thirteen year old Barry Gibb in 1959. Throughout 1959, The Bee Gees had performed at various events in Australia and had become a presence on Australian radio. This may have been their first of many television appearances, on the Australian TV program Strictly For Moderns, which was broadcast on August 12th, 1960. Barry was thirteen in this clip, while Maurice and Robin were both ten

Line Up:
Barry Gibb: lead vocal, guitar
Robin and Maurice Gibb: harmony vocals

The Bee Gees never recorded "Time Is Passing By" in the studio,but this performance was included on the video documentary This Is Where I Came In: The Official Story of The Bee Gees.

There are some other early songs from Australian TV, but I’ve decided not to hold them up: they are mostly covers. I'm including this song just to kick off the thread a day early and will jump to 1963 and their first proper single tomorrow.

 

The Bee Gees, or B.G.'s as they were apparently billed as at this point, kick off the thread with a country/skiffle song.

Like many of Barry's early songs, "Time Is Passing By" is a display of effortless craft, with a good and eminently sing-a-longable tune and an easy country/skiffle feel. The brothers manage to sing in their usual polished professional harmonies, even at this very young age, and in spit of their enormous teeth, which threaten to block out all sound.

The song itself is so obviously the work of a professional and business-like songwriter (even if still a teen and at the very beginning of his long and remarkable career) and doesn't really hint at any of the depth of artistry that would be developed later on down the road.

But it's tuneful enough that it's frankly impossible for me to dislike, especially wedded, as it is, to the image of this teenager and these two little guys singing along. It's just adorable.

2.8/5

 

I'm super excited to participate in this thread! The work and achievements of the Bee Gees are towering in their scope and quality, and are highly derserving of every accolade possible. I'm glad you're including Andy, his songs are terrific. It's also great that songs performed by others that were written/produced by the Brothers are being covered, as they form an essential part of the Bee Gees fabric. This should be awesome!!

 

Time Is Passing

I never realized there was stuff from this far back. While hardly representative of what was to come, it still is a fascinating glimpse of the young brothers in a completely different context. While fairly basic in sound and structure, it is already showcasing Barry's melodic gift and the performance chops of the three together. It's not fantastic, but it's thoroughly charming. 3/5

 

Not for rating, but here is another early TV appearance: a non-original. “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” From February, 1963.

By this time Barry was 16 and had dropped out of school and the Bee Gees performances had become the sole income for the Gibb family. Their father worked for them as manager, their mother as costume designer and their older sister managed their fan club.

 

That’s a pretty ambitious project!

 

Another cover from February 1963:Lonnie Donegan’s “My Old Man’s a Dustman.” Not for rating…

 

'Roll over Paul Simon and tell Art Garfunkel the news'!

Wow! This is one serious undertaking and I can't think of a better subject for a thread. All that pop genius hiding in plain sight, with so many other great ones scattered hither and tither. Speaking as somebody who only moved out of Chorlton a few months ago, I'm very proud that our biggest local pop star isn't Badly Drawn Boy (although he's good too), but the collective Bee Gees. This is going be good!!

Time Is Passing: 3/5

 

"Time Is Passing"

Lance, glad this is starting.
Even at this young age, the brothers have a nice blend.
For a first song, it's quite good.
Looking at the other videos, they are well schooled in performing. And very professional. Almost quaint in a way.
A bygone era.
Very charming.

2.5/5

 

Apologies if this was addressed in the intro and I missed it…for songs that were released by the brothers and also in popular versions by other artists (e.g., “If I Can’t Have You”; “More Than A Woman”), will these be combined and featured on a single day when this occurs, or covered on individual days for each version?

 

Wow, this will be fun, especially when it comes to discussing those prehistoric album tracks which I'm really fond of.

As for this one...well, you gotta start somewhere. Sounds to me like it's pretty much pinched from the country/folk standard "Gotta Travel On." Maybe if the Beatles hadnt happened they would have wound up a doo-wop version of the Kingston Trio.

The interview beforehand is actually more entertaining than the song. 2/5

 

The latter. If there is a Bee Gees version, i’m planning on making that the main focus. But the other artist’s version will be put up too if it’s available, especially if it is as well-known as the ones you mentioned.

However, when it comes to things like The Guilty Demos, etc. the main version will be the focus, with the demo being secondary. There might be some exceptions to this rule of thumb. Ill play it by ear, in these cases.

In cases like "Islands In the Stream", Or "Heartbreaker", Or Samantha Sang's "Emotion", I would consider the Kenny Rogers or Dionne Warwick or Samantha version more the main song than a Bee Gees demo or remake that was released on compilations later.

But where possible, I will try to always put both versions up, within reason of course.

 

Another thing about today's song, in it's folkish skiffle-ness...I don't think that Barry, in particular, ever really let go of writing country-flavored songs like this.

 

Look8ng forward to this journey!

 

One of those country songs he’d write some 24-odd years later is, IMO, the best song in the Brothers Gibb catalog.

 

Nice harmonies. Nice twangy lead vocal. A wonderful artifact. 5/5

 

I am familiar with some of these tracks to follow as I have the two CD set " Birth Of Brilliance".
But there are many more.
People will be surprised at the quality of the songs.

 

Definitely will participate but I don’t know anything pre-“Bee Gees First”!



But from then on I should be good to go…. right until to where they came in!

 

Tacklin' the BBs and the BGs. I love it. Very interested in this thread too.

 

Especially on the album " Life In Tin Can"

 

Lance, no time for their cover of "Please, Please Me"?
I thought it was pretty faithfull, and showed how close
Harmonically their singing was to those Liverpudians.

After all, early on in their rise in 1967, that was what critics harped on.

 

Hmm, not the most well versed in this band but I will likely lurk and contribute as and when, thanks lance!

 

I love the Brothers Gibb, and have been looking forward to this thread very much! My knowledge of the music of Barry, Robin, Maurice, and Andy is spotty, but I have loved them since I was 14 years old and bought my first Bee Gees record (Nights on Broadway 7” single, which I still have!). In addition to writing incredible songs, these brothers are among the best singers I have ever heard, especially Barry. I can’t wait to learn more about this wonderful music.

Time Is Passing

I don’t really have much to say about this first song, but the video is priceless! Robin Gibb did not radically change in appearance throughout his entire lifetime. He always looked exactly like he looks in this video. I love the way he’s awkwardly snapping his fingers in time with the music.

 

You will have a great time.
So many good songs are waiting for your ears.
With the Beach Boys thread and now the Bee Gees, Lance is the real Santa.

Christmas Time Is Here.