Disco de Bee Gees: “Love Songs [Bonus Tracks]”

Eighteen songs representing the best love songs the Bee Gees have written over five decades (which is incredibly debatable considering how many they have written). The actual list is tremendous and these chosen gems truly represent the variations the Gibbs have produced over the years. Included in the UK version is the song, "Lovers And Friends" with Ronan Keating singing lead on the last Bee Gees love song written as well as the album cut, "Heart Like Mine". It is a completely Remastered collection appealing only to those romantically inclined.

Here's another great love song collection from one of the world's best-loved musical artists,the Bee Gees. The trio wrote enough songs throughout their legacy that this should be a double-disc collection with forty tunes like THEIR GREATEST HITS-THE RECORD. Other artists who previously put out love song collections include The Beatles,Elton John,Michael Bolton and Phil Collins. This CD opens with TO LOVE SOMEBODY,from 1967's BEE GEES 1ST. It was covered by Bolton 25 years later on his TIMELESS THE CLASSICS VOLUME 1 album. WORDS,from 1968's HORIZONTAL,is my mother's all-time favorite. FIRST OF MAY is from 1969's ODESSA(this album's title treatment is exactly the same as that album). LONELY DAYS is from 1970's TWO YEARS ON(that album marked Robin Gibb's return to the group after a brief absence). HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART is from 1971's TRAFALGAR. It would be later covered by R&B singer Al Green. HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE and MORE THAN A WOMAN are from the SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER movie soundtrack,released in 1977. The latter track is disco-flavored. In fact,Tavares covered the same track which is also on the same album! (OUR LOVE)DON'T THROW IT ALL AWAY was first a hit for the Bee Gees' late brother Andy Gibb from his SHADOW DANCING album,released in 1978. The track on this album was previously released on 1979's BEE GEES GREATEST(recorded by the Bee Gees themselves). The song was also recorded live for ONE NIGHT ONLY in 1997,with all the Gibb brothers singing(Robin,his late fraternal twin Maurice,their older brother Barry,and previously recorded vocals of Andy). The song was recorded again by Barry himself with Barbra Streisand for Streisand's GUILTY PLEASURES album,released nearly three months ago. EMOTION was first recorded by Aussie Samantha Sang with the background vocals of Barry in 1977. The Gibbs covered their own composition for TGH-TR,released in November 2001. TOO MUCH HEAVEN was released as a single in the fall of 1978,several months before its appearance on 1979's SPIRITS HAVING FLOWN. HEARTBREAKER,another Gibb composition first recorded by Dionne Warwick for the 1982 album of the same title was later covered by the Gibbs for TGH-TR. ISLANDS IN THE STREAM is from ONO,released in November 1998. It was first a hit for Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton. This album's version sounds identical to the KR/DP recording except there is no key change and no Boneroo Horns,the brass ensemble that was once the group's employee. The Gibbs' studio cover on TGH-TR contains a later verse not sung by Rogers and Parton(well if they did sing it,it was cut from the master). JULIET is solo recording by Robin from his little-acknowledged album HOW OLD ARE YOU?,released in 1983. It also appeared on the 4 CD box set,TALES OF THE BROTHERS GIBB. SECRET LOVE is from 1991's HIGH CIVILIZATION,the last of the Gibbs' three Warner Bros. albums(the other two are E.S.P. and ONE). FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS is from 1993's SIZE ISN'T EVERYTHING. CLOSER THAN CLOSE is from 1997's STILL WATERS. That track was also recorded for ONO. I COULD NOT LOVE YOU MORE is another SW track. WEDDING DAY is from 2001's THIS IS WHERE I CAME IN,the Gibbs' last all-original album that was released seven months prior to TGH-TR. All three Bee Gees were longtime husbands themselves when WD was recorded. This collection could use other tracks like LOVE SO RIGHT,SOMEONE BELONGING TO SOMEONE,HOLD ME LIKE A CHILD,SWAN SONG,SPICKS AND SPECKS,LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT,LOVE ME,FANNY(BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE),ALL THIS MAKING LOVE,COME ON OVER,BABY AS YOU TURN AWAY,GUILTY(Barry with Streisand),I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH,THE WOMAN IN YOU and I WILL. I dedicate this item to the memories of Andrew Roy Gibb(March 5,1958-March 10,1988),Maurice Ernest Gibb(December 22,1949-January 12,2003) and the Gibbs' father Hugh.

Simply; Good and Enjoyable. Nothing that you haven't already heard before! Just a nice compilation of some of the same superb Good Old Classics. No enhancements or Digitally Remastered or any thing else, just plain old Bee Gees songs as I remember them. I Love It.

A year after Number Ones was released, Barry and Robin followed up with Love Songs, another compilation set from Universal. Oddly enough I received this album for Valentines Day from my honey. Not as heavily promoted as Number Ones, I was even confused about the release date. October? November? Love Songs' packaging even has a rushed feel to it. The flowery artwork is dandy, but the credits inside leave much to the imagination. Universal should have given more love to Love Songs.

When I first bought Number Ones, the one song most notably absent to me was To Love Somebody. The 1967 hit from First is rectified here of course. I mean, we know it's chronological order, but To Love Somebody is THE place to start if you want love songs.

Words is a repeat from Number Ones, but you can't not have Barry's sweet nothings here. It's nice to hear the original again after a few remakes and updates. Classic.

I'm not exactly sure how First Of May found its way here. I thought it was about Barry's dog? I hope May's placement here wasn't just a Barry versus Robin jab, since this is the Odessa song that killed the group briefly. But it is pretty!

Love Songs picks up the pace with Lonely Days. Not necessarily a traditional love song, I'm sure there are some woman out there who just can't get enough of three men admitting how lost they'd be without their women. Besides, you need a song to sing a long to.

Also repeated from Number Ones, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart and How Deep is Your Love's placement here is really un-arguable. Perhaps the number one and number two questions in the universe, and they are both posed by The Brothers Gibb.

My second beef with Number Ones was the exclusion of More Than A Woman, which we find here on Love Songs instead. As much as I love More Than a Woman, I do feel it should have been placed on Number Ones, not Love Songs. Many deserving Brothers Gibb love songs are not here because several other tracks from Number Ones are repeated. A Famous tune like Nights On Broadway, Fanny, or Love Me might have served Love better. I could just go on! I Can't See Nobody, My World, Run to Me anyone?

The Bee Gees version of Our Love Don't Throw it All Away was first released on the Greatest album, but the song is more famous via Andy's rendition. This love lost song can be a tear jerker if you're in the right mood. Barbra even did a soft and sappy version for Guilty Pleasures. Sweet stuff.

Sometimes you simply can't go wrong, like with Emotion, for example. This rerecord by the boys showcases their songwriting solidity and yet also tips the hat to the song's flexibility, like it's original rendition by Samantha Sang.

Too Much Heaven is another baby soft monster of the Bee Gees catalogue that cannot be ignored. There's nothing like harmony to melt a woman's heart.

I'm so glad Heartbreaker and Islands In The Stream get their due here. Originally recorded by Dionne Warwick and Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, respectively, these Gibb updates showcase the Brothers' songwriting talents and importance to the music industry. Oh yes, they were important, and the versions here are spiffy, too.

Juliet is here to represent Robin's solo career, and I suspect to balance First of May. This high pitched eighties diddy hails from How Old Are You, Robin's 82 solo venture that's full of quirky loves songs. Juliet is the best of that lot.

My one beef with Secret Love has always been that it's on the short side. One of the few bright spots from High Civilization, the boys present a naughty motownesque tune that gets you thinking happy thoughts. Although one could argue The Only Love also belongs here, but I think we should just make a Love Songs Part Two or such for all the excluded Gibby Love tunes.

I think I'm wrong but wasn't For Whom The Bell Tolls a European number one? In that case it's on the wrong album, but I digress. This power ballad from Size Isn't Everything is lucky it found its way here. This later day gem prooves my theory that age and time have no effect on the boys musically. I do also believe that Size's Heart Like Mine was on European releases of Love Songs.

I've never really thought of Closer Than Close as a love song, but Maurice's kinky track from Still Waters deserves a spot here, in honor of Mo if nothing else. I Could Not Love You More is the real power ballad from Still Waters but both represent the modern ballad style of the boys, and I love it!

Love Songs closes fittingly with Wedding Day. Barry and Robin debated over releasing this song as the second single off This Is Where I Came In, but nothing became of it. The best Bee Gees song of the new century, Wedding Day shows how far the brothers have come as songwriters and men. Gone are the sappy woe is my love diddys. Wedding Day represents that kind of love you just know.

An oddity called Lovers and Friends also appeared on foreign releases of Love Songs, but it is Ronan Keating singing lead. Boo. I haven`t heard the tune, since I don`t care much for Ronan Keating, whoever he is.

Although I would have liked more variety on the track list, Love Songs still showcases the mojo of The Brothers Gibb and is the perfect gift for anyone special to you. Oh baby!

the Bee Gees have always been a favorite Music act of mine.they have Composed some of the best Songs over the past 25-35 years.there vocals,arragements&songs have Produced some timeless songs. this is a good introduction to there Music&the impact it has had on many ears throughout the World.