Sunday, September 4, 2011

Bee Gees, 1st (side A)

I find it easy to forget just how much 1967's Bee Gees' 1st impresses me.  The group went through a lot of stylistic changes, the debt to the Beatles is obvious, and the album is similar to the group's late-60s output.  Where albums like Horizontal and Idea are good, Bee Gees' 1st is particularly special.  The arrangements vary a lot between songs, with each one distinctive and well thought out.  The vocals and instruments are impressively recorded and mixed, with both body and space.  Even song titles reflect a lot of thought: "Criase Finton Kirk Royal Academy of the Arts" and "New York Mining Disaster 1941" are among the memorable examples.  Klaus Voormann's cover design looks great too.

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