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ARTICLE
Music Review: The Bee Gees, "Greatest"
by Raul Burriel Published: October 9, 2007
Re-releasing a greatest hits album from 1979 would seem to be a great disservice to fans of a pop band, but in the case of this album, it captures perfectly the peak of the Bee Gees' popularity during the disco era. Even as a double album released in 1979, Greatest focused entirely on the previous four years of the band's career and ignored what had come before. And to be sure - excepting the previously unreleased "Warm Ride" new to the 2007 re-release - nothing produced by the Bee Gees since 1979 appears on this album, only some remixes meant to enhance the package and warrant a second look for those who may have already purchased the previous iteration in the past two decades.
As an examination of the meteoric rise of the Bee Gees, Greatest shines its light with a laser-like focus. The mid-70's success of the Bee Gees is all the more stunning when you realize that a greatest hits album covering only a four year period could span two discs. Yet you would be hard pressed to find any filler on either disc. Omission of most any song on this album would surely elicit howls of protest from fans already upset that it ignored anything prior to 1974's Mr. Natural.
Sure, you'll find oddities such as the country single "Rest Your Love on Me" (which nonetheless scored a hit for the Bee Gees on the country charts), and "covers" of Gibb-brother composed songs such as "If I Can't Have You" and "More Than a Woman", but these songs only add to the worth of the album. How many greatest hits have we seen, after all, that only include identical cuts to those found on previous albums. Of course we want those identical cuts (Madonna, I'm looking at you!), but tossing in a few covers, rarities and remixes makes a greatest hit album all the better.
The new remixes of "You Should Be Dancing", "If I Can't Have You", "Night Fever", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Stayin' Alive" are thoroughly modern techno dance club mixes, although with clear nods to the disco era. If you plan on hosting a dance party in your home, these songs are perfect (although I personally found the Teddybears Remix of "Stayin' Alive" unlistenable). Otherwise, stick to the original cuts.
For fans of the Bee Gees, '70's music, the disco era, and just really good music, Greatest is ideal. Those who have previously owned the album will want to get it if only because it has been remastered. The extras are just icing on the cake.
