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Rating:
Analyzing the career of the Bee Gees from 1970 to 1973 is akin to venturing into a bumpy and uneven path marked by much confusion, much indecision, few and sporadic flashes of note, and a steep decline in impact. That abysmal concentrate of treacle titled "Trafalgar", an album of irritating and spineless whining that tries to mask a total absence of ideas with suffocating and hypertrophic arrangements, yet inexplicably enjoys a certain credit and reputation, is the clearest example of this, even more than smoky and inconclusive concoctions like "2 Years On" and "To Whom It May Concern," in which there is at least a desperate attempt to continue proposing eclectic and original sounds. The Bee Gees were a pale shadow of their first golden period, 1967-1969, clinically dead in fact, and an immediate turning point was needed, otherwise they would face artistic agony in the most total anonymity. The volcanic Barry, the elder brother and more broadly visionary songwriter, had the winning idea: he realized it was time to cut ties with ballads; the days of "Let There Be Love," "Massachusetts," and "First Of May" were definitively behind them, and the future lay in rhythm, adrenaline, and vitality, and his foresight would be widely rewarded with the rapid revival of the Bee Gees' name.
After an album like "Odessa," it was no longer possible for the Bee Gees to sustain the compositional effort of an all-encompassing pop; it was better to narrow the field to a more limited but more incisive and modern stylistic range and give a fresh overhaul to the trio's image, which also went through the creation of an official logo proudly displayed on the cover of "Main Course." However, these are not yet the Bee Gees of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Spirits Having Flown," the compositional process is still equally divided among the three brothers, Barry's voice is predominant but not yet hegemonic, and his falsetto, which makes its official debut in "Main Course," is still confined to a few moments. Ultimately, "Main Course" is a sumptuous pop album with strong funk, soul, and RnB undertones, divinely produced, enriched by fantastic vocal harmonies and top-notch songwriting. Tracks like "Fanny Be Tender With MY Love", "Nights On Broadway", and "Jive Talkin'" are now history, they are pop music standards, but there is also a thrilling "Wind Of Change", perhaps the album's dance peak, the bold and almost martial stride of "All This Making Love", lazier moments like "Come On Over", "Baby As You Turn Away", the predecessor of "How Deep Is Your Love," and two wonderful ballads, "Songbird", written with an ear to Elton John, and "Country Lanes", the only moment of glory for Maurice in "Main Course," one of the most beautiful melodies ever written by the Bee Gees enriched by breathtaking vocal harmonies.
"Main Course" is an album that satisfies everyone, fans of the Bee Gees from the late '60s as well as admirers of the disco period, and it is simply one of the most important and influential albums in pop history: incontrovertible, impossible to deny. An album that still sounds very fresh, because the purest class is one that never wilts, an engaging, electric, and electrifying record, with a touch of sensuality and a thoroughly renewed compositional verve, one of the clearest cases of a second youth in musical history. Perfect arrangements, great songs, and a Barry Gibb finally at the peak of his vocal abilities ready to take the reins of the trio: the orchestral and sentimental pop of Maurice had had its day, it was part of the past, and the vocal charisma of the elder brother and today the only surviving Gibb brother would inevitably come to the forefront, with all the pros and cons that would entail. "Main Course" is the beginning of the transformation process but does not renounce the past, and for this reason, it is so perfect, and listening to it is always a sheer joy.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Jive Talkin' (03:43)
It's just you jive talkin'
you're telling me lies, yeah,
Jive talkin'
you wear a disguise,
Jive talkin',
so misunderstood,
Jive talkin'
You're really no good.
Oh my child, you'll never know,
Just what you mean to me,
Oh my child, you got so much,
You're gonna take away my energy with all your
Jive talkin'
You're telling me lies, yeah
Good lovin'
Still gets in my eyes,
Nobody believes what you say,
It's just your
Jive talkin' that gets in the way
Oh my love, you're so good,
Treating me so cruel,
There you go, with your fancy lies,
Leavin' me looking like a love struck fool,
With all your jive talkin'
You're telling me lies, yeah,
Jive talkin'
You wear a disguise,
Jive talkin' so misunderstood, yeah
Jive talkin'
You just ain't no good.
Love talkin' is all very fine, yeah
Jive talkin' just isn't a crime,
And if there's somebody you'll love till you die,
Then all that jive talking'
Just gets in your eye.
Jive talkin'
you're tellin' me lies, yeah
Your lovin'
still gets in my eyes
Nobody' believe what you say,
It's just your Jive talkin'
that gets in the way
Love talkin' is all very fine, yeah
Jive talkin' just isn't a crime,
And if there's somebody you'll love till you die,
Then all that jive talking'
Just gets in your eye.
yeah, yeah.
Oh Jive talkin'
(song fades)
03 Wind of Change (04:56)
In the streets of New York City
ev'ry man can feel the cold.
And I don't want no pity,
but I want my story told.
When the lights shine down on me,
they shine on the little boy.
Is this way to make him pay;
be'ng born in a world of joy.
But like me
he don't know where he'll go wrong;
he won't cry so many tears
till he finds out why he don't belong like me.
there's no room for us out there;
you can lose your hope and pride.
When it comes to broken dreams
you'll get your share.
Sometime a man breaks down,
and the good thing he is looking for
are crushed into the ground.
Get on up, look around;
can't you feel the wind of change?
Get on up, taste the air;
can't you see the wind of change;
Don't you understand what I'm sayin',
we need a god down there.
A man to lead us children,
take us from the valley of fear.
Make the lights shine down on us,
show us the road to go.
Help us survive, make us arrive,
teach us what we need to know.
But like me
he don't know where he'll go wrong;
he won't cry so many tears
till he finds out why he don't belong like me.
there's no room for us out there;
you can lose your hope and pride.
When it comes to broken dreams
you'll get your share.
Sometime a man breaks down,
and the good thing he is looking for
are crushed into the ground.
Get on up, look around;
can't you feel the wind of change?
Get on up, taste the air;
can't you see the wind of change;
Get on up ...
04 Songbird (03:36)
Go on with your song, bird -- you can't go wrong bird
You will go on and on, bird, like you did before
Though your wings are broken the sky is so wide open
And the wind is waiting for you like an open door
Though you go so far away, your voice will still be heard so well
You'll never really ever know how beautiful you are
When the moon is on the rise I'll try to make my songbird fly
I wonder if he ever will -- and if he really did, how far
Go on with your song, bird -- you can't go wrong bird
You will go on and on, bird, like you did before
Though your wings are broken the sky is so wide open
And the wind is waiting for you like an open door
Though you go so far away, your voice will still be heard so well
You'll never really ever know how beautiful you are
When the moon is on the rise I'll try to make my songbird fly
I wonder if he ever will -- and if he really did, how far
Go on with your song, bird -- you can't go wrong bird
You will go on and on, bird, through the open door
Go on with your song, bird -- you can't go wrong my bird
You will go on and on, bird, like you did before
Like you did before
07 Country Lanes (03:28)
So warm is my morning sun, red is my rainbow
Soft is the cool summer breeze when I saw your face
I saw the light in your eyes so dark and demanding
Like a light in the storm
Whenever I cry my friend
You're always away and so I pretend
If I could live the dreams that I see
Long live my love
Walking in country (country) lanes (country lanes)
I'll never belong to someone again
Living my whole life through
Long live my love for you
My life has meaning now, I am a window
And all things seem clear to me now
Like a light in the storm
Whenever I cry my friend
You're always away and so I pretend
If I could live the dreams that I see
Long live my love
Walking in country (country) lanes (country lanes)
I'll never belong to someone again
Living my whole life through
Long live my love
Walking in country (country) lanes (country lanes)
I'll never belong to someone again
Living my whole life through
Long live my love for you
09 Edge of the Universe (05:06)
Just my dog and I
at the edge of the universe.
Well, I didn't wanna bring her
and I know it'll make her worse.
Now I look out on forever
and it must be nice down there.
And they call me Shenandora in the air.
Well, I'm ten feet tall,
but I'm only three feet wide.
And I live inside an ocean that flows
on the other side.
If I came back down tomorrow,
would it all be far too soon?
And it looks like it's gonna be a lovely afternoon.
I thought that I was going home,
and all the way I kept on prayin'.
I couldn't stop to turn around;
well, here I am and here I'm stayin'.
It's been my longest journey
and I've come through the black of night.
I was tired and hungry
when I saw your distant light.
Well, I know this may sound crazy,
but I'm sure I got here first.
I'm just me, Shenandora,
at the edge of the universe.
I thought that I was going home,
and all the way I kept on prayin'.
I couldn't stop to turn around;
well, here I am and here I'm stayin'.
Just my dog and I
at the edge of the universe.
Well, I didn't wanna bring her
and I know it'll make her worse.
Now I look out on forever
and it must be nice down there.
And they call me Shenandora in the air.
At the edge of the universe...
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