I never realized how young the generations have become (and, conversely, how old I must be) when, in reporting on the death of Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb, one television station described the group as a popular disco-oriented band of the late 70s and 80s.
While it is true the Bee Gees was one of those who made a hugely successful transition into the disco era and beyond, I believe the Bee Gees will remain, as far as musical history is concerned, essentially a 60s group.
Brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb started as a group in the late 1950s but it was not until 1963 that they became known as the Bee Gees. And it was not until 1967 that fortune began to smile on them following the success of their single “Spicks and Specks.”
From then on it was hit after hit for the Bee Gees right up to the late 70s when the mood of music begun to shift toward disco, responsible for the demise of many a 60s groups. The Bee Gees reinvented themselves into a falsetto-voiced band dishing out hugely danceable tunes.
And that was about the time I parted ways with the Bee Gees. Not being a dance person, I fell back on my staple of good and reliable non-disco 60s-70s music. But it would be unfair to both the Bee Gees and myself if I refuse to acknowledge them as one of the greatest 60s-70s acts.
The Bee Gees had a very huge following during their pre-disco days. But there is a little problem with this. While their fans are legion, most would not publicly own or list them up if asked to name their favorite 60s-70s groups.
Most, like myself, would no doubt name the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and maybe name for third place any of the huge variety of great talents during this era — but probably never include the Bee Gees.
The reason for this is probably because the Bee Gees early music were mostly softies, almost sissy-like lullabies that, while engagingly beautiful, were not the rock-n-roll types that expressed manhood in the manly 60s and 70s.
Besides, while the chords to Bee Gees music were exceedingly simple and easy to play on the guitar in the guitar-and-Jingle-Magazine-crazy world of the late 60s and early 70s, actually singing their songs was quite a challenge.
And that is because the Bee Gees have stratospheric vocal ranges that were almost impossible to achieve by non-professional singers. All too often, one can start a Bee Gees song quite decently until the notes simply soar too high you simply have to break off.
But the Bee Gees were a great and extremely talented group and I am extremely privileged to have spent my growing up years sharing part of their early music. And their music completes the broadest spectrum of music there ever was — in an era collectively known as the 60s.
The death of Robin leaves just Barry as the only surviving member of the original members. Maurice, the twin of Robin, had died much earlier. Another brother, Andy, was never a member of the Bee Gees.
With the Bee Gees no more, and the Beatles now down to just Paul and Ringo, that leaves the Rolling Stones as the only remaining giants of the original wave of 60s singers-songwriters that made the world such a beautiful place to live in with their music.
I think the Stones are now in the 70s but I think they are still rockin’ on. A DVD of their Copacabana concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2006 showed Mick Jagger still traipsing all over the stage just as he did some 40 years ago.
Indeed, Jagger’s ability for perennial body movement is the inspiration for the recent hit “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5, featuring Christina Aguilera. The 60s thus continues to reach out and influence the world of today through its music and music geniuses.
The night I learned of Robin’s death, I took out my collection of Bee Gees music and played most of them with my eyes closed. I played last the song “Swan Song” as a form of personal tribute. They’re going one by one. But the music of the 60s lives on.