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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Trafalgar

Bee Gees

1971

Trafalgar
Album Summary

Trafalgar is a 1971 album by the Bee Gees. It was their ninth album (seventh internationally), and was released in September 1971 in the US, and November 1971 in the UK. The album was a moderate hit in the United States, and peaked at No. 34. The lead single "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" was the first Bee Gees' No. 1 single in the United States but failed to chart in Britain as did the album. It is Geoff Bridgford's only full-length appearance on a Bee Gees album as an official member. Trafalgar is included in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.7

Votes

10010
Genres
Rock

Reviews

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Fri Jun 18 2021
2

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

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Wed Apr 14 2021
2

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.

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Sun May 07 2023
2

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

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Mon Jul 05 2021
1

Nahhh fuck off Bee Gees. Fuck you

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Sat Jun 17 2023
1

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

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Thu Feb 23 2023
1

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

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Tue Jun 06 2023
3

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.

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Thu Jul 15 2021
4

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.

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Wed Apr 14 2021
4

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

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Fri May 07 2021
4

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.

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Wed Jun 16 2021
2

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.

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Mon Nov 07 2022
2

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.

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Sat Apr 17 2021
5

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

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Fri Aug 06 2021
5

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.

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Sun Oct 02 2022
5

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”.

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Wed Jun 07 2023
5

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

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Wed Nov 22 2023
5

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

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Thu Nov 30 2023
5

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

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Mon Jan 18 2021
4

It was fun. Felt like Beatles B sides

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Sat Jun 26 2021
4

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

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Sun Feb 07 2021
3

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.

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Thu Dec 23 2021
2

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.

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Wed Jun 14 2023
2

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

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Thu Nov 25 2021
1

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

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Fri Sep 29 2023
1

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.

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Wed Jan 10 2024
1

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.

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Mon Mar 04 2024
1

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…

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Wed Sep 09 2020
5

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

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Thu Apr 07 2022
5

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

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Fri Apr 28 2023
5

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

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Sat Apr 29 2023
5

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

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Tue Jun 06 2023
5

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

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Wed Oct 25 2023
5

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart ♥️

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Thu Dec 21 2023
5

Bee Gees Nostalgie, altijd goed

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Fri Jan 19 2024
5

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

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Wed Feb 28 2024
5

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

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Wed Mar 13 2024
5

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!

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Wed Mar 13 2024
5

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

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Fri Jan 29 2021
4

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

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Wed Nov 18 2020
4

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

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Mon Oct 12 2020
4

Better than most bee gees albums

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Fri May 14 2021
4

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

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Mon Jan 18 2021
4

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

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Mon Feb 15 2021
4

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

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Wed May 12 2021
4

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

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Thu Jun 10 2021
4

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

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Wed May 19 2021
4

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.'

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Fri Sep 24 2021
4

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

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Fri Sep 24 2021
4

Much more depth than the beegees bangers everyone knows.

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Fri Oct 01 2021
4

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.

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Fri Oct 01 2021
4

Но хотелось бы побольше электричества

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Fri Oct 08 2021
4

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.

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Wed Dec 22 2021
4

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

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Thu Jan 13 2022
4

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

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Wed Feb 23 2022
4

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

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Fri Apr 15 2022
4

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

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Thu May 12 2022
4

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

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Wed Jul 13 2022
4

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.

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Wed Aug 24 2022
4

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.

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Thu Sep 01 2022
4

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

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Wed Sep 21 2022
4

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

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Thu Sep 22 2022
4

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

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Sun Oct 02 2022
4

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.

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Sun Oct 02 2022
4

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.

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Sun Oct 02 2022
4

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!

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Sun Oct 02 2022
4

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

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Thu Nov 10 2022
4

приятненько мне понравилось не знаю что еще сказать

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Mon Dec 12 2022
4

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

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Fri Dec 23 2022
4

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

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Wed Jan 04 2023
4

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

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Wed Jan 04 2023
4

Not the Bee Gees that I expected to hear, and I’m thankful for that. You kind of forget that the group had a short ballad era and these songs really are haunting in the best way. I love ballads but I see why other people may hate them. Dearest is kind of a cheesy song but I loved it, I’d add it to a playlist or just listen solo if I’m in a somber mood. If this album wasn’t so rushed being made I think it could be a 5 star album in my eyes, but 4 stars for sure right now.

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Wed Jan 04 2023
4

I did not expect this from the Bee Gees. In sharp contrast to Stayin' Alive and More Than A Woman, it was wistful, melancholy, and pretty, nearly every song hitting that spot and scratching that itch simultaneously. A comforting, familiar pain, you know? I can't come up with anything clever or witty at the moment, I just want to know the next album because untitled2 so shamelessly assumed I would enjoy it. Let's hope they're correct.

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Mon Jan 30 2023
4

This bonkers divorced dad album features the horniest song about Israel I’ve ever heard.

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Fri Feb 17 2023
4

This album is nothing like the Bee Gees most of us are familiar with; sadly, there is no disco in sight. Nevertheless, it is a solid album of soft rock ballads, all of which are quite pleasing to the ear though not my genre of choice. Best tracks: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Israel, Trafalgar, Don’t Want To Live Inside Myself, Remembering Worst tracks: When Do I, Lion in Winter, The Greatest Man in the World

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Mon Apr 24 2023
4

Disco genuinamente sesentero, con voces melódicas y melosas. Ritmos tranquilos y generando influencias para grupos futuros

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Mon May 15 2023
4

Beautiful record with lush string arrangements and stacked harmonies. Reminds me of Elton John and ELO wrapped into one. Too many mellow songs for me though.

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Sat Jun 17 2023
4

Obligé d'écouter sérieusement leur discographie maintenant

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Tue Nov 14 2023
4

They are not just a disco band!

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Thu Nov 23 2023
4

i suspect this is probably a lot of peoples' first exposure to pre-disco bee gees, which might be a big shock. I actually adore a lot of early bee gees stuff, but i've never really dug into this particular era of their evolution, which is a lot more soft than their early psych-ish stuff (bee gees' 1st, idea, etc). based on already liking their early output, and it being a rainy day, i think this album hit me particularly nicely today. not mind blowing by any stretch, but nice enough.

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Thu Nov 30 2023
4

if the beatles made good music

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