Stayin' Alive

I recently interviewed American rock biographer David N Meyer on my weekly Sydney FM radio show and we talked about his latest book 'THE BEE GEES: THE BIOGRAPHY'

Meyer is also the author of the acclaimed biography of singer/songwriter Gram Parsons: TWENTY THOUSAND ROADS: which included rave reviews from The Los Angeles times and Rolling Stone and UnCut magazine.

His other books include THE 100 BEST FILMS TO RENT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF and A GIRL AND A GUN; THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO FILM NOIR ON VIDEO.

Meyers writing carries an edge and his insightful narrative covers from the Bee Gees early years of hard slog, until their 'overnight success' and beyond.

Indeed he has a great story to tell and what a story it is. The Bee Gees' lives were fascinating, and Meyer provides a great read and some surprising new insights. He tells it like it is.

Coolness in pop and rock music is an overrated commodity. Yes, it will get you noticed, and it may even get you a few good reviews, but cool doesn't sell records. Tunes sell records and The Bee Gees sold an awful lot of records: more than 250 million, and still counting.

Along with Abba and Queen, they were often ignored or mocked by critics in their heyday, however the brothers Gibb have since been universally acknowledged as consummate tunesmiths, and among the greats.

This band of brothers had hits from 1967 to 2001. Their consistent output was such that they wrote 998 songs for themselves and other artists during that time. They resurrected the careers of artists such as Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick and Barbara Streisand, and wrote and produced their brother Andy Gibb in which his first three singles all hit the number 1 spot. The first solo artist in the U.S ever to do so.

Andy alas did not have the same scope of talent as his brothers or the staying power, and we sadly lost him at the young age of 30.

Even now, looking back at their late 60s output, their ballads may appear quite dated however Barry, Robin and Maurice sold 5 million copies of the single "Massachusetts" alone. At this time they were just 18 and 21 yrs respectfully, and only the likes of The Beatles could command such sales in their heyday.

Their canny manager Robert Stigwood immediately offered them a contract on hearing their acetates (demos) on arrival in England, and guided them well. With The Beatles Nems organisation behind them (whom Stigwood was a partner) they broke big all over the world. "it certainly helped" Barry once dryly commented in an interview.

By the mid 70s, after realising they had lost their musical direction, the brothers embraced what they called 'R&B' - what everyone else called disco, and with the groundbreaking 'Jive Takin' followed by 'You Should Be Dancing' and then involved with one of the biggest selling albums of all time "Saturday Night Fever" - they became even more globally famous and unimaginably rich overnight.

In my opinion "Stayin' Alive" is still the perfect pop single. You have only to hear the intro to smile, and 35 years later, it sounds as fresh as the day it was recorded.

Such was the brothers songwriting genius, (there really is no other word for it) They wrote Tragedy, Too Much Heaven and Spirits Having Flown, and released them all while SNF still dominated the world album charts.

Barry Gibb, the only survivor, recently embarked on his first ever solo tour and during his well received shows came over as a man still dedicated to his craft, he remains a pop pioneer in his own right, and clearly always was the man in charge. With Robins matched brilliant songwriting skills and Maurice who could put his hand to any instrument combined with their unique harmonies it was no wonder they stayed at the top for so long.

If they released a great song and it wasn't a great hit, they lost interest in it. Number 1 hits was their validation, and success as time went on almost seemed to be a happy by-product. They were very much a family concern, allowing very few into the inner circle.

They loved to create new songs with an artist in mind that they admired, and continually reached out to other artists with their songs. Celine Dion in the late 90s was an example of this with the moving song "Immortality".

Stories abound of Robin's pills, unusual matrimonial arrangements and Maurice's boozing to endless ego battles and fallings-out, however it did not seem affect their juggernaut of success. Meyer illustrats perfectly their complicated lives, and yet still focuses on their devotion and love to their songwriting, with Barry forever at the helm.

The brothers were always stronger and more successful together (similar toThe Eagles and The Beatles). What always set them apart from almost all their pop contemporaries was that there wasnt an iota of "rock n roll" in them, and no rebellion either.

Along with Abba they stand alone having no covers of anyone else's songs in their catalogue, and not even Michael Jackson, The Beatles or The Stones managed this rare feat.

'Their self deprecating humour was never far away though, describing themselves in a British interview in the late 90s as Beardy Bee Gee, Toothy Bee Gee and Baldy Bee Gee...! Their feet remained firmly on the ground although they craved continual recognition for their work'

Wether you're a Bee Gees fan or not, everyone in western culture could at least hum half a dozen of their songs! This great read takes us into their world and will have you reaching for your iPad to google and play your favourite Bee Gees song!