"I MISS
BEING TOGETHER AT THE STUDIO"
(Silvina Marino, Clarin,
24 November 2005)
Translation by Ana from Ellan Vannin
Before his Saturday show at the Luna Park, the ex- BeeGee defends the band: "We are not just Saturday Night Fever".
Bee Gees. First thing that appears in the collective imaginary is: 1) Acute melodies by three voices. 2) Disco hits in the seventies. 3) Cloying pop ballads. Robin Gibb makes sure to clarify in a phone interview with Clarín that his band is much more:
"The music of the Bee Gees covers many areas, has an enormous catalogue. We are not just a band, we are song writers. We have written for Diana Ross, Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Destiny's Child. Our songs are very diverse, from How Can You Mend a Broken Heart to Lonely Days: our work does not have only to do with Saturday Night Fever ".Sure, since 1967,when they released their first LP with Polydor (The Bee Gees 1st), the Gibb brothers (twin Robin and Maurice + Barry) incorporated some shades beyond Disco music, like the psychodelic haloof Horizontal (1968) or the R&B of Life in a Tin Can and Mr. Natural (1973 and 1974). Even, as a soloist Robin dared to a disc with synthesizers and dark dyes and moved away of the BeeGee sound: How Old Are You?, with a megahit, Juliet.
"It is a very strong song, a very good song but if I had to do it today, I would record it in another way: I even see myself too much within the style of the band ".
For that reason, on Saturday at the Luna Park, he will review the most classic repertoire mixed with his individual works.
"I am rather a single Bee-Gee than a soloist artist. I make music of the band in the same way that Paul Mc Cartney makes music of the Beatles ".
Why Disco music is gaining popularity again?
It has had a lot of influence in the past two decades. It is possible to hear it in the new black music of the U.S.A. and in the new dance music. In addition, it had a tremendous influence in the new Madonna's record (Confessions on the Dance Floor). It is part of the landscape of culture. And it will follow with us for a long time: the music of Saturday Night Fever is played with as much freshness as before, and it is almost 30 years old. It is part of pop culture....
Right. For that reason many young people love it and are in tune with it.
How will the tribute album to Maurice be? (N.de the R: he passed away in 2003 of a heart attack)
We are in the process of mixing the tribute album with Babyface (Keneth Edmonds) in Los Angeles. I am working in the celebration of the music of the Bee Gees as a tribute to Maurice, who was co-writer of the songs. We have Beyoncé doing Emotion, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney... They loved Maurice. We are friends. In addition to the CD, there will be a tribute concert in Central Park, by the end of June 2006.
Is Barry going to participate?
Yes, absolutely.
Much was said of this particular family of musicians: from their fame of cocaine addicts (Andy Gibb, the youngest brother, died in 1988 of a cardiac attack/overdose), to the symbiotic relationship of the twins and the problems between Barry and Robin. The truth is that, at the moment in considering returning to the stage, nostalgia prevails.
Do you miss playing like a trio?
It's difficult to explain. I miss Maurice a lot. Musically, what I miss the most is, at the studio, to be together writing. That is the aspect in which I feel a void: the creative process in which we spent so much time.
