Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.

But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.

Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.

We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.

BEE GEES

Frank Marshall’s recently released HBO Max documentary Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart has happily renewed broad public and critical interest in the Brothers Gibb and their illustrious musical legacy. As a lifelong fan, it's been heartening to see the Bee Gees resurface into popular consciousness, although it's bittersweet with the knowledge that brothers Robin and Maurice aren't here to bask in the glow of it all, finally—and rightfully—being acknowledged for their important contributions to modern music history.

As cinematically attractive as Marshall’s film is, it expends a significant amount of energy chronicling the 1977-1978 Saturday Night Fever halcyon that transformed the prodigious Gibbs into global superstars. Not that there's anything fundamentally wrong with that approach, but it doesn't shine adequate light on the remaining fifty-four years’ worth of albums and singles that comprise the Bee Gees’ deep and colorful discography. It's an incredible body of work that deserves deeper exploration and appreciation.

The Bee Gees’ catalog dates back to 1963 when they were signed to Festival Records in their adopted home of Australia. Their inaugural set—rather unimaginatively titled The Bee Gees Sing And Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs—captures the barely-teenaged Gibbs as fledgling pop craftsmen. Sing and Play is almost a compilation record save for a few new tracks packaged together with others released on singles during the first two years of their recording career.

Their last was 2001’s This Is Where I Came In—a curious mélange of tunes written, produced, and performed by the brothers collectively and individually, its fragmented track list reflecting the professional and personal tension that had re-emerged between them in the last years of their run. Those efforts bookended twenty other studio albums that generated nearly seventy international chart singles while cumulatively selling about 200 million units globally. Every Bee Gees album retains their sonic trademark, but they're all remarkably different stylistically and texturally—something that not every artist could achieve across such a vast repertoire.

The Gibbs’ reach is now eight decades wide, with their stunning harmonies and indelible melodies serving as their indissoluble genius. As a kid, I fell instantly in love with the vivid complexity of 1979’s Spirits Having Flown, and the rich warmth of their transformative 1975 opus Main Course. My brain and heart reached an understanding with the Bee Gees over forty years ago. I can’t articulate it concretely, but we’ve been in sync ever since.

But, perhaps it's because the Bee Gees themselves are virtually inexplicable. Barry, Robin, and Maurice seem destined to be a once-in-forever anomaly—a truly singular kind of talent and presence that can't, and won't, be replicated. But songs like "You Win Again," "Too Much Heaven," "How Deep Is Your Love," "To Love Somebody," "Run to Me," "Words," and "Stayin' Alive" don't need refreshed takes or next-gen translations. Their emotional honesty and messages of love, survival, and spirituality are ageless, and Barry Gibb's oft-quoted wish "I hope and pray the music lasts" will, unquestionably, be fulfilled.

So, yes, by all means, indulge in their brilliant contributions to the groundbreaking Fever soundtrack. But also make sure you take in the sublimely eccentric Baroque pop they concocted for their first quartet of major label releases: Bee Gees’ 1st, Horizontal, Idea, and Odessa. And then the introspective work they turned in on early ‘70s projects like Two Years On, Trafalgar, and To Whom It May Concern. Don’t forget 1989’s One, 1991’s High Civilization, and 1993’s Size Isn’t Everything, all of which deserve attention for the Gibbs’ expert vocal work as pop veterans.

At that point, you’ve still only conquered a fraction of the inventory, but at least you’ll have a much more visceral understanding of why the Bee Gees have prevailed so universally. You’ll discover a musical education that no documentary—and, frankly, no journalist—could ever teach you.

Grant’s 3 Favorite Bee Gees Albums of All Time:

1. Spirits Having Flown (1979)
2. Main Course (1975)
3. Bee Gees’ 1st (1967)

Grant Walters is the co-author of Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1960s, which is available to purchase here.

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