Marley Purt Drive

Last updated
"Marley Purt Drive"
Marleypurtdrive.jpg
Label from South African single
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Odessa
B-side "Melody Fair"
ReleasedJuly 1969
(South Africa)
Recorded15 August, November 1968
Genre Country rock, roots rock
Label Polydor
Atco (Atco Records)
Songwriter(s) Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb
Producer(s) Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees

"Marley Purt Drive" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, It was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and released in March 1969 on the album Odessa . [1] It was released in stereo in the United States in January and its mono version was released in the United Kingdom in March. The remastered version of this song was released on 27 February 2009 on Reprise Records. [2]

Contents

Originally titled "Marley Purt Drive (Area Code 213)", the song is about a married man in poverty with fifteen children who takes a drive out to Pasadena one Sunday to get some relief from the situation only to return and find he now has twenty more children to look after, thus creating "An orphanage [with] 35 kids. [3]

Recording and structure

For the recording of the song, the basic instrumental line-up of Barry and Maurice Gibb, Vince Melouney and Colin Petersen were joined by bluegrass musician Bill Keith on banjo. This song was recorded in New York City at Atlantic Studios. Two recordings are available, the earlier of these was recorded on August 15 and later appeared on Sketches for Odessa in 2006. The version released on the album was finished at IBC Studios in London in November with the orchestra. [4] [5] Barry later explained the recording of "Marley Purt Drive" in a 24 March 2001 interview with Billboard , "['Marley Purt Drive'] had a country violinist and banjo player on it because we were listening to American country music at that time". [6]

It was released as a single in South Africa in July 1969, backed with "Melody Fair". The song's demo is entitled Alternate Mix on Sketches for Odessa and begins with a false start followed by one count but then goes into an almost identical intro. The mix is not really different, and lyrics are the same. [7]

Release

This song, owing something to The Band's 1968 hit "The Weight", later appeared on the charity compilation album called No One's Gonna Change Our World released on December 12, 1969. [8]

On 6 November 1974, they performed the song in Sapporo, Japan during their Mr. Natural tour. In 2009, Barry Gibb performed the song for the rehearsal for the Love and Hope Ball.

Personnel

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Gibb</span> British musician (1949–2003)

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.

<i>Cucumber Castle</i> 1970 studio album by the Bee Gees

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.

<i>Best of Bee Gees</i> 1969 compilation album by Bee Gees

Best of Bee Gees is a 1969 compilation album by the English-Australian rock band Bee Gees. It was their first international greatest hits album. It featured their singles from 1966–1969 with the exception of the band's 1968 single "Jumbo".

<i>Odessa</i> (Bee Gees album) 1969 studio album by the Bee Gees

Odessa is the sixth studio album by the Bee Gees, a double vinyl LP released in February 1969, initially in an opulent red flocked cover with gold lettering. Despite reaching the UK Top Ten and the US Top 20, the album was not particularly well-received, though now is regarded by many as the most significant of the group's Sixties albums. An ambitious project, originally intended as a concept album on the loss of a fictional ship in 1899, it created tension and disagreements in the band regarding the work's direction; finally, a dispute over which song to release as a single led to Robin Gibb temporarily leaving the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Melouney</span> Australian musician (born 1945)

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.

<i>Horizontal</i> (album) 1968 studio album by the Bee Gees

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.

<i>Idea</i> (album) 1968 studio album by the Bee Gees

Idea is the fifth album by the Bee Gees. Released in August 1968, the album sold over a million copies worldwide. The album was issued in both mono and stereo pressings in the UK. The artwork on the Polydor release designed by Wolfgang Heilemann featured a "beehive" neon lightbulb with a group photo in its base, while the North American ATCO release designed by Klaus Voormann featured a composite head made from each band member. It was their third internationally released album – the first two albums being released only in the Australian market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumbo (Bee Gees song)</span> 1968 single by the Bee Gees

"Jumbo" is a song released by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. It was released as a double A side with "The Singer Sang His Song" but featured as the lead track in some territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First of May (Bee Gees song)</span> 1969 single by The Bee Gees

"First of May" is a song by the Bee Gees with lead vocals by Barry Gibb, released as a single from their 1969 double album Odessa. Its B-side was "Lamplight". It also featured as the B-side of "Melody Fair" when that song was released as a single in the Far East in 1971 as well as in 1976 and 1980 on RSO Records. It was the first Bee Gees single to be released after lead guitarist Vince Melouney had left the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I.O.I.O.</span> 1970 single by Bee Gees

"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.

"Melody Fair" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb in 1968 and released in 1969 on their album Odessa. It was not released as a single, but this song was played on many radio stations, and was a hit in Japan. Andy Gibb's 1974 group, named Melody Fayre was named after this song. It also featured as the theme to Melody, a British film featuring a number of Bee Gees songs in its soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Petersen</span> Australian drummer, record producer and actor

Frederick Colin Petersen is an Australian drummer, record producer and former 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.

<i>Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2</i> 1973 compilation album by Bee Gees

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.

<i>Bee Gees 1st</i> 1967 studio album by the Bee Gees

Bee Gees' 1st is the third studio album by the Bee Gees, and their first international full-length recording after two albums distributed only in Australia and New Zealand. Bee Gees' 1st was the group's debut album for the UK Polydor label, and for the US Atco label. Bee Gees 1st was released on 14 July 1967 in the UK. On 9 August it entered the UK charts; on that same day, the album was released in the US, and it entered the US charts on 26 August.

"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.

"Kitty Can" is a song by the Bee Gees, composed by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. It was released as the B-side of "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" in July 1968, and as the second track on the album Idea in September 1968. In 1973, RSO Records released a compilation called Kitty Can only in Argentina and Uruguay, and this song appeared as the first track on that album.

"Black Diamond" is a song by the Bee Gees released on the album Odessa in 1969. The song was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and featured lead vocals by Robin Gibb. It was included on the compilation Marley Purt Drive released in 1970.

"Sound of Love" is a ballad number performed by the Bee Gees, It was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, and appeared on their album Odessa in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">And the Sun Will Shine</span>

"And the Sun Will Shine" is a song by the British rock band Bee Gees, it was written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb and released in February 1968 on the album Horizontal. The song's opening chord was D7, consisting of the notes D, F♯, A, and C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamplight</span> 1969 single by Bee Gees

"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.

References

  1. ↑ Discogs.com (1969). "Bee Gees - Odessa". Discogs .
  2. ↑ "Bee Gees – Odessa". Discogs. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  3. ↑ Adriaensen, Marion. "History Part 4" . Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1968".
  5. ↑ Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 2006".
  6. ↑ "The Bee Gees: 35 Years of Music". Billboard. March 24, 2001. p. 20. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Bennett, Kevin (23 March 2011). "Bee Gees Demos - Part 3" . Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Various – No One's Gonna Change Our World". Discogs. 12 December 1969. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  9. ↑ Discogs.com (1969). "José Feliciano – Marley Purt Drive". Discogs .
  10. ↑ "Jose Feliciano - Marley Purt Drive / Old Turkey Buzzard". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "19 July 1969 Singles". Go-Set Australian Charts. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "Feliciano Official Charts".
  13. ↑ "Bonnie St. Claire - Marley Purt Drive / Let Me Come Back Home, Mama". Discogs. 1969. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "Victor Scott – Fifteen Kids (Marley Purt Drive)". Discogs. April 1971. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "David Frizzell – Little Toy Trains / Marley Purt Drive". Discogs. 1969. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  16. ↑ "Musica & Memoria / Equipe 84 - Pomeriggio ore sei".
  17. ↑ "Equipe 84 – Pomeriggio: Ore 6 / E Poi..." Discogs. 1969. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  18. ↑ "Lulu – New Routes". Discogs. 1970. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  19. ↑ duaneallman.info.com. "DUANE ALLMAN: SKYDOG'S SESSIONS '68-'71" . Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  20. ↑ "Jean Bouchéty – The Rhythms Sounds And Melodies Of". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  21. ↑ "Nash Chase – Nash Chase". Discogs. 1970. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.