Reviews (page 6 of 8)
I expected a poppy, disco album given that’s where the Bee Gees hits lie. I couldn’t have been more wrong and I’m not sure I liked what I discovered. It was okay but it went forever. Some of the instrumentation was good and the Bee Gees are great vocalists with great harmonies but this just wasn’t their best stuff.
I feel like if you asked ChatGPT to give you something that sounds like the 60's, it woukd give you this album. It does a lot of things, but nothing oarticularly well. The performances are just ok, the songs drag on a bit and it's way too long overall
holy boring
Today I learned the Bee Gees weren't always a disco/R&B band, and in fact had eleven (!!!) albums before making one with R&B influences. Definitely feeling this album though is at the intersection of stuff like Beach Boys and the Grateful Dead??? Folk rock, baroque pop, country influences. But honestly, almost immediately this is boring me. It's fine, but not really what I am looking for and at over an hour long, its a lot to ask. Very much "grandma" music to my ears. I'd definitely rank the best of their disco output as better than this.
I rates this low but in a weird way I think this actually is an album you need to hear to be believed.
This was bland, long and not very interesting at all.
Yeah… I’ll pass. It’s pretty weird and pretentious. Musically it’s fine, but the melodies are uninteresting. Suddenly, I like disco more than usual
Not their best imo
could i write poetry to this? n
chato
Mix of Beach and Beatle
Oh dear. I've listened to my elders and betters, and I do believe the people who tell me that the Bee Gees are seriously good songwriters, rather than just a band that did two great disco tracks (Stayin' Alive and Night Fever, obviously). But this didn't do it for me. Objectively good, some of the songs may be. "Nice", even, in places. It seems sincerely meant, and ambitious in scope. But it sucked all of the energy out of my evening, except for when it made me laugh for the wrong reasons. I thought it was pretty awful. Like they'd taken the dreariest bits from other artists of the day, and sat strumming and harmonising earnestly until they had enough for an album. Two albums. The Gibbs are/were very nice guys (hence the second star, I'd feel mean giving them one), but I can think of much more interesting things that were going on in 1969: Led Zep, The Stooges etc. It strikes me that David Bowie (all hail) briefly dabbled in this sort of thing, too. Thank goodness they all moved on from it. And the difference being that, by 1969, Bowie *had* moved on, and was writing such incredible songs as Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed. If I need a thoughtful and authentic folk album from 1969, that doesn't sound twee, I'll stick to Nick Drake.
Very richly orchestrated album with the “Bee Gees” signature vocals. I never knew they did music outside of disco! Lyrics are impressive.
ion like this type of music
This album is alright but i'd prob give peak Bee Gees a 3 and this is kinda not as good as yea. Nice singing tho
I understand why the Bee Gees made this album, it was what they did best at the time, but what were the reviewers thinking?!?! Even Barry Gibb mentions that this album was pointless. Like, seriously, the list should've included their disco albums instead of this insignificant rubbish.
Bloated, messy and the decline of a disco powerhouse.
Bee Gees: Odessa: This was pretty boring, and REALLY long for no reason. Really samey and the sound is super bland and the dude's voice is a little annoying. Not the worst thing I've ever heard but pass. 4/10
Ugh. I like disco Bee Gees much more. I didn't think all of the songs were awful, but I audibly said, "what the fuck?!?!" to a lot of these songs. 2/5
And I thought the Bee Gees were bad before I'd heard of this album!!
The first thing I notice upon opening this in Spotify was that it was lacking any songs I recognised. An interesting selection? A genius left field addition? Well no. Actually, it turns out that it’s all just a bit rubbish so its no wonder there’s no hits on it. Some weak country music, some nondescript easy listening, “I laugh in your face” even sounds like they could be a Dylan parody band. It’s an album without a definitive sound. It also gives an indication of being a concept album seeking a concept and in doing so it breaks the golden rule of being over an hour long. Stick to the best of the Bee Gees, get your disco flares and metallic lamé out and have yourself a good time rather than force yourself through this forgettable tosh.
Someone once told me that the Bee Gees were much better before disco. After listening to this, I'm not sure I agree.
Started off well, the opening track is brilliant, but the album is otherwise far too long with too few highlights. Could have been cut down by 20 minutes at least, the songwriting isn't strong enough to keep your attention
Better than I expected, worse than I hoped.
Give me disco or give me death. This is a knockoff Beatles concept album in the worst possible way.
This is just middling 60's rock trying to be something it isn't - Good.
The Beatles but Hindu George Harrison took the creative wheel for 1 hour and 4 minutes.
Nothing interesting
Expectations: Roller disco vibes 🕺🏽 Reality: The Beatles ordered off Temu 2 ⭐️
Listenable enough, but certainly doesn’t seem like a critical piece of music history.
It's very eh to me
Not horrible but not up there with the best Bee Gees. I've learned though this that I prefer artistic direction shifts to not be done with double albums. EPs, EPs are fine.
I hated this less than I hate other Bee Gees music.
I didn't know I disliked the Bee Gees so much. The 2 albums I've gotten are awful. This one is slightly better than Trafalgar so I'll give it 2 stars.
I wasn't feeling it. A very long album with no memorable songs. The singing is great, but it's usually is from Bee Gees.
this was a tough listen. i actually enjoyed two of the songs so im not gonna give it the one star it deserves
This album is an enigma to me. It fits squarely within The Bee Gees pre-disco canon, and while they aspire to greatness, they are unable to attain it. They had to wait for disco where their mediocrity could save them. It does give me a better appreciation for disco, and on that note, John Travolta should be the most grateful man in the world.
I much prefer the Bee Gees' 70s and 80s output. This is just bleak acoustic rambling without any genuine ideas. Who would have thought? 1.5/5
Njaa. Nothing special here
Long, cinematic but not really memorable. Great production though
I laugh in your face, I know you did with this album!
Not The Bee Gees I was familiar with. Almost a folk album, enjoyed the first few songs
What an oddity. You can hear bits of The Beatles and hints of Creedence Clearwater Revival, fronted by the unmistakable sound of Bee Gees vocals. Then interspersed is an orchestral score for a movie that doesn’t exist. I don’t know if it actually holds together despite individual moments being pretty good. 2.5/5
🎧Big swing, big miss. Favorite track: Black Diamond
These guys better be glad disco became a thing because it would've looked real spooky for them if it didn't. This one right here? Not good. At All.
These guys needed disco more than disco needed them
An album with no identity to me. Thats not really the place where they sound good. Glad it has an ending. They still did 2-3 good songs. (2.0/5.0)
Not at all what I expected when Bee Gees popped up. A concept album about a fictional ship is such a weirdly specific idea that I can't help but be intrigued. I do not like this style at all for them, but the Bee Gees persist. They aren't quite sea shanties, but orchestral soft rock. I was surprised to hear "Never Say Never Again", as I didn't know it was a Bee Gees song. There are a handful of other enjoyable tracks ("I Laugh In Your Face" comes to mind), and plenty of decent-to-good vocal performances, but just nothing that really kept interest. I don't understand why this is on the list
Does feel a *bit* strange to have two of Bee Gees' early maritime-focused (naval-gazing?) albums on this list, yet nothing from their much loved disco period. This one feels like they didn't know what kind of record they wanted to make. Like they couldn't decide between a grand orchestral concept album or a collection of wacky pop and country songs, and never tried to reconcile the two. The result, as you might expect, is that they didn't really succeed at either.
Previously rated: Trafalgar (1/5) ********************* I had forgotten how much I hated the previous Bee Gees album. This is one two years earlier and a double album. Oh boy. You know how some people have punchable faces. One of these guys has a very punchable voice, whichever is Mr. Vibrato. The songs he sings lead on are very lame. There were a couple of decent tracks when they try to sing like the Beatles, so I didn't hate this one nearly as much.
4/10…baroque pop
i’ll never get over the fact that THIS is the real sound of the bee gees!! there were some really nice songs ngl, but overall it didn't pass the test 2,5/5 🕺🏽
Quite boring to be honest
Not disco - 70s soft rock ballads. Did not enjoy it, but giving it a 2 for the high production value on some tracks.
That was hard for me to listen to.
Keep your hands clean!!
4/10 I wouldn't have guessed this was a Bee Gees' album, although there is the odd moment where the future distinctive vocal can be discerned from the largely forgettable late 60s pop on offer. Sounds so much like the Beatles at times, it is almost comical, as are most of their lyrics. I have no doubt that in is time it would have been a decent listen, but today, with the wealth of other music around, it felt irrelevant.
Listening to a Bee Gees album prior to their massive commercial success, which peaked with the soundtrack of 'Saturday Night Fever', is quite interesting. 'Odessa' is intended as a concept album centered around a ship lost at sea, yet the concept fails to fully materialize in a satisfying manner. The album's challenge lies in its excessive musical diversity, incorporating elements of rock, pop, country, baroque, opera, and classical music, which can create a sense of aimlessness or disarray. While the Bee Gees' hallmark strengths, such as their vocal harmonies and instrumentals, are evident, many of the lyrics come across as trite and outdated, even by the standards of 1960s pop. For fans of the Bee Gees or those curious about the evolution of musical groups, this album may offer a worthwhile experience. Otherwise, it may be best to skip it.
I forget that the Bee Gees weren't always a disco group. I think they're much better suited for that genre than whatever this is. I can see why the album wasn't particularly well-received upon release, as the description indicates. I'm just not really sure what this album is. It's boring and a bit odd, not something I will listen to again. 3.5/10 (1.75/5)
odessa- 4 youll never see my face again- 4 black diamond- 4 marley purt drive- 4 edison- 3 melody fair- 4 suddenly- 4 whisper whisper- 4 lamplight- 2 sound of love- 2 no more its not good
Odessa (City on the Black Sea) was good, but far too long. The rest of the songs sounded somewhat similar. I knew precisely what was coming, and sort of had my fill right before the instrumental tracks. I did not enjoy the instrumental tracks.
After their last album we had, I wasn't expecting much from this, but I would say it was better than I expected. Again, not the bee gees disco sound that they are known for though. I didn't really enjoy the more orchestral tracks they had here and a song about a British ship was strange. Some of it was ok though to be fair, but my main issue is that the stuff that was ok mainly sounded like they were trying to do the Beatles and it wasn't that exciting. 2.5
I was in the boat of not knowing the Bee Gees weren't only disco, and I can kind of see why. I'm having trouble seeing much of a narrative or concept in this concept album. Started being good for me on Marley Put Drive, then immediately lost me on Edison. Way too repetitive. The Whisper Whisper ending where it basically turns into a different song brought me back in. Seems like they might have actually had a little fun on that one. Give Your Best was a good one to mix it up a little. Surprised me with the country feel with the fiddle and energetic banjo picking, but in a good way! Seven Seas Symphony is very pretty. From that point, things return to form. Most of the songs feel like they drag on without saying much. They sound good enough, but it needs more substance. Unfortunately a lot of it is just boring.
This could be used to torture people. I don't enjoy disco Bee Gees but at least that shit is kinda funky and fun. 17 songs and over an hour of runtime of an odd concept album that highlights that these dudes aren't great singers.
I hate the Bee Gees. Their whiney high voices irritate me. I was surprised to hear that they have normal voices too. I didn't hate this like I thought, but it's from an era I'm not particularly fond of.
Ok
I knew not to expect Disco-era vibes from this record, but this doesn’t even sound like the same band. Where are the falsetto harmonies?! Where is any semblance of a groove?! Where is the rhythm section?! Where is the songwriting prowess?! Pick any song on this record and then immediately play a B-tier ‘70s Bee Gees hit (e.g. anything off of Spirits Having Flown), and you would think that those are two different bands with completely different singers and two radically different visions. But they’re not, it’s just a 10-year difference in culture that divides them, even though the ‘70s material sounds timeless and classic today, even if it’s not perfect or their best work. Odessa, on the other hand, sounds like a third-rate psychedelic band doing wayyyyyy too much to try and come off as smarter and more talented than they are. And, like, honestly…that is kind of who Bee Gees were prior to the Disco explosion. It sounds like copycat trend chasing because it IS copycat trend chasing. And when that’s your starting point, your record loses any listening value one year after it came out, let alone 50 years after it came out. I will admit that occasionally there are some okay late ‘60s hippie tunes here that I’m okay with, like “Edison,” “Sound of Love,” and “Black Diamond.” But I’m not in love with anything here, even when I’m able to tolerate it. And there’s a lot here! 5-ish songs that I can merely grit my teeth through out of 17 songs total and over an hour runtime? That’s a bad hit ratio. I already don’t like psychedelic anything, so this era is really already sandpaper against my eardrums. When it’s posing and derivative, though, it’s only worse. I think there’s better trend chasing records to show how culturally important the psychedelic movement was in the late ‘60s. I’ve heard them; they’re on this very list. Sure, they might not be good, but they tell a historic story about the genre and large-scale popular music trends, and I could see the argument for including that type of derivative material on a list like this if you believe the purpose of a list like this is to show the history of popular music, great and terrible, and not just highlight the “best” or most “essential” listening experiences ever made. But when you use a popular band who are known for chasing – and, debatably, thriving within– an entirely separate musical trend, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth if you’re on the side of the reader like everyone here is. Especially when that musical trend lasted the same amount of time as the hippie era and has wayyyyy less representation in this book. The fact that Odessa is also just a bad, bland, overwrought and overambitious trudge with nothing really original or appealing to the average listener who wasn’t a crate digger during the literal years of the Summer of Love only adds insult to injury.
Sentimental mawkish piss
okaaaaay not what i was expecting from these kings. nice easy listening, a few bangers and some less inspiring stuff
I'm not overly familiar with the Bee Gees' library, but I find the selection of Odessa for this list highly questionable... as if someone had an agenda to push this obscure (and fairly terrible) album onto the masses who otherwise would not have (and should not have) ever listened to it. And yet, there have been worse things on this list; so, I guess it'll get a 2 for its relativity.
Some of the musical ideas are good. The lyrics are not my thing. If I ignore the lyrics (which I am), it’s a pleasant listen. Further listening is revealing some truly terrible songs (Seven Seas Symphony, With All Nations… seriously what were they doing?).
Kaipaatko työmatkoihisi lisää... majesteettisuutta? Värisevää herraskaisuutta? Minä en kaipaa. Mutta tällä levyllä on myös tyydyttäviä hetkiä: kantripalasia, vähän rokkia. Lisäksi Never Say Never Again ja First of May muodostavat aika hyvän kaksikon loppuun. 2,5
Very forgettable. Standout songs: Lamplight Seven Seas Symphony
This is from before they were _The_ Bee Gees, right?
One doesn’t even sense that this band would become an iconic disco group. And but for the fact that they do this record probably wouldn’t be in this list.
It wasn't what I expected. And if it wasn't a double album it might've stayed at a 3. But it's too long for something I didn't really enjoy.
This tedious and boring. Give me the disco stuff.
2.5
Ick
Psychedelic, folky opus. No real stand out tracks.
Nooooo.... It's Friday (a glorious Friday), and I'm supposed to listen to Bee Gees? We'll see how this goes. It's over an hour?!? Okay, I can do this. ... Okay, that was not what I expected... didn't sound like the Bee Gees I know, but not better. It's a concept album.
So was this their we have to make a Sargent Peppers album? Not sure why it's here just like Trafalgar. I don't know what it's about but it was better then that one at least. I guess they were better at disco
I genuinely had no idea that the Bee Gees were releasing albums in the 60's. So this would be a pre-disco sound for the brothers. Vocally, this is as good as you'd expect and is easily the highlight of the album. There's absolutely no denying the vocal talents of the brothers Gibb. The harmonies and falsetto are as good as you'll hear. Musically it's odd. It's like if The Beatles were less good and started releasing folky prog music. 'Whisper Whisper' in particular sounds very Fab Four. A lot of the tracks just aren't that interesting and do sort of merge together. The only highlight I can remember is 'Edison' which I thought was a hugely catchy ear worm. It's not exactly bad, but it is pretty dull in places. Not exactly what the Bee Gees are known for.
It’s a 60s concept album by some dudes that sing really well. I think people hate on this because it’s The Bee Gees but honestly, it’s good that they did experiment. Trying to loook at this objectively, I think it suffers from a problem many concept albums have which is it never goes anywhere. Even “The Wall” has another brick pt2 to grab the listener eventually. Overall I’m glad they got to explore, but I don’t think it amounted to much.
It doesn't really sound at all like what I'm used to the Bee Gees sounding like, which is good. But it also doesn't sound like anything good, which is bad.
Haven't really forayed into the Bee Gees before, tbh. But boy this album (or I guess, double album) felt like a lot. That's the thing with concept albums (my favorites that come to mind from that era are The Wall, Sgt. Pepper's) is when they work, they can be great. When they don't, they sound a lot like this. I like to relisten to albums sometimes to get a better feel for them, but I just couldn't with this one. There might have been 1 or 2 tracks that I enjoyed and the rest felt like filler.
I honestly didn't know that the Bee Gees were active in the late 60s. I always associate them with some form of pop-rock, disco of the mid-late 70s. Not at all what I expected out of the gate. This has a traditional + folksy aspect to it with sweeping strings and drawn out harmonized balladry. Getting some heavy goat overtones from the vocals. Marley Purt Drive is an interesting detour into roots rock. I'm into it. Stepped away from this one and came back in to With All Nations... such a strange album this one. I guess this really sells the "baroque pop" categorization. This is one of those albums that, on the face of it, is completely fine and respectable. And yet, here I am an hour later and I fucking hated this. The whole thing felt pretty all over the place, but in the most boring way possible. There are parts that are individually nice (Marley Purt Drive, vocals on First of May), but my general takeaway is abject boredom. Never again, but also not deserving of a 1. So 2 it is.
This is... not what I was expecting with the Bee Gees. Really not liking these first few songs. I love skiing Black Diamonds but I H8 this one. Marley Purt Drive is much better and has The Band sound to it. Definitely starting to hate the baroqueness of this album and it's dragging on forever.
Very interesting to hear the Bee Gees before their disco hits that are so familiar. Kinda lost me at "remember you're just a woman." Also learned while listening that I was holding an old wives tale in my head, that the Brothers Gibb all died of cocaine in the '70s. So wrong! Two are still alive today and the other made it to 2012. Glad you're still here, guys.
Not my fave really. The warbley singing put me off a bit. I have a feeling if someone were to redo some of these songs with singing more to my taste and less Violins and stuff this has some promise.
There's better bee gees albums come on...
Not the Bee Gees that everyone knows and I don't know why i expected it to be that. It reminds me of the drastic change that Fleetwood Mac made to their sound after the Peter Green era. All the harmonies are still here but honestly, they aren't doing anything on this album that anyone during that era wasn't already doing. There's some clear Beatles influence on this record. The songs aren't bad they just don't stand out too much.
Nije potpuna kopija beatlesa ko prvi ali je bezveze
I’ll give them points for ambition but this is a mess of an album. For every good track there’s two or three bad ones and it falls under the weight of its own self importance and lengthy runtime. Lamplight is such a low point its almost hilarious that one of them left the band over it not being chosen as the A-side. It's horrendous.
the children yearn for disco. Overall I liked some of it and got bored for the other 45 mins
I thought that the songs were super unremarkable and forgettable.
Sounds like a boring amalgamation of every Beatles album we've had thus far. Not sure why this list loves the Bee Gees early stuff so much; seems to me like they were ripping people off both early and late in their careers, but at least their disco stuff is fun to listen to
OK.
I must admit I only knew about 3 or 4 of their songs, thought I'd like this album but not the case.
Majority of the songs don't land, and they feel like they're ultimately missing something. As if they hired half an orchestra, or forget to put soul into their epic single. It's not entirely without merit, but I'd rather much listen to something else.
Definitely not the Bee Gees you'd expect. And not for the better.
Didn’t hate it but won’t revisit
Too long, too boring. This guys should really switch genre or something
It’s crazy how many people The Beatles influenced isn’t it? Imagine it being 1969 and you releasing a song that the Beatles could have done 5 years ago? Just give up on trying to be good Bee Gees and pivot to disco. It’s bad, but in a good way and you do it well
Lidt et alternativt Bee Gees, ikke den gode disco vibe, men mere følsomt, langtrukkent
Not a fan of concept albums nor this flavor of The Bee Gees. This album isn’t fun and it’s pretty hard to get though.
"I knew that the Bee Gees had more of a soft rock sound before they went the disco route, and a lot of the songs I heard from that era were good. But this album is very boring and absolutely too long. I know it's a concept album, and I can understand why the critics at the time weren't too favorable toward it. It's just so monotone and lacks substance in terms of the concept's subject, which is a port in Ukraine; Not the best subject for an album is it?
Interesting album, though still mediocre. I don't think I'd ever listen to it again. Still better than their disco-era music.
It was okay. I saved one of the instrumentals but otherwise, background music that I didn't miss after it was gone.
This is not great, but just about as good as the Bee Gees get. There are some real stinkers in here, but a good bit of it is actually somewhat listenable.
Knockoff Beatles, but from the pre-psychadelic era.
Not very good and went on and on.
Weird to think this is the Bee Gees, but in a “huh” way, not a “this is great!” way.
Did the Bee Gees just copy what was popular at the time? As this is the second album in 2 weeks and was just as boring as the other. Still yet to hear their disco album.
why do the bee gees have two albums and neither are the ones with songs people like
Didn't expect this, didn't really enjoy it either
There were bits in there that spoke to talent, but it's just sort of a self important jumble veering from Beatles to Beach Boys to orchestral interludes.
The conceit of a concept album is a seriously difficult artistic endeavor to pull off. When it's done well (Sgt Peppers), it's pretty mind-blowing. When it's not, it's this.
Yikes!
Very boring
2.5 The instrumental part is very nice, but the vocals are boring.
Not the Bee Gees I knew or expected. Generous 2.
This is the best the bee gees have released.
I have a coworker who love The Bee Gees and Andy gibb. She always calls out last minute doubling my work load. I can’t wait to tell her I listened to this whole album and was underwhelmed by this knockoff Beatles album with nonsensical lyrics.
On another day I may have found things to appreciate but this was a very odd choice to make this list 2/5
This just didn’t work for me. Long and boring
Ambitious record from the Bee Gees and i think this sound works well for them when compared to their disco sound, but it just doesn't do anything for me unfortunately. 2/5 ⭐️
2.5
This is so NOT rainbow rhythms.
The Brothers Gibb giving us absolute generic Beatles clone soft rock music. It's serviceable, but you can see why no one knows anything outside the Bee Gees disco era. Not great, not terrible. Generic and forgettable. Give us a disco record next time thanks.
some alright songs but mostly rubbish.
of course the Bee Gees would see their greatest commercial successes when they came up with a different, even more annoying way of singing
I've never heard very early Bee Gees, and now I see why it doesn't get as much exposure. Basically an attempt at making a moving, serious, concept album, but it doesn't really work all that well. Way too much vibrato on the vocals, and the music is just like prog rock but not as interesting.
So syrupy.
njaae, jag vet inte riktigt vad jag lyssnar på. det är åtminstone inte så bra.
As if the disco era wasn't bad enough.
This wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I didn’t think it was bad at first, but it got knocked down from 3 to 2 for the following: - too long - boring - concept album
OMG - WTF were they thinking? No winder you know none of these songs, or were familiar with this - it's pretty bad, and I consider myself a fan of the Brothers Gibb. Robin was smart to leave over this...
We have the Beatles at home:
Loved this album musically. The musical structure was pleasing to the ear. Unfortunately, vocally, seemed like a lot of odd choices and none of them rang true. It's almost like they went out of their way to be psychedelic or something similar to the sign of the times. It should be noted that this album was released in 1969, in the hay day of bands like Led Zepplin, The Grateful Dead, 5th Dimension, King Crimson and ofcourse The Beatles. I couldn't enjoy this album, the vocals ruined the experience for me. Ironically coming from a band of brothers known for thier angelic voices.
I like their disco era much better. This feels uninspired and very generic.
Personally, this is the Bee Gees at their worst. They do disco much better.
I find it very unoriginal to say the least. One track has one of the Gibb brothers emulating Paul McCartney. This album is nothing like the Bee Gees' later stuff. But it's not absolutely dreadful like a few albums I've heard. Looks like I'll forget this record within a month. 2 stars for "Odessa".
This album is an enigma to me. It fits squarely within the pre-disco canon, but it feels like this is a band aspiring to greatness and being completely unable to attain it. They were just waiting for disco for their mediocrity to save them. If I needed to hear this before I die, it seems like it had to be done just so I would better appreciate their contribution to disco. John Travolta should be the most grateful man in the world.
I really wanted to like this. I love over the top stupid vanity projects. Melancholy and the infinite sadness is my favorite album, but man this goes hard. What a rough listen. It's like listening to someone trying to find a point of view and going nowhere. Doesn't help that I hear Jimmy Fallon singing half of this. Only gets 2 stars because I think it's hilarious that everyone was expecting a disco album.
Christ on a high-pitched bike, what is this? Just the weirdest, most nonsensical album you can imagine. Apparently it's a concept, but the concept seems to be 'what if a talented group of songwriters deliberately made a stupid album'. It's rescued a bit by I Laugh In Your Face, which is funny in a good way, as opposed to laugh-out-loud stupid.
Their country tracks are nice. But the schmaltzy tracks are dire
They really threw everything at the wall to see what would stick on this one. I honestly had no idea The Bee Gees were a Beatles-esque band before they switched to disco so this album was a trip. Most of it did not stick. There were a few decent songs, but this thing is BLOATED! If they cut this down to between 30-35 minutes they could’ve had a decent album. As it is, it’s a meandering mess with a spattering of good songs mixed in.
Nice enough to listen to, but a little boring at times. Some songs are just very irrelevant and it makes me feel like I should be done half way through the album. The orchestration is cool but it kinda feels like a gimmick.
Meh
I feel like The Bee Gees get a bad rap. Unfortunately this album isn’t doing them any favors. Felt like they wanted to be the Beatles, have their own Sgt. Peppers. Didn’t quite get there.
Interesting 60’s art rock / concept album. God for one listen.
Cozy album but nothing was memorable after the first listen. May need to go back and try again.
At least it wasn’t disco
A weird album.
Better than Trafalgar but still a bore.
I listened to this and played Roblox's Only Up at the same time. Guess which activity I liked more
Only liked Give Your Best because it was a folk song
It´s bad, but it does not irritates. It´s a no soul genre music. Totally passible.
# 282 : Very ordinary. Average at best.
The Bee Gees are proof positive that man can lead a rewarding and successful life after self-castration. Though it is still not recommended.
I don't know if it's Andy Gibb or not, but one of these guys went to The Sing-Like-a-Sheep School of Music with Stevie Nix. But, they're from Australia, so..... As for the music, pretty standard pop stuff, fluffy pablum. There were only one or two Bee Gees tunes I liked, and they aren't on this album.
I'm usually a fan of grand, sweeping, earnest work, even when ultimately ridiculous. But this album tested even my mettle. By Sound of Love I was pretty sure I was over it and then Seven Seas Symphony broke me. I'm afraid this album isn't anything they wanted it to be. Perhaps it's on the list as a counterexample? I will admit I kind of liked The British Opera, star for that.
Irritating vibrato and excessive orchestral instrumentation (those God-awful, elevator-music strings, in particular) plague an otherwise interesting collection of tracks. Really liked the diversity of styles on side 2 (Whisper Whisper is the best song on the album and sounds like a Lennon/Beatles track). Also liked the ambition of the opening track, Odessa, though it gets tedious at times. Never Say Never Again is kinda catchy. The rest is hard to listen to, though, and will prevent future visits.
What an absolute snoozefest of an album. I'll give it credit for having a concept and being somewhat clever but my god they should have just waited for disco.
I had never listened to any of The Bee Gees non-disco stuff before. Honestly I wish I kept it that way. It’s not offensive, but it’s so clearly trying to copy The Beach Boys / The Band / The Beatles and it just comes off as lame.
Better than I expected
I did not care for this album. I previously heard other early Bee Gees albums but this one is a bit too heavy on the orchestral parts for me. It also doesn't help that this is a double album. I did like the track Marley Purt Drive, but would pass on the rest.
Quite cool to listen to pre-Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees but not my favorite
Interesting to hear their pre disco sound. Almost sounded like the Beatles and The Band on some songs. That being said it was pretty boring beyond the novelty of getting to hear another side of the famous band.
Bee gees have some songs before their disco era that stand out, but they were not nearly as interesting back then, sadly. There's nothing wrong with this album production wise really, and the song is good. But it's just so boring. There isn't really any song that stands out to me, but there are a few that I really don't like, such as 'I Laugh In Your Face', and the sudden cowboy song of 'Give Your Best' that doesn't fit at all in the record. Very forgettable album, no idea why it's on the list at all.
Was expecting disco and instead got some type of progressive folk. I mean the album is ok, with good musicians and all but I have grown a bit tired of this genre after too many similar albums. The ending changed into some nearly classical feature. I feel I've given so many similar albums a 3 but given that I don't feel like listening to it again at all i'll give it a strong 2.
If I was a massive Beatles fan, maybe I'd like this more. But if I'm wanting to hear music like this, I'll listen to the real deal. I thought some of the later Bee Gees stuff was cool but this record is just straight up boring Beatles to me. It doesn't help that it looks like this record came out much after Beatlemania - what's new about this?
I don't know what is so special about Odessa. I love the Bee Gees, but this album doesn't showcase very much about them. Their vocals are what make them stand out, but so frequently their voices aren't being used to their full ability. The beautiful instrumentals were the highlight of this album (and were perhaps the only highlight on a subpar album), but what a shame the Bee Gees' vocals wasn't the focus. I heard similarities with the Beatles, which isn't surprising for 1969 release, but then that leaves me wondering how original the Bee Gees' first sound was.
Another Bee Gees album on this project, and yet again, absolutely zero disco Bee Gees. This really does seem like a crime. Their non-disco music is just SO generic, whereas their disco music is just so iconic. I am just going to copy/paste the majority of my review from the previous album, because my feelings are mostly the same and I really do feel passionate about this: There is no disco era Bee Gees on this project. What an incredibly ridiculous miss. Do yourself a favor and go out on your own and check out these additional listenings for a better taste of the Bee Gees: -Saturday Night Fever soundtrack -Main Course -Spirits Having Flown -Hell, even "Greatest" is a worthy endeavor of all of their hits (containing, of course, their DISCO songs, NOT songs from the albums found on 1001). I'm all for some music history on this project, but if you want to experience something that truly changed the landscape of music at the time, something that should be experienced by anyone taking on a listening project like this, it's Bee Gees' disco music, not this. This album could have been sung by virtually any other soft rock act of the time. Disco is what set Bee Gees apart and made them so special.
When I see a Bee Gees album this morning, I was expecting a fun disco album, not this. Didnt realise they had a 60’s sound, I feel it’s inferior to other 60’s album, so not convinced about its place on this list.
Went in expecting ass due to the many 1 reviews. I cant really point to anything good, but definitely not as bad as some reviews say it is. The lyrics are not a highlight, but if you ignore them it sounds okay
Most definitely not their best effort.
There were some nice moments but for the most part its 60's mush. I don't think the Bee Gees would've been remembered so much if not for the 70's.
I enjoy a good concept album, but the concept of this one kind of goes away or at least is pretty unnoticeable after a little while. It also sounds nothing like what I would expect a Bee Gees album to sound like, and they're not playing to their strengths. Some of the songs sound like straight Beatles rip-offs. Just kind of a miss overall. Wishing it were a "classic" Bee Gees sound. Favorite Song(s): Edison, I Laugh in Your Face
nah. unmememorability in a minor key
An unfinished concept album, without concept, that tries really hard to be a Beatles album. 2/5
It was better than the other Bee Gees album I had which was terrible. This is a bit too long and a lot of the songs didn't really do much for me.
I was not even aware of this album and it wasn’t “my cup of tea” but kudos to them for trying. I prefer my Bee Gees in disco attire.
Too slow
Lost interest pretty early on. Just not my bag.
Man, this was boring. I never knew the Bee Gees did rock music before the disco era, but boy am I glad they left it.
Boring!
To think they had 5 albums before this, and then 8 years later came Saturday Night Fever. That gives a whole new meaning to never giving up and just “staying alive”.
I’m not sure if I was listening to an ambitious yet failed attempt to try and be The Beatles, or the Queen’s coronation…or Spinal Tap which for once is not a good thing. I can appreciate the variety, but this thing is all over the map. Maybe the mysterious lost ship should remain lost.
Snooooooooze fest. Seems like Bee Gees needed another decade to marinate. Appreciation of the musicianship is getting me up to a 2 but I didn’t enjoy it and took everything not to skip through (although in full honesty I did). Also felt like there were a lot of “influences” in this that were more of wannabe Beatles songs. And Marley Purt Drive is the same song as The Weight, right?
This isn’t The Bee Gees I want… it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be after the first track. But cmon man. 2.25/5
Ei. Bee Geesiltä pitää kuunnella discoa. Ei tätä! 2/5
Not for me
This isn't Saturday Night Fever, what the fuck?
Proof that concept albums aren't always good.
I was looking forward to a bit of funky bee gees instead I got some experimental bee gees. I think I prefer the funky bee gees. Way too long as an album also. Low 2.
This is definitely conjecture, but after reading about this album I think the only reason it was included here was because it almost tore apart the band. No 70's Bee Gees, the exposure to disco white people get looks very different. Regarding the actual music, it's a typical late 60's slog. Virtually nothing stands out to me here, aside from the vocal work, but it's just a reminder of what's to come. This is a sub-par Bee Gees record, compared to themselves. It's nothing to write home about in the genre it exists in, either. The album is annoyingly long, too. Just a slog to get through.
I liked the orchestral songs!
Not my fave, was too theatrical in my humble opinion I felt like I was at a play
not my favorite. i can hear the beegees sound, but no particular song on this album strikes me.
I've never been a super big Bee Gees fan, but their disco stuff is orders of magnitude better than whatever this was. I respect the ambition to make a concept album but...you take big swings and sometimes you miss. It's like Neil Diamond and Broadway but schmaltzier. And so long. And boring. I maybe liked a song or two, but I can't even remember what they were. 2/5
This is really weird. Usually when I say that, I mean it as a positive. But in this case it’s just… odd. I only know the BeeGees as the Saturday Night Fever guys so was taken aback by the country-and-western-influenced 70s-pop-sounding historical concept album thing. Songs about shipwrecks and Edison. An instrumental “international anthem”!? Wtf. A sound like the Monkees crossed with Willie Nelson trying to make Sergeant Peppers… This album was released in 1969 and I’m feeling the effects of the concept album era here - but without the psychedelic atmosphere, just the grandiosity. I don’t know what to make of it. Sometimes I was resisting the urge to shut it off (it’s taken me several attempts to listen to it), sometimes it was… alright. Anyway, I’ve listened to it but I won’t be coming back.
DID NOT EXPECT A LOVE LETTER TO THOMAS EDISON! In the end this wasn’t as bad as I thought but not great still. 2.05 per track
Not what I expected, pre disco Bee Gees
Weirdly dramatic in a boring way
Just because your album has an hour long concept doesn't make it less boring.
I was full of enthusiasm at the beginning of the album, but ultimately it is a kind of very very light version of The Kinks. It's like easy-listening-baroque-pop. Like... The Carpenters are more brutal than that.
not the funky bee gees i was hoping for :(
I can never listen to the Bee Gees without thinking of Kenny Everett and his skits. The Bee Gees kit and mass of chew sets just still make me laugh. I thought this started off quite well, but then everything was a little one dimensional and didn’t seem to go anywhere. I think they are good songwriters and craftsmen in their way, but after early promise, I lost interest. And it went on way too long. I’m going back to Kenny Everett.
This didn't work for me. I don't think it's a coincidence that their later music had the biggest impact of their career. Some bands can pull off bloated concept albums. The Bee Gees are not one of them. Melody Fair was ok.
There's some decent songs on here, but nothing outstanding. As a whole too long and boring
Sometimes reasonably enjoyable. Other times borderline unlistenable. A few times the lyrics made me shake my head because WTF were they trying to say or accomplish?
Very frog coded album, no I will not elaborate
Here The Bee Gees are still developing. Pre-disco; when I liked them better. Some good songs - some not so much. I like “First of May”. “A” for effort.
An album where they sing very high in their vocal ranges without popping into their disco era falsettos. Not great, but pretty interesting.
What the hell was the point of that?
bit boring imo - 2.5
Some of the music is alright when they're not trying to be the Beatles, but dear god are the vocals annoying. The Gibbs' voices is like a mosquito in my ear. And it goes on for over an hour.
What did I just listen to.
This isn't it. I think most view the Bee Gees as a fun and energetic group with excellent falsettos and harmonies and you can dance. This album is a slog. Long and meandering. Not a single song was memorable. The high points sound slightly Beatles-adjacent without the fun. No thanks to this album.
Unusual. Very unusual.
Kinda surprised they made it as far as disco on this evidence I'm not even sure what this album wants to be. Apparently it started life as a concept album about a ship that sank but that didn't stick. A lot of it sounds like the Beatles, there's one song that I thought sounded like "The Weight", and a random square dance?? And two orchestral instrumentals in the second half. It's all a bit "throw mud at the wall and see what sticks". Tempted to give 1 star but I think it's just about better than that
This was not what I was expecting. There were some songs I didn’t hate, but also a lot that I did.
It all sounds really nice, but it doesn’t really capture the attention I suppose. The writing is lacking, it just doesn’t meet the level of auditory beauty.
I can see why people like it, but it just isn't my genre.
As an extremely casual Bee Gees fan, I haven't heard any songs made by them other than "Stayin' Alive" and similar. So to my big surprise, Odessa was a big jump in genres, almost lie a trip from Earth to... Earth, but somewhere else on the globe. Unfortunately, while their biggest hits are hits for a reason, I never heard of this album probably because it's just too boring and mediocre at best. I'm very disappointed and I won't be exploring any more of Bee Gees discography, just in case.
This was rubbish! Doesn't sound like you'd expect a Bee Gees album to in any way, it's a 3rd tier prog album. There is not a single song here I'd want to revisit. Not unlistenable, but not in any way interesting. 2/5.
Weird as fuck.
If there's one thing that this endeavour has taught me... it's that the Bee Gees stole a living... especially Robin with his strangled goat impression
Nothing really great about this album, but it is so much better than Trafalgar, which I have previously listened to on this list. There are a couple of songs that are at least passable as good music. I kind of liked "Marley Purt Drive". 2/5 Won't listen again
Baroque Pop which leaves me unimpressed.
Not much to say about this. It's not my kind of music or at least it wasn't hitting the right spots in my brain. Though it was a very surprising to hear Baba Blacksheep as the starting point lol
While better than Trafalgar this still blows. Can't believe a successful movie soundtrack created one of the most overrated acts in history. Oh wait, yes I can
mom: "we have The Beatles at home" The Beatles at home: mange af sangene er egentligt fine, bare... uinspireret vel? ret tydeligt at deres styrker ligger andre steder. Pet Sounds/Sgt. Pepper it is not
I quite enjoyed the 3 albums preceding this, but here they take the morbid melancholy to extreme lengths in every possible way, which makes the final listening experience of this double album a bit of an uphill trek.
Melody Fair
A lot more southern rock influenced than I expected. Not terrible, but this isn’t the band I know or expected.
I'll put this in the same bucket as Trafalgar. Not the worst album I've heard but far from the best Bee Gees album and far from the most important album from 1969. Why did we get these guys imitating the Byrds imitating the Beatles instead of Saturday Night Fever? 4/10
Just very boring and uninspired
A strange album, I really enjoyed some tracks but yet another double album that could have been a good single album Nice to hear the Bee Gees before disco
Not my cup of tea. Incredibly boring.
more warble than groove on this one.
It was a weird album for the Bee Gees. They were doing their typical funk music. It seemed like they were trying to emulate the Beatles or other pop music. I will round up but it was close.
I gotta be honest, I had no idea Bee Gees did anything non-disco and let's just say thank god they found disco. This is like a bad mix of The Who and The Beatles.
I guess this is the Bee Gees before most of the world knew them. When they were still a band who sounded more like the Beatles - before the disco Bee Gees. Nothing here really stuck with me. Not bad, just nothing I'll be coming back to.
Usually I'm more of a fan of this type of stuff, but it was a little forgetable.
this album mainly exists to say "did you know the beegees were a folk rock band before doing disco." its not a bad album but its way too long and feels is so boring at some points
The harmonies are all there. The choons are most definitely NOT
Background music and a very easy listen
I am familiar with some of the Bee Gees pre-disco era and some of it is really good. Odessa is a concept album that is an overindulgent mess with directionless songs, a concept no one cares about and a performance that is schmaltzy and cheesy at times. A double album to boot, there is so much filler and with an opening track that is horrible, it sets the expectations low. Granted, there are a few good songs sprinkled into the mix, especially the Beatle-esque pop ones and a couple songs that resemble a poor man's Kinks attempt. I dislike disco (I attended a couple "disco sucks" rallies in the day), but I would actually prefer Saturday Night Fever (ugh!) or Spirits Having Flown and maybe even the Sgt. Peppers soundtrack...okay, it's not that bad!
I like the Bee Gees but this is pretty bland stuff. Nothing stands out to be honest.
I did not care for this one. I like sort of knowing the musical breadth of the Bee Gees, but wasn't a fan.
Boring. Hard pass. It makes me wonder how they got so popular in the states.
What the hell did I just listen to? I mean it was made by competent people but it wasn't good. I know disco came after but oh boy did they sound better then.
Honestly very bland Beatles aping pop maybe worth it for a few tracks but this is way to damn long
Much like "Trafalgar" I don't get the pre-disco Bee Gees. A bit better than "Trafalgar", but still not it. 2.5/5
What a weird album.
Wayyyy different than I expected. I'm notvsure why I must listen to this album as part of a list everyone should listen to
Each song felt like a different class in school, and I’m done with school!
The songs themselves didn’t seem to bad. The melody was nice but oh my gosh their voices are annoying. I couldn’t finish the album because of it.
It's all very soft and breezy for the most part, but there's nothing really standing out, and it IS a bit weird. I'm usually a sucker for a violin undercurrent, but this was just a bit bland overall. Especially when you compare it against some of their other bigger (ballad-type) hits - these just can't hold a candle to them. I can't say I'm a fan. Marley Purt Drive was nice though.
Struggled to get into this…
One of the most pretentious, overwrought and frankly misogynistic records I’ve heard. Crazy these guys change course and put out a 5 star masterpiece as a movie soundtrack nearly a decade after this.
I'm having a hard time believing that any fan of the Bee Gees is like "this is the s**t right here." There are a couple times where you can feel they are trying to sound like the Beatles, but more important. But the rest of the time it's just... bad. And boring. "I Laugh In Your Face"... um, ok? 2 stars is just... being generous, ok? Wow.
didn’t finish. it wasn’t bad but entirely too long - perhaps just not my thing. i feel like they couldn’t choose a sound and stuck to it.
I guess I just didn't need a concept album from the Bee Gees - it felt disjointed and they leaned into the vibrato too much at times. There were a handful of cool songs, very Beatles/Sgt Pepper's-esque but lost amid the rest
This is not good. I appreciate that it is very much of its time, but even so, it's barely listenable. They wouldn't have got a recording contract on the strength of this material in any decade but the sixties. There's the occasional familiar flash - echoes of 'Massechusetts' for example, but also a ridiculous rewrite of The Band's 'The Weight'. Laughably grandiose whilst seemingly lacking in self-awareness. So bad, it's almost funny.
big shrug from me bud
I can appreciate what they were trying to do, but i don't really think they succeed. Certainly an interesting experimentation by Bee Gees, but that doesn't compare to similar albums of that decade, when psychedelic rock was all the rage.
An unexpected album from the Bee Gees. It's not bad in itself, it just feels average. I cannot recognize the distinct Bee Gees sound that makes their music fun and enjoyable (even when the lyrics are sad). The result is just another "generic pop" album.
Felt like a different band and never really hooked me
Best Song: I Laugh In Your Face. For some reason I like the mean-spirited nature of this one. The gang vocals also make it sound like a very theatrical form of bullying. Worst Song: Black Diamonds. Nobody asked for that vocal warble. Overall: Maybe the longest hour-long album I've heard. Boy did this take a while to end. Sure there's some slick songwriting throughout, but does it ever feel like it has a heart? It feels like any potentially interesting imperfection was polished out ages ago, and for some reason they're still polishing. There might actually be more polish than substance now.
You sure this is the bee gees?
Meh underwhelming and a little too long
This one just wasn’t particularly interesting to listen to. Nothing was really offensively bad but nothing was too good either. A lot of it sounded bland to me and nothing about it sparked my interest.
Me: Mom, can we buy The Beatles? Mom: No, we have The Beatles at home! The Beatles at home:
A bit of a slog this one. Not bad but not inspiring either. Enjoyed the orchestral parts.
Pretty bad sorry Bee Gees.
The Bee Gees back catalogue is a lot more varied than most people would imagine. This double semi-concept album is half Beatles, half Beach Boys, and half Bob Dylan in style. It's like a folky, harmony-heavy, Sargent Pepper, but nowhere near as good. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Lamplight Date listened: 12/03/23
The Bee Gees go Beatles
Definitely not what I expected when I saw this was Bee Gees. The music isn't bad but I wish there was more of a variety in sound, because most songs sound similar. Of course though, amazing voice. Fave track(s): Suddenly, Lamplight
Why?
This album had me so confused start to finish. I checked 3 times within the first song that the artist really was The Bee Gees. Song about having an orphanage full of 35 kids really threw me for a loop, followed by an ode to Thomas Edison. Then a symphony to close it all out. Idk what to say about all this but I guess 2.7/5
I melodin till migos bad and boujee ”My beegees bad and boring”
This album dragged on too long by at least 30 minutes. It also seemed all over the place - the instrumental songs wtf? - and didn't draw me in at all. Not great.
Not impressed by these talented guys.
если было бы не так долго поставил бы три, лучшие треки почти все те, где нет вокала, Bee Gees в роли диско королей звучат круче, хоть и кринжовее, у каждого свое предназначение, у меня например поставить 2 т.к. от Одессы здесь только название Лучшие треки: With All Nations, First of May
I don’t know what to do with this album after hearing it. Do I hate it? No. Do I like it? No. Is this culturally significant in some way? Idk. Is this an important album in the band’s career? Idk. It’s just here.
Decent set by the Bee Gees. Didn't rock my world but pleasant
Just all over the place. Country pop, orchestra, 60s psychedelic, in a supposed rock concept album about a ship? Yeah okay. A weird ass album.
I can see why the Bee Gees got some props for doing a sort of departure concept album, but at the same time I didn't particularly get into it. It's hard to square it with the rest of their work, so it came across to me as a bit of an indulgence. I can see why it had such a tumultuous history and reception.
I don’t know why this generator has given me 3 British concept albums from the ‘60s in a row (Tommy, Village Green Preservation Society, and now this). This is definitely my least favorite of the three, enough for me to give it a 2. It’s not that I disliked it, but I have no idea why it’s here or what the appeal is. Also, it’s kind of long. Shorter than Tommy, but still long. In retrospect, maybe
Good but not my jam
It's the craziest thing, but I woke up this morning hoping that I would get to listen to a dour Bee Gees album about the loss of a fictional ship in the 19th century. I am, of course, being sarcastic, as I could never want that, and I don't see how anyone else could want that either. ' The thing that has surprised me about the two Bee Gees albums that I've gotten on this list (both from their 60s albums) is the joylessness of the music put out by this group I always associated with upbeat disco music. I would describe their music as being similar to the feeling of standing at the jukebox at a bar on a busy night and reaching into your pocket looking for a few quarters so you can listen to your favorite song, but instead you find that your pocket is full of cold oatmeal. Like, sure it's disappointing, but in a very intriguing way. Okay, I was kind of joking before, but this album really is very dull. On lots of songs I can hear the influences on the song, but I can't figure out why they wanted to make the song in the first place. It really feels like they're not trying very hard to make the album interesting. I'm only halfway through at this point, and I don't foresee a future in which I get all the way through all of these songs. I'm honestly glad that this ship was lost. The only problem is that the master tapes for this album weren't on it 2/5
Meh.
There were some moments I enjoyed but for the most part this wasn’t for me Album Cover: I like the colors but that’s about it 2/5
Sounds like the Bee Gees were trying to be the Beatles
I want to like this more but it's boring :(
Date cancelled, good hang though, what a tv show…