Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Huh. I'm familiar with the name Bee Gees, but I never got the impression that they were putting out albums with this kind of cover. I'd figured them for some some kind of surf rock band, but now I'm thinking that this is some hackney, nautical music a la The Pogues. Guess I'll lock that in for my prediction. Here goes. Soft rock. Pop rock. I was way off base, huh? Anyways, this was alright. Just a perfectly fine album, though it does kind of come apart as it goes along. I'd completely lost interest in this music by the time the last four or so tracks rolled around. The music is firmly rooted in the same style, and that style is unambitious piano ballads underscored by some nice strings and paired with a kitschy, sentimental vocal style. It's fine in short bursts, but this music was never meant to go the length of a full album. I hope to one day be a trillionth as philosemitic as "Israel", and that's speaking as someone who would graciously, without thinking, sacrifice gorillions of White people for a single grain of Israeli sand as my forefathers have so proudly done before me. Book time. This album saw the band "...truly working together in harmony again." The book calls "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" a knock-off of While My Guitar Gently Weeps and "Dearest" outright terrible, but reels the entry back in by describing the remaining material as "...pure lush pop brilliance." Had many successful singles, with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" topping the US charts. Wikipedia says this album reached No. 34 in America and No. 8 in Australia and garnered a split reaction from critics. All of the band's albums appear to have been critically ignored, but taking a look at their artist page reveals that these guys are one of the best-selling musical acts ever and pivoted towards a disco sound of all things throughout the mid-70s. Guess that's how I know of these guys - they made "Stayin' Alive" and "How Deep Is Your Love". I'm honestly surprised that the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack isn't on this list given its standing as one of the best-selling soundtracks ever, though in all fairness I haven't listened to the thing. Honestly, two list albums seems like a perfect number for this band given their standing as a critically-ignored, yet immensely successful band. I cosign this inclusion.
The Bee Gees are probably the most disappointing discography I've learned about. This is the second album of entirely soft ballads and they're just not interesting
Omg, un pile ou face pis c’était ÇA mon dernier album? Il y a juste Robert qui mettrait dans ça liste pas un, MAIS DEUX albums d’un mythique band DISCO pis dirait «C’est beaucoup trop mainstream tout ça, moi j’étais là pour les rock ballades molles de pharmacie, ça, ça avait du cachet, pardis!» Là je réalise que ça finit bel et bien demain, j’suis full stressé
Better than I thought it would be
A perfect example of how 1 star albums can be more worthy of being on this list than 2 stars, because they at least make an impression on you.
snoozefest god Lion in Winter is awful
Boring and has a love ballad to a genocidal country? No thanks, this shit sucks.
Rating: 2.5/5 Favorite song(s): Uhhh… Review: Wow, this is incredibly boring. It’s not /bad/ per say, but it’s certainly not what I was expecting. I had my dancing shoes on, and was instead confronted with B-rate America. I guess this was a good music history lesson? I didn’t realize Bee Gees released 10 stinker studio albums before turning to the disco sound. It’s almost sort of incredible to produce that many mid albums in such a short amount of time. The song “Israel” has aged particularly poorly, lol. Barry Gibb is a non-Jewish, British man from the Isle of Man, so I’m not really sure what’s up with the “Israel take me into your arms” stuff. I’d certainly be afraid to discuss geopolitics with him today. Other than that questionable concept, I’m having a hard time recalling specifics of the rest of the album. The songs all seem to blend together. There is nothing interesting enough instrumentally to make any of the songs a worthwhile listening experience. I wish I could point out specific features of the music, but it turned my mind to total mush for 45 mins. This feels kind of like a case of trying to be the Beatles (as many others did in the early 70s), but without the skill to produce anything that’s actually meaningful. I would take Stayin’ Alive over this any day. Listen again?: No
no me genero nada y este estilo de musica la verdad que ni me gusta mucho. aveces hasta de ofndo me es molesto, pero nada kcy. no parece malo, solo qu eno me genera nada
too soft for me
Ooft. Sub album art and sub music.
Even the "good" song wasn't good. 2/5
A few good tracks on this one, but it mostly dropped into the background. An okay album, but I know The Bee Gees have better.
pretty boring honestly, not for me. the only 2 songs that stood out was the album closer, and the second track, which is hilarious, how much do you think they got paid to write/ release that shit? AIPAC is pleased im sure. ill never listen to this again most likely
I've never been a fan of the Bee Gees. But I wanted to give the album a chance to pleasantly surprise me. During the first track, I thought it might actually work. After that, though, the cheesiness that was already present in the song became too much for me. I couldn't bring myself to finish the album, and I won't be trying again. 2/5
Niet per sé een album wat je van de bee Gees zou verwachten, een stuk oubolliger en blijkbaar nog voordat ze echt disco werden. Ik vond de tracks allemaal redelijk "forgettable"
saai
So now I know what the Bee Gees sounded like pre-disco. Pretty crap.
Meandering folk/soft rock. Didn't really get it.
I prefer disco era Bee Gees much more than this if I’m being honest.
How can you mend a broken heart - 3 Israel - 2 The greatest man in the world - 2 It's just the way - 4 Remembering - 2 Somebody stop the music - 3 Trafalgar - 4 Don't wanna live inside myself - 2 When do i - 2 Dearest - 2 Lion in winter - 2 Walking back to waterloo - 3
2.5
Pre-disco era Bee Gees are not memorable and not worthy of inclusion on this list. Not offensive meriting a one star review, just…nothing. 2⭐️
Just did not like. Nothing like Staying Alive, which I guess is the only song I like from them. Some of the lyrics are godawful and cringe. Really dislike how the singer sounds weepy no matter what kind of song it is. He can't even hit some of the high notes. Having a song basically glorifying Israel is also such a choice - I understand that back then they probably did not know the scope of the atrocities happening there, but still, out of all places, fucking Israel???
The most significant aspect of this album is that it really demonstrates what my dad was trying to explain to me for years, which is: The Bee Gees are not STRICTLY a disco band. Like yes they have most of the most popular disco hits that were ever made but they didn’t start out as disco band and a lot of their music isn’t disco. That being said my actual personal taste doesn’t agree with this album. It’s too radio friendly and wholesome, and honestly this feels like a mean criticism but it’s just so boring and slow. The only song I ended up saving was “don’t want to live inside myself”. But that’s genuinely it, nothing else really grabbed my attention in any way. I will concede that the things that The Bee Gees do well, are still super prevalent on this album despite being boring to me. For example, the production is amazing and clear, which isn’t as easy as it sounds to accomplish. The other thing they do really well is the vocal work is excellent. The harmonies and talent being displayed on this album are impressive even if they are mildly underwhelming as a whole when they don’t have any good material to work with. This is another one of those albums where it is competent and well crafted but still does almost nothing for me at all and I probably will never come back to this album considering there are Bee Gees albums I actually like as opposed to this one.
Almost exactly 100 albums ago, I was recommended Odessa by the Bee Gees. Today I get Trafalgar, another Bee Gees album with a geographic name. While I wasn't particularly impressed by either, I thought this one was the better listen. As a whole, it was a little hit and miss. It's a little hard to win me over with vocal ballads like what made up the majority of this album. Some songs I liked well enough, others I found pretty boring. The music had a some good moments, though a few times it felt like they were singing over the theme song to a midday soap opera. The vibes were slow and emotional the whole way through without a lot to break it up. I thought the vocals themselves were pretty strong if a bit whiney at times. I can't say I thought this album was anything great, but it was no worse than fine. The bad songs dragged down the good ones, and the rest were too boring to sway it one way or the other. I liked it better than Odessa, for what that's worth. I think I would have liked it more if they'd swapped out a few of the songs with some livelier tracks. Going with a 2 here mostly because I just don't see myself listening to this one again. Overall: 2.4/5
Unfortunately, the best song in the album was titled Israel… Didn’t mind the album too much though I think I would give it another listen sometime.
i like the beegees but this album is weird as hell and ya i do not like the song about israel :/
It was ok. Beautiful sounds but it felt a little dull. I do like a lot of Bee Gees stuff but this one got a little too orchestral. Lyrically it wasnt too bad, less saccharine then their other records
Two things i didn't know: How many years before Saturday Night Fever the Bee Gees existed, and that their music was pretty far away from disco to start. I'm curious about their journey now, but I didn't connect with this at all. I generally like Robin Gibb's voice as a complement to Barry's falsetto, but with Robin front and center, his weird warble sounds like an affectation.
Honestly weak, sounds like Beatles B sides
Odessa was quite a pleasant listen if I remember correctly. This actually had some really bad singing. I sort of assumed some Trafalgar related themes but... I must have missed them? Sort of has the vibes of some Elton John songs in places without being particularly good.
Snooze. If I have to listen to The Bee Gees it better be danceable. Lion in Winter very nearly approaches being a decent song (though still far too mewling) and that alone saves this from one star status.
Cmon just put Saturday Night Fever on here. I love the cover art and the closing track was alright. That's about all I can say positively about this one. Rating: 1.8
In which the Bee Gees blow their load on Track 1 (a timeless track) and the other 42 minutes of ballads, while well-arranged in terms of its orchestral parts, go absolutely nowhere and feel like lesser versions of the Beatles and Roy Orbison
Somebody stop the music am I right?
An impressive multi-genre experience. That's right folks, a snoozefest AND a cheesefest! Nicely done, lads!
pre-disco Bee Gees. Eh.
This was pretty painful. I'm glad they later got on the disco train and made interesting music. If they hadn't, I doubt any of us would know who the Bee Gees were ⭐.75
What if ELO sucked Honestly a couple upbeat tracks would probably save this album. It's just an onslaught of slow, maudlin melodrama. I normally appreciate a singer who takes big swings but stuff like Lion in Winter is pretty rough. I wanted to like this album.
I don’t know what I expected from pre-disco Bee Gees but it wasn’t Lethargic Elton John or Uninspired Jethro Tull It’s fine I guess. Barry’s voice grew on me over the course of the album, Robin’s voice less so, actually like the instruments a lot, do not understand what it’s doing on this list. There’s a version of this review that gives it the weakest of threes
Not sure why this album is this list, so I can only assume the list's compiler is a fan of the Bee Gees. I vaguely remember the opening track "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", but the cover by Al Green, not the Bee Gees version. A largely forgettable album.
When this popped up, I knew I was in trouble but I pressed play and hoped for the best, and then came the opening vocal delivery and I let out a big sigh. I mainly listened on my lunchtime walk and it occurred to me, what if I get hit by a bus and someone comes to my aid and realises I was listening to this? What if I never got the chance to explain I’m doing this challenge? To be fair, the opening track isn’t bad, and it’s a famous song for a reason. The album meanders between songs that have something about them and those that…well, are a bit dull. I don’t always know which Bee Gee is singing but I think it makes a difference to my enjoyment. This is better than Odessa but that’s a low bar. The Battle of Trafalgar is apparently a better theme than a Ukranian port.
Depressing
First time listening to a Bee Gees album and I don't know what to say. Not in a positive or negative way, just in a "there's not much to say here" way. It's fine but also sounds unpolished. Their voices sound like they're insecure and unsure about their vocal abilities. Some songs sound as if I'm listening to a half-ok singer do Roy Orbison on karaoke 2/5
Needs more disco...
A few good numbers, but the beach boys did it better
not for me thanks!
Being a huge Bee Gees fan, this album is a disappointment. Except for a few instances, the album drones on lacking melody. I grew up in the Bee Gees era but I can certainly understand why younger people might find this a bit cringe.
Wasn’t bad it’s just not my thing/ was not feeling it.
I’m intrigued by this album, it seems very decisive. How can you mend a broken heart was alright. I didn’t have any strong feeling either way, but the guys voice did get grating at points. Israel on the other hand was a very enjoyable track! The music was nice to listen to. Still don’t like his voice, but it’s better in this track. The greatest man in the world seemed very whiny to me. I didn’t like it. I honesty don’t remember listening to Its Just the Way even though I’m sure I did. Anyway, it gets a pass. Moving on to Remembering. Like there are good moments in this track, I just like the actual music of it more than the vocals or lyrics. Somebody stop the music was actually really good. It has a really nice flow to it. The Title track was alright, it was just a lot of the same as what we’ve gotten earlier in this album. Don’t Wanna Live inside myself really wasn’t my favourite. I don’t like the waver that he does with his voice. Continuing on from that, When do I was weird. Dearest had that same strange vibrato as well and I just don’t like it. Lion in Winter I had a decent time with. It has a nice drumbeat going for it. Unfortunately not all the way through, but at least there were some fun musical ideas in this one. Walking back to Waterloo, yeah, again, the music, decent, everything else, eh. This sounds like the anthem in a rom com after the couple have their third act breakup. To wrap it up, some of the musical ideas in this album were awesome, but overall it was just a slog to listen to. Strange vocal choices, tracks very similar to each other, it was just alright. A generous 2.5/5 ⭐️ 5/10 if only because I’ve given significantly better albums a 3 but after reading back my review, I don’t think it quite deserves a 2. 37/1089
This is one of the many albums where it was only included because of one song (or I think, not that I definitely know or anything.) Just a bunch of classic filler, just a bunch of nothing. Though one song stood out among the mopey ballads with it's uniqueness. The song "When I Do" has this surreal sound to it, it sounds like a bard singing, it was a nice track to break the monotony started after "Israel" ended. I saw it was by the Bee Gees and thought disco, so I though it would be average at least because disco never hurt no one. But no I got mopey pop instead. Highlight Song/s: "Israel"
Inte vad jag förväntade mig. Kändes mer seriöst men fortfarande inget för mig
2nd Bee Gees in 5 days. I would much rather hear Saturday Night Fever than this.
Pretty generic 70s rock. Better than the high pitched disco Bee Gees tho
Kings of Disco. Sadly, just average in the 70’s rock era.
Not as high-pitched as I was expecting. That's the big takeaway from my first proper listen to a Bee Gees album. The other is that there's absolutely nothing special about it whatsoever. A lot of Trafalgar is mellow to the point of drowsiness. Songs like "The Greatest Man in the World", "Remembering", or many more on the album, don't go anywhere, don't build, and don't give you any reason to stay engaged. The definition of the word "meh". And I certainly didn't think I'd find myself listening to a love song to Israel today. "It's Just The Way" and "Trafalgar" are the only real moments of interest on the album. Unexpectedly they start to sound like a laid-back 60s folk-psych band, with acoustic guitars, meandering melodies, and Hammond organ textures. For a brief moment, the Bee Gees sound alright. It's short-lived though. The album quickly slides back into "meh" territory, and never really escapes it. In a way, I'm actually disappointed that I didn't get the squeaky high-pitched vocals that go with the name Bee Gees, because maybe that would have made things somewhat interesting.
A greatest hits band, where the greatest hits aren't even all that. I guess it's inoffesive, its worst crime is being pretty boring for a good chunk of it, sounding like the Beatles minus all the edge or experimentalism. What you end up with is standard soft-rock that plays everything too safe; it's sad. There's genuine talent in here, I'll admit. 'Israel' of all songs was a pretty great love ballad, and the swelling string sections on the song 'I Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself' were straight up gorgeous. But there's ultimately way too little to chew on here; it just feels empty, repetitive, the songs drag and feel directionless, and the whole thing is far too long for its own good.
Steep fall off in last couple songs. Pretty underwhelming.
Really disappointing dirge
Hard to imagine this is the band of Saturday Night Fever. While the songs on that album have stood the test of time, the same can't be said for Trafalgar. Like it's battle namesake, a struggle from start to finish. 2*,
While recognising great vocals, to my ears this is elevator music hell
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
What’s with The Bee Gees and ships/maritime concepts? This one's a little better than Odessa, but honestly not by much. It's still too self serious and dry for me to want throw Trafalgar on as a casual listen. Not essential in the least.
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.