Trafalgar

Was expecting “Staying Alive” and had to settle for my best effort at Staying Awake. I didn’t get this at all. 1.5

This is pre-disco Bee Gees which means it's not even interesting in an annoying way. This was just bleh. Insipid lyrics, music that's trying SO HARD to sound like other bands, and mediocre production combine to create a completely forgettable experience.

I didn't realize it but somehow these guys suck across multiple genres

What a let down. I think albums like this are more of a surprise to see on the list than some of the 1 star trash. At least you have a reaction to those. This is just... Nothing

The most boring album I ever had the displeasure to muddle through.

Nahhh fuck off Bee Gees. Fuck you

It was fun. Felt like Beatles B sides

much better than Odessa imo

In which the author(s) don't allow Saturday Night Fever because of it's flexible rule against soundtracks so they pull a Bee Gee's album that has one recognizable song. 3/5.

I realized I've never listened to a Bee Gees album end-to-end. This one predated their more famous disco work (yet was still their 9th album!) and seemed more heartfelt and ballad-like. Very listenable and a great summer record.

Better than expected and not at all like what you expect Bee Gees to sound like

Very low key at first. Clear and intense vocals. Instrumental background feels more focused on the chord progression. Romantic and emphatic (Israel). Surreal and almost inspirational sound (Greatest Man in the World). Remembering has some folk feels to it. Bittersweet. Only knew Stayin’ Alive before; VERY different but pleasant, soft and sweet. Groovy baseline with chord progression in Somebody Stop the Music. Interesting transition into and out of that section. Trafalgar: not sure what’s goin on here. Felt a little bland lyrics-wise. Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself very feelsy. I like the 3-step bass riff before each section. I like the intro to When Do I with guitar and bells? Synth in background, strings very bright and happy sounding. Dearest vocals powerful and emotional. I like this track a lot. Lion in Winter percussion intro very simple, engaging through its simplicity. I like this track. Walking Back to Waterloo: not sure I understand the lyrics but the sounds are nice. Nice end to the album, I like the long drawn out end to the last notes.

Trafalgar is a good album, but much like a few entrees on the list, it doesn’t justify itself as being essential listening. The first half is really good but it takes a massive dive in the second half (aside from the track Trafalgar which is probably the best on the album). Overall pretty lame considering it as a whole.

i) This may have never happened if the Beatles had split up earlier--their late 60s/early 70s signature is discernible more than once, ii) I'd blame Paul but there's no escaping that Barry Gibb sounds a lot like John, especially on Greatest Man in the World and the title track (whose vocal line is mostly just a Day in the Life rip, right?), iii) Presumably, the album art and title are only significant in relation to the Gibb's aspiration to be misremembered and romanticised in the same way that British military history is--instead, this achievement belongs to ABBA.

Bee Gees - trafalgar It’s not surprising the Bee Gee’s never really found success with their Moody Blues-esque psych-pomp. Trafalgar’s overwrought orchestration and plodding pace makes it a chore to listen to.

The best thing about this album was reading the Wikipedia page about the Battle of Trafalgar, after I was got curious about the name's its origin (only knowing Trafalgar Square and Trafalgar D. Water Law until then). The second-best thing is the cover art.

it is way sadder than i thought it would be but it's a fantastic album, super beautiful

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a classic and I really loved every song that followed it. I don’t know why these goofy voices are so enjoyable but they are.

I love this album. It is lush, emotional, and the instrumentation is great! More than just “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?”, there are a lot of underrated songs from this album. My favorites: “Israel”, “When Do I”, “Remembering”, “Trafalgar”, “Don’t Want To Live Inside Myself”.

Woah best one this site recommended yet, that Waterloo song had been on repeat.

This was just it. I didn’t know The Bee Gees were cool like dat.

SO schmaltzy but SO good, music to listen with your SO to,so warm and loving, i should hate it but i dont

mild mellow harmonic not too exciting but pretty tune-y. lots of songs about love and ladies

Trafalgar I went on a bit of a deep dive through the Bee Gees back catalogue before their disco pop machine pomp as I’ve always been partial to stuff like New York Mining Disaster and Massachusetts. This album and Odessa stood out particularly. For such a brilliant songwriter as Barry and for how good Maurice can be, it's always seemed slightly strange that, aside from the SNF soundtrack, they don’t really have a defining album. When you listen to their albums there are some great tracks (and some not so great tracks) and a lot of dead ends, and you get a sense that they often didn’t quite know what they were as a band and as artists. Despite them, and Barry in particular, being up there with some of the best songwriters and song craftsmen (craftsthem?) of all time it feels like they never quite found their place, and that they perhaps didn’t have the personality/character/vision of some of their peers to make fully realised albums However, and despite the similarity in the balladness and tempo of the songs on here, and while they aren’t as immediate as some of their pop classics, this for me is probably their most coherent album, the sense of vaguely melodramatic overthetopness, combined with their songwriting craft and skill makes its a bit of a broodingly atmospheric overlooked gem, with some nice oddness and interest to it. There is also some great bass on this, a bit like Serge Gainsbourg in its tone and place in the mix but it really adds a great colour to it. I’m not always keen on Robin’s voice and he does sound a bit silly at the start of Remembering and When I Do, but I really love Barry’s voice, and he’s really great on Israel. Their harmonies though, as they always are, are superb throughout, so well considered and constructed with that great fraternal tone. Standouts are How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? with that super little piano counterpoint, the fantastic Israel, The Greatest Man in the World, Somebody Stop the Music, Trafalgar, the brilliantly and slightly odd Lion in Winter and Walking Back to Waterloo. It’s Just the Way and Remembering and fine but not as good as the others and When Do I and Dearest don’t work so well for me. Slightly tempted to go 5, but in reality this is a solid 4 - some great tracks, great harmonies, surprisingly good bass and an overall slightly strange and spooky atmosphere. ⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️ Playlist submission: Lion in Winter

Enjoyed this more than I anticipated. There's a definite cheese factor, but it's genuine cheese - the production is polished but the feelings are still raw. Some great and memorable progressions in here.

Nice

In the book, this album is sandwiched onto the same page as The Yes Album, Who’s Next, and Tapestry. What’s Going On takes up the previous two pages. Somehow this juxtaposition didn’t help the editors put together the idea that maybe The Bee Gees are more well known and influential for Saturday Night Fever than this nonsense. You can’t even argue that that’s not included due to its status as a soundtrack, as Shaft, Superfly, and even That’s the Way of the World stand as counterpoints. 4/10

I had never listened to pre-disco era Bee Gees. And now I understand why. It's just not nearly as thrilling or exciting. Though the vocals are obviously those of the Gibbs brothers, they sound lifeless compared to their amazing harmonies and vocals in their disco era. From what I can tell, there is no disco era Bee Gees on this project. What an incredibly ridiculous miss. Do yourself a favor and go out on your own and check out these additional listenings for a better taste of the Bee Gees: -Saturday Night Fever soundtrack -Main Course -Spirits Having Flown -Hell, even "Greatest" is a worthy endeavor of all of their hits (containing, of course, their DISCO songs). I'm all for some music history on this project, but if you want to experience something that truly changed the landscape of music at the time, something that should be experienced by anyone taking on a listening project like this, it's Bee Gees' disco music, not this. This album could have been sung by virtually any other soft rock act of the time. Disco is what set Bee Gees apart and made them so special.

This is a bit of a chore to listen to. I find the songs very bland; they do not work for me.

1 star

A fate worse than death. A reality-bending fuckfest that claims to be 47 minutes long while actually lasting over 7 millennia. Musical equivalent of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

I was not expecting this from a Bee Gees album. This has a 60s/70s singer-songwriter vibe, which I dig a lot. Actually, it feels and sounds like David Bowie. But like a cheesy Bowie.

So in addition to my love for all things prog-rock back in the day (i.e. Rush, ELP, Yes, Genesis, Iron Maiden, UFO, Zeppelin, etc.), I also enjoyed some of the more “mellow” artists like Elton John, Billy Joel, and of course – The Bee Gees… In middle school, I bought “Here At Last – The Bee Gees Live” – and I thought it was fantastic… Most of what I enjoyed was their older material, but I never bothered to check out the early catalog, and figured the best songs - like with most bands, were spread across several albums, so I was curious as to what goodness I was going to find on “Trafalgar”… The album starts out with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” – which is certainly royalty in the Bee Gees cannon, so quite a start, as this one is just a truly exceptional song… Unfortunately, that was pretty much the end of the goodness… The rest of the album was just dull, whiney, and tedious to be honest… The only other song that was somewhat decent, was “Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself” – but that was it… I ran through this twice just to make sure, and can’t tell you how disappointed I was… Not only were the songs uninteresting, they also sounded identical – as there was little to no diversity in the music… One great song does NOT a 1,001 Albums list make, so a very disappointing 1-star for me…

The game changed once Bee Gees found out about 'drum beats'. Sadly, this album was before that phase, and it's pretty terrible.

No. Just fucking...no.

The most interesting thing about this album is the picture on the cover. This whole album makes me think of Jimmy Fallon. And that's not welcome either. At least HE had JT.

Thought-provoking lyrics, great tones, a very good album

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

Me gustaron los sonidos de las canciones aunque algunas fueran un poco melancólicas.

I like this a lot actually, playing with the baroque pop elements strongly.

9/10 sure the Bee Gees are a fairly derivative band, just copying the sounds of The Beatles and Elton John, but it still sounds really good they’re talented musicians, just not very original, I guess

A classic

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart ♥️

Bee Gees Nostalgie, altijd goed

One of my all-time favorite 70s bands and albums!

The Kings of disco.

sad

So melancholy and excellent

I didn’t think I would like this as much as I did.

I am always partial to melodious/tuneful music, and almost all songs on this album are just that, with beautiful accompanying instrumentals. Sure, it's not the most unique or interesting sounding music, but I really loved its comforting and lyrical nature, and it almost feels like a warm blanket of sound to the ears. It also helps that I was a pretty big fan of the Bee Gees prior to listening (though I had never heard any of the tracks on this album before). I liked pretty much every track, but especially liked Walking Back to Waterloo (shoutout Waterloo), Dearest, When Do I, Remembering, The Greatest Man in the World, Israel, and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?. There's also something about their voices and overall sound (much more lush and full maybe?) compared to other groups that they are often accused of imitating (ie. the Beatles) that I really prefer, and I honestly can't quite explain why. Anyways, I understand that many people found this boring/uninspired, so I don't think that this is an album that EVERYONE needs to hear in their lifetime (though I do think some of their disco stuff should've been included instead). However, I'm glad that this list got me to listen to it - I personally loved this album and it made me feel happy, which is all I can really ask for. 5, it's not for everybody but it's for me!

The piano in some of the songs kinda remind me of ABBA (not a bad thing). The instrumentation is very good, I don't really like his voice but wtv. This is the only real legitimate Israel btw 🤞🤞🤞. Overall a pretty good album, a couple good songs but there are admittedly a few skips (so far). Favourites are Dearest and The Greatest Man In the World. 4/5 jk Dearest is mega cream worthy 5/5

All time divorce record

A perfect early Bee Gees release with great singing.

pues me ha gustado mucho, es un disco que me pondría

Wonderful!!

Manche finden es zu seicht. Ich finde, es ist Musik, die jeder ab und zu braucht. Sänger, die singen können, sanfte Melodien, Arrangements mit Wiedererkennungswert! 5/5

i said this before after listening to Odessa, but the Bee Gees were such a different band before disco came along. I love the disco tracks too, but this genuinely feels like a different band. The album is orchestral rock with no high pitched vocals, and is so delightful and easy to listen to. There isn’t really much I can fault here. It’s a great album.

Definitely an underrated group.

Barry gibb is one of the great songwriters. This album is stage one bee gees at their peak. The vocal blend is among the very best. Yes. This belongs here.

Amazing

Love these guys

Unexpected! Didn’t know they had already-disco sound.

1971. Key Songs: Trafalgar, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Walking Back to Waterloo

Better than most bee gees albums

The Bee Gees are great! This is much more folksy than the disco hits I've heard, but still really nice.

A lot more Beatles sounding than I was expecting. Really enjoyed it though.

Good

I think I liked this album better the first time I listened to it although there are some songs that I liked more on the second listen. Obviously, I still really like it as you can tell by the rating. It reminded me of Elton John and ABBA so I guess it sounds like an album from the 70s. There are some great songs and some songs that are just decent. "When Do I" is really weird and the chorus sounds almost like a joke. For some reason, it reminds me of Kermit. Even though it's probably the worst song on the album, I kind of love it. The vocals are weird on a lot of songs even including the beginning of How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. Anyway, if this is not even one of the better Bee Gees albums, I guess I should listen to more of the Bee Gees. Favorite songs: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?, Israel, Somebody Stop The Music, Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself, Walking Back to Waterloo Strong 7/10

First time listening: 9/12 songs liked It's like listening to a soft beatles album with extremely glutteral voices, which is odd considering they are mainly known for their disco. I know and like their first track, so I knew what I was getting myself into. Can be bitch if you are tired. No songs saved

Not what I had imagined for The Bee Gees. Folky. needs a relisten.

The Beatles and Elton John influence is apparent here. The Bee Gees are better known for their late '70s disco pop, but this album showcases their ability to craft lush pop centered around themes of loss and remembrance. Highlights for me are 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,' 'Trafalgar,' 'Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself,' and 'Walking Back to Waterloo.'

Nice

Sevdimm

Well this is surprising and rather lovely. The Bee Gees as serious artists, delivering mature and emotive pop music with a melancholic vibe. Like their more well known work, this is characterised by really nice melodies and harmonies, but with just a little less chart-friendly pure pop polish and more mature sounding instrumentation in the form of horns and strings. Really like this. 4/5

Much more depth than the beegees bangers everyone knows.

Barry Gibb can write a damn good song. The opener, title track, and closer are all highlights here. The Bee Gees before disco were a totally different rock and roll band, and a great time to listen to.

Но хотелось бы побольше электричества

4.4 - At turns this record reminds me of Electric Light Orchestra, ABBA and the Beatles. The songs are exceptionally well orchestrated and express emotional vulnerability through the lyrics and vocals. There are a couple missteps. "Dearest" sounds like a B-side from "Phantom of the Opera" and "Israel" though pretty comes off as dated propaganda. The distinctive Bee Gees vibrato is here with a vengeance, and I'm sure many will take exception with the vocals. Given the shadow "Saturday Night Fever" casts on all that is Bee Gees, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I'm also surprised at its tepid critical reception and that it's mostly forgotten by time.

Not at all what I was expecting. More like Elton John at times, and also folkier than I would have thought.

Glad to hear this, I had only heard the disco hits of the bee gees before. This is a wildly different side!

Interesting album. A little calmer and less/different energy than I recall from some of the other Bee Gees stuff I heard. Still pretty good and worth 4 stars

Relaxing 70s pop. Flows easily in the background. 3.5/5

Les Bee Gees nous proposent à ma grande surprise un album formidable, bien que dénué de toute homosexualité.

Awesome!

Every song is great and the album sounds amazing. The orchestration, vocal tracks, various instruments, it’s all there when it comes to production. However, it’s really missing some different styled songs. Each song has a similar tempo and sounds like an outro song. It’s also oddly similar to “LSD” and “Across The Universe” style Beatles.

I've never listened to the Bee Gees but considering their era, this is impressive. It's probably more on the balladry side of rock which can be a bit much. I had my fun with this and I really wanna return to this.

Surprisingly good actually, never really listened to the Bee Gee's other than the classics

Classic

Ridiculous album...hated it, then kind of liked it...its very silly

Massor av fina låtar jag aldrig hört förut. Mycket bra platta.

Man, I did not expect this to be so BLEAK. The Brothers Gibb are sad. I'm glad that in a few years they will know that you should be dancin'. Yeah. This is soft and gentle if depressing. Seems I like most the tunes written by Maurice, which are the ones that sound most like The Beatles.

I didn't really enjoy this album, and if it wasn't the Bee Gees, it would have ranked lower...just kind of to slow and sad for me today.

There really is nothing like the early Bee Gees (except maybe Christopher Guest in “A Mighty Wind”). More vibrato than falsetto. Although when I say early, I had no idea this was their ninth album! And it's kind of a dark one. Interesting and compelling. And so sad sometimes!

I love The Bee Gees. Both their older and newer stuff. this album isn't my favorite, but I like a lot.

Unexpected prog about love.

приятненько мне понравилось не знаю что еще сказать

Most of the songs are about love or more specifically breaking up. I'm such a badass because I can't relate to breaking up with someone 😎 privileges of being lonely big W

Nice work, boys.

Pleasant, some nice tracks, a few duds Could have used one or two slightly more upbeat tracks to lift it

Yeah I came into this only thinking of staying alive and snf stuff, so this really surprised me. I liked it a lot, so much that I actually liked 3 songs immediately and they're going on the playlist. 3.5-3.75 so it got a 4