About to FAIL Out of Music, Legend Stumbled On FALSETTO that SAVED Career & Hit #1-Professor Of Rock

one evening in the early 70s a trio took the stage of the Batley variety club that was dubbed the Las Vegas of the north located in the blue collar Mill Town of West Yorkshire England now this was supposed to be an exciting Hometown show for them to perform a set of their greatest hits but it turned out to be a demoralizing indicator of where their career stood at that very moment the attendees were more interested in eating and getting drunk than listening there was no question about it this group was struggling mildly with a string of three consecutive albums that were commercial failures most groups would have called it quits at this point or gotten kicked out of their record deal but the adversity made the bomb between these brothers stronger than ever it's the story of how one of the most successful acts of the rock and roll era literally crossed over a bridge to reinvent themselves you'll get that later and then they Rose to the Zenith of the record industry great story coming up next on professor of Rock hey music jockeys professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time you know if you love music The Legends the stories behind the song 60s 70s 80s 90s you're gonna love this channel make sure to hit the red button below click the Bell subscribe so that you always know when our latest videos are coming out also check us out on patreon so it's time for another edition of our show breakthrough this is where we break down songs albums or events that kicked open the door to an artist or band's career for longevity previous episodes we've covered Do You Believe In Love by Huey Lewis in the news [Music] I'm crying by The Cure [Music] and West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys [Music] we're gonna do something a little bit different this band had already broken through but then they began to Fade Into Obscurity then they had a second breakthrough that would make them one of the biggest groups ever [Music] August of 1970 when Robin Gibb went over to his brother Barry's house to reunite after a falling out between the two because an 18-month breakup of the Bee Gees felt really good to get back together as brothers and to rekindle their artistic collaboration a the Elation they enjoyed during that pivotal visit led to the writing of an emotionally charged ballot titled How Can You Mend a Broken Heart [Music] great song Robin and Barry phone Maurice Robin's fraternal twin and the ever congenial third member of the trio and soon the brothers give went to the studio to create the song their first thought was to offer the tune to popular crooner Andy Williams River they decided to record it for themselves as the foundation to an album of new material the following year August of 1971 Barry and Robin's reconciliation piece How Can You Mend a Broken Heart went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and it also went to number one on the adult contemporary chart [Applause] it was certainly an exciting time for the Bee Gees they have the rush of having the number one record in America in a smash across the world but when the Euphoria faded the band floundered with no idea of where they were going to go next Barry put their state of mind in perspective when he admitted that if the Bee Gees were not Brothers they would have broken up it was actually their Brotherhood that kept them going on the heels of the huge success of How Can You Mend a Broken Heart the bees he's labeled the time Atlantic Records begged for more of the same so the guys in an effort to give the label what they wanted they continued to write and they continue to write what Barry called dreary ballots the dreariness as it were pigeonholed the Bee Gees as the 70s evolved their music became passe and their popularity significantly declined three consecutive BG's albums that followed Trafalgar uh the lp that featured How Can You Mend a Broken Heart uh they were commercial flops in fact one of those three misfires the kick in the head is worth eight in the pants were summarily rejected by the BG's manager Robert stigwood and permanently shelved perhaps the darkest moment for the Bee Gees during that period of futility was when the brothers were booked to perform a string of shows at the Batley variety Club in the dingy Milltown of West Yorkshire England it was supposed to be a kind of a homecoming series for the Bee Gees you know since the concerts would be back in their home country the Batley variety Club was dubbed to Las Vegas of the north with a consistent flow of Superstar ax filling the event schedule at that point but the opportunity turned into a major disappointment for the brothers Gibb uh this is when the disinterested audience you know they seem to care more about eating and getting drunk than the greatest hits that the boys were passionately performing on the stage Robert stiggwood navigated the career of the BG since 1967. and he didn't want to give up on these brothers despite years of dismal returns at that point an artistic intervention was clearly imperative for the future of the Bee Gees stigwood needed to shake up the boys into recognizing how the music scene had dramatically changed from the prosperity that they enjoyed in the 60s listen to what's happening in the world today admonish digwood addressing the ban with scolding urgency the storied leaders of Atlantic Records Ahmad erdogan and Jerry Wexler they bought into Robert stigwood's plan for a new musical direction for the Bee Gees suggesting that they were you know to work with coveted producer and arranger Arif merdin the idea was for merdin to tap into the Gibb brothers their love for rhythm and blues and incorporate a fresh r b energy to their music one of the first things that mardine did when he met with the brothers to discuss the making of their crucial Main Course album in January of 75 was to turn their attention to the burgeoning dance scene and encourage them to adapt their arrangements to a more upbeat style now Arif bardeen while being a highly respected producer and along with Tom Dowd and Wexler Was An Architect for the so-called Atlantic sound [Music] a Martini's name on a vinyl disc did not mean success was an absolute certainty I mean after all mardine produced Mr Natural the third consecutive flop for the BG's and those three straight that I talked about uh Mr Natural was the worst selling LP for the BG's in the 70s actually the two singles from Mr Natural fell miserably only the title track with Robin on lead vocal broke the Hot 100 clanking in at number 93. still despite the Dismal cells of Mr Natural the album focused the BG's on creating a vital new sound and that was an important transition for them when the bgs began working on tracks for main course they stayed true to form writing songs like they always did with many of the early Tunes being presented as slow ballads much to the Chagrin of arithmardine they needed something that would jolt them out of their bubble and into new musical territory the inspiration would come from a very unlikely place or maybe it was an ear opening moment of Destiny as we get into this I do want to thank our sponsor Jenny I wear the glasses I always wear and Zenni rocks right now you can get a complete pair of Zenni glasses for just 6.95 you can choose three pair for less than the price of a vinyl record check it out today at our link below or download zenny's new app on your phone now the BG's were desperate for a comeback a desire that their friend Eric Clapton could wholeheartedly relate to Clapton encouraged the brothers to change your environment by leaving England and record main course of the criteria studios in Miami change of pace there just like the Bee Gees Clapton's career was on the downturn at the time he made the Bold decision to move to Miami to record his comeback album 461 Ocean Boulevard at criteria Studios and the change of scenery worked wonders for Clapton's Revival both professionally and personally after he recovered from a serious cocaine and heroin addiction 461 Ocean Boulevard named after the physical address of criteria Studios that was a Triumph for Clapton it featured his version of Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff that was a huge number one smash selling over a million 45s in America alone each day to get the criteria Studios from their hotel the Bee Gees had to cross briskayne Bay via the Julia Tuttle Crossway bridge now the sound of the car tires rolling across the metal planks of the bridge made a chunkachunka chunk of sound thank you one evening during the 4.4 mile Excursion over the Julia Tuttle Causeway Bridge Barry's wife Linda who accompanied her husband in Miami during the main course recording sessions turned to Barry and said listen to that noise it's the same noise every evening it's our Drive talking Barry paused you know listening intently to the chunkachunka road noise foreign and he began singing the words it's just our Drive talking at that evolutionary moment the song originally titled Drive talk and was born [Music] the guys went into the studio the same night and worked on Drive talking with mardine and the BG's band which uh was comprised of Alan Kendall Danny Bryan and blue Weaver enthusiastically they embraced the song's potential to be a true dance Hit Upon playback the band thought that they heard Barry singing uh Jive talking not drive talking and they actually thought they should change the title Jive talking since they had heard the term Jive bandied about in the clubs funny thing is Barry Robin and Maurice thought Jive was a term for dancing inducing Barry to come up the lyric jive talk and you dance with your eyes now when Barry sang the line that Arif mardine he asked him if they knew what Jive meant you guys know what that means of course when they told arith that they thought Jive meant to dance the producer just laughed no Jive his urban slang for a lying and with that revelation of credible Street lexicon Barry switched the lyric to it's just your jive talk and you're telling me lies yeah [Music] jive talk was written about a deceptive lover derived from fiction when the song was composed in 1975 Barry had already been happily married to Linda for about five years the relationship between Barry and Linda Gibb a former Miss Edinburgh beauty queen it's one of the greatest romances of the rock era a couple have been married for more than 52 years at this point [Music] now to replicate the chunking Rhythm that they heard with the Turning Wheels driving across the Juliet tunnel Causeway Bridge a Barry employed a prominent Bo diddly beat to a fuzzy guitar riff that resembled the one heard on Shame Shame Shame number one soul hit by Shirley and Company released in 1974. Vibe a jive talk was also influenced by The Sly Stone composition you're the one recorded by the band Little Sister [Music] the pulsating base a permeates throughout jive talk and was an early adoption of the synth base in a pop recording it was cutting edge technology back in the early to mid 70s I have to give Stevie Wonder the bow down for pioneering that sound his synth base work was incredible on iconic tracks like of course Superstition Higher Ground which we just covered and you haven't done nothing [Music] it was Maurice that came up with that nasty Baseline Mo usually played bass guitar on BG's tracks but he happened to be away from the studio on the evening when keyboard is blue Weaver overdub several sections of the synth Bass track to the original demo at Jive talking using a state-of-the-art ARP 2600 synthesizer that Arif mardine brought to the studio for a main course recording sessions when Mo returned to the studio the following day Weaver play what he had over dubbed and he suggested that Mo re-recorded playing the bass Lane on his bass guitar Mo loved what he heard in his bass guitar parts were overdubbed to accentuate Jive talkins gyrating dance group [Music] you never know the Bee Gees pilfered blue Weaver from Mott the Hoople actually and he became a valuable member of their recording team as well as a staple in the group's touring unit from about 1975 through 1979. Maine course was the first BG's record to include the talents of blue Weaver highlighted by his accentuated keyboard playing in Jive talking [Music] jive talk and manifested a new dimension of Barry Gibbs vocal versatility his lead vocal on the track was different from his trademark tenderness on the older Bee Gees ballads on jive talk and Barry delivered his breathy soulfulness with a full body rock Edge that attracted a younger Trend setting audience [Music] the reinvention of the Bee Gees was further demonstrated by the birth of Barry Gibbs iconic falsetto this is where it all started Arif mardine is credited for discovering Barry's latent vocal skill there were brushes of his falsetto on the backing vocal track on dogs that cut from Mr Natural [Music] the berries hit me really came out in the background vocals on the second single from main course the number seven pop hit Nights on Broadway Martine followed his expert instincts and wanted Barry to execute a scream in the song's coated of fat and the vocal on Nights on Broadway and when Barry unleashes falsetto the sound that he produced just stunned him he had no idea that he could command his voice to do such a thing to do that [Music] Barry soon realized that he had the ability to sustain his falsetto throughout an entire song showcased on the lead single from Children of the world the album that followed me of course it was yet another monster number one smash You Should Be Dancing thank you Barry Gibbs famous falsetto pushed to the Forefront galvanizing the Vitality of the new bgs when the final mixing and mastering and jive talk was finished the BG's team knew they had made an extraordinary record with tremendous hit potential they just they just felt it in their bones it was exactly the kind of track that Robert stigwood our reef merdin and the brothers give we're aiming for in the first place a song that would change the image of the Bee Gees and Vault them into the white hot Spotlight like never before Jive talking will be the lead single from main course and designed to be an emblem for the new sound of the Bee Gees as perfect as jive talk was they still face the difficult challenge of you know trying to get it played on the radio remember this was the spring of 75 and the BG's were cold as ice at this point to the radio taste makers yeah the trio represented the banal music of the past you know they were looking for the hottest new happenings not another sappy ballot Jive talking could become the hottest single on the radio but The Gatekeepers would certainly snub their nose in a new BG's record you know they'd probably toss the 45 in the never mind stack as it were stigwood in the RSO records promo Squad implemented a strategy though that had worked well back in 1967 with the launch of another BG's record the US debut single of New York mining disaster [Music] Jones Jive talking was delivered to radio stations in a plain white cover with no information about the artist performing on the disk DJs had to play the song on a turntable to have any idea what it would sound like or who recorded it it was a mystery stunt worked brilliantly for the second time DJs were instantly Smitten by Jive talking the adrenaline rush they fell after one listen of the mysterious white label track propelled them to put this song on the air as soon as possible when DJs discovered the jive talk and was a new song by the Bee Gees they couldn't believe their ears but they also could not deny that the song was a stone cold smash [Music] Jive talking it blasted to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 stayed at the top for two weeks it was also a number one sensation in Canada in top five in the UK and throughout the rest of the world foreign [Music] talking ignited one of the most phenomenal five-year runs by any act during the rock era I mean the bgs were suddenly on fire reeling off a string of 12 straight top 15 hits from about maybe 75 to May 79. eight of those went to number one me love the Bee Gees had never heard the clackety road noise from the you know tires rolling across a Juliet tunnel Causeway Bridge talking doesn't happen and therefore it's easy to deduce that the Bee Gees would never have had the the spectacular success they achieved in the 70s with more weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in that decade than any other act with the exception of one Elton John I gotta believe with their enormous talent and their rebuilt Bond of Brotherhood the BG's would have broken through in some other fashion I mean really they are undoubtedly on the short list of the greatest songwriters in popular music history could have simply continued to write hits songs for other artists like they often did when the trio were unfairly victimized by the Disco backlash that happened in the summer of 79. the bgs were so much more than a family of brothers that had gifted three-part Harmony they were a pop culture movement that pegged the needle for a generation of music fans comparable to the frenzy of beetlemania in the 60s Barry and his late Brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb represented everything that makes music such a powerful human-made force it's the art form that arouses the five senses like no other stimulus play any number of Timeless BG's Classics and you'll experience an invigorating blend of emotions and feelings ranging from Halcyon Bliss to an uncontrollable urge to Boogie Sunday baby 1021 barrier range reworkings of the BG's greatest hits with country and rock singers as guest vocal is titled greenfields the Gibb brothers songbook Vol 1. The Inspired album serves as a tribute to Robin Maurice and Andy it also includes a reimagining a jive talking with a country blue Spirit something that Barry had wanted to do for a long time he always thought that some of their compositions Were Meant To Be Country actually which makes sense when you think of Islands in the Stream foreign [Music] performing with Barry on the Greenfield's version of jive talk and is country Entertainer of the Year Award winner Miranda Lambert and Rival Sons lead vocalist JB Cannon [Music] sadly now the brothers Gibb remain at just one Living member Barry but their music always lives on every time I hear jive talk about the Bee Gees I think of my dad told me this very story of their comeback and how a number one hit came from the the way the tires hit the road it's proof that inspiration can come anytime and anyhow and anywhere you just have to be in tune leave the comment about the Bee Gees and Jive talking do you remember this song what are your thoughts on the bg3 ACT career let us know in the comments below let us know what you think about this amazing story about the tires if you like our content we do invite you to subscribe below to be a permanent part of our community till next time three chords and the truth best friends foreign [Music]

Channel: Professor of Rock

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Keywords: professor of rock 70s, bee gees, the bee gees, barry gibb, robin gibb, maurice gibb, barry gibb interview, bee gees documentary, bee gees reaction, professor of rock, the professor of rock, the bee gees jive talking, jive talkin, the bee gees jive talkin, comeback story, 70s music, 70s pop, 70s classic rock, robin gibb interview, the bee gees stayin alive, the bee gees night fever, 70s hits, oldies, pop fix, maurice gibb interview, falsetto, best group, 70s legends, 70s

Id: tfBEgUz6Tts

Length: 22min 45sec (1365 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 20 2023