Robin Gibb. Vocalist of the group "Bee Gees"
The musicians sent their songs to the then manager The Beatles Brian Epstine, who invited them to London and in 1967 helped the band secure a five-year deal with the Polydor label. Manager Bee Gees became Epstein's business partner, Robert Stigwood.
BI-JIZ (The Bee Gees), English vocal and instrumental group. The core of the group consisted of three brothers Gibb (Gibb): the elder Barry (Barry, b. 1947) and the younger twins Robin and Maurice (Robin and Maurice, b. 1949). When the older brother was 9 and the younger 7, they made their debut in the competition for young talents in Manchester. In 1958, the Gibb family moved to Australia, to Brisbane, where the singing trio gained popularity with the audience. In January 1963, the trio released their debut "forty-five" with the characteristic title of Three Kisses of Love (Three Kisses of Love). It was followed by new records that hit the Australian charts: Claustrophobia (Claustrophobia), Serenity (Peace of Mind), Wine and women (Wine and Women). In the middle of the decade, the trio were unanimously voted the best pop group in Australia.
In February 1967 the group returned to London. Here the brothers included drummer Colin Peterson (Colin Peterson) in their lineup, and then invited Australian guitarist Vince Melouney (Vince Melouney). In the summer of the same year, their first album Bee Gees "First. Until the end of the decade, the group released several records that sold millions of copies: I Can't See Anyone (I Can" t See Nobody), Massachusetts (Massachusetts), First of May (First of May) and the mega hit Words (Words). The result of the group's triumph in the English music market was summed up by the album Best of Bee Gees (1970).
However, as the fame of the BJs grew, there were disagreements between the members of the group: the twins expressed disagreement with the musical tastes of their older brother. Finally Robin left the group to work alone. The trio continued to work until Pietersen left the group. However, he considered that he had similar rights to the promoted brand "Bee-Jies" and, having collected new group, released the album Odessa (Odessa) under this brand.
The Gibb brothers' spat did not last long. Already in 1971, the trio reunited, released the single Lonely Days, two new albums and resumed concert activity. IN next year things got even better, and the trio released the final collection Best of the Bee Gees: Volume 2 (Best of the Bee Gees: Volume 2).
The single Down the Road, marked by energetic rhythm and blues intonations, fell out of the general musical style and helped the BJs regain popularity. The next album Main Course (Main Course, 1975) outlined a turn from lyrical rock to rhythm and blues and disco that was becoming fashionable. The musicians consolidated a promising trend in the next successful album Children of the World (1976). But their main success was yet to come. By pure chance, they were commissioned to write some dance songs for the movie Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta. Five days later, two songs appeared, then five more and more ... The single How Deep Is Your Love was released on the eve of the film's appearance on the screens and immediately soared to the top of the hit parade. It was followed by the singles I stay alive (Stain "Alive) and Night Fever (Night Fever), which became bestsellers in the spring of 1978. The self-titled album with recordings of songs composed by the Gibb brothers for the movie was a huge success: 12 million copies were sold. "Bee-Jies" received five Grammy nominations.
In the early 1980s, the brothers took up independent projects, and the group actually ceased to exist. In 1987, the trio got together to work on a new ESP album, which was lost in Billboard magazine's Top 200.
On January 12, 2003, Maurice Gibb died in a Miami hospital.
In 1962, the brothers sang at the Sydney Stadium, "warming up" the audience before the performance of the "king of the twist" Chubby Checker (Chubby Checker), first appearing under the name BEE GEES. Then they start writing their own songs.
In January 1963, the trio released their debut "forty-five" with the characteristic title Three Kisses of Love ("Three Kisses of Love"). It was followed by new singles that hit the Australian charts: Claustrophobia, Peace of Mind, Wine and Women. In the middle of the decade, the trio were unanimously voted the best pop group in Australia.
In February 1967 the group returned to London. Here the brothers included drummer Colin Peterson (b. March 24, 1946, Kinearoy, Queensland, Australia), and then invited Australian guitarist Vince Melouney (b. August 18, 1949, Sydney, Australia). In the summer of the same year, their first album, The Bee Gees "First", was released. Before the end of the decade, the group released several singles that sold millions of copies: To Love Somebody, I Can't See Nobody, Massachusetts, First of May and the mega hit Words. The result of the group's triumph in the English music market was summed up by the album "Best of Bee Gees" (1970).
However, as the fame of BEE GEES grew, there were disagreements between the members of the group: the twins expressed disagreement with the musical tastes of their older brother. Finally Robin left the group to work alone. The trio continued to exist until Peterson left the group.
The Gibb brothers' spat did not last long. Already in 1971, the trio reunited, released the single Lonely Days, two new albums and resumed concert activity. Things got even better the following year, and the trio released their final compilation, Best of the Bee Gees: Volume 2.
The single Down the Road, marked by energetic rhythm and blues intonations, fell out of the general musical style and helped BEE GEES to strengthen its popularity. The next album "Main Course" (1975) outlined a turn from lyrical rock to disco that was becoming fashionable. The musicians consolidated a promising trend in the next successful album "Children Of The World" (1976). But their main success was yet to come.
The band's manager Robert Stigwood was simultaneously producing the film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta. Stigwood sent the Gibb brothers an urgent commission to compose four new dance songs for the film; they wrote five songs and then added two more to them. The single How Deep Is Your Love was released on the eve of the film's release and immediately soared to the top of the hit parade. It was followed by the singles Stayin "Alive and Night Fever, which became bestsellers in the spring of 1978. The film itself (largely thanks to the music of BEE GEES) produced the effect of an exploding bomb, marking the arrival of a new lifestyle - the style" in the rhythm of disco ". The self-titled album with recordings The songs written by the Gibb brothers for the film were also a huge success, selling 12 million copies and winning the Album of the Year award, earning BEE GEES five Grammy nominations.
In the first half of the 1980s. BEE GEES musicians were mainly engaged in composing hits for other artists and producing activities. The Gibb brothers are credited with such compositions as Woman In Love by Barbra Streisand, Chain Reaction by Diana Ross, Heartbreaker by Dionne Warwick, Islands In The Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. In 1984, Barry recorded his debut solo album, Now Voyager, and two years later, under the guise of the band name THE BUNBURYS, released the album We Are The Bunburys. Since the end of 1980 the group has returned to active creative activity and again conquers the charts of many countries. In 1997, along with the release of the album "Still Waters", BEE GEES were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Bee Gees.
A story about the world's oldest child stars.
Barry was the eldest, so his father only spoke to him, even when it came to other children. Maurice was considered the most reliable, so his father never worried about him. And Robin was just crazy. Sometimes, when they were touring with concerts all over Australia, Robin could suddenly sing Tyrolean roulades at the top of his lungs. Then the father sitting behind the wheel, without taking his eyes off the road, calmly gave the order to stop the goat bleating.
"He is a real father, which, probably, are only in Northern England," says Maurice Gibb.
"For me, my father's opinion is very important until now," says Barry, smoothing his spotted jeans on his knees.
"Never give up. Never give up. Never give up. Winston Churchill" - a sheet with this quote is pinned to the wall in the Bee Gees Studios in Miami Beach. Here the brothers from Manchester recorded their 26th long-playing album "High Civilization", and their single "Secret Love" for a long time occupied the first places in the chart of popularity.
"Father is terribly proud of us," says Maurice Gibb.
What cute boys they were then, in the early 60s, when they lived in Australia! In the photographs of those years, they are in white shirts with narrow black ties and in plaid vests, their hands rested on their sides like an adult.
That was the time when their father Hugh Gibb decided to make them a "white" version - the famous trio "Milis Brothers" in the 30s, which consisted of three black brothers and sang sweet songs like "I'll buy myself a doll" or "Goodbye, little thrush". That was the time when the father before each concert to shine their shoes, smeared with greasing and styled their hair to make them look "cultured".
They then sang in variety shows, and avid players stopped stuffing coins into machines for the duration of their performance. “Before we started performing for young people, we had to sing for adults,” says Maurice. “It was not interesting, we wanted to become the Beatles.
Maybe that's why they became bigger Beatles than the Beatles themselves. If the real Beatles performed more than just their stuff, the Bee Gees never neglected this indicator of talent. And if John Lennon and Paul McCartney sang like slightly grown-up boys from the choir, then the voices of Barry, Maurice and Robin were distinguished by a heavenly sound and vibrated as if the archangel Gabriel himself sang, accompanied by cherubs and seraphim. Their career seemed to many a shadow of the Beatles, but how majestic and powerful this shadow was! IN
In 1967, Maurice Gibb met John, Paul, George and Ringo for the first time in a London club, and this meeting was like an awakening for him.
“Just three months ago, I was running around the streets of Sydney, reading a magazine published by Beatles fans, and suddenly I found myself nose to nose with them, sitting and drinking. The first thing John Lennon said to me was: “How about whiskey with coke?” And I had never drunk whiskey with coke before in my life, but I said: “How so?” And since then I have only drunk whiskey with coke.
And after so many years filled with success and worldwide fame, the Beatles, like most people in their profession, began to split, compete, jealousy.
And the Bee Gees, also not free from some difficulties in relationships, still managed to maintain their group and their prestige. "It's all native blood, otherwise we would have fled a long time ago," says Barry.
"When the Bee Gees sing, I think they cry," says Michael Jackson, as does the Bee Gees, the eternal child star and Barry Gibb's most loyal friend in pop music today. At first, the lyrics of the Bee Gees songs resembled excerpts from youthful diaries filled with sighs and sobs. But the arrangement from the very beginning was distinguished by maturity and professional skill.
After they released their first great record in England in 1967 with the help of manager Robert Stigwood, "Uncle Robert" bought them a real orchestra. London Symphony with 44 musicians. "When we wrote "Massachusetts" and our orchestra first performed it, there was no strength to hold back the tears. It was extraordinary! Feelings overwhelmed us. We were like children in a toy store: we wanted to grab everything and not give it away!"
Maurice sits on a light brown carpet, legs tucked under him, in his home in Miami Beach and plays with the remote control from a huge TV. The room is decorated in an old-fashioned way with family photographs, on the wall is a mirror picture of a mermaid and a swan, on the floor next to it is a large rag dog.
Massachusetts was their first and lasting success, selling three million LPs and 10 million singles in two years. Never later did their music sound so grand and mature as when they were only 17-20 years old. Over time, their success has grown, as if he had absorbed all the growth hormones released by the BJs themselves - over 1,000 hits, over 100 million records sold, the only pop group to top the US chart six times in a row.
With the huge amount of money they made from their greatest hits like "The Mine Disaster of 1941", "Glory", " Broken heart", "Staying Alive" or "Night Fever", they could buy up the entire store called the world. In 1975, they moved to live in Miami Beach - a haven for aging stars.
There, by combining fraternal efforts and means, they built a fantastic family park on the ocean coast next to the famous king of Formula 1 car racing Emerson Fittipaldi and the king's nephew Saudi Arabia. They also have high-class motor boats, Porsches and Rolls-Royces, Persian carpets, a rare breed of Japanese dogs, as well as awesome-looking Galaxyb satellite dishes that receive transmissions from Australia, swimming pools, sports facilities.
Well, dad and mom moved to the dream of their hungry youth, Las Vegas, and settled there in close proximity to the idol of their young years, Donald Mills, the only surviving brother from the Mills Brothers trio. The father, the creator of the Bee Gees, was replaced by others: manager Robert Stigwood got the brothers fame, and producer Arif Merdin made Barry his famous falsetto.
Now this is yesterday for Barry. But until now, his student years are sitting in him, which, God sees, were far from always happy. He recalls how his father always stood somewhere in the back row with a reinforced concrete expression on his face, which meant an order:
"Smile! If you are unhappy, the audience should not feel it, they should be happy at the concert!" "Father has always been a great professional!" Maurice says admiringly.
To be happy... But it was not so easy, dad. In the 70s, when success began to decline and the Bee Gees performed in the backwater nightclubs of Northern England, they had to look for "support" stronger than their own father. Barry was addicted to marijuana, Robin soothed himself with tranquilizers, and Maurice - vodka. Barry and Robin got into senseless professional scandals with Maurice, accusing him of betrayal, factions, coalitions appeared, but in the late 70s it all stopped, and the brothers got together again.
"Today there are no quarrels and there is no animosity. All brothers in the world fight at some point, and, oddly enough, the fight between brothers is more fierce than other people," says Barry.
However, the relationship between them is quite complex. Maurice and Robin, born in 1949, are twins, so to speak, born allies. Maybe that's why Barry, who was born in 1947, always felt lonely, but then in 1958 Andy was born, like two drops of water similar to Barry. Andy always wanted to be in the Bee Gees with his brothers, but they did not let him in, and he, like a young nervous colt, rushed through life: at first he stumbled over an unhappy love for a famous actress, performer leading role in the TV series "Dallas" - Victoria Principal, and then about the unsuccessful career of a singer-soloist. All this, together with addiction to alcohol and drugs, led him to death. Andy Gibb turned 30 and died 5 days later.
For his father, Andy's death was a life catastrophe, but he and his mother did not fully understand what had happened to him.
Father did not flinch even after Andy's death. He remained an old, kind, grouchy, made-of-stone North English father and teacher. And only at a concert in New York, when my father, as always, was in the audience and the Bee Gees sang a wonderfully sad "Holiday", and Maurice took a soul-grabbing chord on the organ, and just then a terrible downpour broke out, old Gibb , feeling completely covered, gave vent to tears. The downpour soon stopped, and my father's face was still wet, either from tears or from rain. After the performance, he squeaked, "You guys were great. And the audience really got together tonight. Right?"
Throughout their careers, the Bee Gees have been tapping their audiences with a stethoscope to anticipate fan requests. Over time, they have evolved into a typical group of child stars who are usually popular with either too young or too old viewers. "I'm very fond of very young girls, but there are also many admirers at my mother's age," says Barry.
Outside Barry's studio, Gibba is again waiting for Cathy with her camera. Since 1974, when she first saw the Bee Gees, Cathy has collected 20 albums of their photographs. And now, already wrapped in jeans, Barry picks up, straightens his beard (“Smile and seem happy!” - his father signals from Las Vegas), clumsily but obediently sits down on a bench and takes a pose for a photo. He still won’t sit down, he doesn’t know where to put his legs, but Katie gratefully takes it off, takes it off, takes it off.
The Bee Gees never tired of being interested in their popularity with the public. “I didn’t try to find out how much I earned for the concert. I always wanted to be loved by the audience,” Maurice admits. “The Beatles also wrote songs to please everyone, and not just some one specific group of people.”
When no one else wanted to buy the Bee Gees records from 1971 to 1975, they engaged in careful market research to win back the lost popularity. "These long, endless ballads of ours... I think we went too far with them. We liked them, but they weren't what the public wanted." They decided to replace their obsolete recipe and added funk and soul in the spirit of Motown, and were very surprised when the disco style was born from this in the late 70s.
Is it possible not to love child stars? It turns out you can. After the Bee Gees performed on "Make a Wish" in 1970, a Bild reader wrote to his paper, "Disgusting!" At the same time, the Bee Gees did not give the slightest reason to see them as typical exuberant representatives of rock and roll. "We've never done anything like throwing TVs out of windows or anything like that," says Barry. "We just didn't have the energy to do it, and besides, it's expensive."
However, in his second home in England, in an old monastery built eight centuries ago, it is not very good for Robin to surround himself and his harp-playing, drawing and lightly pissing wife Dvina with Tudor antiques.
In the old days, Robin, on the contrary, was distinguished by extravagance. His bleached, asymmetrically tied hair, black leather jacket created the image of a "young angry man."
"I like to dress out of the ordinary, and I've always liked earrings," he then recalls his commitment to the band and adds, "I think it's good for the group's image."
Fantastic success "Bee Gees" brought five songs specially written for the film "Fever Saturday night", in which John Travolta glorified the erotic-boastful generation of "disco" with might and main. It was in 1970, and then the "Bee Gees" were dressed in jeans and T-shirts. looked like sailors: "It's even uncomfortable to dance in them!" And suddenly they become the number one disco group! Neither friends nor enemies of the "disco" style can still forgive them for this.
After their second revival, they completely redesigned their show and moved on to a bright, sparkling, computer-controlled spectacle. To guess what people need, you need to let them listen to what they will not hear anywhere.
In general, the eternal child-stars live by what they find in their "toy box" and what replaces them real life. Barry always believed in supernatural powers before he knew real life. For years, his secret friend was an imaginary lion. Later, he calculated the winnings for his wife's parents. lottery numbers. And in Miami, a UFO once appeared to him, and he was silver, with a red tooth. He trembled a little on weight in the air, and disappeared over the horizon.
Maurice had an inexplicable warm feeling as the Great Pyramid's tomb room lit up. Robin is still waiting for the coming of a good spirit in his monastery. His wife once noticed that the bowl for holy water was filled with water and earth during the night, and their gardener heard someone unseen start a large grandfather clock in the living room at night.
And one day, when they were all working together on a new record in a recording studio, a chair suddenly moved and the door opened. "It was the spirit of our Andy, and that means he's happy," says Maurice. "He was buried in Los Angeles, but his spirit is with us."
Here the family is almost complete. My father will probably also go on the upcoming tour of Europe and, as always, will command the lighting of the stage with iron inflexibility during the tour. Maybe then he will smile.
Discography:
Bee Gees 1st (1967)
Horizontal (1968)
Idea (1968)
Odessa (1969)
Best of Bee Gees (1969)
Cucumber Castle (1970)
2 Years On (1970)
Trafalgar (1971)
To Whom It May Concern (1972)
Life In a Tin Can (1973)
A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants (1973)
Best of Bee Gees Volume 2 (1973)
Mr. Natural (1974)
Main Course (1975)
Children of the World (1976)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Spirits Having Flow (1979)
Bee Gees Greatest (1979)
Living Eyes (1981)
Staying Alive (soundtrack) (1983)
E.S.P. (1987)
One (1989)
Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990)
High Civilization (1991)
Size Isn't Everything (1993)
Still Waters (1997)
One Night Only (1997)
This Is Where I Came In (2001)
Their Greatest Hits: The Record (2001)
Number Ones (2004)
Bee Gees Love Songs (2005)
Group history: Bee Gees - the path to popularity
As they say, it is impossible to create the same impression twice. However, the British group Bee Gees ("Bee Gees") completely refuted this opinion. After all, having achieved fame, the guys for some time “lay down at the bottom” of show business, in order to return again for a new dose of public love. During its existence, the team has sold more than one hundred million copies of records. This makes it one of the most successful groups in history contemporary music.
The Bee Gees were created by the three Gibb brothers. The leader and vocalist was the eldest - Barry. And, here, the twins Robin and Maurice were the second vocalist and keyboardist-guitarist, respectively.
Even in early childhood, the brothers loved to listen to their father for a long time, who played in a local rock and roll band and thus taught his children to music. As follows, from the further biography of the Bee Gees participants, his efforts were crowned with success, and after a few years, since 1955, the children played on the same stage with their father.
After emigrating to Australia in 1958, the guys already create their own Music band Bee Gees (abbreviation Brothers Gibb). To begin with, they played the club scenes in Brisbane and were not taken seriously at first. And indeed, if you look at the photo of Bee Jiztech from the time, we see a rather funny picture, the guys looked like fledgling chicks, no longer teenagers, but not yet men. And, nevertheless, even then the bright individuality of each member of the Bee Gees group began to appear. The undoubted charisma and visual appeal of Barry complemented Robin, with his slightly trembling voice and charm. The third brother, Maurice, did not possess any outstanding abilities, either external or vocal, he nevertheless became an indispensable member of the group, like his brothers. These and other abilities of the trio made it possible to create their own image, so unique and adored by millions of fans for decades.
After living in Australia for eight years, in 1966 the Gibb family returned to good old England, where they began musical career Bee Gees. Their first album, which was designed by Klaus Wurmann, was released in 1967. Since then, the guys have become very famous among fans of psychedelic pop. But, it was at that time that this style was popular among the hippie communities. Photos of Bee Gees adorn the walls of their fans. So, the musicians of "Bee Gees" won the love of thousands of young Europeans. Their compositions Holiday, Turn Of The Century, To Love Somebody and others became real hits, and the records were sold at an incredible rate. However, with the advent of the 70s, the Bee Gees albums ceased to interest the public.
The second wave of fame began when the musicians suddenly moved away from the psychedelic and began to perform disco. In 1977, the film "Saturday Night Fever" was released, in which the composition Stayin "Alive" sounded. After some time, she hit the leading lines of many charts, which again reminded the world of "Bee Gees". And again, numerous articles about Bee Jees vied with each other to praise and sing of their talent.
It was this song that became the musical quintessence of the entire disco culture. In addition, doctors believe that this single is the perfect accompaniment for chest compressions. The rhythm of the song is 103 beats per minute, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, you need to press on the chest about 100 times per minute.
With the advent of the 80s, disco began to be gradually forgotten and the Bee Gees began to play rock. Until 2003, they still released several albums, but due to the death of Maurice, they ceased to exist. Then, of course, there was information about the Bee Gees group that they would be reborn again, but Barry and Robin decided that it was better to remain legends of “that” time than to try to achieve popularity again.
And, unfortunately, on this moment this becomes impossible, since in the past 2012, the second brother, Robin, died of cancer, almost until his death, he worked, despite his poor health.
Undoubtedly, the Bee Gees musical trio have made a great contribution to the development of the global music industry. For this they were awarded not only a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but also the love of millions. They remained the brightest representatives of the crazy 80s.
In 2005, the book " Full biography The Bee Gees. "Tales of the Brothers Gibb" by Billie M., Cook G. and Hughes E., it describes the personal lives of the members of the Bee Gees, unknown facts from their lives, various curious cases that fans of the group will appreciate.
The discography of the Bee Gees is a record in number and includes more than 60 albums, including solo albums, which were released by each of the brothers, numerous compositions for films, and just a lot of good music. For this music, the trio was repeatedly awarded various prestigious awards, they were once inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Discography of the group "Bee Gees":
The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs (1965)
Spicks and Specks (1966) (originally titled Monday`s Rain)
Bee Gees 1st (1967)
Turn Around Look At (1967)
Horizontal (1968)
Idea (1968)
Rare, Precious, Beautiful, Vol.1 (1968)
Rare, Precious, Beautiful, Vol.2 (1969)
Odessa (1969)
Best of Bee Gees (1969)
Cucumber Castle (1970)
Rare, Precious, Beautiful, Vol.3 (1970)
Sound Of Love (1970)
Melody (soundtrack) (1971)
Trafalgar (1971)
2 Years On (1972)
To Whom It May Concern (1972)
A Kick In The Head (1973) (unreleased album)
Far East Tour 1973 (1973) (album only released in Japan)
Life In a Tin Can (1973)
A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants (1973)
Best of Bee Gees Volume 2 (1973)
Mr. Natural (1974)
Bee Gees - Starportrait (1974)
Bee Gees - The Original Odessa (1974)
Main Course (1975)
The Bee Gees - POP Giants, Vol.19 (1975)
Gold/Volume One (1975)
Best Of Bee Gees, Vol.3 (1975)
Children of the World (1976)
Massachusetts (1976)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Here At Last Bee Gees Live (1977)
I've Gotta Get A Message To You (1977)
Take Hold Of That Star (c) 1964 (1978)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts (soundtrack) (1978)
Spirits Having Flow (1979)
Bee Gees Greatest (1979)
Guilty Demos (1980)
Living Eyes (1981)
Staying Alive (1983)
E.S.P. (1987)
One (1989)
Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990)
High Civilization (1991)
Size Isn't Everything (1993)
The Very Best Of Bee Gees (1996)
Claustrophobia (1996)
Still Waters (1997)
One Night Only (1998)
The Very Best Of Bee Gees (1998)
Tomorrow The World (1999)
This Is Where I Came In (2001)
Their Greatest Hits: The Record (2001)
Number Ones (2004)
Bee Gees Love Songs (2005)
The Ultimate Bee Gees (2009)
Mythology: The 50th Anniversary Collection (4CD) (2010)
In March 2005, Robin visited Moscow for the first time, where he performed on stage Kremlin Palace with two concerts. And in 2006, already in the UK, the musician gave an exclusive interview to the correspondent of the newspaper "AiF Europe". I found it open and interesting. The article appeared in the press under the title - "The talents are not gone, but no one wants to deal with them."
I decided to put interesting, in my opinion, excerpts from this interview: -
At the MANSION of Robin Gibb, the correspondent of AiF Europe was met by ... two wolfhounds the size of medium-sized calves. And from both sides they buried their muzzles in the windows of the car, examining with curiosity who it was that arrived here. A figure in black jeans, a black T-shirt and a baseball cap emerged from the house—Robin.
- THEY just want to make friends with you, it's the kindest creatures in the world!
My home just turned 1000 years old. In that room over there, nine Catholic bishops sat and sentenced Joan of Arc. The messenger went to France with orders from here. However, any room of this house can tell its own story... - Do ghosts bother you?
- Maybe there are, but I haven't seen them (laughs). But in general, everyone has their own ghosts of the past, so they need to be afraid.
There are no people - there are "projects"
THREE years ago, after the death of Morris Gibb (Robin's twin brother), it was announced that the Bee Gees would no longer perform under that name. However, Robin and Barry Gibb have just finished recording a new album.
“We just paid tribute to the memory of Morris. His party, old hits, sing various artists“Paul McCartney, Elton John,” says Robin Gibb.
Well, at that time there were no computers. Now you can use it to make an opera aria from the creak of a door. But even now we do not use the computer much, except as an auxiliary tool. A high voice- Yes, just such a technique of singing. By the way, of the three of us, only Barry sang in falsetto, and we sang along. It's not difficult - Paul McCartney also sang falsetto, Mick Jagger dabbled in it. It made us recognizable. I am against the computer replacing the live voice. To create our "signature" sound, we looked for instruments in stores, and not according to the manufacturer and not according to fashion, but precisely those whose sound would correspond to our voices. Now nobody does it. Why, if there are computer programs? In the course - monotony and imitation. Turn on the radio and listen to a few songs - you will not notice any difference in voices, performance or music. All in one face.
- It is obvious that recent years 10-15 on the rock and pop scene, there was practically not a single noticeable name added. What do you think is the reason for this decline?
- Variety has ceased to be art, turning into pure money making. The record companies are primarily to blame for this. Now they do not expect favors from nature - truly talented guys, but produce their own product. One recruits teenagers into groups, the other teaches them to move on stage, the third churns out songs for them. And someone is engaged in marketing, promoting this ready-made “something” to the public. It doesn't matter to them whether this group will exist next year or even its name will be forgotten, whether this song will sound in a year or two or not. The main thing is to make money and as soon as possible. Read the announcements about the castings: "Young people from 16 to 20 years old are recruited, slender, good-looking, able to dance." And it's in vocal group! I feel sorry for these boys and girls who are now called "stars". After all, they are pawns, silent slaves. They are not even called ensembles, but "projects". There is nothing - no people, no personalities, no voices, no names. They are a PROJECT. Their individuality, even if it was, is killed in the bud. And this is very sad. Talents have not disappeared, they are there - but no one wants to deal with them: it's too troublesome. Talent must be nurtured, polished, and this is the time.
- Almost all of your songs, even the earliest ones, are sad. Didn't you want to write about happiness in your youth?
- Songs about "unrequited love" are the fastest to remember and the easiest to sell. Not everyone was happy in life, but almost everyone had difficulties. The psychology of a person is such that in difficult moments he is drawn to music that reflects his inner mood. A child who will be born in 50 years will experience the same emotions throughout his life that we experienced. This is very important to understand and not try to explain the squalor of modern music by the lack of demand for songs with good lyrics filled with feelings and emotions. Today, songs do not talk about love, friendship, happiness, longing and sadness. This is pure action - I went there, met him, and ... then one sex. Neither mind nor heart. But the demand for good music There is. However, now some, instead of creating something themselves, prefer to take advantage of ready-made and proven time. Look at how many remixes are being made, for example, on our songs.
- And how do you feel about the fact that someone "re-sings" them?
- Doubly so. On the one hand, we are glad that our songs are alive. Of course, most of the young, listening to a remix performed by some contemporary singer, does not even suspect whose works these are. On the other hand, it's a shame when they drag the fruits of your labor. And, frankly, the performance, frankly, is often something else ... Now I have headed a special commission at the European Parliament, which will deal specifically with the topic of remixes. Any remixes, even those that mention the name of the real author, in my opinion, should be banned. Music and performance famous songs convey the atmosphere, the style of those years when they were written and performed. In a remix, this is lost, that is, the works lose the most important thing - their soul. And, in the end, there must be at least some respect for real authors, for their work and talent! It is necessary to consider not only the material and legal aspects of the issue, but also the moral one.
— YOU were born in the UK, grew up and became famous in Australia. Lived in America...
- The matter is even more complicated. We were born on the small Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. The islet, although it belongs to Great Britain, has its own flag, its own currency and even a parliament. Then we moved to Manchester, then to Australia, where we actually grew up and became famous. After that, we returned to England again and only then lived in the USA. I don't like America. I do not share any American culture, nor American outlook on life, nor their demeanor. I don't even like their music. And even more so, I do not share their political orientation. Every time I'm in the US, I feel like I'm on another planet. Most Americans travel very little, they have no idea what is going on in the world, so they believe everything that their politicians say. The last time I was there, I was simply shocked by the fact that the Americans do not even know where Iraq is located, with which their country is now at war! The most "educated" knew about Iraq, "that it's hot there." That's all. For them, Iraq is what they talk about in the news, they don’t know anything else and don’t want to know. Americans are always and in everything first, always right. And why? Because their government told them so. It is not right. America is trying to spread democracy around the world. Only here in their own country they forgot about democracy. If in the 60s there were still demonstrations against government decisions, newspapers published critical articles, now this is practically non-existent. And where is this freedom of speech, freedom of the press? At the same time, it seems that no one needs it. Children, before crossing the threshold of the school, are required to swear allegiance to the American flag. I do not understand this! Which of these children will grow up? Nationalist fanatics! IN Nazi Germany In the 1930s, too, the whole country swore every day to a rag with a swastika. And ended badly.
- One of the Bee Gees albums is called Odessa. Why did you suddenly decide to dedicate a disc to a Soviet city?
Because we really liked him. Barry and I visited Odessa in 1968. This is just a tribute to the city, which made a great impression on us, its history, the sea. That's all. Do not try to see anything political in the disc. At first, Barry wanted to name it differently - "Masterpiece" (Masterpiece), but I insisted on the name "Odessa".
- And when did you first come to Moscow?
- In March 2005, we sang in the Kremlin. Like this: the first time in Moscow - and immediately to the Kremlin (laughs).
- And what is your impression?
“This is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in my life. If I had known, I would have arrived earlier. The architecture is amazing and like nothing else. Churches are like huge elegant cakes, and how many of them ... And the colors! London is very gray compared to Moscow.
- It's still winter in Moscow in March, haven't you frozen?
I didn't suffer much from the cold. And then, the warmth with which we were received warmed better than any southern sun. How do you manage to be such emotional and warm people in such a cold country?
Margaret STUART, Oxfordshire, UK. "AiF Europe" №8 28.08.2006
Robin's favorite home is Prebendal Manor in Oxfordshire. The house was originally built as a monastery according to the drawings and under the direction of the famous theologian Robert Grosseteste in 1241. Promoted priests went through a "training school" here before they were appointed bishops. It was in Prebendal that the Catholic Episcopal Commission also met, which passed the death sentence on Joan of Arc, the national heroine of France. Later, the estate became the residence of the Duke of Cornwall, Henry VIII and his wife Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I often stayed here. 
Robin with his wife Dwayne and their favorite dogs - kind Irish wolfhounds - Ollie and Missy. 
Bee Gees.
On the night of May 21, in a London clinic, at the age of 63, he died of cancer - one of the founders of the Bee Gees group, British singer and composer Robin Gibb.
The end of last year brought bad news to Robin Gibb: during the diagnostics, cancer of the liver and intestines was discovered. Removal of the tumor, courses of intensive chemotherapy - it even seemed that Robin was on the mend, but on April 14 he fell into a coma. To make matters worse, Gibb contracted pneumonia. In addition, doctors suggested that perhaps there is another tumor in the singer's body. Donna Summer. The Gibb family also suffered their losses. Maurice, twin brother of Robin Gibb, died in 2003. In 1988, the youngest of the Andy brothers, who started solo career died of a heart attack at the age of 30. The Gibb brothers are the founders of the Bee Gees, which consisted of two vocalists Robin and Barry and guitarist-keyboardist Maurice Gibb. Twins Robin and Maurice were born on December 22, 1949, and Barry Gibb on September 1, 1946.
The peak of the fame of the Bee Gees came in the 70s of the twentieth century. Seven music awards The Gibb brothers received the Grammys. Among other things, they became famous as songwriters for Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross, and not just as performers. The band recorded their last album in 2001. At the end of 2009, Robin and Barry announced the revival of the Bee Gees, but Robin's illness prevented creativity.
Fans of the band write about the life and death of Robin Gibb on the Internet: “It's a pity for a great musician who wrote great music! She will outlive him for a long time. As Robin himself said, to write it he needed two notes. One is La, and the other is not La" (Pavel), "...the eternal music of our youth and love..." (Hope), "I grieve...my heart is breaking with pain..." (Elena), "Bee Gees have created many hits that are superbly listened to and Today. The unique coloring and melodiousness of the music, and especially the vocals of the soloists, will delight fans for a long time to come. Staying Alive!!!" (passerby).
The editors of the site mourn together all over the world about the death of a great musician.
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As they say, it is impossible to create the same impression twice. However, the BritishBee Gees group (BeeGees) completely refuted this view. After all, having achieved fame, the guys for some time “lay down at the bottom” of show business, in order to return again for a new dose of public love. During its existence, the team has sold more than one hundred million copies of records. This makes it one of the most successful bands in the history of modern music.
BeeGees group created by the three Gibb brothers. The leader and vocalist was the eldest - Barry. And, here, the twins Robin and Maurice were the second vocalist and keyboardist-guitarist, respectively.
Even in early childhood, the brothers loved to listen to their father for a long time, who played in a local rock and roll band and thus taught his children to music. As follows, from the nextbiographies of Bee Gees members his efforts were crowned with success and a few years later, since 1955, the children, along with their father, played on the same stage.
After emigrating to Australia in 1958, the guys already create their ownmusic group Bee Gees (according to the abbreviation BrothersGibb). To begin with, they played the club scenes in Brisbane and were not taken seriously at first. Indeed, if you look atphoto Bee Geese of those times, we see a rather funny picture, the guys looked like fledgling chicks, no longer teenagers, but not yet men. And, nevertheless, already then the bright individuality of each began to appear.Member of the Bee Gees. The undoubted charisma and visual appeal of Barry complemented Robin, with his slightly trembling voice and charm. The third brother, Maurice, did not possess any outstanding abilities, either external or vocal, he nevertheless became an indispensable member of the group, like his brothers. These and other abilities of the trio made it possible to create their own image, so unique and adored by millions of fans for decades.
After living in Australia for eight years, in 1966 the Gibb family returned to good old England, where they beganmusical career of the Bee Gees. Their first album, which was designed by Klaus Wurmann, was released in 1967. Since then, the guys have become very famous among fans of psychedelic pop. But, it was at that time that this style was popular among the hippie communities.Photos of Bee Gees adorn the walls of their fans. So,BeeGees musicians won the love of thousands of young Europeans. Their compositions Holiday, TurnOfTheCentury, ToLoveSomebody and others became real hits, and records were sold at an incredible rate. However, with the advent of the 70s, the BeeGees albums ceased to interest the public.
The second wave of fame began when the musicians suddenly moved away from the psychedelic and began to perform disco. In 1977, the film Saturday Night Fever was released, in which the composition Stayin' Alive sounded. After some time, she hit the leading lines of many charts, which once again reminded the world of the BeeGees. And again numerousarticles about Bee Gees vying to praise and sing of their talent.
It was this song that became the musical quintessence of the entire disco culture. In addition, doctors believe that this single is the perfect accompaniment for chest compressions. The rhythm of the song is 103 beats per minute, and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, you need to press on the chest about 100 times per minute.
With the advent of the 80s, disco began to be gradually forgotten andBee Gees performers started playing rock. Until 2003, they still released several albums, but due to the death of Maurice, they ceased to exist. Then, of course, there wasinformation about the Bee Gees group, that they would be reborn again, but Barry and Robin felt it was better to remain legends of "that" time than to try to achieve popularity again.
And, unfortunately, at the moment this is becoming impossible, since in the past 2012, the second brother, Robin, died of cancer, he worked almost until his death, despite his poor health.
Undoubtedlymusical trio Bee Gees made a great contribution to the development of the world music industry. For this they were awarded not only a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but also the love of millions. They remained the brightest representatives of the crazy 80s.
In 2005, the book "The Complete Biography of TheBeeGees" was published in Russia. "Tales of the Brothers Gibb", its authors Bilie M., Cook G. and Hughes E., it describespersonal life of Bee Gees members , unknown facts from their lives, various funny cases that fans of the group will appreciate.
Bee Gees discography is a record in its number and has more than 60 albums, including solo albums, which were released by each of the brothers, numerous compositions for films, and just a lot of good music. For this music, the trio was repeatedly awarded various prestigious awards, they were once inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
