Detail from "Faraway" by Andrew Wyeth, 1917
I shouldn't have to defend my love of the Bee Gees. To a certain extent, their name will always conjure images of mid-70s disco excess in the minds of people my age, but there's much more to the Bee Gees than that. I've had their first three records for quite a while, and they are among my favorite pop albums of the '60s. Hearing the brothers Gibb go from aping every flavor of psych-pop on their first album to recognizing and honing their talent for balladry and bombast is great fun, but the experience is incomplete without having the culmination of their pop songwriting growth, their double album Odessa.
Unfortunately, it has been unavailable until recently - Rhino re-released the album in a deluxe edition last month. It comes in a flocked box similar to the original vinyl release and includes a full disc of alternate versions, outtakes, and demos. The great thing about finally hearing Odessa is that it takes me back to my first Bee Gees memory, namely watching the movie Melody as a child. A 1971 film starring Mark Lester, Melody is the story of two London pre-teens who decide that they are in love and must marry immediately. The movie's soundtrack included several Bee Gees songs, and the song "Melody Fair" is a focal point of the film that stayed with me for years.
Hearing Odessa now, there is a lot more to the record than just "Melody Fair". The album became a flashpoint for the rivalry between Gibb brothers Barry and Robin - Robin's compositions "Odessa" and "Lamplight" were passed over as singles in favor of Barry's "First of May". "First of May" became a hit single, and Robin quit the band. I can't help but think that the seven-minute title track would have been a terrible choice for a single, but "Lamplight" is a great song, and Robin was right to be disappointed seeing it relegated to b-side status. All the songs I've mentioned are great, though, and most of the others are good listens as well, including a bizarre tribute to Thomas Edison ("Edison") and two country-ish numbers ("Marley Purt Drive" and "Give Your Best"). The album's reputation for bloat probably comes from the totally unnecessary instrumentals that make up half of the album's final six tracks. A few good songs are hidden at the album's tail, though, so it's not like you can turn the record off when "Seven Seas Symphony" starts (and you will most likely have that urge).
To me, though, the wrangling between Barry and Robin over the singles is weird because it omits what, to me, is the obvious single on the album. Why did they not just put out "Melody Fair" as the lead single? I've explained my bias in favor of the song, but it just sounds like a single to me. It has most of the things that I like to hear in a pop song - baroque embellishments, harmonies, handclaps, and an unassailable chorus melody. And it takes me back to my childhood with its sense of youthful romanticism, reminding me of a time when the idea of two pre-teens eloping was not totally creepy.
"Melody Fair" by the Bee Gees
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