THE NATION’S FAVOURITE BEE GEES SONG

‘Well, you can tell by the way I use my fork. I'm a monkey’s man, no time to balk. Bananas proud and farts warm. I've been licked around since I was torn.’ OK, so maybe this Bee Gees classic does not necessarily envelop in such a manner. Still, I am sure that it is on par with some of the songs broadcast on this 90-minute show made in 2011.

The Ultimate Bee Gees

THE STORY:
This feature length special, reviews the top twenty songs as voted by the British public, relating to the high-pitched maestros themselves, the Bee Gees. Now to give this program that extra pizzazz, not only are there the songs, the video clips, and the photos, but also there are the incites by such artist as, Cliff Richards, Katie Melua, Tim Rice, Elton John, Ronan Keating, Dave Growls, Beverly Knight and Sharleen Spiteri.

Oh! And a couple of chaps called Barry, Robin, and Morris too, plus associated professionals like Paul Gambaccini.

Here is a basic run down on what this show has on offer:

THE JIVE:

At a young age, Barry, Robin, and Morris Gibb, left England to move to Australia with their parents, to set up a new life over there. However, once they started developing their own song writing and singing talents, they then decided to move back to England, working there way in transit whilst honing their craft.

And it is a good job that they did to – because not only did this help them practice their wares, but in addition to this, this made them the men that are today.

Since then, the Bee Gees: (1) Were employed by music manager, Robert Stigwood. (2) Wrote song’s for such people as Dionne Warwick, Adam Faith, and Andy Williams – to name but a few. Plus (3) Moved to America, which, over time, was a good location to hone their abilities in.

THE TRAGEGY:

During there time as a band, the Bee Gees have had a number of hardships to endure. For a start, when they first become famous, these brothers had a falling out over ego – thankfully, thus did not last for too long. Next, they had to keep on coming up with new ways of becoming innovative – which they seemed to handle quite well. After that, two of the brothers, Andy (at a young age), and Morris (at a more mature age), passed away – to the worlds sorrow. And finally, they worked with Celine Dion – no comment.

THE TOP TWENTY:

20) Guilty (Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb)

19) Chain Reaction (Diana Ross)

18) Night on Broadway

17) Run To Me

16) You Slow It Down

15) Jive Talking

14) Immortality (The Bee Gees and Celine Dion)

13) To Love Somebody

12) Too Much Heaven

11) Tragedy

10) I Gotta Get a Message to You

9) Islands in the Stream (Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers)

8) How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

7) Night Fever

6) More Than a Woman (Tavares)

5) Stayin’ Alive

4) Words

3) Massachusetts

2) You Win Again

1) ....

THE REVIEW:

OK, so ‘The Nations Favourite Bee Gees Songs’ is a review show – one of those countdown programs which tries its best to highlight an entertainers career, whilst at the same time, allowing a whole host of so-called professionals to inform us – the viewing public – on what they thought of said entertainer. Granted, on occasion, I just cannot stand this type of ‘program’ – because I just find them too fractured, too pithy, and too superficial for human comprehension.

Thankfully, though, this one changed my mind quite a bit.

You see, for a start, I do enjoy the Bee Gees music – I always find that their compositions strike a cord within me (so to speak), which touches a nerve, thus my emotions. Moreover, what really made me enjoy this show – apart from the songs – were the interviews on show, because...

THE BEE GEES: Thankfully, Barry, Robin, and Morris Gibb, all gave very good interviews for this program – especially how they described the history behind certain songs, plus, how their lives changed due to the course of their careers. I found each of there recounts very honest, frank, informative, and humbling at times – making them appear more like ‘sincere craftsmen’ than performers.

THE OTHER MUSICIANS: Now if there was only one word I could use to describe what I thought of the ‘other musicians’ incites about the Bee Gees, that word would be ‘earnest’. Well, in most of the cases – particularly in Elton’s, Rowan’s, Tim’s, Katie’s, and Cliff’s – it did become apparent that they were speaking from both a musical and a fans perspective – thus presenting a well balanced point of view. Though, at times, some of the views ‘on show’, were kind of pithy in retrospect, and did come across more like a ‘sound bite’ rather than a ‘opinion’.

THE FACTS: Here is a selection of Bee Gees trivia from this program: (1) ‘Island in the Stream’ was originally written for Dionne Warwick. (2) When he was younger, Barry looked like He-Man without the beard. (3) The Bee Gees were born in Manchester. (4) ‘Jive Talking’ was originally ment for Cliff Richard. (5) The Bee Gees had a career in Australia, one which superseded the Beatles. (6) Celine Dion can make anyone cry. (7) Inspiration can come from travelling. (8) 'Stayin' Alive' had a alternate take in composition.

Regrettably, there were also two snags within ‘The Nations Favourite Bee Gees Songs’, which I did not really sit well with me. Firstly, Amanda Holden – why? To me, her narration was easily overpowered by what she was presenting, and at times, I almost blanked her out completely – forgetting that she was even there. And secondly, though I understand that this is a ‘program in review’, I would have liked to have heard at least a couple of the Bee Gees songs for more than a minute at a time without interruptions.

Well, this program is about the music, isn’t it?

Still, overall, I did enjoy what was on offer. The music was fantastic, the interviews were nicely presented, and, for once, I did partially agree with the order that these songs were assigned in – kind of.

I would now like to leave you with two clips that, for me, optimise what the Bee Gees are all about.