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2 Years On | ||||
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Studio album by the Bee Gees | ||||
Released | November 1970 | |||
Recorded | 13 June – 5 October 1970 | |||
Studio | IBC (London) | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 35:57 | |||
Label | Polydor (United Kingdom) Atco (United States) Spin (Australia, New Zealand) | |||
Producer | Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees | |||
The Bee Gees chronology | ||||
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Australasian cover | ||||
Singles from 2 Years On | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C− [2] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
2 Years On is the eighth studio album by the Bee Gees,which reached No. 32 on the US charts. Released in 1970,the album saw the return of Robin Gibb to the group after an earlier disagreement and subsequent split following Odessa . 2 Years On was the first album with drummer Geoff Bridgford,who remained a full-time member of the group until 1972 although he was not pictured on the sleeve. The best-known track is "Lonely Days". Released as the first single by the reunited brothers,it charted high in the US (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the rival chart Cashbox ),but only reached No. 33 in the United Kingdom.
In March 1969,Robin announced that he was leaving the band. In June,he released his debut solo single "Saved by the Bell",which reached No. 2 on the UK charts. In August,drummer Colin Petersen was fired and was replaced by Terry Cox to complete the album Cucumber Castle . Before the album was released,Barry and Maurice announced that the Bee Gees had split in December 1969. The pair released singles,"Railroad" by Maurice and "I'll Kiss Your Memory" by Barry,but their respective albums The Loner and The Kid's No Good remain unreleased to this day. During the temporary break-up of the group,Maurice appeared in London musical theatre production Sing a Rude Song. Maurice recalls:"We got fed up with all the lawyers fighting over our assets,so we walked out of this big summit meeting and started the group again". [4]
Robin and Maurice reunited in June 1970,supported by new drummer Geoff Bridgford. They recorded four songs,including "Sincere Relation" and "Lay It on Me". "We Can Lift a Mountain" was also re-recorded,a song from 1968. After that,Maurice joined the supergroup The Bloomfields with Billy Lawrie,and worked with Tin Tin. In August,Maurice and Robin announced that the Bee Gees were back,with or without Barry's participation,and fourteen songs were recorded,including "Back Home" and "I'm Weeping". On 21 August,the three Bee Gees came together to continue recording as Barry announced,"The Bee Gees are there and they will never,ever part again". He continues,"If a solo record comes out,it will be with enthusiasm and great support of each of us. We are a musical establishment". Maurice,on the other hand,recalled:"We just discussed it and re-formed". [5]
Around the same time,Barry's "One Bad Thing" / "The Day Your Eyes Meet Mine" was withdrawn at the last minute in the US for single release,while Polydor planned to release "One Bad Thing" as a single by 2 October (probably in Europe and Asia). Despite Barry's longing to prove himself as a solo artist,it was decided instead that the next single should be performed by the Bee Gees as they reunited around the same time. [5]
Despite the album marking the musical reunion of the Bee Gees,only three songs credited all three Gibb brothers as composers:the single "Lonely Days",its flip side "Man For All Seasons",and "Back Home". Maurice sings on all songs,but Barry and Robin are only on the ones they wrote or co-wrote. [6] In the August sessions,they also recorded "You Got to Lose It in the End","Little Red Train","Sweet Summer Rain","Melody Fair" (originally released on Odessa ) and "Maybe Tomorrow". None of these were released.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "2 Years On" | Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Robin | 3:57 |
2. | "Portrait of Louise" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 2:35 |
3. | "Man For All Seasons" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry, Robin & Maurice | 2:59 |
4. | "Sincere Relation" | Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Robin | 2:46 |
5. | "Back Home" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry, Robin & Maurice | 1:52 |
6. | "The 1st Mistake I Made" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 4:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Lonely Days" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry, Robin & Maurice | 3:45 |
2. | "Alone Again" | Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Robin | 3:00 |
3. | "Tell Me Why" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 3:13 |
4. | "Lay It on Me" | Maurice Gibb | Maurice | 2:07 |
5. | "Every Second, Every Minute" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 3:01 |
6. | "I'm Weeping" | Robin Gibb | Robin | 2:45 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "2 Years On" | 3:57 |
2. | "Lonely Days" | 3:45 |
3. | "Lay It on Me" | 2:07 |
4. | "Portrait of Louise" | 2:35 |
5. | "Man For All Seasons" | 2:59 |
6. | "The First Mistake I Made" | 4:03 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I'm Weeping" | 2:45 |
2. | "Every Second, Every Minute" | 3:01 |
3. | "Sincere Relation" | 2:46 |
4. | "Back Home" | 1:52 |
5. | "Alone Again" | 3:00 |
6. | "Tell Me Why" | 3:13 |
Credits from Joseph Brennan. [7]
Chart | Position |
---|---|
Australia Kent Music Report Albums Chart [8] | 22 |
Canadian RPM Albums Chart [9] | 22 |
US Billboard 200 [10] | 32 |
US Cashbox [11] | 14 |
The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid-to-late 1970s. The group sang recognisable three-part tight harmonies: Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid-to-late 1970s and 1980s. The group wrote all their own original material, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop-music history. They have been referred to in the media as The Disco Kings, Britain's First Family of Harmony, and The Kings of Dance Music.
Cucumber Castle is the seventh studio album by the Bee Gees, released in April 1970. It was produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robert Stigwood. It consists of songs from their television special of the same name, which was named after a song on their 1967 album Bee Gees' 1st. Cucumber Castle is the only Bee Gees album not to feature any recorded contributions from Robin Gibb, as he had left the group before the album was recorded.
Trafalgar is a 1971 album by the Bee Gees. It was their ninth album, and was released in September 1971 in the US, and November 1971 in the UK. The album was a moderate hit in the United States, and peaked at No. 34. The lead single "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" was the first Bee Gees' No. 1 single in the United States but failed to chart in Britain as did the album. It is Geoff Bridgford's only full-length appearance on a Bee Gees album as an official member.
Mr. Natural is the twelfth studio album by the Bee Gees, released in 1974. It was the first Bee Gees release produced by Arif Mardin, who was partially responsible for launching the group's later major success with the follow-up album Main Course. The album's rhythm and blues, soul, funk, and hard rock sounds initiated the group's reinvention as a disco and blue-eyed soul act, which would solidify on subsequent albums. However, Barry Gibb has said that the album was "whiter" than Main Course. The cover photograph was taken at 334 West 4th Street, Greenwich Village, New York City by Frank Moscati, which is today known as The Corner Bistro tavern.
Horizontal is the fourth studio album by the Bee Gees, and their second album to receive an international release. The LP was released in early 1968, and included the international hit singles "Massachusetts" and "World". On 5 February 2007, Reprise Records reissued Horizontal with both stereo and mono mixes on one disc and a bonus disc of unreleased songs, non-album tracks, and alternate takes. The album was released in Polydor in many countries and on Atco only in the US and Canada. "And the Sun Will Shine" was released as a single only in France. The influences displayed on the album range from the Beatles to baroque pop.
To Whom It May Concern is the tenth album by the Bee Gees. Released in October 1972, it is the follow-up to, and continues the melancholic and personal sound of its predecessor, Trafalgar. The album was recognised as "a farewell to the old Bee Gees" as the album marked the end of an era for the group in several ways: it was their last album to be recorded solely at IBC Studios, in London, their last with conductor and arranger Bill Shepherd, who had guided them since 1967, and their last under their first contract with Robert Stigwood. Some of the songs were old ones finished or rewritten for the occasion.
"I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in 1968, it was their second number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 2021 album Greenfields.
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album Trafalgar. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in Cashbox magazine for two weeks.
"Lonely Days" is a ballad written and performed by the Bee Gees. It appeared on their album 2 Years On, and was released as a single, becoming their first Top Five hit in the US, peaking at number three in the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one in the Cashbox and Record World charts. Barry Gibb later re-recorded the song with country quartet Little Big Town for his 2021 album Greenfields.
"Living Eyes" is a power ballad recorded by the Bee Gees and was released in November 1981 as the second single and title track off the LP of the same name. It was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb. The sound of this single was closer musically to the rest of the album than its predecessor, "He's a Liar".
Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live is the first live album by the Bee Gees. It was recorded on December 20, 1976 at the LA Forum and was released in May 1977 by RSO Records. It reached No. 8 in the US, No. 8 in Australia, No. 1 in New Zealand, and No. 2 in Spain.
"Mr. Natural" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry and Robin Gibb. On 29 March 1974, it was released as a single and also released on the album of the same name in 1974. It was backed with a folk rock number, "It Doesn't Matter Much to Me". This was the group's first single to be produced by Arif Mardin.
"Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" is a ballad written and sung by Barry Gibb, and released on the Bee Gees' album Trafalgar in 1971, and the second single release taken from the album.
"My World" is a 1972 single released by the Bee Gees. It was originally released as a non-album single on 14 January 1972 worldwide. but was later included on the compilation Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2 in 1973. The flip side of the single was "On Time", a country rock number composed by Maurice Gibb. "My World" reached the Top 20 in both US and UK.
"Run to Me" is a song by the Bee Gees, the lead single from the group's album To Whom It May Concern (1972). The song reached the UK Top 10 and the US Top 20.
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"Saw a New Morning" is the 1973 single released by the Bee Gees. It was also the group's first single released on Robert Stigwood's newly created records label RSO Records. The Bee Gees moved to Los Angeles in 1972 to record the album Life in a Tin Can which was a new direction for the group, who had been recording in England since 1967. The B-side, "My Life Has Been a Song" features lead vocal by Robin Gibb as well as Barry Gibb.
"Railroad" is the first solo single released by Maurice Gibb, best known as a member of the Bee Gees. It was released in April 1970. Like the Bee Gees' songs from 1967 to 1972, the single was released by Polydor in most parts of the world while in the US and Canada it was released by Atco. In Canada it was also released by Atlantic and Cotillion. Gibb did not release a follow-up single until 1984 when he released "Hold Her in Your Hand".
Geoff Bridgford is a drummer from Melbourne, Australia. He was in pop group The Groove, and later worked with Steve Kipner in The Board and Tin Tin. For one year, he was an official member of Bee Gees, the last non Gibb brother to be in the group as an actual member.