Bee Gees' 1st
The first international album, made in London within weeks of the brothers' arrival from Australia.
Bee Gees, 1967
- Released
- 14 July 1967 (UK), 9 August 1967 (US)
- Recorded
- March 1967 onward
- Studio
- IBC Studios, London
- Label
- Polydor (UK), Atco (US)
- Producer
- Robert Stigwood and Ossie Byrne
Bee Gees' 1st was the group's third studio album and their first international full-length record, released by Polydor in the UK and Atco in the US. Sessions began on 7 March 1967, and most of the band's recording for the next five years took place at IBC Studios. The orchestral arrangements were mostly by Bill Shepherd, with four by Phil Dennys. Barry Gibb said they would sit about, think up a subject and write a song on the spot.
Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney played on the record; both had joined before recording. The cover was designed by Klaus Voormann. The album reached No. 7 on the US chart and No. 8 in the UK, and by the end of 1967 it had been a top ten hit in the US, the UK and Germany. Its singles were To Love Somebody, New York Mining Disaster 1941 and Holiday.
Track listing
- Turn of the Century2:30
- Holiday2:57
- Red Chair, Fade Away2:22
- One Minute Woman2:20
- In My Own Time2:17
- Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You3:40
- Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy of Arts2:20
- New York Mining Disaster 19412:13
- Cucumber Castle2:07
- To Love Somebody3:03
- I Close My Eyes2:26
- I Can't See Nobody3:47
- Please Read Me2:19
- Close Another Door3:28
Personnel
- Barry Gibb lead, harmony and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
- Robin Gibb lead, harmony and backing vocals, organ
- Maurice Gibb harmony and backing vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, piano, Mellotron, organ, harpsichord
- Vince Melouney lead guitar
- Colin Petersen drums
- Bill Shepherd orchestral arrangement
- Phil Dennys orchestral arrangement
- Mike Claydon audio engineer
- Robert Stigwood producer
- Ossie Byrne producer
- Klaus Voormann cover art
More from Bee Gees
Horizontal (1968), Odessa (1969), Trafalgar (1971), Main Course (1975)
Sources
- Bee Gees' 1st, Wikipedia
- To Love Somebody (Bee Gees song), Wikipedia