Written by Hombre Divertido
In seeing that title now, many songs may come to mind, and true fans may have turned up their noses in 1979 when the collection was originally released because it contained none of their early works, but one cannot ignore all that the Bee Gees accomplished between 1975 and 1979, especially when taking the time to review this collection. To have created all this great music in the span of four years, and to consider all that the brothers Gibb accomplished before and after as performers, writers, and producers, truly elevates them to music pioneers, geniuses, and legends.
So, a more accurate title might be Bee Gees Greatest: The Disco Era. With that said, the 2007 re-release of this collection is an enjoyable romp through a more peaceful time. The quality of the recordings is excellent, and may give you the desire to break out the platform shoes, though you may want to give some serious thought to why you still have them.
More extras in this collection would have been nice. Maybe some photos, info on the Bee Gees during that period, etc. What we do get are four remixes of the classics including: “You Should be Dancing,” “If I Can’t Have You,” “Night Fever,” and “How Deep is Your Love.”
At first listen to these remixes, one might react as if someone has just stepped on your memories with those platform shoes. The bass line is intense, and the effort to give the songs a more current feel is a bit heavy-handed, but there is some very interesting and detailed mixing here, if you can get over your initial reaction, and give it a chance. Should take about three listens per song to really appreciate what has been done here. Though a shock to the system, you will certainly feel the desire to dance with these new versions, but you probably won’t be doing the Hustle.
Recommendation: Other than the remixes, there probably is not anything here you have not heard before. The quality is excellent, and the remixes are fun, but it’s a tough set to recommend simply because there should have been more to it.
