Trafalgar

So bizarre to think these are the Saturday night fever guys. Also some of the singing sounds like they are just screwing around. Like they can’t be serious. Didn’t know any songs from this and would never come back to it.

2,8/5

Jeje Que pena que a nadie le gustó este álbum, a mí me gustaron varias canciones y creo hasta me gusta más que sus clásicos como Stayin Alive que ya me da lo mismo. Banco este álbum aunque a Canelita lo hizo dormir.

The Bee Gees easy listening. Not a terrible album.

Didn't think it was too bad, lacked a little something though, some nice song arrangements

To w ogóle nie brzmiało jak Bee Gees, których kojarzę. Bardziej jak nie wiem Beatlesi? Jakiś folkowy zespół? Nieudany Paul Simon? Dziwne bardzo. Momentami miało to swój styl i potrafiło porwać. Ale posmak był dość nijaki. 6/10

hmm

Not bad. Some good non disco songs that they're famous for. 3.5

Far from a careful listen, but this album was solid and about the furthest thing from what I've known Bee Gees to be having only ever heard their disco era hits (Stayin' Alive, More Than a Woman). Standouts from my listen were Israel, Lion In Winter, and Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself. This felt a bit like a less soulful(?) version of Elton John. I'd say this falls around a high 3, low 4 boundary for me. Going on the low side, because I can't see many occasions I'd ever put this back on for.

I once again forgot that the Bee Gees don't sound like "Stayin Alive" disco all the time. This was fine.

While this wasn't bad, it certainly wasn't good either. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a pretty solid song. The rest kinda just came and went. Pretty low 3.

Very ballad-y. Maybe I would have liked it better if I was not listening at the gym

Not the bee Gees I am accustomed to hearing. It was fine, but nothing that catches my attention.

It’s The Bee Gees, so it sounds great. I just… didn’t get captured by it.

Such pretty harmonizing. They’re doing their best Beatles impression on some of these tracks. Trafalgar for example, is blatant. It’s very pretty, but some of the songs drag and I found myself wishing for some disco energy!

I liked some parts. It wasn’t what I expected. Don’t wanna live inside myself holds up. It was fine. Much of the same I guess. I find myself repeating this line on a lot of the older albums- “maybe you just had to be there”.

The lead vocals are really weird but the harmonies are good. This is better than the Black Album.

Felt like old school boy band. Not too bad.

Trafalgar is a pretty good album, but The Bee Gees have much better ones (Mr. Natural, Main Course) to name but two so no idea why it's on here- toss it up to yet another batshit crazy inclusion that make no sense from the fine folks at the 1001 headquarters. Thank fellows! That's it for today - that's all I got.

before: i love bee gees im excited to see how this will sound after: not what i was expecting at all probably won’t listen again but one track was very sad and i did save it sooo

Fine enough, I enjoyed it

Random name for an album - but a great cover. Surprisingly enjoyed the album - given I disliked the first few songs as found them very saccharine and ridiculous when Barry (?) talks. But it picked up - got a bit Beatles derivative in part and a bit over the top - but liked Trafalgar and Lion in Winter in particular.

Washed over me I’m not sure. Maybe 2.5

I heard a harmony

Pretty decent pre disco Bee Gees album. The vocals are smooth, the songs are easy to listen to, and it has that early 70s vibe that works when you are in the right mood. But honestly, I still like their debut from the same era a lot more. This one is fine, just not as memorable.

Listened Before? N I feel like for me, this is the Bee Gees at the top of their game. Not disco yet, not too much falsetto... just good music. I really liked this one - my favorite Bee Jees album so far - it drags a bit at the end, but hey, still a solid effort overall. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

Second Bee Gees album from their pre-disco days on this list for me. I’m glad they opted for the leisure suits.

Really enjoyed this one. Also didn’t realise “How can you…” was one of theirs. Nice

Usually quite like the Bee Gees but found this one morose. An album for the broken hearted and depressed

some singable songs

Baustelle, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Okay, mehr aber auch nicht.

Meh. Maybe I'll revisit this one later, but it's not working for me now.

Pre-Disco Era Bee Gees! I knew the intro track, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", right away. 84M people have also given it a listen on Spotify, definitely a hit song. But based on the numbers that is the only true hit with none of the other songs breaking 650K listens. "Remembering" was dramatic, and stringy, but it was interesting. Not sure his voice was built for that song. "Somebody Stop The Music" was another solid track. "Trafalgar" was kinda cool too. "Don't Want To Live Inside Myself" started out like Neil Young's "Shelter", tell me you don't hear that?! Very good track, should have been a hit, it was the 2nd most listened to song on the album at 600K. A few serious clunkers with "When Do I" which sounds like Kermit The Frog got ahold of the mike, odd vocal. "Dearest" was a cutting room floor salvage that shouldn't have been salvaged. "Lion In Winter" is screamy and off key. A lot of strings on this one. No ground was broken though, not sure what sets this one apart from other worthy albums, was it their personal growth as artists? I enjoyed the majority, glad I gave it a listen. 3 stars, maybe 3.5.

Decent

Ah man, come on, it's Halloween, and you're gonna throw me the second Bee Gees album on this list? For crying out loud. I really hated Odessa, and I had honestly forgotten that I still had a second album to review by these fools. At least Trafalgar clocks in at under fitty minutes, so that’s a plus. Welp, time to get after it I suppose. Trafalgar wound up being much better than I expected. I liked how the album explored the themes of love and loss, and tied them back to warfare. After all, Pat Benatar did say that love is a battlefield. This album felt a lot more coherent than Odessa, and the themes were much more obvious, which I thought worked really well. I thought the arrangements on Trafalgar were really good too. There were plenty of gentle melodies and great strings. On top of that, musically, I thought this album did a nice job of tying this album together. My main critique of this album is a matter of personal taste. I’m really picky about soft rock. When it comes to soft rock, you better bring something really unique to the table, like Karen Carpenter’s vocals, or Joni Mitchell’s incredible lyrics. This album, while nice, didn’t have anything that really snagged my attention. Trafalgar was fine, but it’s not something I’d seek out again. My favorite track was “Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself.” The heartbreak was really palpable, and I really liked the piano playing. Easily the most beautiful song on the album.

I can't seem to get over the fact that in my head a Bee Gees song should be upbeat. Something you dance to. These ballads are ok I guess, but it is no Stayin' Alive.

Pleasant but not something I would listen to again

very mid

3/5

Not quite the best album of all time but still enjoyable 7/10

The BeeGee’s have a weird edge. It’s all seems very innocent, but there is something dark beneath the surface it’s hard to nail down. Even when they’re being overtly dark, it’s still got a ring of charm that feels like it’s hiding something worse. And what’s with the timpani’s that sound like they’re recorded in the deadest room possible? It just adds to the uncanny feeling this music provides.

Had this one already. It's not bad. Nothing overly memorable. Ballad heavy

meh

Really couldn’t get into this. Delicate and emotional soft rock.

quite alright, not the best in my opinion

The 1001 albums book didn’t seem to know why it was recommending this album. It was fine, but it didn’t make me a Bee Gees fanatic.

Pre-disco Bee Gees. Some ok moments but mostly forgettable. "How can you mend a broken heart" "somebody stop the music" "Trafalgar" is like a lost Beatles track

Bee Gees sing a lot of sad songs

I was surprised by this one.

Hard to believe this was their 9th album, a full 5+ years before their Saturday Night Fever meteoric rise in popularity. This is a solid 2.5 for me but I’ll round up due to the fact that if I am going to listen to this style at all, I’d rather it be them than anyone else I guess. 2.5/5

I’m not sure why I liked this, but I did. Probably because it was delightfully sappy. Would probably rate a bit higher if a few songs were shaved. But overall it was still a pretty enjoyable listen.

The endless SNL sketches make a lot more sense now, I thought they were SN Fever era beegees mockery, but its the histrionic singing on this album that really seals the deal. It's competent folk pop otherwise.

The good songs are excellent, but there’s just a few too many forgettable tracks on here for me to really hold this album in high regard.

It was interesting listening to a very different version of this group than I’m familiar with, but that’s also why I didn’t love it. There are some perfectly good songs on the record, just not much to write home about. Best Track: Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself

I was admittedly curious how the Bee Gees sounded before they switched to the dance-oriented disco style they would be recognized for. But after listening to Trafalgar, I'm not sure if that curiosity was well-rewarded. The album starts relatively strong with the opening two singles, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "Israel", where it's clear the hallmark strength of this group early on was the Gibb brothers' vocal harmonies coalescing behind the clear vibrato singing. But after those two hits, it became abundantly clear that this record was very ballad-heavy. Nearly every song followed the formula of slow-tempo, acoustic guitar strumming, and relationship lyrics that offer little in the way of gripping detail or memorable hooks. The few exceptions were "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself", where Barry questions his choices in life, and "Lion in Winter", where the imagery of the title is used to exemplify Robin's struggles with his faith. They were neat little deviations on an otherwise rote effort. It hurts to say, but I was not impressed much by Trafalgar. Not a bad album, but I doubt I'm going to remember this record well compared to their later disco efforts.

Belle découverte, comme quoi ils ont des musiques hors de leurs plus connues. Un peu répétitif sur les bords mais j'aime bien la cover.

3.4

Also meh. Doesn't feel genuine. Performative male energy

Album was fine. I expected worse.

sounded very dated

70’s okay…pre-disco; I like “Broken Heart”. Fine.

79% Best: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?; Israel; It's Just The Way; Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself Must-Hear? Almost

Quite well crafted pop music. Didn’t dislike it but it did rock my world either

70’s

Ok BeeGees

not my personal taste, but i can still appreciate it's beauty. i liked it.

I was expecting more disco, but this could be worse. I actually don't mind it, but it's not hooking me in for the most part.

chli komisch so es unerfolgriichs album? tja mal luege s cover isch uf jede fall cool how can you mend a broken heart I guess no herzig, aber chli gaar langsam uii ja so es sanfts lied für israel isch momentan chli komisch, aber rein musikalisch ischs na schön, wenn au (notice a pattern?) chli seicht singe tünds aber huere schön don't wanna live inside myself isch uuuhuere schön!! d melodie erinneret mich ah suscht es lied aber ja megamega! mengisch tönts, wie wenns probiere tüfer singe als sie chönnd hahaha dearest isch mega disney hahaha, d hauptperson isch gad iwie verrate worde oder isch unglücklich verliebt, jz übertiebets mitem schnulz lion in winter easy komisch, aber am schluss wenner gas git ischs na geil hahahaha jaaa musikalisch hets ja wenig mit stayin' alive z tue aber die komisch chopfstimm ghörtmer glaub au bi stayin' alive guet? so oder so funny jaa das wird es 3. zwar schön kuschligi musig aber eifach zu seicht. don't wanna live inside myself riese highlight

31/08/2025 This is an adequate album. Nothing special.

This isn’t at all what I was expecting - am I wrong in associating The Bee Gees with disco?? (Apparently not. Thought I might just be wildly mistaken.) It was just okay.

Bee Gees are super talented singers and can write some heart wrenching tunes, but this album just has too many misses to be anything other than a 3. I love Bee Gees but this seems to only be on the list for the opening track and "The Greatest Man In The World" and "Remembering"

Meh.

Good

I listen to the BeeGees not to an entire album just not my thing

Enjoyed it

Pre-Disco Bee Gees. "Soft" rock with some blue-eyed soul-adjacent type music. Also a definite Beatles vibe going on. I was hoping it would grow on me as I listened but It was a struggle to make it to the end. I can't imagine I would ever listen to this album again. Probably should be a 2, but I'll round up. Now, where's my Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack...you should be dancin'...

Soundtrack of my childhood. Bee Gees were the first band i followed and bought my first singles such as Tomorrow Tomorrow, Spics 'n Specks, Lonely Days etc. i was a romantic. But I detested their move into disco much like the devoted followers of accoustic folk rock detested when Dylan's went electric. After all these years, most of these tunes sound dated and too sweet but the nostalgia factor earns this album a 3

7/10

Really not what we expected from the bee gees but it was pretty decent overall l. Would have preferred something more disco though.

At first I was disappointed that I wasn't hearing disco, or the falsetto. Overall ended up being a decent folk/rock album

Not bad but doesn't make me feel

Bee Gees…

Nice casual short listen, would listen again

I’m much more familiar with their disco era. I feel they were trying to sound very Beatlesque in this album. I never thought I’d say this, but I think they sound much better with their falsettos. I only knew How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.

Not what I would expect when I think Bee Gees, but it didn't really stick out that much.

As músicas deles me trazem muitas memórias afetivas / familiares. O problema é que todos os discos deles perdem fôlego em algum momento.

Not what I expected from bee gees. Sadder and more reflective than the disco stuff, but I enjoyed the mood. Wish I had listened to it while I was relaxing instead of working.

Nostalgic for sure. Not my favorite of theirs though. But I’m a fan. 3

Surprisingly tender like Napoleon’s eulogy for Marshal Lannes.

Mixed album, not as bad as the reviews on this site indicate. 'Israel' is uh... it didn't age great. 'Lion In Winter' is quite good, maybe as good as 'To Love Somebody' or 'Gotta Get a Message to You' from their earlier albums. I also like the album art. Very Monty Python energy.

Better than Coldplay

I didn’t know this side of the BeeGees and I have to say I was surprised and impressed. I loved th way they pushed their vocals to the max and didn’t apologize when they fell short. They just kept going. This album got better as it went on and I particularly liked “Lion in winter.

It was ok

This isn’t what I was expecting from our first Bee Gees album in the project. I’m all for an overly dramatic sorrowful heartbreak song when it’s done well, and the ones on here were done pretty well. But an entire album of “epic” heartbreak music got to be a bit much with nothing else to balance it out.

3/5

Other than "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" the rest of the album wasn't great.

Hoy le damos pausa al reto hasta fines de julio con los Bee Gees, banda que he bailado y cantado para divertirme sin hasta hoy escuchar nunca un disco completo de ellos. Álbum traquilísimo, algo que me sorprende por estar acostumbrado a su etapa más disco. Trabajo lleno de temazos, siendo "Trafalgar" completamente 'beatle'. See you, space cowboy.

never listened to a BG's entire album until today, I had to and I did.

This is just not what I expected at all, but not in a bad way.

Not an album that I expected to listen to, and definitely not an album I knew existed. I didn't know that there was a pre-disco Bee Gees era, let alone one with so many albums. This one is not a bad album at all, but it's not what I expected from the boys. Just mellow and soft.

Slow and lovely but doesn't speed up ever.

Cover 7 Overall, not bad. Some really cheesy songs though. Not really my thing, though they're good unto themselves, I guess.

Pre-disco Bee Gees, a period for which they’re (perhaps unfortunately) not remembered as often. It’s pretty baroque pop with lots and lots of string arrangements. Ultimately the album is a bit too long for me, they’ve said what they need to eight songs in. “The Greatest Man in the World” is a gorgeous song.

I'm kind of disappointed? The album mixes between mimicking the Beatles and weird bad vocals.

I have no idea, but if feels like this could be a later or more mature Bee Gees album? It's still very soft for my taste, but there's some objectively good stuff. Of course, those voices - but also lush production and some genuinely good songs.

Pure Early 1970s. I'd like the album better if I enjoyed that kind of music more.

A 70s album with a name in reference to a famous battle by a band with a silly sounding band. I found it impossible to go into this one not expecting it to sound like ABBA's "Waterloo". And look, there's a song about Waterloo too. In fairness to the Bee Gees, this album came out 3 years before ABBA's song, but I still can't help the comparison. It doesn't help that the Bee Gees most well known song was a massive disco hit. In contrast, "Trafalgar" is filled with huge sounding ballads. Much of it is a little too over-the-top soft rock for my taste, but it definitely picked up in the second half. The title track, "When I Do", and "Walking Back to Waterloo" were all great songs, and almost sound like they could be later Beatles works. The rest leaves me didn't do much for me, but I can recognize the skill that went into making it.

Solid

I think alot of people don't realize that there was a pre-disco Bee Gees era. Loved the opening song with the rest being quite subdued and relaxing, for the most part. Unfortunately started losing steam towards the end. 6/10

Somehow you know from the album cover and title it was going to be a disappointment; it doesn't exactly scream winning formula. As it is, it's fairly predictable soft pop rock with saccharine overblown arrangements scattered amongst some finely crafted pop music. It's not terrible but I can think of dozens of much better (or certainly more notable) albums from the same period by lesser known acts. Stick to the singles lads.

Beatles for the first half

Rustgevend wel

The opening track is haunting me. I heard it on the radio a lot back in the 70s. Maybe it resurfaced later in the decade when Bee Gees were all over the radio with their Saturday Night Fever music.

I feel like this is only included in the list just to show the Bee Gees before disco but it’s quite boring, although once you settle into the album it does get a bit better I think. Basically sounds like Beatles b sides mixed with the moody blues but just objectively worse, the vocals as well just don’t sound good sometimes most notably in when do I which sounds like he’s purposefully singing a bit goofy at points. It does have its moments though, the first song is a good start, the title track is good and sounds like George Harrison a bit, it’s just the way is good as well and sounds very moody blues, which is what I mean by my previous point, the best parts are when they are close to the band it sounds like they are trying to replicate. It’s not a bad album overall though and the cover is also really cool. 5/10.

Jeg havde forventet falset. 😭 Og er ikke sikker på hvad jeg fik faktisk. Lidt i øst og vest. Er det 2 stjerner for at være ufrivillig komisk til tider, eller 3 for at være tålelig i sidste ende?

No pensé que un álbum de Bee Gees pudiera ser semejante bodrio. Destacó In this Body. Mucha pasión, mucho zzzz. Nota: 3.0

Not bad, not good.

A bit strange to hear pre disco Bee Gees, its almost a different group altogether. Some really nice songs on this though,

the middle section was pretty good - did not love the beginning or end

Not that bad. Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I just don't understand The Bee Gees. The family glee club graduated with history degrees floundered around and kept getting lucky with an occasional hit and then flourished with... disco??!?! This album is very well produced, and lyrically intriguing, but it is hard to imagine how they remained in the music business with this model.

Beautiful harmonies on melancholy melodies, powerful arrangements - classic Bee Gees

I mean it's okay I guess

My my, I didnt know the Beatles wrote an album in 1971 🤣 Ive heard a few of these before - How can you mend a broken heart is definitely one of my moms favorites. Overall, I thought this album was surprisingly solid. I know close to nothing about the Bee Gees in their pre disco era, so it was a delight. I dont know if its a gripe, but its time to say it. Theres a lot of Beatles rip offs here. Its Just The Way sounds exactly like a George Harrison song. Its a damn good song, but wow, I wonder if the fab four laughed when they heard this record.

It's alright. The songs are pleasant, and it's put together well enough, with nice instrumentation and some nice backing vocals and so on. I guess it just feels a bit inoffensive, and not particularly ambitious. Is that unfair? Their other album 'Odessa' I rated lower. I think this is a step above, but I have the same complaint as on that album. When you have soaring violins and surges of instruments, you'd expect it to be more rousing, but it somehow isn't. Again, knowing that they have some really amazing songs in their ballad-backlog, I was maybe hoping for a little bit more.

many people only think of the brothers gibb as a disco act, but they didn’t morph into that until relatively late in their career. in fact, they have more pre-disco albums in their catalog than disco ones. for my money, i prefer the bee gees during their disco era. this album was ok, but nothing spectacular.

I was excited when I saw this album, but if you hadn't told me I don't think I would have guessed it was the Bee Gees

I had no expectations going into this album and it ended up being a solid 3

Too many similar sounding ballads, but overall decent. Prefer their pre-Saturday Night Fever era like this, but better songs would help.

This album was very sleep-inducing. A terribly boring album with a great opening track that I first thought Kermit the Frog was taking lead vocals on.

Heavily orchestrated music and highly dramatic presentation makes for a pleasant if somewhat bombastic listen. I prefer when things get a little lighter like on It's Just the way, Somebody stop the music. In parts these songs have simpler more traditional rock arrangements that I find refreshing on an album like this that takes itself soooo seriously. Another hilight is the Beatlesque title track. If heavily baroque pop is your thing, this album does that style exceedingly well. 3.5 stars

This was an OK listen for me. The Bee Gees are wildly impressive as a band and will forever be a band that excited me to listen to. But this record didn't have any kind of substantial grip on me and it just came and went. Nice album cover!

Didn't expect this sound from the bee gees, liked Lion in Winter and the Waterloo song, but the rest was meh, 3/5

Did you guys know the Bee Gees played music before they were a disco act? Well, someone out there thinks you NEED to know this.

Sad to say this, but Bee Gees really were much better in their disco era than before. Honestly, this album didn't impress me that much. I know they have some non disco songs that are decent, but I didn't find them here. Had quite high hopes, but was disappointed. Overall quite boring album with way too many ballads. Lives on the border between a 2 and 3 for me, but think weak 3 is fitting.

3.5

Hits and misses

When I saw the artist, I was expecting a completely different sound. Overall, it wasn't bad; just mellow early '70s soul rock(in recent U.S. elections, Trafalgar, and Israel have different meanings). . Favorite Track: "Israel".

Pretty good. Israel was weird as hell but I liked the rest well enough

I like the Bee Gees, but this album was just ok to me. It seems to bridge their early folk roots and later disco sound. The turns of phrase were really nice at times, but I can only take so much romantic easy listening.

This one was fine. Forgettable but fine. I think I like the more disco Bee-Gees songs. Nothing here stood out for me

For someone who doesn't know much about the Bee Gees' discography beyond hits like Stayin' Alive and How Deep Is Your Love, "Trafalgar" can be surprising and confusing at the same time. Although it doesn't stray from the band's sound, it doesn't seem to shine in their long discography. It's a good album to pass the time, but after it's over it seems like you've forgotten what you heard. 3 stars only for the band's reputation.

It’s very melodic, I dunno what to really make of them, soft, but it’s alright. I don’t have too many feelings.

This is far and away the best Bee Gees I’ve heard. I’ve always liked “To Love Somebody”, but I was nervous going into this because I tried Odessa a few months ago and wasn’t feeling it at all . Very Elton-esque on this record. Far too many ballads overall, but there’s some really solid stuff. 3.5/5

в большинстве случаев очень козлино. сама Трафальгар песня очень на битлов похожа. знаменитую про брокен харт так и не запомнила…

It's not Saturday Night Fever but it's okay. Really liked Walking Back to Waterloo.

Surprisingly good album, somehow I was expecting only high pitched singing and it was not the case, they have a great range of singing articulations, great pianos and songwriting.

Very 'Let It Be' era Beatles vibe. No bangers, but well-produced.

Listenable.

surprisingly boring. the bee gees are obviously known for their disco mega hits but we’ve had an earlier album of there’s in this list before. that one was big and sprawling and cool. this one just wasn’t. kind of watered down late beatles and pink floyd. never bad but never that good either

Melancholy and Beatlesque, it’s a lovely album - not essential - but lovely.

I haven't given the Beegees a deeper dive than the simple disco tunes, so that was interesting, but nothing really noteworthy.

Remember when Metallica put out those albums Load and Reload because they were growing as artists and didn't want to be stuck in the thrash metal, 10000 notes a second box? Everyone was like, we're here for the thrash metal. Can't you please just give us some thrash metal? You guys are really good at thrash metal. WTF is Lars playing? an empty beer keg instead of a snare drum? has Kirk gone... bluesy? At first, I thought that's what was going on here. Like... the Bee Gees were tired of being stuck in the fun disco dancy box and set out to write an album with a bit more gravitas. Then I looked into it a bit and realized that the fun dance stuff didn't come until later, so now I don't know what to think. I do like the fun disco dance stuff better, tho.

Kind of nice to get an album with some of the deeper cuts. Overall good, but not amazing

This album was pretty good. Sounded a little different then what I'm used to with the Bee Gees, (Mainly just Stayin' Alive) but I did enjoy it. Solid 3.5 Favorite Songs: Israel, Trafalgar Least Favorite: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

Few great songs nothing to remember, different times different vibes.

I think now, after two Bee Gee's albums have come up here, that they suffer from that not uncommon "greatest hit" syndrome. See, once you hear, and like, the Bee Gees for their most amazing songs, unless you are a superfan, you are likely to not enjoy any of their random albums quite as much. On the other hand, there are a few, rare bands, where a greatest hits album does not distract from their catalog. I want to make that clear here as this album IS better than the first I rated, it has that more familiar Bee Gees sound I love from their top hits. So based on my taste, there are big differences in their albums (contrast those rare bands that make each album hard to choose from). So, bottom line is that this is a pretty good album, not my favorite, but gives a good Bee Gees vibe nevertheless.

I adore the Bee Gees, they are a massive lifelong favourite that I grew up on and still listen to constantly (their greatest hits triple LP might be my most played vinyl) and my crush on young Barry Gibb will never subside, but taking this album honestly at face value, it’s not one of their better outings at all and I’m pretty surprised it’s on this list. Like there are several I’d give five stars but this is far from one of them. How Can You Mend and Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself are excellent, and great examples of their songwriting prowess, but on the other hand you’ve got the total drivel that is Remembering which sounds like it’s from the Middle Ages or something, and a few others made me want to hit skip too. Interestingly, some of it also sounds quite Beatlesy, like It’s Just the Way. Look, I don’t really have any specific complaints except I guess that a lot of this sounds outdated in a not-fun way, whereas I could listen to their disco days forever. (2.5 stars)

A generally boring album. The harmonizing isn't as good as CSN, and the softer family pop is done way better by groups like The Carpenters. I did like the opening track and also Walking Back to Waterloo, shout out to Napoleon, he was a cool guy.

One really good track on this album. The rest is really just filler.

I wasn't familiar with non-disco Bee Gees. Kind of sounds like the Bee Gees trying to sound the Beatles and ELO. Kinda cool!

Irgendwie nicht mein Geschmack

The Bee Gees! Finally, The Bee Gees! I credit my parents playing their BeeGees records when I was young for shaping my inclination for vibrant, melodic dance music today. So it was a breakneck shock to hear these guys before the soaring strings and harmonized disco choruses. Like, this is genuinely just an early 70’s record full of rock/pop/singer-songwriter ballads. All that being said, it doesn’t take long to hear the blueprints for their transitional success, as “Israel” has some of those string sections towards its second half while Barry Gibb goes on a little crooning tangent with his signature wobbly vibrato thingy he does so well. A few tracks later, “It’s Just the Way” sounds a bit too much like an easy -listening Beatles song. Similar guitar tone and you can practically hear Paul and John harmonizing together here. It’s also at this point that the BeeGees would like to get it through your head that this album is all about wishing and yearning. Some of its hopeful, most of it is hopeless; “Remembering” makes me sure that one of these guys just got a divorce or is character acting as a divorced man. A high point in the record for me is the beat switch on “Somebody Stop the Music” to something more fun and swanky, even if it still has Beatles fingerprints all over it, which STILL continues onto the title track. I’m left wishing for a bit more variety, like the grand sense of a silver lining on “Dont Wanna Live Inside Myself” which should have been the closing song. Good I’m moments, does a lot of the same sulking for the majority of the time.

Was looking forward to a disco album. But this must be there earlier stuff before they turned disco. I know Bee Gees but not this soft rock Bee Gees.

Alot less funky then I expected. This kind of older soft rock/pop does nothing for me personally. If that's your thing, give this album a listen, but I won't come back to it.

Yeah, this was another ok album. Nothing too special here. Probably a 6

1/21/25. Cool hearing more of the Bee Gees outside of their famous disco songs. Some nice ballads in this one, more laid back pop. Decent!

Kul album. Inte lyssnat så mycket på Bee Gees utöver de kändaste låtarna. Förvånad över hur mycket de låter som Beatles på det här albumet

Surprised by this to be honest. Some nice tracks

So durchgehört und nichts bemerkenswertes festgestellt :-/ War schon voller Vorfreude diese große Band zu hören, aber das Album war wirklich Mittelmaß. 3 Sterne

This was a surprise for me, considering my past exposure to The Bee Gees was always the disco era Bee Gees. It really wasn’t bad, I think I enjoyed at least half of it. It’s a very full sound, accompanied by an orchestra that helps produce a very large and dramatic atmosphere. There are some songs that I’d skip over during future listens, and some where the vocals were too much. But, overall, pleasantly surprised.

3, уважих, ама не мога да дослушам

Post Beatles pre disco Bee Gees is not what I wanna hear. It’s not bad, just so unremarkable.

At least it’s not disco

And the winner of the "biggest disparity between my preconceived notions of a band and what their album is actually like" award goes to Bee Gees! Yeah this is not what I thought this album would be. Like many, my only exposure to Bee Gees until now was through the absolute classic that is "Stayin' Alive." So, needless to say, I was not expecting a slow, sappy album that is very much-so not disco. But is Trafalgar any good? I guess. It's nothing crazy, but it's alright. It's certainly not the best album I've gotten in this first week of 2025, but it's not the worst either. The sound is alright. It works for the vibe that the album is going for. The singing is decent. The writing works. It's good. The album does feel a bit long even though it's only 47 minutes, but it's not too long. This album really doesn't make me feel any super strong emotions. It's alright. Not bad, but not great either. 3/5.

It’s mellow and kind of sad. The harmonies are smooth, but there’s a heaviness underneath. Feels like something Paul McCartney might have done on a slower day. It’s nice, just a little downbeat. Simple and quiet.

Pushing through the urge to picture Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake all through this album. Israel sound so much like Elton John to me. When Do I would be a hilarious karaoke song, at least in the car. Lion in Winter is a jam. Overall, fine. If I’m listening to Bee Gees, it better be To Love Somebody.

3.5

Some of these songs are cool… and some are just objectively awful. Oof.

So. Many. Ballads.

Oldie but good

That was the BeeGees???

Random name for an album - but a great cover. Surprisingly enjoyed the album - given I disliked the first few songs as found them very saccharine and ridiculous when Barry (?) talks. But it picked up - got a bit Beatles derivative in part and a bit over the top - but liked Trafalgar and Lion in Winter in particular.

I thought this was a pleasant listen, very heavy on the melancholy. Cool cover art too. Stand out track would be Greatest Man in the World. I feel like someone in the group went through a bad breakup before making this lol.

Less of the 70s high voices but some massively over ambitious songs that come across a bit glib. Well produced though.

I was expecting disco music. This was Beatlish. Not bad.

Not really digging this one, honestly. Might just be because I'm more familiar with their disco era, but it's just kind of boring. 3 stars.

I’m at a 3. I’m really not quite sure what to make of this album. This is my first time hearing anything by the Bee Gees that isn’t How Deep is Your Love or Stayin’ Alive, so my brain was certainly more predisposed to expect a poppier, brighter record – not necessarily even disco, but just more… fun, you know? I don’t know if my struggles with this album are a result of misplaced expectations, or if it’s truly on the band for stretching out into a genre that they just don’t feel comfortable in. This really is a technically sound record – I think the lyrics & the instrumentation are pretty good here, and when their vocals click, the tracks do work really well, defying expectations in a positive way. However, I can’t help but think that the general tone of the album, in terms of the front to back experience, is just too somber for a band like the Bee Gees, at least in terms of how I perceive them. There’s so many tracks that are just sad orchestrally-driven breakup songs, and that lack of variance becomes more apparent the longer the album goes. Even past that, there’s just a lot of love songs in general, and it really wore me down to not get anything poppier or brighter or more energetic for the vast majority of the album – even Led Zeppelin knew to put Black Dog before Stairway to Heaven, you know what I mean? I guess this album just suffers from impostor syndrome to me – it’s not that the Bee Gees can’t pull off this style of rock, because they technically did. They just didn’t do it in a way that feels like their own style, and while I don’t really have a better sense of what “the Bee Gees” musically are, past my limited exposure… I dunno, it just feels like they’re trying to take the best of other people’s styles while trying to pass it off as their own. It’s kind of like stolen identity, and when I was listening to most of these tracks, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of “this song would be hitting much better with me if it were someone else performing it”. It’s really in the vocals, and I don’t want to disparage the Gibbs like that, but… man, it just didn’t sound right for most of the album. It’s really apparent on “Dearest” – you get Michael Jackson or some other highly accomplished vocalist who can hit those notes, you’ve got a hit. When it’s Robin Gibb doing it, sounding like a mix between Billy Crystal & John Mulaney, it just feels off, and it’s a feeling this album never really shakes off of itself. I want to like this more than I do, and I want to give this more than a 3, but I just can’t justify it. It’s an album with well written and well composed songs that just seem sung by the wrong band for the job – it’s like when other artists do the vocals on a demo as a placeholder. It suffers from a lack of variance that really affects the album experience, even if there’s not a bad track here. It’s not a bad set of songs though, and I’m sure someone will enjoy this more than I did. I dunno, there’s just too many things that add up to make this really click for me, and that’s why I’m stuck at a 3.

Good coherent music. Like the Bee Gee's. This will get 3 stars from me.

This was a weird one for me. I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this. It was solidly on its way to a 4 star. I was getting some late Beatles from them. I was enjoying the vibe. But the last few songs lost it for me. Suddenly went into musical theatre style ballads, that didn’t really work for me. Simpsons: Yes

Not bad, not great.

Light fun

Who hurt you Barry Gibbs. I googled it and I still don’t know. Pretty mild album with a few surprising songs. I’ve saved Remembering, When Do I, and Lion In Winter for future listening. I did seriously google each member and their potential divorces trying to figure out who made The Bee Gees so sad but in the process I found out they didn’t really get their iconic sound until about 6 years after this album so it’s not surprising to me that my favorite songs on this album are when they up the energy and lean into it more. A bit melancholy but perfect for staring at an old painting of a boat.

So this is obviously in their earlier stage of their career before they became synonymous with disco and high falsettos. It unfortunately falls a little flat and kinda boring but I have always freakin loved how do you mend a broken heart. That harmony section near the end of the song (dahhh dah dahdah dah dah dayah dahhhh…) I could listen to on repeat. So good. It is also cool though to see some of the beginnings (even though this is like their ninth album apparently??) of their sound that they will become famous for later on like in the song Israel. Barry does this little vocal riff but in a normal octave that sounds like his falsetto stuff later on. Also, would really encourage yall to watch the documentary about them on hbo. I thought it was really cool

3.5

I really love the arrangements on this album. But quite honestly not their strongest batch of songs. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", "Isreal" and "Don't Want to Live Inside Myself" are the stand out tracks. The final two cuts "Lion in Winter" and "Walking Back to. Waterloo" I loved the progression of the song much more than I did the songs themselves. But then there's songs like "Dearest" (definate slog) and quite frankly most of the first side that are kinda slogs. They have much better albums than this... Especially in their 60s run, and *Main Course* of course. (7.33) ★★★½

I don't really care for "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", and some of the other songs featuring prominent Robin Gibb vocals (he kind of sounds like Kermit the Frog to me), but the rest is all pretty good. "Israel", "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" and "It's Just The Way" are all highlights. 3.5 Stars

3.5

Was expecting this to be much more squeaky - thought it sounded more like a Beatles album and I kinda liked it

I'm not certain I get the appeal. I know the Bee Gees for danceable rhythms and meaty hooks, and that just seemed absent here.

From before their disco days (and after their weird psychedelic sixties days). It's all ballads; quite sombre. I am not quite sure if it is grown up/sophisticated (and *good*) easy listening or saturday night light entertainment/common denominator (and *bad*) easy listening. I keep going back and forth. It has some nice moments - occasionally it sounds quite Beatle-y - but you can also imagine most of these songs being covered by Westlife or Boyzone and they're bringing out the stools when they perform it on Wogan. No squeaky voices, that's certainly a plus. Three feels generous but two is too mean.

I like the Bee Gees and their musical compositions. I knew the first song but was less familiar with the others. I don't enjoy Robin's vocals and he should stick to harmony.

There were moments of brilliance on this album, and the opening track is a classic. That said, this was too warbly and unfocused to rise to greatness and didn't match Odessa in its scope. There are two Bee Gees albums on this list, and how one of them is not a later offering from their pinnacle heyday is a mystery. There are at least two or three in their catalog that deserve a listen ahead of this one.

A decent album with some good ballads. But nothing stands out as great.

Pre-Classic Bee Gees, not too shabby. I hadn't heard any of these songs before and they sounded like a rough version of themselves before they became the refined hit makers. Still pretty good though.

I was expecting their high pitched vocals from Saturday Night Fever, but I was pleasantly surprised with softer rock instead. The first few songs were powerful, but the album weakened as it progressed.

This was pretty good. A bit too somber to be yacht rock. Better than the hits they are known for, in my opinion.

It is US presidential Election Day 2024, Harris/Walz vs Trump/Vance, and I’m listening to Trafalgar by The Bee Gees.

I liked this album but it was not what I had expected at all. I was expecting Disco and instead it was like if the late, more mature, post-drugs Beatles wrote instrumentals for a David Bowie inspired singer to sing over. I kinda Disliked the 2nd half (From "When Do I" onward) but I loved the 1st half Liked Songs: Israel, The Greatest Man In The World, It's Just The Way, Trafalgar

Not really a fan of this era of the Bee Gees.

-wow well this was.. VERY much not what I expected to be listening to when I saw I got an album from The Bee Gees. The voice was unrecognizable from the one in the orgasmic disco hits I’d been so used to hearing -it was lowkey boring in several parts but never horrible -Favorites are The Greatest Man In The World and Trafalgar

Despite its cheesy glory, I didn't hate it. Talkin it up!

Didn’t realize how long they had been around.

It was alright typical of the time, at times very samey

Not incredibly ear catching, but a nice peaceful listen! 3/5

It's far from their later disco era songs, but also different from their earliest albums. Their voices are very nice, and it's a good soft rock album, though at times a bit bland.

Not at all what I was expecting from a Bee Gees album but it was fine I guess

"Trafalgar" is the ninth (seventh internationally) album by musical group the Bee Gees. It is an album composed of all ballads. Robert Stigwood and the Bee Gees produced the album. For this album, the Bee Gees consisted of brothers Barry Gibb (vocals, rhythm guitar), Robin Gibb (vocals) and Maurice Gibb (vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, piano, mellotron and organ) and drummer Geoff Bridgford. The album hit #34 in the US but did not chart in the UK. The lead single "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" kicks off the album. A soft start with a piano and acoustic guitar. Barry and Robin are the co-lead singers. Needless to say, great layered vocals and harmonies. String/orchestral arrangements in the background. Great song...one of my favorite Bee Gees. "Israel" features piano, bass and drums. More string/orchestral background arrangements. Barry on emotional lead vocals in an ode to Israel. The second side opens with the self-titled "Trafalgar." Hey, no orchestra. Piano, electric and acoustic guitars, bass and drums in a more rockin' ballad. Co-lead vocals. Needs someone to know him and to get to Trafalgar. A hidden gem. They get back to the strings in the second single "Don't Want to Live Inside Myself." Barry Gibb in another perfectly executed emotional lead vocalist role as he's got to find out who he is. Stating the obviously, this album has outstanding lead, backing and harmony vocals especially Barry. The album is very well-produced and, actually, I felt the string/orchestral arrangents were a little overdone. I liked it when they rocked out a bit without the strings; the songs had a Beatle-esque pop feel. But, overall these songs are well written, composed and executed. I think these guys may have a future.

Slightly better than Odessa. I didn't hate Odessa. This album is not very different. Tearjerkers. Both of them on the list is too generous. I prefer their disco phase. What struck me is, it's the Brothers Gibb (BG, Beegee), but it sounds like the same singer all the time. Favorite song: Lion in winter.

Yikes, that second track sure does hit different in 2024. Someone should try standing outside Roger Waters’ home, holding a boombox playing that song: apparently, he loves it. “Israel” is a microcosm of the album as a whole: grandiose and very pretty, but over-sentimentalised to the point of making us queasy. Unlike “Odessa”, which I thought showed off a fair amount of range and musical diversity, “Trafalgar” shows the Bee Gees hollowing out a niche in balladry, and sticking to it. These songs are mostly very maudlin and weedy, like the lead single “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”, “The Greatest Man In The World” or the interminable “Remembering”. It is, however, saved by a smattering of strong moments and grows stronger as it settles in (I love the band’s iconic harmonies shining through in the chorus of the title track, the symphonic-leaning “Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself”, even Maurice’s contribution with the climactic ending of “It’s Just the Way”). “Somebody Stop the Music” is possibly my ultimate highlight, with a sincere, heartfelt centre, practically aching orchestration and a disarming T-Rex style interlude. And then there’s the big outlier in “Lion in Winter”, which is built around a thunderous drum figure. No trademark silky-smooth Bee Gees falsetto here: Barry’s vocals are cracked and broken. Otherwise, though, “Trafalgar” is so singular in mood and tone that it feels hard to believe the Bee Gees could turn their hand to anything else. It’s genuinely impressive that nearly six years on from this, the brothers Gibb would cement their legacy with the “Saturday Night Fever” disco extravaganza. They’ll always be remembered more for that, and rightly so: still, “Trafalgar” is worth a listen for those lonely, lovelorn days of longing.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart 3 Israel 3 The Greatest Man in the World 2.8 It's Just the Way 3.2 Remembering 2.9 Somebody Stop the Music 3 Trafalgar 2.9 Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself 3.1 When Do I 2.8 Dearest 2.5 Lion in Winter 2.4 Walking to Waterloo 3.3 Score: 2.908333333

bissl zu schnulzig für mein geschmack

It had one interesting track toward the end, Lion in Winter, I kept. Otherwise, its early BeeGees leading up to better stuff in the subsequent albums.

Meh.

OK.

This was a solid listen. I really liked the slow pacing of it all. The melancholy mood throughout the album reminded me of Brian Wilson. There were some mid songs here and there but overall it was good. Best - How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, The Greatest Man in the World, Trafalgar, and Walking Back to Waterloo Worst - no bad songs 3.50/5

Spurred a deep dive into the Bee Gees, and frankly, I wasn't too impressed.

A collection of balads trying hard to follow up the Beatles. I think there are better albums published by the Bee Gees. 3/5

De albumnaam doet me denken aan Tralfamadore uit Slaughterhouse Five van Kurt Vonnegut, waar de Tralfamadorians in alle tijden (verleden, heden en toekomst) tegelijk leven omdat ze in vier dimensies kunnen kijken. En zo voelt het album ook een beetje. Het is qua geluid zeker geen onplezierig album, maar het lijkt wel eindeloos te duren. So it goes. Weinig uitblinkers, maar over het geheel genomen wel gewoon goed te luisteren. Doet geen vlieg kwaad. Op de één of andere manier is dit een soort standaardmuziek voor me. Jarenlang Radio 10 Gold in de auto heeft me hier denk ik op voorbereid. Het blijft wel grappig dat maar weinig mensen zullen denken aan de Bee Gees als ze nummers van dit album voorbij horen komen. Sterker nog: geef het een dag of 2 à 3 en je kunt mij er ook weer gewoon mee foppen. Geen onprettig album dus en ik vermaak me ook wel met het uitpluizen ervan, maar ik kan geen redenen of manieren verzinnen waardoor ik dit hoger dan een 3 zou kunnen geven. Dit doet het vooral heel goed op de achtergrond. De eerste helft is iets sterker dan de tweede helft, kakt wat in. Herfstmuziek.

Always kind of a trip to hear older, pre-falsetto Bee Gees. They’re almost like two different bands, although they’re both charming in their own ways. I do like how smooth the music is here, even if not much of it is especially memorable. Has a couple of undeniable bops, but it will lose points for having a pro-Israel song. Sorry not sorry. C

Ok, but very middle of the road. Better than boring, worse than good

Solid pre disco album from Bee Gees here. How can you mend a broken heart is such a solid first track to start but it all goes a bit downhill from there. Hard to beat.

Wederom de Bee Gees met precies dezelfde palingsound. Larmoyante zang, ingeblikte violen, ergens op het snijvlak van pop, folk en jaren-zeventigsingersongwriter. Maar niks komt boven de middenmoot uit.

Beatlesque, een van mijn meest gebruikte woorden in reviews denk ik, samen met zeurderige zang(er). Over de zang kan ik niet klagen, want zingen kunnen ze wel. Idioot eigenlijk dat ze later met die hoge stemmetjes zijn gaan zingen. Was op zich niet erg nodig, al is dat wel hoe we nu nog steeds de Bee Gees herinneren. Terwijl ze dus echt al legio platen hadden opgenomen voor die tijd. En dit is zo'n album van voor die tijd. Zoals ik al zei, Beatlesque. Met iets meer aanstellerigheid, meer een voorproefje op de powerballads die in de jaren 80 groot werden. Terwijl de Bee Gees op zich best een paar hele mooie kleine nummers hebben gemaakt. Zoals Love Somebody van Bee Gees 1st (ik moest wel even opzoeken op welk album dat stond hoor). De vroege periode laat in ieder geval wel zien dat de Bee Gees veel meer waren dan die discomuzikanten van rond 1980. Eric gaat dit niks vinden wsch, maar er zit wel kwaliteit in. Songwriten konden ze absoluut. Eigenlijk gek dat er niet meer uit deze periode gecoverd is van ze. Stukken beter dan dat hemeltergende Odessa van ze, dit zijn tenminste liedjes. Het is soms wel op het aanstellerige af, zeker op het einde met When Do I en Dearest. Het eerste deel vh album kan ik op een zwoele zomerochtend toch prima naar luisteren. Dat deel is een dikke 3, door het einde vd plaat zakt dat wel iets.

Pretty decent if you don't go in expecting disco

I have been very curious to see what album I would get on my birthday and here we are! While it's nothing mind-blowing, I can't be mad at a 3 star. It could have been another Smith's album. Definitely some good songs on here, and some of it reminded me of The Beatles for sure. I was pretty surprised because I really have only heard their disco songs. However there were plenty of weak songs in here too, and I doubt I'll be reaching to listen to this whole album again.

wouldn't say this was one of the must listen to albums (but many here in this list are FAR worse) but it was easy to listen to, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" being the obvious stand-out song... but the rest was also ok too.. maybe a listen on a day I want something quieter in the background.

Having just listened to a Bobby Womack album, I am adding this Bee Gees album to a satirical playlist (so cheesy, it's good). The opening track. ....if isn't already on a Deadpool soundtrack, I expect it is on some kind to a shortlist.

This is not what I was expecting out of a Bee Gees record. It showed more depth and range than I was expecting, some tracks even sounding like some hey-day Beatles. I guess I don't know much about the Bee Gees to begin with, but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Cheesy pop/rock. Well enough executed, but not my thing at all.

Favorite: Walking Back to Waterloo Hated it the first time through, but that's why repeated listens are always necessary. It's not the most uplifting album, most of the songs are pretty depressing, but I found my enjoying it more with each listen. Some of the songs strike a Bacharach or Beatles cord, which I like, but the vocals took some getting use to.

It's well made music, and they hadn't yet hit that disco craze that they are remembered for today, but I think I'm just not old enough to listen to this.

Bee Gees are an interesting group - their vocals and harmonies and sopranos are just so cool. Choice of songs remain dated - but this was a fun album.

Some tracks are absolutely stunning, however others sound slightly dated. Still great album and will definitely listen again

Pretty boring but inoffensive enough I guess. There were a couple songs that I almost really liked but missed the mark. Low 3.

A little too schmaltzy for me but not bad. Lion in Winter was by far the best song here.

Not at all the sound of The Bee Gees I’m used to. This reminds me of Elton John’s music from the same period. A bit schmaltzy for my taste but fun to hear.

Слушается приятно

Quite pretty maar op een gegeven moment eentonig

Not the Bee Gees I was expecting. Really mellow relaxing music. 5/10

That's some beatle shit right there. Not bad.

This was a strange one. Orchestration was nice on some of the songs but incredibly jarring in other places. Iconic Bee Gees vocal sounds, I really couldn’t get into this album. I have had ‘Odessa’ earlier where I could sense their ambition, which made it better than this. 2.5/5

Very moody and melancholy compared to what I expected from what I had heard of them before. Some songs are not too bad, but some are really odd.

It's got a few catchy songs and it inspired generations but I don't wanna listen to it again.

I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

soft, se lo si ascolta durante il lavoro concilia

'Trafalgar' is a sufficient amount of 70s saccharine cheese with the genuine heart Bee Gees often had, even if their lyrics so rarely come off as poignant as they think they are.

i was disappointed this was not a disco album! as a huge disco fan, i love the bee gees' disco era, but trafalgar reveals who the bee gees before disco happened. this album was straight pop, but it's evolved from the sixties' kind of pop where it isn't pure mindless pop. "how can you mend a broken heart" was beautiful and evocative! and even without the disco, the gibbs' vocals are right there and full of the same quality. that being said, the existence of a song titled "israel" is such a yikes moment. times have changed from 1971 to 2024, but i remain gobsmacked at the blatant propaganda. it's not like the song is that good! the lyrics are lackluster and boring. clearly barry gibb had his head in the sand he kept waxing poetic about.

Very unexpected when I only know the Bee Gees from their disco hits. This was like a David Bowie/Beatles/ELO combination. A fine album. Nothing great and nothing awful. 5.5/10 (2.75/5)

bit of a mixed bag but i liked the beatlely stuff

Not what I expected from beegees but quite good

unremarkable

Is it just me or does this sound like early bowie at certain times.

It's not your disco Bee Gees

This is not what I was expecting! Shame they had to become falsetto kings. This is much better, but a very hit and miss album. Sometimes sounds like Elton John lol

What a mixed bag of an album. At its peak, the brothers Gibb flirt with chamber pop, psychedelia and a quintessential early 70s pop sound, blending a singer-songwriter style approach with their trademark harmonies and some lush string arrangements. At its lows, it sounds like it was recorded through a broken microphone in the back of a tiled shower block, with some truly questionable vocal performances of some generally sub-par songs. Aside from the genuine classic “How Do You Mend a Broken Heart”, this record treats us to “Israel”, “The Greatest Man in the World”, “Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself”, and “Walking Back to Waterloo”. Strong moments blend rich backing with strong melodies, well sung ballads and a production that, although retaining definite Bee Gees sound, echoes both The Beatles and a “Meddle”-era Pink Floyd. There’s moments when the production is the main letdown of the album - at times the rhythm guitar work in particular sounds scratchy, thin, and degraded, in a way that can’t have been intentional. There’s moments where the anemic, flabby kick drum fails to provide any punch at all. These are problems also shared with earlier releases such as Horizontal, but after several years in the game you’d have expected a slightly higher standard of recording to be delivered more consistently. The low points of this album are unquestionably on Side 2 - “Dearest” and “Lion in Winter” are pure dross. “Remembering” on Side 1 is barely any better. On the whole this album contains some great moments, but suffers from inconsistency and some really poor production elements (looking at you kick drum). A great example of the Bee Gees frustrating ability to be arguably the greatest songwriting team of all time, and simultaneously a group who struggled to find their sound and their own place in the world for such a long time.

Strong record from a great group. Vocals iffy when Barry not doing lead. But a cool record to have in my collection.

I can have wildly different reactions to the BeeGees' voices depending on the song or mood. At times they drive home such a strong and wonderful nostalgia for childhood - not just that I remember them from my youth but there's an innocent quality to their harmonies that elicits a simple joy. Other times they sound like 2nd rate goddamn muppets. The music is mostly nice although the slow/mid tempo of everything really drags it after ....not so long. "It's Just the Way" is nice and so Beatleish I went looking for a Lennon or McCartney credit. Except the lyrics are too lame. Speaking of which...the lyrics are extraordinarily tepid. Based on the cover I wanted some sea shanties or verses on the Victorian era, but the Kinks' Arthur this ain't. Maudlin and hilariously banal like a last minute grade 8 kid's creative writing assignment. Or awkward and pitiful love letter. Overall on the low end is where the Kermit-y vocals and pedestrian lyrics are just too much to take seriously. And couldn't we have had one up tempo track? At the high end are the beautiful harmonies and lovely progressions and arrangements to the songs. But the lack of nowhere enough excellent songs really caps this at 3 6/10 3 stars

01) How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - 9,5 02) Israel -8,0 03) The Greatest Man in the World - 8,0 04) It's Just the Way - 7,0 05) Remembering - 7,0 06) Somebody Stop the Music - 6,5 07) Trafalgar - 7,0 08) Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself - 7,0 09) When Do I - 6,5 10) Dearest - 5,5 11) Lion in Winter - 6,0 12) Walking Back to Waterloo - 6,5 TOTAL: 7,04 (70/100) They are world famous band and is this album the best they did? An album that didn't even chart in UK and it reached number 34 in US? It started as an OK pop-ish album, but towards the end it just started to be plain boring. And those chorus vocals in "Lion in Winter"? Lion roaring would be more on point. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is the best song on the album and it's all down from there.

2.5/5. Meh, not bad but not anything special. Overall I found it pretty boring.

I liked this! Nothing really stood out but it was nice to listen to.

I don't get the historical, cultural, or musical significance of this album. The Bee Gees finally had a big hit? And I definitely don't get its significance as far as quality goes. It is at best average. There are some nice harmonies and soaring or orchestral instrumentals but it's a lot of the same thing over and over throughout the album. And you can hear right from the opening lines of the big hit How Can You Mend a Breaking Heart the halting vocal style that Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake poke fun at on SNL. It's a bit cringeworthy when it's real and so I didn't really enjoy that song as much as I remembered. The title track's opening harmonies reminded me a bit of the Beatles, but fair or not I felt like that was a bit of a cheap knock-off. I feel like I might be jumping all over their vocals a bit too much so I'll just dial it back to this being an average album. I did give it a second listen and I didn't mind it. If you weren't a fan, this album wouldn't turn you off but it also wouldn't turn you on. And if like me you gave it multiple listens, it might just grow on you.

first listen i was excited to analyze more not-falsetto Bee Gees...this album is kinda ho hum and needed more variety i think

I only knew the disco falsetto Bee Gees, not the acoustic singer/songwriter Bee Gees. Pleasant surprise.

I prefer disco Bee Gees

Pleasant but not super memorable or outstanding. Should have been a different Bee Gees album on this list. My favourites were dont wanna live inside myself, when do I, and walking back to waterloo (I love waterloo). 3/5

Second Bee Gees and no "Stayin' alive"? It's unexpected, as unexpected as myself enjoying a bit of their music.

A bit sappy, but liked it better than the disco era. Prefer the Jive Talking mid 70's stuff

Disco invecchiato piuttosto bene. I Bee Gees possono piacere o no, ma si percepisce comunque la qualità

If you have heard the Bee Gees before, you have probably heard one of four different songs. You could point a gun to my head, and I wouldn’t be able to name any song other than Stayin' Alive and More Than a Women. Critically it doesn’t seem like they are the most popular band. Commercially speaking is a different story. And I didn’t know they made music that wasn’t disco. But that’s probably for a reason. Their pre-disco soft rock music has sort of been buried at the bottom of the pit of seemingly endless amounts of soft rock bands. And I can understand why. In the competition for the best of the genre, they get the participation trophy. This album doesn’t stand out for much of anything. And any ideas they do pull that are mildly more interesting are still lackluster in comparison. It’s a surprisingly dark album, and more solemn than I imagined it would be. I can appreciate how often they incorporate orchestral elements. That separates them from their competitors slightly. But overall this is nothing special. The one song I do think is actually worth your time is the last one. Super emotional and powerful. They aren’t really known for this era. And I think it is for the better that this stays rather unknown, and we just stay listening to the hits. Because this strikes out pretty hard more than anything. Rating: 5/10

Sweet '60s pop, ranging from all the way from sappy to sentimental to sacharine – all of it tending toward the overcooked and bombastic (e.g., the strings and drums on "Israel"). One can almost admire the schlock, the earnestness that is by definition campy and gets pretty close to predicting emo. "How Can You Mend" is achingly lovely, but such a sugar high is hard to sustain. The title cut is decent, too, maybe the highlight on of the non-ballads. "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" needs covering by today's enlighteneed artists – Phoebe Bridgers, say, or Wilco, maybe, or Bill Callahan? One Bee Gees record would serve the purpose of knowing what came before Saturday Night Fever and this is the better of the two, quite well made and sorta lovely if one can overlook the eye-rollingly cringey bits. The overdone-by-an-order-of-magnitude Odessa is the more interesting, for having an epically awful "symphony" and enough vibrato to last a lifetime. Not that we're short on wavering, overly dramatic vocals here – "Lion in Winter" is almost comic in effect. "Remembering," "When Do I" and "Dearest" are also embarrassing for everyone involved. And the closer can't help but recall Ridley Scott's recent biopic, which raises the same question: just how seriously to take this? That film and this record seem like a test of one's ability to balance sincerity vs irony in the enjoyment of an artistic or cultural product. Is it it cynical to like it even as one feels snarkily superior? The biggest question is for the editors, however: where the f are the disco records? That's what the people need to know. That was this band's – eternally reaching-for-relevance, acclaim-hunting lot that they were – long-sought after natural habitat and finest hour.

Bee Gees are like 1970s Coldplay. I quite liked the first couple of tracks, but then it mostly faded from there. I had an expectation I might find it a little bit insufferable, which I did not, but there wasn't much that grabbed me. 2.8/5

Started off kinda strong but fell off

A lot of hate in the reviews here for early Bee Gees. I actually don't mind it. Yeah, it's super mellow and a bit dull, but the harmonies are great and it's easy listening in the best sense of the term. I certainly prefer this to the later era disco Bee Gees. 3 stars.

3/5. There is a sense of sweet innocence among these songs that feels mature at the same time. Sure, many of them sound a little too similar and drags in some, but it's a calming atmosphere they create, a yearning. Interesting choice for album title, but I imagine this feeling among those who did not go to war and waiting for their family to return from the war, knowing full well they won't. It's grand at time but also not good at others. A solid mid album.

The Bee Gees were pretty good before they went Disco. This album is just a little too mellow for me.

De flesta spår är hyfsade, men det är överlag ändå rätt ospännande och tråkigt. Svårt att förstå varför denna är med på listan. Svag trea.

Now I know why they changed up their sound when disco blew up. I did however enjoy How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and Trafalgar. And yes the harmonies are top notch.

Still in their chameleon phase. Nothing overly wrong with that but there is no real sense of what. There are some good songs often let down by overblown orchestration. What works in one song doesn't necessarily work in another. The harmonies, as to be expected, are more than fine. Overall OK if a little monotone.

Not quite the Bee gees I was expecting. Decent

Only one top song. Memorable 70s sounds.

Huh sad

Fair enough

"Trafalgar" by the Bee Gees, released in 1971, offers a mellower journey compared to the band's more well-known and upbeat hits. This departure showcases the Bee Gees' versatility but may leave fans of their more dynamic sound wanting. The album's reflective and tranquil tone is evident in tracks like "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself." While the mellowness adds a layer of introspection, it might lack the energetic spark that characterized their earlier works. "Trafalgar" is an interesting chapter in the Bee Gees' discography, revealing a different facet of their musical prowess. While the mellower approach may not appeal to everyone, it offers a contemplative and quieter side of the Bee Gees, earning it a fair 3/5 for its distinct departure and introspective moments.

Ég fílaði Bee Gees aldrei neitt sérstaklega en síðustu kannski 3 árin hafa þeir vaxið og mér er farið að finnast gaman að hlusta á þá. Það kom eiginlega bara út frá steggjun þar sem "ryksugulagið" þeirra (You Win Again) togaði mig á þeirra band. Því miður var það ekki á þessu albúmi en samt bara fínasta plata.

What a downer. This had moments of greatness, but it just made me realize how much they needed disco to really stay alive.

2.5

Back in the day, I wasn't exactly groovin' to the Bee Gees' disco beats, but let's talk about "Trafalgar." Released in 1971, it's of a different vibe from their later disco era, and I've got to say, it's got its merits. "Trafalgar" has this melancholic and introspective feel to it that appealed to me. The Bee Gees dived into some serious songwriting here. Tracks like "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "Israel" showcase a more mature and reflective side of their artistry. The harmonies, as always, are top-notch, and there's this emotional depth that's a far cry from the disco fever that came later. I appreciate the variety on the album. "Trafalgar" isn't just about catchy tunes; it's about storytelling. The orchestral arrangements add a layer of sophistication, giving the album a grand and timeless quality. While I might not have been the biggest Bee Gees fan during the disco days, "Trafalgar" offers a glimpse into their earlier, more diverse sound. It's an album that transcends the disco era and showcases the Bee Gees' versatility as musicians and songwriters.

Nisam znao da bee gees moze da zvuci i ovako.

Highs and lows here. The album starts very strongly, and the first two songs in particular really showcase the strength of their songwriting and Barry's pre-disco voice. It drifts in the middle, but it's still in the three to four range. Then towards the end, it hits you with Dearest, which is, in my considered opinion, the worst song I've ever heard in my life. Suddenly it's Sunday morning and Radio 2 is on, you're too hungover to change the station, and Elaine Paige is playing a show tune. Wait, this isn't every other week where she plays Memory from Cats or one of the boring ones from Les Mis. This is actual torture! That's...that's not Elaine! It's the Martians! We're being taken over! They're trying to kill us with this horrible sound! After several minutes of rocking back and forwards, the torture sound abates, and there are Elaine's plummy tones: That was Dearest by Bee Gees, and now, Barbara Swington sings Memory.