The Bee Gees are seemingly destined to be frozen in suspended animation, their voices stuck in permanent falsetto, trilling their mirror-balled 70's disco ditties behind an acrobatically frugging John Tavolta.
This myopic typecasting is grossly unjust. Firstly, the songs penned by the trio for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack,
particularly 'Night Fever' and 'Stayin' Alive', whilst not stimulating the purists, are simply scintillating, universally cherished pop choons. Secondly, this revised history wilfully ignores the fantastic canon of songs they wrote and recorded during the 1960's.
Many, including 'To Love Somebody', 'Words', and 'Massachusetts' have rightly become standards, regularly murdered by the likes of Boyzone et al. And, who could forget Barry's magnificent, Liam-like flounce and speedy exit from Clive Anderson's show. Excellent behaviour.
'This Is Where I Came In' finds the brothers Gibb, Barry, Robin and Maurice, entering their fifth decade together and concocting their strongest album for years. The sleeve features a B&W 60's snapshot of the threesome, which, along with the title, implies a return to those pre-disco dancing days.
Their mellifluous harmonies, much mimicked by every modern boy band, are spot-on, and thankfully, they all but forgo that helium gargling falsetto. Songs such as the 'Man In The Middle' and the superb title track echo those artfully crafted guitar-based 60's hits. Indeed, it's unlikely that the forthcoming Travis LP will boast anything as truly thrilling as 'This Is
Where I Came In'.
Of course, this being the Bee Gees, there are ballads to go and with the slightly soppy 'Wedding Day', they've conjured a future evergreen, destined to accompany generations of newlyweds as they circle the floor for their 'first dance'.
The occasional mawkish ballad aside, this a master class in the art of songwriting that aims for the head and heart, rather than the feet.
