Reviews (page 5 of 8)
what the hell, Bee Gees!!!
Maybe just my mental space, but this was not an album I would deem “essential.” It was nice, chill and a little ballady, and they’ve all got great voices. That’s all I have to say about that. Pre-disco Bee-Gees is not for me.
It had all the vibes of something I’d love but for some reason I just couldn’t get into it so much???
So bad that it’s funny
This is hard to bear. Horrible singing.
No. I'm sorry. No
I don’t digest sugar well
I can see what they’re trying to get at but it’s kind of mediocre. It is pretty cool variety but the vocals in most tracks were kind of annoying and just nothing stood out. I appreciate the ideas thrown out here it just doesn’t feel cohesive. Nothing terrible but nothing great.
2/5 Ive heard alot of the bee gees hits and I thought I was going to enjoy this album but i found it very dull and boring. This is also their lowest rated album on rateyourmusic so by that logic all of their other albums should be on this list so hopefully I'll enjoy them more.
I’m sure these songs were delightful. But the vocals are at a pitch that I simply cannot hear.
Fake Abba
3.5/10
Super lame - dauert ewig Ein Glück für die bee gees dass sie disco für sich entdeckt haben
Few good songs, vibes of 60s. I felt bored 80% of a time.
A bit nothingy for me. Ok background music but nothing to get excited about
OOof. This is not good. Not good at all. 2
mid
heartbroken
Gees that was boring.
This was weird because I really liked the first song and the very last one. HOWEVER. The rest of it was suuuuch a chore gosh. Must give them credit for being self-aware with 'somebody stop the music' because I really couldn't have agreed more. 2.5 rounded down.
why, why, why. painfully boring, exhaustingly unenthusiastic, excessively yawny i had hope in the bee gees - safe to say that was through extinguished with this album
I did not enjoy this.
But why, though? It's like somebody trying to make music like Marvin Gaye but who isn't actually cool. Seriously. People have been making music for thousands of years. How did you get this so wrong? Why did people buy so many copies of this? Much less listenable than Napalm Death. On par with that Kid Rock album that's become my most weirdly useful yardstick. Almost insufferable. 2/5 You'll regret the project the day this comes up. Don't quit, though! There's lots of great music on the list.
eh
When I saw a Bee Gees album, I was worried I was gonna have to listen through a disco album. Instead I had to listen through whatever this was.
This album is kind of like knockoff Elton John and 12 songs is WAY too long for that. It all starts blending together. Cool album cover though
A bit samey. Not one I'd return to.
2/5 too mellow
Quite uninteresting.
Watered down chamber pop
im not listening to a song called israel.
A bit slow but nice
Great for taking a nap.
Not doing it for me
Like many others have noted, pre-disco Bee Gees is just 3 guys trying to find a direction. There's some class melodies in there, but it's all very mediocre.
Jesus Christ, why is every Bee Gees album on this list NOT their good shit?
This is a lot better than Odessa. However I do not blame the Brothers Gibb for venturing into disco rather than sticking with baroque pop/soft-rock/boomer sleeping aid music. Would give it a 3 for opening with a banger and getting the good stuff over and done with, but giving it a 2 because it's immediately followed up by a love song about an ethnostate and then a bunch of lullabies. Please just give me the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack next time. Highlights: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
oei
6/10 Favourite: Walking back to Waterloo Least Favourite: Israel
Achei muito velho
The Bee Gees are one of the most profoundly lame bands of all time, and as this album demonstrates, it’s not just for the disco.
boringg
I read a review of *Sgt. Pepper* once in which the author claimed he didn't dislike the album per se but considered it "a bad influence" on rock music because it led to a bunch of pseudo-intellectual pretentiousness among artists. After listening to this album, with its Gilbert and Sullivan-style vocal solos by singers who can't sing Gilbert and Sullivan, its ponderous production, and its dearth of excitement, I can kinda see the point. Like so many bands in 1971, these guys were trying to be the Beatles; so were, say, Badfinger, but Badfinger at least sounded like they remembered how to play "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." The rare bright spots (like the title track) aren't worth sitting through the rest of it.
2 out of 5. It's weird hearing anything from the Bee Gees that isn't disco. Also definitely some Beatles influence here but not surprising.
This was surprisingly bland.
I was hoping for a concept album, extolling the exploits of Nelson against the French, but in the end I had to turn it off. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ 60% Revisit ❌️ Lame ★★☆☆☆ (3/10)
I'm glad that the Bee Gees found their way with disco cause whatever this is isn't cutting it. I feel like their voices were better suited for what disco would bring on rather than sultry and gentle ballads. The slow and sincere cry that never leaves this album gets dry and at times unbearable. It's not the worst thing in the world, but god, some of these vocals are scratchy as shit. They try to be artsy and moving with big arrangements and grand vocal performances, but it ends up getting too wishy-washy. I know this book has a rule against soundtracks but could they have made an exception for Saturday Night Fever? At least that's a Bee Gees record that deserves recognition (4/10, 2/5 on this scale)
3/10
Love the album cover, but none of the songs
It does me no harm. But regarding these prominent names it is only a decent or even dull album.
It’s fine. It’s not THAT bad but like I don’t even want to give it a 3
Kind of overwrought and dramatic, a few good songs but not what I know and love (or expect) of The Bee Gees, sounded kind of Beatles-y/John Lennon in parts
This album got progressively more annoying as it went along. A couple of tracks were fine, but I could’ve skipped this one.
Barely a middling pop record that just made me want it to end. Awful Gibb vocals and dull music.
It's fine.
Very Mid. Not exactly sure why this is included on the list honestly. It's nothing too amazing or boundary pushing. It's their 9th album and pre-disco so it's not like they were coming up with anything new. It's very slow, drawn out and all of the songs feel the same. Not my jam and not really finding anything redeeming about it.
Mellow, pre-disco Bee Gees. Great harmonies.
Not what I expected from the Bee Gees?
This was so much nothing that I couldn't even actively feel something along the lines of hate, this album was just... there.
Never been a fan
A one song album. Take away "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," and this isn't even an album worthy of inclusion on any list like this. Very one-note.
The evidence of that time the Bee Gees thought they might like to be the Beatles.
Really quite odd. Almost sounds like self parody at some moments, though it seems to be played with an unironic straight bat. Not my vibe, although - like Odessa - I can see the craftsmanship.
Some of the singing on these songs is downright cringeworthy.
Why is Saturday Night Fever not on this list, anyway? I'd prefer that over this album which is just The Beatles' table scraps that even Ringo wouldn't release.
Oh my God this is boring, milquetoast, soft adult contemporary, middlebrow bullshit. The fact that this nothing album of nothing songs is on this list is actually insulting. The Bee Gees are a band that learned the exact wrong lesson from the Beatles. Every song tries to sound as epic as A Day in the Life but with the lyrical depth of I Want to Hold Your Hand. And I hate their voices. They sound like Muppets in a bad way
Two pre-disco beegees albums on this list is pretty mental. Just trying to be clever.
Best Track - "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?"
This is a mostly forgettable album by the guys that get most of the credit for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
I’m not going to pretend to like this.
Not a hit for me. Too slowed down, and gets a negative ratings bump for making me want to listen to some upbeat Bee Gees; instead, I got depressing balads and farewll songs. Kinda ruined my day, tbh. I love the Bee Gees, but this album is not for me (not saying it's bad, just hit me in the wrong spot).
What happened to the big songs? In the 60s they managed “To Love Somebody”, “Massachusetts” “Words” and “I Started a Joke”. Those might not all be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s little point in denying they are show-stopping, quality pieces of songwriting. To my ears, the lack of decent songs is exactly what the problem is on Trafalgar. They may have had a different goal for this album, but I can’t tell what it’s meant to be and it doesn’t seem to work for me. In the other direction on the Bee Gees timeline, I never got how the vitality of their disco era could deteriorate into the bland feel of their 80s output but hearing this album it seems that inoffensive MOR is a genuine part of their DNA. The best Bee Gees records sound uniquely like Bee Gees, but on this album they seem to be attempting to emulate The Beatles, Bowie, CSNY and others but never quite successfully because of the unremarkable material. To be fair, I'm having a better time with it this spin than the previous one but I'm significantly less than convinced it’ll end up a winner for me. Odessa is the other Bee Gees album in the 1001 book and I am still keen to hear it but I really hope it’s an improvement on this.
Expected more quality and not music to fall asleep to.
Sadly did not enjoy this from Bee Gees - think it was pre disco era - which at least was singalong! This was pretty dire…
126/1001 :: Bee Gees - Trafalgar Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 4 Listen before you die: No Why so serious Bee Gees? Not what I was expecting from what I thought was a fun disco band. With a song called Israel and a lot of the songs having a soft, singer song writer quality this felt like more like a Beatles side project than a good ole blast from the past. Some pretty good songs in the 2nd half but not good enough for me to return.
Took me two weeks to suffer through this album. Why do these brothers insist on harmonizing like a tribe of goats? 2/5
No takeaways from me, it was fine
Sad boy indie music but it’s the 70s. Bit of a slog, couple of nice ballads, 12 was a bit much 3 / 10 Best track/s: Lion In Winter
Maso
En estilo disco te saben hacer bailar, pero no me encantan con baladas
What in the sad high pitch man did i just listen to
I loved How Can You Mend A Broken Heart but found the rest very bland and forgettable. Certainly talented vocalists but just didn’t deliver something special aside from the opening track.
*the reviewer, persumed unconsious after listening to Trafalgar, being aggressively CPR'd by their friends while blasting "stayin' alive"* friend: today we pay tribute to the reviewer. they suceeded in finishing the album but the bad news is that they died due to boredom fearlessly like Lord Nelson. May them rest in peace. one minute later, the review sat up and said a short "fuck". everybody rejoice. fade to black. 2/5
Man the Bee Gees are awful. That voice is just terrible.
Other than the first song, this album is just not very good.
The Bee Gees were great singers and songwriters. Unfortunately, only hints of this can be heard on “Trafalgar.” The album starts with the actually good ballads “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “Israel”, but by “The Greatest Man In The World” at the latest, it's really just more of the same and becomes increasingly irrelevant. I'm not entirely sure why this album sould be a must-listen. Perhaps to properly understand the Bee Gees' later development?
I only like their catchy stuff. This is just the same thing everybody was doing at that time.
Kinda boring but a couple of good deep cuts
This was interesting, it was kind of neat to learn that the Bee Gees did a different style. It's fine, but a far cry from "Stayin' Alive." Favorite track: "When Do I" is kind of neat
I was angling to say that the time killed listening to this record (~3000 seconds) was, mercifully, fewer than the number of casualties at the battle of Trafalgar (~5000) … but then “I don’t want to live inside myself” arrived and spoiled it. It’s a wonderful song, made particularly compelling for it being populated by instruments that seem on entirely different frequencies to one another: the immediacy of the lushly resonant piano, fitfully shape shifting genres throughout the song; a string arrangement languid to the point of appearingly aloof and charmingly disinterested in whatever else is happening in the track; vocals that strain and buckle under the gravity of the emotion they’re describing, having before retreating to a melodic murmuring; then that blissful, ethereal outro that defies any listener to characterise what they’ve heard as “just another ballad”. I’ve listened to that song six times in the past two hours, to a total of ~2000 seconds. And I wouldn’t bet against me doing the same tomorrow. Against all odds, the Bee Gees rescue victory from the jaws of defeat. Trafalgar, indeed.
What a slog. This album needed some uptempo higher peaks to fully contrast against the onslaught of the valley filled ballads. A 47 minute album whose folk rock/pop ballads feel like they drag on for hours. Sounds like the kind of tedium and drudgery that Radiohead specializes in. Favorites: "It's Just the Way" and "When Do I" Do yourself a favor and pull your myopic head out of your ass and go listen to their fantastic Disco albums and their albums throughout the 80s and 90s, which are so much more interesting than this. This list is lame the way it overlooks the most important historical albums by skipping film soundtracks composed by one artist in favor of meaningless albums that were not vital to musicians or music fans.
boring. And a hymn in Israel in 1971? No.
This album is sooooo sappy. Every song sounds like Can You Spare A Feeling from the Simpsons. One of the singers has a really strange vibrato that kinda makes him sound like Kermit. Mid 2.
Started with an all time mushy song and got mushier and mushier until I couldn't take it anymore.
This wasn't horrible, but man, thank god for disco.
Hmmm, I know "disco sucks" and all that, but Saturday Night Fever is streets ahead of this. Kudos to the Bee Gees for reinventing themselves throughout their career, but this is some truly mid level ballad / harmonies.
🥱 I guess I didn’t hate this but didn’t feel like it was memorable. A bit too theatrical for me as well. “Mama can you hear me!” Is all I kept hearing…but of course as gold member from Austin powers. 2.5 and maybe I’d rate up but the vocals sounded very goofy at parts. Did end on a strong note with Walking Back To Waterloo, it not enough for me.
Early Bee Gees is not great.
Disappointing. Slow paced and little variety. I think Robin is on vocals and I prefer later albums with Barry taking the lead. Overall a bit boring
Why woman did you help mending his broken heart? You would have spared me 40 minutes of wannabe-Beatles out of tune crap. Update: back to waterloo was good! Upped to 2 stars
😴😴😴
This appears to be the polar opposite of Stayin' Alive
So far away from Saturday Night Fever it's jarring. Also kind of boring to be honest.
"Israel you make the whole world think about you." Indeed.
I didn't like the music or vocal style, but they are Manchester's most successful band, suck on that Oasis😀😀
I guess I'll never understand the appeal of the Bee Gees. I just don't get it.
Kinda forgettable; nothing really jams out.
I was initially mad that the ninth Bee Gees album was included here. But I see now that this is still pre-disco which is interesting enough that it's worth a listen. Sure ain't good though. Can't believe they'd released 9 albums by 71. Busy little Bee Gees.
Ok, but where are all the boogie tunes? These ones are slow and boring.
*yawn* Why is this album here? Didn't do well in the country it was made in and barely gained any traction in the US. It's just really boring as a whole. Not one song is very interesting. Sure, none are bad but just was not easy to listen to the whole thing. If an album can't be listened to in one sitting, it isn't good. Apart from that, the vocals are OK mostly and a little bad at times, there is a nice variety of instruments on some songs, but they all serve the same purpose of not being too important to the song. The vocals are the star and they aren't great. I listened to the same song 12 times in a row and didn't like it any more each successive time. Not a 1/5 because it wasn't bad, just boring.
It has a fewww high notes but otherwise really uninteresting.
Not especially interesting or stand-out - I could easily walk into a thrift store and come out with ten albums sounding exactly like this. Sorry Bee Gees, you got more interesting after your midlife crisis.
I’m gonna try to be nice here but this is just old people music. Like my grandparents (born in the literal 1920s) would listen to this. If someone under the age of like 65 is listening to this on purpose with no nostalgic connections then I have some concerns.
The only reason I see for this being on here is to show how a band can evolve from making Beatleslop in 1971, to making iconic disco jams post-reinvention. This was a terribly forgettable listen.
Not good. This is on the level of a much lesser Elton John composition or something. I am usually a contrarian but I can honestly say I have no idea why this is on the list. It does nothing interesting and the singing on Lion in Winter is very jarring.
Music to nod off in traffic to
The Bee Gees needed disco….
Эра диско у би джиз была забавнее
carino, base bella ma not my cup of tea. overall un 7 come primo ascolto. gli archi hittano
Would not really expect something like this from the Bees that prolly everyone is use to with all that disco heat. Vocals very good but definitely not my cup of tea and too me pretty boring.
me da la sensacion que es un musical y que estan en un escenario, lo cual no está nada mal, pero no es mi royito un musical de rock, sin embargo, se que es agradable de escuchar. También me recuerda un poco a las baladas de queen.
I was expecting some fun disco, I got some sub-par Elton John. Pretty boring.
Not my favorite Bee Gees album. Too slow
Another chore of an album to get through. I recognize the musical talent that went into creating it, but it's just not my kind of music. Too grandiose and theatrical for my taste, which I'm ok with on occasion, but this was not one of those occasions. "When Do I" actually sounded like a parody: whichever Gibb brother was singing, putting on an exaggerated comedic singing voice. We've been through this already, but I think this album would definitely fall by the wayside, had the authors of the book/list ever made a revision that went further back than the 2000s.
I agree with the group, not a whole lot to get excited about here. A few songs that I like, but a tough listen all the way through
The first track was the stands out, probably because of its familiarity. The album starts off strong but quickly loses momentum, or maybe I just lost interest. After the title track, it felt like a bit of a snooze fest.
Якщо ви колись уявляли, як звучали би Бітлз, якщо писали посередні пісні, то можете послухати цей альбом і більше не треба уявляти.
З одного боку досвід слухати цілий альбом бі джиз це цікаво, але з іншого більшість пісень мені не сподобалась, буду відвертим.
I honestly didn’t realize the Bee Gees were ever anything other than a disco band. I thought maybe this would’ve been their 1st or 2nd album but was shocked to see it was their 9th and they still weren’t a disco band until their THIRTEENTH album. Good thing they moved on from this genre and did disco instead. This album was a snoozefest.
I was hoping to like this more but the vocals started to drive me a little nuts
Obviously their vocal work is solid, but as a whole I find the album boring and dated
Even after giving this an earnest listen, which was kind of fun because I really only identify the Bee Gees with their SNF hits, I can't say I understand why this is a must-hear album. I mean it sounds like third-rate Beatles souped up with aspirations of grandeur and a lot of strings. But third-rate Beatles can still be okay--I like Israel for example--but the deep cheese of so many of these songs is painful.
I almost gave this a 1. Most songs are blah and the vocals are unexpectedly awful in a couple of places. A couple of songs are better, elevating it to a 2.
Ei oikein iskenyt, 1,75/5
I don't like the bee gees, I don't think I'm going to
Not bad, just meh.
Another pre-disco album by the Bee Gees on this list is wild, and the only positive thing I can say about it is that it’s not as bad as Odessa. Even the song “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” is a mediocre version compared to the Al Green version that came out a year later.
This is not the worst album on this list, but don’t get me wrong it is still quite shit. However it may be the most ‘why on earth is this on the list’ album in the whole project. This bears no resemblance to the recognisable form of what the Bee Gees would become, and the music is really derivative 60s tinged pop. It is also just fucking weird in places - at some points it feels like it’s a novelty record or slightly comic ‘b’ side collection, occasionally they seem to be doing weird vocal impressions and end up sounding like Neddy Seagoon from The Goon Show, or some weird parody of Scott Walker with his balls in a vice. So often the lyrics are completely nonsensical - Don’t want to live inside myself / I’m much better off alone - I mean, that sounds very much like the same thing to me, but maybe I’m just an idiot. All in all a very fucking odd record, and an even odder inclusion.
how can you mend a broken heart (10/10) and a bunch of other ok to bad songs
Still better than Kanye West.
Couple decent songs, but mostly a lot of the same - meh. One song with 80 million plays... then a lot of nothing. I'll give it a 2.
Couple okay songs but pretty boring.
Das beste ist wenn sie nach einer Beatles oder Elton John knock off Band klingen. Super langweilig aber zumindest hörbar musste dennoch durchskippen um nicht einzuschlafen 2/5
2.5/5
not that bad fr
One of those albums where you think it is included because it is so bad it has to be heard to be believed. For the Bee Gees, it shows how much they improved / developed over the next few years, even though at this point they are already nine albums in. Also, so many albums from 1971 in the list (36?), why include this? Two stars for a couple of okay songs.
Two stars because the harmonies are great, otherwise it would have been just 1. Songs are forgettable though. Disco was the best thing that happened to them.
not a big fan
meh
2.17
I've never really gotten into the Bee Gees.
Heavy on ballads and a clear focus on vocals. More yacht rock pop vs disco, but the disco roots are starting to take hold with the thick drum and bass lines. Uninteresting at best.
It was kind of a boring experience.
Man, I love The Bee Gees and really wanted to love this, but it just wasn't as strong as their later work. I did really like Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself.
First listen I liked it, however it lacked energy and drive to be a good album. Second listen it was very boring.
I like some of the soft rock stuff on here - rest of it is odd - music hall, orchestral, lots of strange vocal performances. Doesn't feel very coherent unfortunately. I understand they go on to do better things...
This is a tough one for me to fairly review because mellow 70s is something that requires a certain mood to enjoy, which I decidedly was not when the album dropped. I appreciated the singing, undeniably beautiful on some tracks. The orchestral instrumentation was not bad, it just wasn't very memorable or unique. I much prefer the disco Bee Gees that followed, at least that music is fun. Again, this take was probably exacerbated by my mood. However, there are many more interesting albums that I will put on before revisiting Trafalgar. Considering I was born before this album was released, it is odd that I've never listened to a pre-disco Bee Gees album in its entirety. So, there is that.
They should stick to disco.
Ok so I expected far worse. It's not offensive, just pretty bland and repetitive folk.
Not your usual Bee gees. Too repetitive and slind more like indie folk rock from the 60s Didnt really dig it
slow and boring, not one of the best 1001 albums of all time
Why is this so bad? Odessa was cool…
These brothers where phenomenally talented, just not my style of music
no thanks. pass. this is too drama sad. How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a good song but the rest weren't that great and I prefer their disco mode.
Not a fan. I appreciated some of the tracks on this album and liked some of the lyrics but I just couldn’t get into it.
Some of this feels like their trying to write Beatles songs. I never would have thought that about The Bee Gees before listening to this album. That doesn’t make me like it, though. Just because they tried doesn’t mean they succeeded. It isn’t as bad as I expected at least.
This is BeeGees record #2 that is "Must Listen Before You Die" and neither one was the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack... These records really aren't very good. Sorry mates.
I didn’t want to come into this hating it because it wasn’t the standard Bee Gees disco that everyone knows. But this did nothing for me. Frankly, Saturday Night Fever was the best thing to happen to these guys because this was kind of bleh. Every track sounds like a Beatles ripoff and the whole album carries this melancholic soft rock ambience that gets old fast. And this was the band 9th album! What the hell did they do for the other eight? I feel like the main thing that pisses me off about this is that there’s nothing special about this album. It’s just a bland pop album from the 70’s from the band your parents would play to death at parties (or maybe grandparents at this point in time). Honestly, this isn’t a must hear at all. Favorite track: Walking Back to Waterloo Other hits: Israel, How Can You Mead A Broken Heart, Don’t Wanna Live Inside Myself, Remembering, Dearest
1st track is good to be honest, dimery needed to put Saturday night fever on here, it’s a compilation/ soundtrack sure but when you have a hives comp on the list, we needed Saturday night fever
Bee Gees do know how to write ballads, just wish there was some variety in the type of songs. 12 ballads in a row does get samey after a while. 3/10
track 1 is an incredible song. after that it kind of goes off the rails. not every single song has to be an epic ballad guys! do some chill ones! also it's a real tough time to listen to a song called israel
I like their later stuff, not so much their early stuff
asswater
Didn't enjoy.
Another mostly low-energy and overly schmaltzy Bee Gees entry. Sluggish, saccharine easy-listening. Music to buy eggs to. Highlight: The brief Beatles-esque turn on 'Somebody Stop the Music' injecting some much needed energy and whimsy. Low point: Robin's lead vocals, particularly on 'Remembering'. Jesus Christ.
Pretty gay, i liked the trafalgar song best. Didnt enjoy most
I was fully unaware of this album and it turns out to be their 9th. It's full of slow songs. Not the best thing I have ever listened to.
I dunno it’s ok.
OK. Boring. A good tune or two.
Oh, in what world is this essential listening? It's not bad, but it's in no measure good. A solid three stars throughout with not much of note. Minus one star for pissing me off!
Barely any beats. Slow. 2/5
2.5/5. They have one decent song to kick off the record and the rest are mid as all hell. Give me disco Bee Gees, not whatever the hell this is. Also a song praising Israel is beyond cringe.
Meh, not my thing, just a bit lame
Every song had an interesting string section that had a constant build. Each track could have been an album closer. The album sounded very epic, yet is was slow paced and half the time down right boring. A couple stand out tracks but mostly not my taste of music
we all know how important the beegees were - but trafalgar for me is a snooze fest i literally dozed off while listening. not by bee gees go to - I'm waiting for love you inside & out
Elton John without the songs. John Lennon (at times) with too much pomp (and without the songs). A moodier Moody Blues. I kind of like "Don't Want to Live Inside Myself". Kind of.
There’s no way a Real Human Being sounds like this
Hey, I'll be honest, Stayin Alive is great, maybe even one of the best funk/pop songs ever, but I just can't get into any other music by Bee Gees. Vocal is irritating, it feels like music follows just one pattern over and over again. I understand their influence, but no love for this album.
Seriously boring downbeat pop. 4/4 throughout, drags, vocals are annoying, breathy and repetitive tremolo effect. Yawn. ‘Somebody stop the music’ indeed (although this brings a tiny bit of groove - and brass. And a kind of Beatles sound, like on ‘Trafalgar’.) try to bring some passion into the end of ‘Lion in Winter’ but just sounds awful. God this album is depressing, dragging and basic.
Except for How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, I'm wondering why this album is this important to add in this list.
Hun eerste album was cool. Hun Saturday Night Fever nummers waren cool. Dit suckt. 1.5
Ah yes, Trafalgar — the Bee Gees album you put on when you’ve run out of things to do, and maybe even the will to do them. Legendary artists? Sure. Disco royalty? Absolutely. But here, they decided to take a nap instead of a victory lap. The first song is actually good — a little hope, a little sparkle. Then comes the rest, drifting into a soft, endless fog of sleepy tunes and dramatic sighing. Barry’s falsetto? Still hanging around, still trying to hit notes only dogs can appreciate. It’s like he’s serenading you into a coma. But hey, at least it’s not Disco All Day. Small victories.
Pop schlock of the lowest denominator. Not 90 UK indie crap so gets the 2nd star.
Not bad but boring
Never before had listened to a full bee gees album, more complex than what i thought, nice harmonies, but not my jam
This is boring as all get out.
Not at all what I thought The Bee Gees sounds was like. Not a huge fan though. Kinda boring
Eigentlech fendi Bee Gees no geil, aber das Albom schiint mer eifach ergendwie rächt monoton ond ohni wörk gueti songs. Sie send ehere alli e chli komisch. Ned schlächt, das esch Musig nome i sältne Fäll, aber es ged halt so vel besseri lieder. Do Sengt eifach eine e chli öppis ond es paar Tön im Hendergrond, aso au nüd wörk enteressants.
This was not the Bee Gees I was expecting. Folk Music, who knew? I could feel some of the disco stuff they put out later on this album. It was ok. I wouldn't walk away if it was put on again
My initial reaction was "Wow, this is the Bee Gees? The same Bee Gees that wrote Staying Alive?" I'm honestly impressed at the diversity of this group, but let's talk about this album as a standalone. There's clearly a favourite song from this album that has 76 million players whereas the second most played song only has ~600,000 plays. I find that kinda strange because I feel like most of the songs have a similar vibe. Overall, sad vibes. Didn’t really stand out to me in any way and I’m surprised this is included in the list.
I guess they really are a one hit wonder.
It was all a bit low key. Some nice parts. But overall fairly disappointing.
Reminds me of brit pop, or are thoses albums last week haunting me? Generally a BG's fan but this sucks. The fact this was their NINTH album and we're still not close to fallsetto BG's is shocking. Crazy second act.
Really in a slump here. All these albums suck. I only listened to the first song of this and it made me feel depressed.
This album kinda sucked. Why is there a pre-Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees album on here?? If it ain’t falsetto disco, I don’t want it. So much saccharine melodrama on here. At its best it’s inoffensive, but mostly it’s corny, trite, maudlin, etc etc etc
Don’t Want to Live Inside Myself is a decent song and sounds like CSNY Helpless. The rest of this is a tough listen. Had no idea The Bee Gees did anything before disco - interesting from a music history perspective, even if the music is kind of lame.
Utterly unremarkable. Beatles F-sides at its best, just chords in a row at its worst. Not annoying, but not at all interesting.
This was just a nothing burger. Nothing about it was altogether enjoyable and I swear Robin's vocals would have been much better on the soundtrack to Rankin & Bass' animated Hobbit. Glad to be done with this one.
A collection of ambitious yet forgettable ballads.
Was expecting some upbeat disco but man was this a slog. The singer sounds like Paul McCartney quite often. Some songs really try to sound like "The Beatles". Honestly not much to say about this except I was bored. Blandest album for quite some time.
It's weird to me that all the Bee Gees albums on this list (so far) are not what they are known for at all. I mean it's weird that there are multiple Bee Gees albums on this list anyway... If you played this for me I would never have guessed it was the Bee Gees. It just kind of sounds like the generic sort of folksy soft rock that came out of the 60s. This could be like The Moody Blues or maybe America. It's aggressively bland. As much as I hate to say it, it's probably better that the Bee Gees switched to disco and that's probably how they should be remembered. 2/5
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is the hit and was an even bigger hit for Al Green. Not disco Bee Gees is not great. Israel is better than How You Can Mend a Broken Heart. It's funny that the difference between a hit song and an album track is someone choosing what is going to be a single. Easy listening 70s hits are just not for me. Remembering sounds like the soundtrack to the animated Hobbit. It feels like an Australian critic needed to get some Bee Gees albums on the list because this feels like a collection of derivative songs. You can hear echoes of the Beatles, clearly, but also Bowie and The Who. Trafalgar could have been off Sgt. Pepper's and I wouldn't have known it wasn't the Beatles. This is not good. There's a pop folk vibe running through some of these songs (When Do I) that sounds like the guy playing guitar on the stairs in Animal House. Where is Bluto when you need him? This isn't torture like some of the albums rated as ones, but it is also not very good in it's own special way. Walking Back to Waterloo is one of the best songs on the album, solid closer for a bad album.
Such an odd bunch. Every now and then they do something cool and progressive and rockin', but its offset by songs that sound like they were sung by drunk old men in a church.
2.4 Well that was pretty shit. Everything between it's just the way and the final track were entirely skippable, and downright annoying sometimes. Those two aforementioned tracks the only things saving this album. Why is this on the list??
Largely boring and annoying, but not terrible.
Not a bad record by any means as a singer songwriter/pop rock style record but definitely a reason why it isn't known for a lot of hits for this group given their reputation.
This was ok.
Well, I braced myself for the “voice” and weirdly that did really materialise. What I didn’t didn’t brace myself for is a pretty boring album which at some points the vocals were not great. Not sure if the disco era are seen to revive the Bee Gees but this was not that great.
This really just wasn't enjoyable. I'm at a loss for other comments.
I have tried the Bee Gees (old and new) a few times and I hear the nice harmonies but the tunes just don't grab me.
Цей альбом нагадує мені фільми які знімають спеціально для Оскару. Він надмірно пафосний, показово сентиментальний, та ніби як "штучно емоційний". Проте сказати, що він прямо "поганий", я також не можу, та і загалом тут є пісні, що гарно запам'ятовуються, наприклад - How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? та Israel. Проте серед подібних гарних композицій - більшість матеріалу тут зроблено за штампованою схемою софт року. Trafalgar звісно можна назвати найбільш цікавим серед іншої творчості Bee Gees до їх "диско" періоду, але він просто губиться у порівнянні з іншими над-цікавими альбомами того часу. Bee Gees також прагнули щоб Trafalgar був одним із таких, але їх великі амбіції як раз і зіграли з ними злий жарт. Вони увібрали усі характерні елементи тогочасної популярної рок музики та намагалися "викрутити" їх на максимум. А апогеєм цього стала, притягнута за вуха концептуальність, альбом посилається на битву при Трафальгарі 1805 року, але фактично не має до неї ніякого відношення. Якщо ви не знайомі з Bee Gees, то звісно можна послухати цей альбом, але якщо ви хочете познайомитися із, справді гарною, психоделічною та "розумною" рок музикою початку 70-х, то краще витратити час на щось інше, наприклад на Can - Tago Mago, про який ми ще поговоримо в рамках цієї серії, або Led Zeppelin [IV] про який я вже трохи писав (https://t.me/community_didko_music/174).
Really interesting hearing some pre-disco Bee Gees, but they definitely grew better into that sound. One of the Gibb’s voices on this is really bizarre and made some of the songs sound unintentionally funny.
A pre-disco Bee Gee's is like an untoasted sandwich :(
the bee gees? more like the ZZZs, am i right??????? it's like they tried to write an album full of beatles ballads but forgot to make any of them good or interesting. yet another album that, based on the album artwork, should've been full of sea shanties and nothing else. that would certainly have been better than whatever's going on here. 1.5 stars but i'll round up because of their willingness to leave that vocal take in on dearest. he really sounds like he's stretching to reach those high notes. amazing stuff. favorites: how can you mend a broken heart
I'm so glad the Bee Gee stopped trying to be the Beatles and became disco
One or two songs stood out a bit, but for the most part this is soft rock that doesn't have much to offer other than a whole lot of cheese.
I hear a kind of mix between Elton John and The Beatles. Still, nothing really sounds relevant.
Please Stop the Music!
The warbling sounds of a broken heart.
Serious ballads Of their pre disco era Are proper snooze fest
I'd never heard anything outside of the disco hits, so this was interesting, if not fully appreciated. I quite like the big, symphonic pop numbers, but there's some real misses here. 'When Do I?' was distracting with how odd the vocal performance is, and I didn't find it that interesting lyrically.
first Odessa, now this… pre-disco Bee Gees is just not it
Not my piece of pie.
This pre-disco Bee Gees record delivers a listenable but mostly bland collection of soft rock tracks that start to blend together by the end. The album actually starts fairly well with the slow soft rock ballad “how can you mend a broken heart” which does a decent job even if I don’t feel as much emotion from the song as it is meant to have. The following track “Israel” is much in the same vein but does a better job in my opinion, with better vocals and much more interesting things going on instrumentally. “The greatest man in the world” is another soft rock ballad but has a better chorus than the other tracks. My criticism of this song is that the outro doesn’t feel nearly as grand or emotional as it should given the rest of the song. Following this is the more guitar-centric “It’s just the way” which is a pretty good pop rock tune which keeps things short, simple & sweet. We get back to the ballads with “Remembering” which is mostly a fine song but the vocals don’t do anything for me and doesn’t have anything over the couple of songs in the style that have already appeared on the album. “Somebody stop the music” is better though, as the vocals and instrumentation is superior and the song goes in a more interesting direction at least in the outro with some good bass work to add a bit of variety. The second half of the album is marked by the Beatles-esque title track “Trafalgar” which, with its Lennon like vocals, is actually a pretty good track. Back to the slow ballads with “Don’t wanna live inside myself” and whilst I appreciate the passionate vocals on this track more than most of the other vocal performances on the album, the emotional aspect is lost on me as I feel like I’ve heard this song already done 2 or 3 times on this album, following the same formula and the songs are starting to blend together. “When do I” doesn’t do much to help this and, in my opinion, is one of the more forgettable tracks on the album. The same can be said about “Dearest” which to me is a non-starter that suffers from blending in with a few of the other tracks here without any real defining qualities. “Lion in winter” is more interesting at least, because it has some good bass work and a more wild vocal performance, but the song itself is just as average as many on this record. Thankfully, the album ends on a better note with “Walking down to Waterloo” which is this almost tragic sounding anti-war track which creates a unique atmosphere compared to the rest of the tracks on the album. I think I got what I expected from this pre-disco Bee Gees record. It’s mainly a collection of slow tempo soft rock ballads, most of which blend together into a listenable but relatively bland experience. Some tracks are better than others, and this album is pretty front heavy with all of the better tracks coming in the first half. There are a couple of highlights, but by the end the tracks became pretty boring to listen to. In saying that, the album is well made and the couple of tracks which add variety are appreciated. I wouldn’t even mind these soft rock ballads if one or two of them popped up but there are just so many that sound so similar that the emotion was completely lost on me. At least this album had some good bass work. Regardless, this seems like a weird choice for albums that you “must” listen to. 2/5.
That was a slog to get through, some truly awful vocals in places too.
One baffling vocal choice after another. And so maudlin. A real slog to get through.
Average tracks.
More words than music, like the music was thrown in as an afterthought
I actually kindda like the pre-disco Bee Gees, and some of the tracks on this are interesting. But there's just too much whiny nonsense to overcome.
The Bee Gees before they got their funk on. What is offered is par for the course 70s rock which I don't find too engaging. Sure, the songs seem lovely enough, but I really don't feel anything while listening to them. This may be something I'll have to revisit later on to truly appreciate. Best Tracks: - Trafalgar - It's Just The Way Worst Tracks: - When Do I Rating: 4/10
I'm a fan of the Bee Gees, but didn't really care for this album.
Not gonna lie it was boring as hell - I'm giving it 2 stars because through that boring stuff "Trafalgar" stands out very epically to then crush back down to boringland
not what I was expecting from the Bee Gees, a lot of David Bowie sounds, 2nd half dragged quite a bit though.
Panic at the (lack of) disco. This is not The Bee Gees I want to listen to.
Proto-glam love ballads. Some of which have a widescreen glamour but generally lacking in energy. The single Trafalgar is moribund with the boys struggling to get the chorus out despite clear intent for it to be a belter. Some of the songs (Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself, How Can you Mend a Broken Heart) display the occasional flashes of a rythym section and what lies in the future in terms of hit singles, but these are just flashes of brilliance trying to keep its head above an ocean of boring. This feels like what mum and dad would have been listening to in 1971 while the kids were losing their minds to LA Woman and Sticky Fingers.
Yes, used a private session on Spotify for this. Would it be crappy disco Bee Gees or even worse folksy Bee Gees? Somewhere in the middle, it turns out, Bee Gees trying to be the Beatles. I didn't hate this album like I did the last Bee Gees album, but never again will I listen to it.
Kind of boring to me. I thought The Bee Gees were supposed to be better. 2/5
Thoughts before listening: I mainly know the Bee Gees from their disco era and especially from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Those songs are classics even if the sound doesn't necessarily resonate with me. My understanding is that the early Bee Gees were more of a pop rock band, but I have never actually listened before. They do seem to get more respect than I would assume based on the disco era so I am interested to see what this sounds like. Review: This is some pretty sappy soft rock. Its definitely well performed with strong vocals, but I am just not into this sound. The Bee Gees disco era is certainly a more interesting time in their career. 2-stars
Very much of it's time- before they hit the big time but it's pretty wishy-washy to be honest. Not BAD bad but if they hadn't gone onto bigger things this wouldn't be here. A shame Saturday Night Fever isn't allowed.
It's fine. Kinda boring. Some moments that are nice to listen to (end of The Greatest Man in the World for example), but on the whole it isn't grabbing me. Remembering and Dearest arr absolutely rubbish. Robin Gibb I'm so sorry but you shouldn't be singing WHO LET THEM RELEASE LION IN WINTER THIS WAY
Mid album
2.25
En obruten svit av fantastiska ballader. Tycker väldigt mycket om det här albumet men jag är lite förvånad att den är med på listan. Vet inte riktigt om den är speciellt unik rent musik-historiskt eller så. Men ska ett Bee Gees album med på listan (och det bör det) så kan det lika gärna vara denna.
ersten Lieder noch ok. dann aber zu weinerlich das ganze.
Hab Disco erwartet, hab lahmes Gedudel bekommen.
Pretty sure under other circumstances i would have appreciated this one a bit more, but...
point8.
Partly torturous Israeeeel israeeeeel
Robin Gibb sounds just like Barney from the Simpson's when he sings!
Terrible. Trying to sound like the Beatles
Not really my thing. Amazing to think of the longevity and twists and turns in their career though.
Stick to disco!
Classic? Sadly, no. Some pieces are OK. Some didn't stand the test of time. Two stars.
Why I hate Australia vol. 37
Woohoo! Another Beatles reskin!
decent for what it is but thats not very
This was a lot more mediocre than I expected. Nothing really grabbed my attention and I'm not too sure what they were going for. This feels more like "the studio says we have to make an album" vs it being an artistic passion.
Inesperada poronga de los Bee gees
Ya this was boring.
Needless to say, this was quite a bit different from what I was expecting out of a Bee Gees album. Unfortunately, what I expected and what I got still yielded the same level of interest: fleeting
not a lot that interests me here.
While I truly appreciate their vocal harmonies of The Bee Gees - this was sooo mellow to the point of being forgettable. A bit too sappy. The best was yet to come for them.
Not my tempo.
If I had to describe this album with one word, it would be “boring.” Couldn’t wait for it to end. Two stars rather than one because it was palatable enough that I got to the end.
Wow did not like this at all
I honestly thought I like the bee gees. Initially I thought it was going to be an easy 4, it went downhill quickly from when I pressed play.
The two Bee Gees albums I've been served so far have confused me. This is the band of 'Stayin' Alive' and 'Night Fever' fame? Apparently they started off doing this soft-rock countryish thing and while I enjoyed Odessa, I'm not so convinced by this. There are some nice moments but I cannot be doing with the vibrato vocals.
Not necessarily bad, but incredibly boring and was relieved it finished.
Not what I expected from the Bee Gees. Nothing of any note on here.
A love song about Isreal hasn't aged well, although I don't know the politics and history enough to tell you whether this was a bad take in 1973. Bee Gees are a weird one where I respect them as musicians but can't stand their music mostly. Although this was all a little dull.
I don’t think this album is as bad as some we heard this week… but this also isn’t the typical Bee Gees sound that most would expect. I’m all for bands experimenting and changing as their career goes on, but I fail to see how this album, by such an influential disco/pop band makes a list of “must listens”. While ‘How Can You Mend a Broken Heart’ peaked at #1 in the US as a single, the album was a moderate hit peaking at #34. The single and the album as a whole failed to chart in Britain. Confused by this choice and how it makes the list as a whole. I even went to the Wikipedia article scouring for some info to help it make sense. I’m not a major Bee Gees fan my any means, but I have to imagine there is a more influential album of theirs more deserving of a listen.
Cool but not groundbreaking. Definitely not the best Bee Gees album, curious what caused it to make the list. Pleasant to listen to but not likely coming back.
First time I can remember taking a deep dive into a Bee Gees album. A pleasant album to listen to with a lot of great harmonies but I guess they don’t start hitting the high notes regularly until later in their discography? I’m teetering between a two and a three, and what’s gonna push me to a two is that one song towards the end of the album where it sounds like a muppet is singing. I know I like The Bee Gees, but maybe not this version of their sound.
If I'm listening to the Bee Gees I want to be listen to Disco! I recognized "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" and I think it's a solid song. The rest of the album was pretty boring though, and not in the let's put it on as background music kinda boring either. Overall it's not bad, but I was a little let down by it.
From the first song, I couldn’t wait for this to be over. Boring as shit.
Ik vind de up-tempo liedjes van de Bee Gees erg leuk. Helaas is dit album erg rustig en een beetje saai. Next.
The high pitched gimmick is a bit corny but without it like this it’s a bit bland.
Another pre-disco Bee Gees album? These guys have their moments, but this ain’t notable. The writer of this list obviously has a bias towards certain artists of the British vernacular.
Dad-soft-rock core. Nice melodies but a very boring album to listen completely.
I mean - they know how to write songs and there’s always a place for a twee ballad. But I can’t hear the Bee Gees without thinking of Kenny Everett’s skit and they just became figures of fun. And twee is not my bag.
I guess I just don't have the gene required to enjoy early Bee Gees. Their harmonies are great, of course. And I didn't know that the opening track wasn't originally an Al Green song (though Al Green's version is better). But this album was dull.
I'm not exactly having fun with this. It's kind of boring rip. 2
I don’t know if I hate how lame this is, or if I love how lame it is.
Niet mijn ding, en ik miste de disco.
I will confess there was a split second when I thought this was a Muppets album,and once that thought is in your head it is hard to get rid of.
I just do not care for folk rock Bee Gees.
This gets better as it goes along, but was still average at best.
mostly slow and sad
It doesn’t bother me, but this has no real reason to be here.
Defininitely not the best of the Bee Gees. 2 stars or D+.