Brothers At Arms – The Bee Gees

We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In this part of the mini-series Randy, from mostlymusiccovers.com, talks about the “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings of the Bee Gees.

“To Love Somebody” was written by Robin and Barry Gibb. It was released as a single in 1967 and reached #41 in their native UK. The song did better elsewhere making several top 10s and #17 on the Hot 100. It would be a cover by Michael Bolton released in 1992 that put it at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts in Canada and the US. It has endured to become a classic with over 210 versions of the song.

Formed in 1958 with brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice. After the family’s move to Australia they found their first success, just the three boys returned to their native UK in 1967. They would go on to sell an estimated 200 million records, post nine #1s on the Hot 100 and entered the top five of the most successful bands in history.

Life was not so easy, with an unreliable father they became the bread winners for the family at a very young age. Despite the pressures the boys got on quite well, until the dreaded “S” word enter in. Success. Their first #1 in the UK was “Massachusetts” in 1967. Robin sang lead on it and it was a position he was not willing to give up. The in-fighting began.

This is not perhaps the level of fighting on the same scale as some of our other brother groups, but they were not producing any hits and Robin was really at the heart of a split up in 1969. The reconciliation produced their first US #1 Hot 100 hit, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” in 1971. It was very much an autobiographical song. Success is fleeting in the music business and another downturn followed as their next album was a flop. By 1975 they had all moved to the US. Both Robin and Maurice struggled mightily with addiction problems. Robin seemed to tolerate the more democratic Barry becoming the defacto leader, but there were tensions. Not enough though to stop them from reinventing themselves yet again.

The Disco era and Saturday Night Fever saw them rise to incredible worldwide success with eight Hot 100 #1 hits in the mid to late 1970s. Younger brother Andy would join in the success. Everyone knows the rise and fall of Disco, and no one paid a heavier price than the Bee Gees. All of a sudden no one wanted to hear a Bee Gees song. In fact, they were and are still hated by some. I was not a disco fan, but I was a Bee Gees fan, and I took my fair share of ribbing for it.

Despite all this turmoil surrounding them, only minor tensions erupted, and Barry, Maurice and Robin would discover other people respected their songwriting abilities. First came “Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand, and then “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, both worldwide #1 smash hits. And also, songs for Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and others. So, the brothers Gibb had risen from the ashes for yet a third time but as songwriters. And then remarkably a fourth time, as recording success returned once again and they placed four more songs in the top 10 in the UK in the 90s.

Maurice would die at age 53 in 2003 and despite attempts to regroup, the band that was the Bee Gees were effectively no more. Younger brother Andy had died in 1988 and Robin in 2012. Barry the oldest, has continued to record and perform.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

34 thoughts on “Brothers At Arms – The Bee Gees”

  2. I was never a Bee Gees fan, either during the early years or (even less) the disco years. I found the voices (especially the falsetto) and production grating. My one exception is that I really liked “New York Mining Disaster 1941”.

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    1. Glad I snuck in one of your favorite songs. You are right, I did debate on adding them but their profile seemed to weigh in for me. And the fighting was not really legendary but it did cause a break up.

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  5. Great talents, both as singers and (at least in Barry’s case) songwriters. I was semi-surprised they didn’t induct Andy into the fold once he started showing signs of wanting a career in music too. Though he did fine on his own, sales-wise at least

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      2. I believe you are correct, that was the first time they all sang on stage together. Of course that was an Andy Gibb song and Barry sang back up on the record as he did on a few of his songs. This was the time period I think I read about. Thanks Lisa!

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  7. I had forgotten about the Massachusetts song. I cannot think of a Bee Gees song I didn’t like. It breaks my heart to think of how many talented artists have gone to an early grave due to drugs of one kind or another. They seem to go hand and hand with musicians especially and whenever I see someone escape that legacy I’m happy. I noticed you didn’t mention their foray into cinema with “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.” That’s a movie we’ve gone back and forth about a time or two. I personally love it, no matter how cheesy, but some absolutely hate it. Good write up on a superb group, Randy.

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  8. Yes, another sad tale, success is a double-edged sword. I prefer the 60’s BGs but with them coming back in various ways I can’t deny their talents, even with the struttin’ in their white suits, the high pitches and the glitter balls. And the Stigwood movie.

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    2. Most certainly the early stuff is my favourite as well but I don’t discount all of their later stuff. As much as I am not a fan of Disco, but “How Deep is Your Love” is a great song. Not produced by your friend Mr. Stigwood, so there is that.

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  9. While the Bee Gees definitely are an example of “brothers at arms,” for some reason, the Davies brothers, the Fogerty brothers, the Gallagher brothers and The Everly Brothers always come to my mind first in this context. Perhaps that is because the Gibb brothers’ fights weren’t as public, plus they kind of ended up in harmony until death sadly separated them.

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    2. I don’t disagree, as I said it was not on the level of fighting as the other brothers and the break up was very short. I think you’re right much of what was going on wasn’t very public knowledge.

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  10. One of the all-time greats and anyone that categorized them based on 6 r’n’b-influenced dance songs from a movie wasnt paying attention, they constantly reinvented themselves throughout their career, different genres, sounds, they did it all thanks to the songs, together and apart. I went to coastal town Exmouth in 1993 when they performed up on the Radio One roadshow, and videod them getting out of a helicopter, Robin signing autographs, and doing 2 songs on-stage. I really ought to stick it on Youtube some day!

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    1. I would love to see that! They were exceedingly talented, no doubt. As I mentioned in another comment, I am no disco fan but songs like “How Deep is Your Love” are beautiful songs. Mind that one while used in ‘the movie’ as you probably know was made before hand.

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      1. If the Gibbs had one major talent it was for ballads, they certainly could knock out a great tune! 🙂 And How Deep Is Your Love is one of those! Jive Talking & You Should Be Dancing were also not really film songs as such, so basically Saturday Night Fever was all based around 4 songs: Night Fever, Stayin Alive, More Than A Woman and If I Can’t Have You, the last 2 which were hits for Tavares and Yvonne Elliman, so only 2 Bee Gees singles were actually from the movie. Hard to believe really, based on how they dominated 1978 🙂

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