The Bee Gees' 1st

It goes without saying that the Bee Gees have reached iconic status. With their flawless harmonies and catchy songs, to this day the group established themselves as a cultural staple in the 70s disco movement. But I want to take this Music Monday as an opportunity to dive into their 60s music, as I believe that era deserves more hype!

Although called the "1st", the album is the band’s third. Confusing, I know. However, the first two were only distributed in Australia and New Zealand. Thus, the "1st" is really the 1st album that was internationally released. Now that we got logistics out of the way, let's get to the music, some fun facts, and history.

The Gibb brothers first formed a skiffle/rock-and-roll group similar to that of the Beatles' Quarrymen, called the Rattlesnakes. The band consisted of Barry on guitar and vocals, Robin and Maurice on vocals, and friends Paul Frost on drums and Kenny Horrocks on tea-chest bass. During the creation of “1st”, drummer Colin Petersen and lead guitarist Vince Melouney, both Australians, were hired to make the Bee Gees into a full band. Both played on the first English recorded album and became official members of the group between its completion and release.

More similarities to the Beatles include Hugh Gibb sending demos to Beatles manager, Brian Epstein who passed the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood. After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967, the Bee Gees signed a five-year contract. Then, Polydor Records would release their music in the UK, and Atco Records would do so in the US.

The album cover for “1st” was designed by Klaus Voorman, a friend of the Beatles who designed their “Revolver” cover.

It was even rumored that the Beatles sang on tracks ‘In My Own Time’ and ‘Every Christian Lion Hearted Man’, which Vince and Robin took as a compliment.

The single, ‘To Love Somebody’, entered the US Top 20. The soulful ballad sung by Barry was originally written for Otis Redding. The song has since become a pop standard covered by many artists including Janis Joplin.

Favorite song on the album: “To Love Somebody”

Honorable mention: “Please Read Me”