Pitch & Putt: March 2013

Blood IS thicker than water,

even in the upside-down world

of pop music. Somehow one expects

groups to break up, now

and again, because it's hard to

keep different-type personalities,

tied together merely by a musical

aim, happy in off-stage moments.

So groups DO break up because

of clashes that come from something

as trivial as an odd personal

habit. Some, like the Hollies, stick

together because they realise that

each has to live his own personal

life off stage.

But when the Bee Gees, three

brothers- Barry, and twins Maurice

and Robin- decided they'd had

enough, the pop world positively

floated on rumours and counter rumours.

These brothers, each a

most likeable character, really went

at each other hammer and tongs.

Their parents were dragged into

the verbal punch-ups and, in the

end, the world got tired of hearing

about the latest row.

Groups of equal status had

split, mostly for reasons of musical

policy, and one story stating the

facts had been enough. But the

Bee Gees seemed to have a fresh

"sensation" every day of the week.

A bore. One long, dreary bore.

We reckoned that if they didn't

ever speak to each other again,

that would be okay. And if they

did speak, and eventually record

again . .. well, who were THEY

to think the fans would come

running and queuing up to buy

the discs.

But the boys DID get together

and the fans instantly forgave

them, because their very first record

got into the charts. Fair

enough, we all thought, because

the Bee Gees had always tried

for an ambitious kind of pop that

reached way above the routine.

Like using massed trumpeters and

sixty musicians for an Albert Hall

concert. Like creating a sound that

was instantly recognisable. Like

. . . oh, like a lot of different

things.

So it's a warm welcome back

to the trio. And time to re-cap on

just how it all started for these

Manchester lads who started the

road to fame in Australia. They'll

probably make a film of the story

one day, so this can act as a

trailer .. .

The boys' dad , Hugh Gibb, a

bandleader, gave Barry a special

Christmas present one year - a

guitar. He churned out the songs

of the day by the Stars of the

day, like Tommy Steele and Paul

Anka - and soon the twins joined

in. The year was 1956.

They appeared in a Manchester

cinema, one Saturday morning,

planning to mime to the Everly

Brothers' hit single "Wake Up

Little Susie". Unfortunately Barry

broke that record - so the boys

had to sing it live. His six-year-old

twin brothers coped pretty well.

They earned a shilling each for

their efforts.

More important, they got a real

kick out of going up there on

stage. School-work was forgotten

as they planned towards their

Saturday morning appearances. But

out of the blue, it was decided

that the family would go to Australia.

They found a certain amount

of trouble because the local kids

weren't too keen on the English

kids. Barry left school at the age

of thirteen, determined that he'd

make his way in show-business.

Later still, they became the

Gibb Brothers and sang around

various halls and arenas. One was

a stock car-racing circuit - they'd

put on a show in the middle

between races. They were showered

with coins. As Barry says now:

"It was a VERY painful way to

receive your pay-packet." A discjockey

named Bill Gates encouraged

the boys - and it was from his

initials that the name Bee Gees was

derived.

But not before they'd also had

spells working as the Rattlesnakes

and Wee Johnny Hayes and the

Blue Cats. A top Australian singer

named Col Joye eventually helped

them along and they got a recording

contract which resulted in a

series of pretty disastrous flop

records. And then the Beatles

carne along. As far as Australia

was concerned, they just happened

out of nowhere, but as far as the

Bee Gees were concerned they

were regarded as a terrible menace.

"They thought we were copying

these new-boy Beatles", admitted

Barry. "And though the Beatles

hadn't even visited the country,

it was obvious it wasn't big enough

for both of us.

"Even so, we reckoned that if

Brian Epstein had so cleverly built

the Beatles, he could do the same

for us. So we sent him our records.

He obviously didn't think much

of them, but he sent them on to

Robert Stigwood, an Australian

agent, and we decided to follow

up our parcel by going back to

Britain."

In fact, they landed at Southampton

and they had only a fiver

between the whole family. It was

disappointment all the way. Even

Robert Stigwood felt the group

scene was dead in Britain – every

body is copying the Beatles and

there are too many of them. It's

just about impossible for anybody

to break th rough nowadays."

"New York Mining Disaster"

broke through for the Bee Gees,

though. And their career went well

afterwards, with such as "World"

"I've Just Got To Get A Message

To You" and so on. Bold, imaginative

story-line pop. All blessed with

very full and expensive arrangements.

They had Colin Peterson and

Vince Melouney in the general

backing, the fourth and fifth Bee

Gees - and there were sounds of

uproar when the Home Office

decreed that these two genuine

Australians had to return home

"down under" because their work

permits had expired. "If they go,

we go", said Barry with determination.

That problem was resolved, but

not before many girl fans had

chained themselves to the railings

at Buckingham Palace by way of

protest.

But trouble was never to be far

away from the Bee Gees. First,

Vince Melouney left. Then Colin

Peterson. Then Robin, left in his

own brand of high dudgeon. It

looked as if the Bee Gees would

end up just as a duo - Maurice and

Barry. But even they split.

Now the arguments are over.

The three brothers are back together.

Each is married; Maurice

to top popper Lulu and they

have their own lives, their own

bases, to act as a sort of antidote

to the on-stage performances.

AU the same, when brother turns

against brother, the noise can be

heard a long way off. There aren't

too many "family" units in pop

.music, and the Bee Gees were big

enough to merit all the headlines.

Now, with a hit single and a

magnificent album arriving out of

the re-union, the Bee Gees realise

just where they went wrong before.

Says Robin: "We didn't talk to

each other. That was the trouble.

We'd tum up for work and have

our own grievances against the

others and just keep it all bottled

up. Eventually there had to be a

terrible explosion. It was never as

bad as some of the stories suggested,

but no matter- it was bad

enough that it was a family turned

upside-down against itself.

"Now, if anything is getting us

down, we talk about it. I guess you

could say that it was due to the

strain of trying to stay at the top

-because, deep down, we all like

to look for perfection. But it must

have been tough for the fans - it

was almost as if we were expecting

them to take sides in what was a

family dispute."

The Bee Gees' "Cucumber

Castle" was shown a few months

back on television and underlined

the talent for improvisation and

comedy within the group. Actually

all the brothers are serious minded.

They smile easily enough,

but they take life very seriously.

One thing now is certain.

They've stopped offering advice to

each other in the way they did

before. For example, Barry claiming

that Maurice shouldn't marry

Lulu because he was "too young

and immature" was hardly calculated

to bring about peace and

harmony. Now they work together-

but they also work separately

on their own special interests in show business.

Said Maurice: "Just one thing,

though. Tell the fans we're going

to work together for them ... it's

the fans who really matter in the

long run. Some of their letters

over the past year or so have really

touched' us- they've been so obviously

keen on all of us getting

together and working again."

Yet there were people who

thought the whole family feud

built up solely for publicity. You

should ask Mr. and Mrs. Gibb

senior about that- they were completely

heartbroken a t the way

the boys grew apart and even refused

to speak to each other.

Maybe it isn't easy even for

brothers who sing in harmony to

live in harmony.

But the Gibb brothers, Barry

and Maurice and Robin , are trying

very hard indeed. And that's a personal

promise from them.

Pitch & Putt

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