A kick in the head

Sunday 30 March 2008 - 4:31 pm


No, it is not a negative blog post. There is a point to that title....

Being as I am, a serious Bee Gees fan, I am aware of the fact that there is a 'lost' album in existence. In 1973, the brothers recorded the follow-up to their album Life In A Tin Can. That album sold very poorly, as did the singles that came off of it. This was when their early success was on the wane. This follow-up album was to be entitled: A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants. However, their record company decided to reject this album on the basis that its quality was poor.

In all honesty, the "Early Bee Gees Sound" had grown tired, despite the occasional hit such as Run To Me. It was time for a new direction, and under the directorship of the legendary soul producer Arif Mardin, they brought us the 1974 album Mr. Natural, which displayed the fresher sound that they sorely needed - and of course led them on to the disco bandwagon, and ultimately the stratospheric success that was Saturday Night Fever.

But what about this album that was rejected? Bootlegs of varying quality have existed for some time, and resources on the web can be largely fruitless. Even downloading a torrent file of this mystery album will leave you frustrated, as you will only end up with a copy that is 84.2% complete.

Yesterday I managed to locate the whole shebang. Talk about happiness! And if you’re really nice, I might be willing to pass something on!

So what is the album like? Pretty much in the style of that "Early Bee Gees Sound", but sounding rather tired in the process, and even a little too adventurous at times. Definitely one for the diehard fan only. The song Rocky LA manages to sound like ELO’s Ma Ma Ma Belle, while It Doesn’t Matter Much To Me reminds of the Isley Brothers' Summer Breeze.

Bee Gees - Rocky LA
Bee Gees - It Doesn’t Matter Much To Me

However the standout song, for me, is their failed 1973 single Wouldn’t I Be Someone. While a little too slow for my liking, it had me in tears on first listen! Lord, I love it!

Bee Gees - Wouldn’t I Be Someone

According to Wikipedia, there is a chance that Rhino Records will decide to finally issue this album by 2010, in accordance with their recent remastering of the first three Bee Gees albums. So let us hope that we will finally be allowed to hear this vaulted album in its full fidelity, though it will remain one for only the open-minded listener. It is quite hard work listening to the album, though that may be due to the suspect quality of the unofficial release.

If you are looking out for that elusive recording, then keep right on searching. Unlike love, rare music does finally turn up!

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