Cucumber Castle | ||||
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Studio album by the Bee Gees | ||||
Released | April 1970 | |||
Recorded | 7 May – 26 September 1969 (except "I.O.I.O", 12 June 1968 and 8 October 1969) | |||
Studio | IBC (London) | |||
Genre | Folk rock, country folk | |||
Length | 35:47 | |||
Label | Polydor Atco (United States, Canada) | |||
Producer | Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees | |||
The Bee Gees chronology | ||||
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Singles from Cucumber Castle | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [2] |
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. (He did receive co-composer credit on one track, which was written before his departure.)
Cucumber Castle was the last Bee Gees album with drummer Colin Petersen, who was fired during the recording of the album. Pentangle drummer Terry Cox played on the remaining tracks.
This album contained the hit single "Don't Forget to Remember" which hit No. 2 in the UK in August 1969, going virtually head to head with Robin Gibb's solo single "Saved by the Bell", which had reached number No. 2 the previous month. The album struggled to make an impact and stalled at number 57 in the UK and number 94 in the US. Indeed, it was the last Bee Gees album to chart in the UK until Spirits Having Flown in 1979 (though the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever , which featured six contributions from the group as well as two additional songs that they wrote that other artists performed, topped the UK album chart in 1978).
On 19 March 1969, Robin Gibb announced his solo career, while the Bee Gees recorded three songs "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Sun in My Morning" and "Ping Pong" (unreleased). Maurice recalls,
"Since Robin left, Barry and I are a lot closer, we're working much more together. We're having a ball, we can bring anyone we like into things. I did the majority of the backings anyway, even when Robin was with us, but there's more work for me now. I'm bringing me out more – I do six leads on the next album; before I think I only sang three all told. I write soft, and Barry keeps telling me to write harder music. I'm progressing more to the arranging side and Barry is getting more ideas-wise, he's freer with his words. At the moment, we'll go on as a three-piece [group], and if we find someone suitable to take Robin's place, we'll take him in, we've only seen two people. We're getting tapes from Wapping and Nottingham and Stoke and all over, but we want to get someone who can sing nice. We can take care of the hair and the clothes and all that. We're not looking for a copy of Robin though". [3]
On 7 May 1969, the Bee Gees recorded "Don't Forget to Remember". The other songs recorded around May were "I Lay Down and Die", "Give a Hand, Take a Hand" (not released at the time but recorded by the Staple Singers in 1971 and re-recorded by the reformed Bee Gees for the 1974 album Mr. Natural ) and "Bury Me Down By the River". At the time the band was considering a replacement for Robin. As Dave Dee recalls, "[Barry] was looking for a replacement and I found him one, A guy called Peter Mason, he was a Scouser, but he lived in Salisbury where we lived. Barry was looking for somebody who had a similar voice sound but also wrote". Peter Mason did audition and recorded vocals on a few of the songs to be included on the Cucumber Castle album but those were either erased or left out of the final mix. Mason is unable to verify if his voice is on "Don't Forget to Remember". Mason believes that it was Robert Stigwood wanting to reunite the three brothers that kept him from joining the Bee Gees, in spite of the fact that Barry had welcomed him on board and even bought him a suit for performing in. [3]
In June, Barry produced "The Love of a Woman" and "Don't Let It Happen Again" performed by Samantha Sang, the orchestral arrangement was credited to Bill Shepherd. Also in that month, Barry produced P.P. Arnold's version of "Give a Hand, Take a Hand", around the same time, the Bee Gees recorded the unreleased "Between the Laughter and the Tears". On 13 June, Maurice produced Tin Tin's "Tuesday Dreamer", "Swans on the Canal" and "Spanish Shepherd", . On 9 July 1969, Barry produced P.P. Arnold's version of "Bury Me Down By the River" and "Let There Be Love". Also in July, the Bee Gees continued recording eight songs for the film of the same name. Filming started on 11 August 1969. Also on July, Maurice played all the instruments on the song "My Thing", which was sung by him. In August 1969, Maurice Gibb, Steve Groves, Steve Kipner and Billy Lawrie recorded "Have You Heard the Word" under the name The Fut. The song was released as a single in 1970. [4]
The Bee Gees returned to the studio in September 1969 to record seven songs including the unreleased "One Bad Thing" and "The Day Your Eyes Meet Mine". Both songs were later re-recorded for what was intended to be Barry's debut solo album The Kid's No Good . In October, the Bee Gees recorded two songs, around the same time as they re-recorded "I.O.I.O.", a song from 1968. On 16 October, the last album session, they recorded the unreleased track "Julia", which was sung by Maurice. On 31 October, Gibb produced the two Samantha Sang songs and on November, Gibb produced P.P. Arnold songs "Piccaninny", "High and Windy Mountain" and a cover version of "Turning Tide". Also in November, Gibb produced Tin Tin's three songs. [4]
During much of this time, Maurice Gibb was also producing the debut album by Australian duo Tin Tin.
Shortly after Petersen's departure, Barry reminded everyone, "Maurice is capable of playing about seven instruments - most of the back tracks on the records were all him, and I sang lead on four or five of the hit singles. So how can the Bee Gees sound be finished?". [5] Nevertheless, Barry and Maurice drifted apart shortly afterwards and both recorded unreleased solo albums. The brothers would reunite as a trio in 1970.
Around the same time in 1969, Barry and Maurice planned a series of performances as a gratitude to their fans who had supported the Bee Gees through all the tumult as Barry reveals, "We want to go out on a concert tour of Britain before Christmas with a big orchestra". But on 1 December 1969, Barry announced his departure from the band saying "As from today, I'm solo" [5] while Maurice recorded songs for his debut solo album The Loner . Barry would spend the following months writing new material for his solo album, The Kid's No Good . [6]
By February 1970, Barry started to record songs for the album. He continued it in March, while Maurice continued working with Billy Lawrie. In April 1970, Maurice recorded "Leave Me Here to Linger with the Ladies" for Sing a Rude Song. Also in April, Barry continued to produce songs for P.P. Arnold. The last day on which P.P. Arnold recorded his song, which was produced by Barry was on 10 June 1970. [7] Cucumber Castle was released around April 1970.
Cucumber Castle reached No. 9 in Italy behind Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin (#7) and McCartney by Paul McCartney (#8), the number one LP at that time was The Beatles' Let It Be . [8]
All songs written by Barry and Maurice Gibb except "Turning Tide" by Barry and Robin Gibb.
No. | Title | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else" | Barry | 2:33 |
2. | "I.O.I.O." | Barry and Maurice | 2:51 |
3. | "Then You Left Me" | Barry | 3:11 |
4. | "The Lord" | Barry | 2:19 |
5. | "I Was the Child" | Barry | 3:14 |
6. | "I Lay Down and Die" | Barry | 3:34 |
No. | Title | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sweetheart" | Barry and Maurice | 3:09 |
2. | "Bury Me Down by the River" | Barry | 3:25 |
3. | "My Thing" | Maurice | 2:20 |
4. | "The Chance of Love" | Barry | 2:29 |
5. | "Turning Tide" | Barry | 3:09 |
6. | "Don't Forget to Remember" | Barry | 3:27 |
Credits from Bee Gees historian and sessionographer Joseph Brennan. [9]
Bee Gees
Weekly charts
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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.
Robin Hugh Gibb was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees with elder brother Barry and twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his own successful solo career. Their youngest brother Andy was also a singer.
Maurice Ernest Gibb was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved worldwide fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lead singers, most of their albums included at least one or two songs featuring Maurice's lead vocals, including "Lay It on Me", "Country Woman" and "On Time". The Bee Gees are one of the most successful pop-rock groups of all time.
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger twin brothers, Robin and Maurice, he rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Gibb is well known for his wide vocal range including a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.
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.
Vincent Melouney is an Australian musician. He is best known as an official member of the Bee Gees from 1967 to 1969 during the group's initial period of worldwide success.
The Marbles were an English rock duo that consisted of Graham Bonnet and Trevor Gordon, who operated between 1968 and 1969. Their only well-known singles were "Only One Woman" and "The Walls Fell Down". They also became associated with the Bee Gees members Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb at that time.
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, but only reached No. 33 in the United Kingdom.
"Don't Forget to Remember" also called "Don't Forget to Remember Me" is a country ballad recorded by the Bee Gees, from the album Cucumber Castle. The song was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. It was produced by the band with Robert Stigwood.
"Tomorrow Tomorrow" is a song by the Bee Gees written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. The song was originally intended to be recorded by Joe Cocker. It was the first Bee Gees single released after Robin Gibb had quit the group which was now down to a trio featuring Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and drummer Colin Petersen.
"I.O.I.O." is a song by the Bee Gees, released on the album Cucumber Castle. It was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb. The song was released as a single in March 1970, and was also one of the highlights of the album. The single was a relative success mainly on European charts. Its music video is taken from the film Cucumber Castle.
Frederick Colin Petersen was an Australian drummer, record producer and child actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he was replaced by Pentangle drummer Terry Cox to record the songs for their 1970 album Cucumber Castle. His scenes from the film of the same name were cut, and he is not credited on the accompanying album soundtrack, even though he does play on some songs.
Best of Bee Gees Vol. 2 is a compilation album of hits by the Bee Gees released in 1973. The album, briefly revived on CD in the late 1980s, went out of print, but was reissued by Rhino in November 2008.
Robin's Reign is the first solo album by British singer Robin Gibb, a member of the Bee Gees with his brothers Barry and Maurice. Robin had left the group following a disagreement with his brother Barry over who should sing lead vocals. The album was not a commercial success, though it did spawn Gibb's solo hit, "Saved by the Bell". The other songs in the album were produced by Gibb, and the rest was produced with his manager, Vic Lewis. This album was reissued by RSO Records in 1978 and reissued in 1991 on Spectrum Records. The album had a limited CD release in Germany and was made available digitally on Amazon and Spotify in 2011 and iTunes the following year. Gibb would not release another solo album until 1983.
"Bury Me Down By the River" is a song written by Barry and Maurice Gibb and recorded separately by the Bee Gees and P.P. Arnold. The Bee Gees' version was recorded in May 1969 at IBC Studios and released in April 1970 on the album Cucumber Castle.
The Kid's No Good was to have been the debut solo album by British musician Barry Gibb following his departure from the Bee Gees in December 1969. There was no official title given to the album at the time. The line "the kid's no good", which the album is commonly titled on several bootleg releases, is also featured in the Bee Gees song "Come Home Johnny Bridie" on the 1973 album Life in a Tin Can. The album features orchestral arrangements by Bill Shepherd who performed the same role for the Bee Gees from 1965 to 1972.
The Loner is an album recorded in late 1969 by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. An album master was compiled on 14 November 1970, but to date The Loner remains unreleased. Bootleg releases with the same title collect additional recordings unrelated to this album.
"Morning of My Life" is a song written by Barry Gibb in 1965 whilst in the town of Wagga Wagga, Australia and later recorded by the Bee Gees and several other artists. It was recorded in 1966 during sessions for the album Spicks and Specks, and later was released as the opening track on the compilation Inception/Nostalgia in 1970. The first recording of the song to be released by any artist was by Ronnie Burns, first as a B-side to his Exit, Stage Right single in June 1967 and a month later on his Ronnie LP.
"Lamplight" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as the B-side of "First of May", but featured as the single's A-side in Germany. It also featured on their double album Odessa in March 1969. The song was written and composed by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and featured lead vocals by Robin Gibb. No other singles were released from the album, and the fact that the group's manager Robert Stigwood chose "First of May", which only featured Barry Gibb's voice for the A-side, that caused Robin to quit the group.
"Sweetheart" is a song released by the Bee Gees, released as the B-side of "I.O.I.O." in March 1970. and released on the album Cucumber Castle in April 1970.
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