The Bee Gees: Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Barry Gibb, Colin Peterson, Vince Melouney.

Originally released on Atco.

Personnel: Barry Gibb (vocals, guitar); Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb (vocals); Vince Melouney (guitar); Colin Petersen (drums).

Recording information: 1967.

The debut international long-player by the Bee Gees may shock anyone who only remembers them for their mid- to late-'70s disco mega-hits, or their quirky early-'70s romantic balladry. Up until 1966, they'd shown a penchant for melodic songs and rich, high harmonies, in the process becoming Australia's answer to the Everly Brothers. When the Bee Gees arrived in London late in 1966, however, they proved quick studies in absorbing and assimilating the progressive pop and rock sounds around them. In one fell swoop, they became competitors with the likes of veteran rock bands such as the Hollies and the Tremeloes, and this long-player, Bee Gees' 1st, is more of a rock album than the group usually got credit for generating. Parts of it do sound very much like the Beatles circa Revolver, but there was far more to their sound than that. The three hits off of Bee Gees' 1st, "To Love Somebody," "New York Mining Disaster 1941," and "Holiday," were gorgeous but relatively somber, thus giving Bee Gees' 1st a melancholy cast, but much of the rest is relatively upbeat psychedelic pop. "In My Own Time" may echo elements of the Beatles' "Dr. Robert" and "Taxman," but it's difficult to dislike a song with such delicious rhythm guitars and a great beat, coupled with the trio's soaring harmonies; "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You" was close in spirit to the Moody Blues of this era, opening with a Gregorian chant backed by a Mellotron, before breaking into a strangely spaced-out, psychedelic main song body. Robin Gibb's lead vocals veered toward the melodramatic and poignant, and the orchestra did dress up some of the songs a little sweetly, yet overall the group presented themselves as a proficient rock ensemble who'd filled their debut album with a full set of solid, refreshingly original songs. [In 2006, as part of the shift of the group's back catalog to Reprise Records, Bee Gees' 1st was reissued in remastered form, with seriously improved sound and expanded to two CDs with a brace of chronologically-related outtakes -- comprising some of the most fascinating material of their history -- initially as part of the collection The Studio Albums 1967-1968.] ~ Bruce Eder

In retrospect, it's easy to assume that the Beatles existed in an artistic vacuum, with no musical peers. In fact, 1960s groups like the Beau Brummels, the Zombies, and Australia's Bee Gees were proponents of a style that owed much to the Fab Four, but they were also artists with a unique and distinctive vision. Early Aussie forays aside, BEE GEES 1ST is the international debut of Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, three brothers whose trademark was a high, quavery, three-part harmony. Songs like "Please Read Me" and the much-covered "To Love Somebody" combined a soul influence with ornate, Beatlesque arrangements and dark, angst-ridden lyrics. The baroque-pop carousel of "I Close My Eyes" and the moody folk-rock ballad "New York Mining Disaster 1941" showed that the Gibbs had several tricks up their Edwardian sleeves.