Such a shame we have to put everything in a genre/classification. So many people miss out because they only like 'x' or 'y' and won't listen to anything else. If I like it, I'm listening!! 😁
Barry did say they described themselves as an R&B group , and could not understand why during that RNB faze they went through from the mid 70's to late 70's was described as Disco....their so called disco hits were all off the Saturday Night Fever Album .
I agree with your analysis. I’ve thought about this a lot and I’ve concluded that disco is a heavy misdiagnosis. Bee Gees no doubt wrote a few disco songs which they are most famous for, but in reality their music during this period was just as much R&B as the Isley Brothers were in my opinion. The “Children of the World” album is an underrated R&B gem.
They never called what they wrote, which they gave to Robert Stigwood to use in the film, "disco". They called what they were doing contemporary r&b. They hated the term disco and it was ridiculous that they got labeled as "disco". All the stuff they wrote and had hits with from 1967 to pre SNF, and again after, proves that. Spirits Having Flown was a great album.
I'm actually working on a video talking about Disco in general because I find the genre so fascinating especially when it comes to its short but explosive time period.
@@JelaniStokes the brothers, in interviews, always pointed out that there's always been music to dance to. And that they felt unfairly labeled as the "poster child " for the backlash against disco, simply because those songs were SO successful.
Hi Jelani and everybody....I think you're right,they are an R&B and Funk band,period.This is a very good song,a pleasure to my ears....music owes a lot to the Gibb brothers...bye!
They sure do. I honestly believe it weren't for the brothers Gibb, Disco would have never gotten as big as it did and a lot of the music today (especially electric dance music) was influenced by the genre.
You are SO right! Just listen to Jive Talkin' or Nights On Broadway. Their song To Love Somebody was written for Otis Redding to record. Unfortunately, he never did due to his untimely death. Also, they grew up listening to The Mills Brothers. They were influenced by black musicians from the beginning.
Yes! Barry stated in an interview (with the twins in agreement) that black people were the best singers. That's why they wrote R&B and Funk. PS - Love me some Mills Brothers!
@@JelaniStokes Very talented family....Hugh Gibb (Father) was a drummer in an orchestra....Barabra Gibb (Mother) was a singer in the orchestra...Leslie (only daughter and the oldest Gibb child) was a singer for a short time....then we have Barry, Robin and Maurice (The Bee Gees) then we have Andy (the youngest Gibb child) was also a singer who had multiple #1's in America just like his older brothers. Very Very Talented Family!
Barry hated being classified as a disco group. I watched an interview and he mentioned that. This was a small part of their career. They were so much more!!
Harry Casey of KC & the Sunshine Band also said they were R&B! Most people don't know what they're talking about! Am I to believe people's opinions or the people that made the music?
Yes, voices like instruments and wrong classification 'disco', just to put them down. Truth is, they dominated so much, that the progressive- rockfans and also that kind of medias used that term instead of giving them, what they deserved. Same status as Elvis, Bob Dylan, Beatles, Rolling Stones or Deep Purple and Pink Floyd.
Agreed! In the case of Disco though, I believe the backlash was bigger than any we've ever seen before and since. This soo much I could say on the topic but I think I'm gonna make a video and share all of my thoughts that way.
I’ve always heard that disco is dance music. European dance clubs = discotheques = discos for short = where discs were played = dance/disco music. I’ve also heard it characterised (at least in US in the 70’s) as having a distinct four on the floor beat, and that the Gibbs brought melody to disco. I personally believe the backlash against the Gibbs was that they were commanding too much of the market. Interesting trivia: The 60’s movie To Sir With Love stars Maurice Gibb’s first wife, Lulu, who sang the hit title song at the end of year school dance which had a mirrored disco ball... so they were not original to the 70’s. The Gibbs’ MORE THAN A WOMAN was actually released as a single and in SNF by a more disco group TAVARES. Please keep the reactions coming!!
I would agree with that. I also believe that people started to resent Disco when the genre became so popular that artists who were never associated with Disco tried to cash in with Disco records. It was already all over the airwaves, it didn't help that artists from different genres were now coming out with Disco songs. It's truly a fascinating genre to discuss in greater detail.
OMG you are spot on! That never even occurred to me... but as I watched the opening of your video (without knowing where you were going to go with the Disco thing), I heard the opening funk groove and I watched as you grooved along with it (which totally made me smile btw!) and I even thought to myself - wow what a cool funky groove this is - and I swear my brain started going in the same direction that you ended up at! As a child of the 70's I totally bought into the notion that the Bee Gees were disco. And I kind of knew they never started off that way because I've heard their earlier records (the non-funky ones) and I just thought they changed their shtick with the whole Saturday Night thing and went disco. But now my adult self can see this in a different light. Not eveything that grooves is disco lol. Funk is so much more than that. Disco is a beat, but funk is a groove! It's a combination of rhythm and notes and harmonic twist that cause that stank face to happen lol! Did I mention you were spot on? Great job! (Side note - another cool funky beat can be found in Paul Simons "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover." You can't not groove to that beat) 🥰
I couldn't have said it better myself. I hope to soon post a video discussion my thoughts on Disco as a whole because I find the entire genre fascinating!
Check out Closer Than Close, Bodyguard, Wind of Change (good audio live in 1979), Man In The Middle, Giving Up The Ghost and I Surrender; just to name a few because there's so many.
Love your analysis and totally agree with every point so I subscribed! A catchy funky but also beautiful song (with thoughtful & unusual lyrics) that I love. I had the Main Course album when it came out in my junior year of high school in 75. But radio didnt play much of them after Sat Night Fever, the movie, made them huge here in the US. They had 5 hits from the Fever soundtrack in the top 10 at the same time. At the time, many DJs were forced to play only the top 40, top 25 or even top 10. Therefore the radiowaves were saturated with the BeeGees & the DJs resented the repetition. There was so much good music at the time I certainly didnt notice when they were blackballed from radio because i was buying & listening & sharing the albums of Stevie Wonder, Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, the Commodores, Earth Wind & Fire, Seals & Crofts, Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Queen, CSN&Y, Elton John, Yes, Boston, Ramsey Lewis, Chuck Mangione, George Benson..... so much music, so little time. BUT NOW Im so happy to be hearing everything the BeeGees did after their Sat. Night Fever success. I'm catching up! Love your reaction and the EXCELLENT VIDEO you created. I like the studio versions which often have better balance & the best, most creative and superb takes. But i also like watching them. So your video did both! Thanks for reacting to the BeeGees!❤❤❤
I honestly believe the disco genre derived from blues/funk and a mixture of jazz like the circle of fifths and seventh chords. Listening to them and many others the kind of beats and chord progressions were amazing. Another good one from the BeeGees is “Spirits Having Flown” but it’s more on the groovy side. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for this video and expressing your thoughts on my favorite group, the “Bee Gees” !!! Agree with all you had to say!!! Such a great contribution they have made to our musical history. So glad a lot of the younger generations are starting to appreciate their great talent and songwriting ability!!!!!!!!!!!
Love your reaction. I agree with you that Bee Gees were misclassified as disco, even during their "disco" period, which of course, is only a small part of their career.
You should check out my Bee Gees Artist spotlight video. I actually talk about how they were able to have multiple successful periods throughout the decades. Link is down below! Let me know what you think! ua-cam.com/video/inv37wPN7fs/v-deo.html
Honestly, I wouldn't classify most listed under Disco as such. Although, based on the instrumentation, chords used, etc., I can see how people at that time would give it the Disco classification.
Liked your video! I really like this song! Enjoyed your comments. Agree that they can’t be classified as only disco. Please check out “ too much heaven” and “will you still love me tomorrow” by The Bee Gees. Each very different.
The Beatles could never come up with this.
I love the Beatles, but I’m in awe of the BeeGees!
So so true....the Beatles were NOTHING....you can't COMPARE them to the Bee Gees.
@@kudabear4898 but in their younger years, they emulated The Beatles but love my Bee Gees
Such a shame we have to put everything in a genre/classification. So many people miss out because they only like 'x' or 'y' and won't listen to anything else. If I like it, I'm listening!! 😁
Yes I would agree. It does deter people from trying out new artists.
Great job on the video! You are right, so so much more to their huge catalog than the songs on the SNF album.
Yes they are! Thank you for the kind words!!
Barry did say they described themselves as an R&B group , and could not understand why during that RNB faze they went through from the mid 70's to late 70's was described as Disco....their so called disco hits were all off the Saturday Night Fever Album .
Yeah I can't wait to share my video about Disco because I talk about this aspect.
I agree with your analysis. I’ve thought about this a lot and I’ve concluded that disco is a heavy misdiagnosis. Bee Gees no doubt wrote a few disco songs which they are most famous for, but in reality their music during this period was just as much R&B as the Isley Brothers were in my opinion.
The “Children of the World” album is an underrated R&B gem.
They never called what they wrote, which they gave to Robert Stigwood to use in the film, "disco". They called what they were doing contemporary r&b. They hated the term disco and it was ridiculous that they got labeled as "disco". All the stuff they wrote and had hits with from 1967 to pre SNF, and again after, proves that. Spirits Having Flown was a great album.
I'm actually working on a video talking about Disco in general because I find the genre so fascinating especially when it comes to its short but explosive time period.
Absolutely! I can't wait to share my thoughts on Disco in a future video because it's fascinating what can happen when someone starts to have success.
@@JelaniStokes the brothers, in interviews, always pointed out that there's always been music to dance to. And that they felt unfairly labeled as the "poster child " for the backlash against disco, simply because those songs were SO successful.
@@JelaniStokes I would love to hear your thoughts and analysis
Hi Jelani and everybody....I think you're right,they are an R&B and Funk band,period.This is a very good song,a pleasure to my ears....music owes a lot to the Gibb brothers...bye!
They sure do. I honestly believe it weren't for the brothers Gibb, Disco would have never gotten as big as it did and a lot of the music today (especially electric dance music) was influenced by the genre.
@@JelaniStokes perfect....I agree with you
Yes!!!! There are several interviews where they stated that they were making R & B music
💯💯💯💯💯💯😁👍👍
Hi. Thanks for this. Bee Gees forever. Your reaction is so on point!
They were definitely misclassified as a disco group.
Well you're gonna love this week then cause I'm starting my season two off with a week of the Bee Gees!
@@JelaniStokes got my reminders set.
They were mostly an R&B group!
They are brilliant singers and songwriters!!!!!!!!!
You are SO right! Just listen to Jive Talkin' or Nights On Broadway. Their song To Love Somebody was written for Otis Redding to record. Unfortunately, he never did due to his untimely death. Also, they grew up listening to The Mills Brothers. They were influenced by black musicians from the beginning.
Oh YES! The Main Course Album is my favorite because it really shows the brothers driving all in on their R&B funk sound!
@@JelaniStokes I was 15 when that dropped. I wore it OUT. I have been a fan since I967, when I was 7 and heard them on the radio.
Yes! Barry stated in an interview (with the twins in agreement) that black people were the best singers. That's why they wrote R&B and Funk.
PS - Love me some Mills Brothers!
You know what your talking about. It's nice to hear someone finally realize the Bee Gees are R & B....Not disco. Best group EVER!!
Truly a talented family!
@@JelaniStokes Very talented family....Hugh Gibb (Father) was a drummer in an orchestra....Barabra Gibb (Mother) was a singer in the orchestra...Leslie (only daughter and the oldest Gibb child) was a singer for a short time....then we have Barry, Robin and Maurice (The Bee Gees) then we have Andy (the youngest Gibb child) was also a singer who had multiple #1's in America just like his older brothers. Very Very Talented Family!
Barry hated being classified as a disco group. I watched an interview and he mentioned that. This was a small part of their career. They were so much more!!
Yeah. I've seen some of those interviews too.
Harry Casey of KC & the Sunshine Band also said they were R&B! Most people don't know what they're talking about! Am I to believe people's opinions or the people that made the music?
Yes, voices like instruments and wrong classification 'disco', just to put them down. Truth is, they dominated so much, that the progressive- rockfans and also that kind of medias used that term instead of giving them, what they deserved. Same status as Elvis, Bob Dylan, Beatles, Rolling Stones or Deep Purple and Pink Floyd.
Agreed! In the case of Disco though, I believe the backlash was bigger than any we've ever seen before and since. This soo much I could say on the topic but I think I'm gonna make a video and share all of my thoughts that way.
I’ve always heard that disco is dance music. European dance clubs = discotheques = discos for short = where discs were played = dance/disco music. I’ve also heard it characterised (at least in US in the 70’s) as having a distinct four on the floor beat, and that the Gibbs brought melody to disco. I personally believe the backlash against the Gibbs was that they were commanding too much of the market. Interesting trivia: The 60’s movie To Sir With Love stars Maurice Gibb’s first wife, Lulu, who sang the hit title song at the end of year school dance which had a mirrored disco ball... so they were not original to the 70’s. The Gibbs’ MORE THAN A WOMAN was actually released as a single and in SNF by a more disco group TAVARES. Please keep the reactions coming!!
I would agree with that. I also believe that people started to resent Disco when the genre became so popular that artists who were never associated with Disco tried to cash in with Disco records. It was already all over the airwaves, it didn't help that artists from different genres were now coming out with Disco songs. It's truly a fascinating genre to discuss in greater detail.
@@JelaniStokes Even Chicago got into the disco scene with "Street Player" was a bit too much.
@@saturnnet1627 that's a great example of how it just took over popular music!
OMG you are spot on! That never even occurred to me... but as I watched the opening of your video (without knowing where you were going to go with the Disco thing), I heard the opening funk groove and I watched as you grooved along with it (which totally made me smile btw!) and I even thought to myself - wow what a cool funky groove this is - and I swear my brain started going in the same direction that you ended up at! As a child of the 70's I totally bought into the notion that the Bee Gees were disco. And I kind of knew they never started off that way because I've heard their earlier records (the non-funky ones) and I just thought they changed their shtick with the whole Saturday Night thing and went disco. But now my adult self can see this in a different light. Not eveything that grooves is disco lol. Funk is so much more than that. Disco is a beat, but funk is a groove! It's a combination of rhythm and notes and harmonic twist that cause that stank face to happen lol! Did I mention you were spot on? Great job! (Side note - another cool funky beat can be found in Paul Simons "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover." You can't not groove to that beat) 🥰
I couldn't have said it better myself. I hope to soon post a video discussion my thoughts on Disco as a whole because I find the entire genre fascinating!
Thank drummer Steve Gadd for his iconic shuffle on "50 Ways." He also recorded on several Gibb projects in the 80's.
Check out Closer Than Close, Bodyguard, Wind of Change (good audio live in 1979), Man In The Middle, Giving Up The Ghost and I Surrender; just to name a few because there's so many.
I LOVE WIND OF CHANGE! That groove IS SOOOO GRITTY AND FUNKY! I will make sure to check your suggestions! Thanks!!
Bee gees is amazing . Is my early childhood. Thank you for your reaction.
Love your analysis and totally agree with every point so I subscribed! A catchy funky but also beautiful song (with thoughtful & unusual lyrics) that I love. I had the Main Course album when it came out in my junior year of high school in 75. But radio didnt play much of them after Sat Night Fever, the movie, made them huge here in the US. They had 5 hits from the Fever soundtrack in the top 10 at the same time. At the time, many DJs were forced to play only the top 40, top 25 or even top 10. Therefore the radiowaves were saturated with the BeeGees & the DJs resented the repetition. There was so much good music at the time I certainly didnt notice when they were blackballed from radio because i was buying & listening & sharing the albums of Stevie Wonder, Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, the Commodores, Earth Wind & Fire, Seals & Crofts, Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor, Queen, CSN&Y, Elton John, Yes, Boston, Ramsey Lewis, Chuck Mangione, George Benson..... so much music, so little time. BUT NOW Im so happy to be hearing everything the BeeGees did after their Sat. Night Fever success. I'm catching up! Love your reaction and the EXCELLENT VIDEO you created. I like the studio versions which often have better balance & the best, most creative and superb takes. But i also like watching them. So your video did both! Thanks for reacting to the BeeGees!❤❤❤
I honestly believe the disco genre derived from blues/funk and a mixture of jazz like the circle of fifths and seventh chords. Listening to them and many others the kind of beats and chord progressions were amazing. Another good one from the BeeGees is “Spirits Having Flown” but it’s more on the groovy side. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for this video and expressing your thoughts on my favorite group, the “Bee Gees” !!! Agree with all you had to say!!! Such a great contribution they have made to our musical history. So glad a lot of the younger generations are starting to appreciate their great talent and songwriting ability!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you soo much for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!
Great analysis! their upbeat songs from the mid to late seventies are basically RnB funk with lots of pop sensibility.
Agreed💯Thanks!!
Right on, man!! Fully agree. So inspired by my new Bee Gees deep dive. Wow!
your right thay were never disco r&b and funk for shure
Yes Jelani ! R & B but should be R & B & M and occasionally & A 😁🤪🤣
💯💯
Love your reaction. I agree with you that Bee Gees were misclassified as disco, even during their "disco" period, which of course, is only a small part of their career.
You should check out my Bee Gees Artist spotlight video. I actually talk about how they were able to have multiple successful periods throughout the decades. Link is down below! Let me know what you think!
ua-cam.com/video/inv37wPN7fs/v-deo.html
@@JelaniStokes will do!
Right on!😎
Thanks you.🎸✍🎶❤🎸🎹🎵🎸🎶
👸Tôn Nữ Tường Vi
💯💯👍👍😁😁
Btw I would not classify this song as disco. What do you think?
Honestly, I wouldn't classify most listed under Disco as such. Although, based on the instrumentation, chords used, etc., I can see how people at that time would give it the Disco classification.
R&B!
Can you please react to Robert palmer song called Know by now
Please
I'll make sure to put it on the list! Thanks for the suggestion!!
👍👌👌
Liked your video! I really like this song! Enjoyed your comments. Agree that they can’t be classified as only disco. Please check out “ too much heaven” and “will you still love me tomorrow” by The Bee Gees. Each very different.
🥳🥳🥳
The 2nd most successful songwriters in music history, 3rd in the Billboard Hot 100, had 5 songs in the top 10 at the same time in the Spring of “78”.
Say it louder! Bee Gees weren't disco at all, and I wonder which musical cripple stuck that label on them...
You nailed it right.
Thank you! I appreciate it !
I can't wait to hear your disco documentary.
I totally agree with your reaction
Amo! Amo! Amo! Os Bee Gees!❤❤❤❤❤👋👋👋👋🇧🇷
Poetry in motion.
Well done, Jelani Stokes. This is a great song. Remember this song in sampled in Snoop Dogg´s song "Ups And Downs"
That alone explains my point! Thanks for the kind words!