Product Description

Updated to include the tragic death of Maurice Gibb in February 2003, this biography looks at the career of the Bee Gees, which spans four decades. Most famous for having created the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever", the ultimate disco movie, Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb have also written countless hits, both for themselves and others. The extensive research covers their early days in Manchester and the Isle of Man before the family emigrated to Australia and then returned to London to find fame in 1967 with "Massachusetts", the first of their many hits. Over the years the Bee Gees' career has mixed triumph and tragedy in equal measure and, as well as celebrating their successes, this work covers their doldrum years, their marriages and divorces and the tragic death of their youngest brother, Andy Gibb.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52467 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 722 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Taken pretty much for granted during their first taste of 1960s' fame, the Bee Gees have enjoyed many highs and endured equal lows on their musical journey through life. Perhaps undervalued by the music industry during their first incarnation, recent years have seen tributes to Manchester's Brothers Gibb grow larger and louder, as new generations applaud the ingenuity--and longevity--of their music. In keeping with this trend, the newly published Tales Of The Brothers Gibb should fill a long empty gap in the chronicle of modern music.

The authors faced a mammoth task in researching 50 years of musical history and condensing it into one volume. Sensibly, the three main authors enlisted the help of ¨berfans Joseph Brennan and Mark Crohan to ensure their investigation was exhaustive. Every Bee Gees trivia fan can be assured that the factual content here is remarkably thorough; for example, a-sides and b-sides are named for every single, and the engineer for each recording is also given credit.

Written for fans of the Bee Gees music (more than fans of the brothers themselves) the book's tone is informative and impartial, steering away from faux-personal "fan-speak" and choosing instead to straddle the markets of reference and biography. The authors do touch on the personal lives of the Bee Gees--telling of Robin's ghoulish escape from the Hither Green Train Disaster, brother Andy's death and Maurice's off/on relationship with Lulu. However the emphasis here is on how those personal events changed the dynamics of the group's career, leading to the break up of the band, and the thawing of attitudes which brought about their reunion.

Following years of being discussed in tones between derision and comedy banter, Tales Of The Brothers Gibb treats the brothers with staid reverence. Luckily the self-effacing and unexpectedly jokey Barry, Maurice and Robin add a lighter touch from time to time. Those hoping for a cover mount gift of facial hair, chest wig, or a win-a-Barry-Karaoke-Night-competition had better look elsewhere; this is a respectful biography with high production values. Aside from a few well-chosen photos, and the odd appendix table of hits, the 678 pages consist mainly of text. That's right, it's only "Words. Cos Words are all they have...." (ahem). --Helen Lamont

From the Author
The Ultimate Biography
The Bee Gees - Tales Of The Brothers Gibb, to give it its full title, covers the careers of Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb in greater depth than any previous publication. Beginning with their parents’ meeting in Manchester against the backdrop of World War II, the book covers every aspect of the family’s journey through life, as they struggled to overcome the poverty of their humble beginnings to achieve international success as composers, performers and producers. As well as highlighting the personal and professional triumphs of the brothers, the book also takes an unflinching look at the darker side of fame: the relationships which fell victim to the pressures of stardom, substance abuse and the anti-Bee Gees backlash following the overwhelming success of Saturday Night Fever. Tales Of The Brothers Gibb also examines how Barry, Robin and Maurice have coped with the tragic death of their younger brother Andy, and the individual crosses each has had to bear: for Robin, the nightmare of the Hither Green train crash; Barry's ongoing struggle with debilitating health problems and Maurice's day-to-day battle against alcoholism. The book is the culmination of years of extensive research by the writing team and exclusive interviews with more than 100 people who know the Gibbs even better than they know themselves. Neighbours and friends from the land of their birth in the Isle Of Man, Paul Frost and Kenny Horrocks from their Manchester childhood band The Rattlesnakes; Bill Gates and Fred Marks who got their Australian career started; group members Colin Petersen, Vince Melouney, Geoff Bridgeford and Blue Weaver; 1967 Polydor Managing Director Roland Rennie and Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun; producers Arif Mardin and Albhy Galuten; and close family friends such as Tom Kennedy and David English...just to name a few. There are also special sections on Andy Gibb (with contributions from members of his Isle Of Man band Melody Fayre and his Australian band Zenta) and the brothers’ alter ego, the writing and production team known as The Brothers Gibb (featuring comments from artists with whom they worked from their early days in Australia, members of The Marbles and Tin Tin, and others since like Samatha Sang and Kelli Wolfe). Tales Of The Brothers Gibb even includes 32 pages of superb photos from the Forties to the present day; the vast majority of which have never been previously published. This also may be the first time that a team of writers has produced a book without meeting each other during the writing process. As well as ourselves, Melinda Bilyeu, Hector Cook and Andrew Môn Hughes, as the main three authors, we also relied heavily on the specialist knowledge provided by American Joseph Brennan and Australian Mark Crohan. Were it not for recent advances in electronic communication facilities, this is a book which could not have been written. As writers of the book, it was a privilege for all of us to be credited with the first serious tome devoted to the Gibb family in more than twenty years; an astonishing length of time considering their achievements during that period. Additionally, we are especially proud of the fact that our publisher has chosen to honour us by promoting the publication as "their ultimate biography".

Customer Reviews

Ultimately Satisfying Biography!
How can you possibly write a biography about one of the most successful rock bands of the last four decades and get it all right? Writers Bilyeu, Cook and Hughes (along with Brennan and Crohan and many others) have managed to achieve the impossible. With uncountable interviews and years of research, this team has placed the Gibb family and all their triumphs and tragedies into perspective.

Starting chronologically with the pre-marriage days of Barbara and Hugh Gibb in the 1940's up to the present, continually active Bee Gees, we are presented with every viewpoint, memory and recollection of the three brothers and their freinds and acquaintances. The highs and lows of the Bee Gees and Andy Gibbs' careers are not glossed over or over-emphasized. They are told with 'matter-of-fact' honesty and sincerity; a refreshing exercise in storytelling. The read is fast and crisp with a personal edge lacking anything close to newscopy.

After the conclusion, there are numerous, wonderful appendixes including more comments from folks close to the Gibbs, a complete album and singles discography, a cover versions list and a bibliography with book, magazine, newspaper and Internet Web Sites.

All the beauty marks and all the scars are here. It just makes the Gibb family more human. They may be ordinary people, but they have had extraordinary lives.

A fitting tribute, long overdue...
The recent death of Maurice Gibb made me revisit this book, and I would recommend it to any serious fan of The Bee Gees. While it lovingly portrays the group (the authors all admit to being avid fans themselves), it dares to protray their human frailties as well as their strengths. It's a fitting tribute, long overdue, to a group whose five decade career has drawn to an end through untimely death.

Everything you'll ever need to know about the Bee Gees!
Having received this book before the official release date at the Bee Gees Quaterly fanclub magazine convention in Walsall, UK I chatted to the authors about this new edition. The hugely updated appendix includes the most complete album and single discographies, that will amaze you. Every song that the Bee Gees have ever written for both themselves and others is shown...this new book is an even bigger mine of information than the last. There are even some new unseen before photos! So much more info than ever before, it shouldn't be missed! Excellent...a must have for any music lover!