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Archive-name: music/beegees-faq/part4
Posting-Frequency: monthly (25th of month) Last-modified: 1998/08/25 Maintainer: David Garcia <garc@compuserve.com> See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
Bee Gees
Frequently Asked Questions
Part Four of Four
August 25, 1998
4-01. What is a FAQ?
A. Well, THIS is a FAQ. In a broader sense, a FAQ is a list of
answers to Frequently Asked Questions (and thus the acronym). It
is a fairly common thing to find on USENET newsgroups, and it
serves the purpose of providing answers to the questions most
likely to be asked by those who are new to the group. This way,
they can quickly get up to speed and deal with the more esoteric
questions, etc.
On USENET, FAQs are posted to news.answers and the newsgroup
to which the FAQ relates. This FAQ is posted to news.answers and
alt.music.bee-gees on the 25th of each month. The most recent
version of the FAQ is always available by ftp at:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.music.bee-gees/
and on the world wide web at:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/music/beegees-faq/
If you wish to reprint all or part of this FAQ on your web
site or fan club newsletter, please write to the FAQ maintainer,
David Garcia, at garc@compuserve.com
4-02. Whatever happened to...?
A. Here are some followups on several people who have been asked
about from time to time...
ANDY GIBB - Younger brother Andy Gibb passed away on March 10th,
1988. The Andy Gibb Memorial Foundation was started by his
brothers to carry on his memory.
At some point, I would like to see an Andy Gibb FAQ posted
here too. I don't know as much about Andy as some of our mailing
list subscribers do, and I'm sure that there are those who could
do better at it than me. It seems inappropriate to let him be
merely a footnote to this FAQ, and I look forward to seeing the
Andy Gibb FAQ someday soon. In the meantime, be sure to visit
the official Andy Gibb web page, http://www.andygibb.org/
ROBERT STIGWOOD - As Joe Brennan once said, it would seem that
the relationship between Robert and the Bee Gees is a complex
one. While they had their share of legal battles in 1981, the
brothers still look upon Robert as their mentor, and said as much
at the Brit Awards this year. Barry also asked Robert Stigwood
to accept the award on stage with them.
Among Robert's recent acheviements are the movie "Evita" and
the new stage musical "Saturday Night Fever". A Bee Gees
connection in each of these: Back in the seventies, Barry was
being considered for the role of Che Guevara in the film "Evita",
but lost out due to the misfortune of two decades of delays.
And, the Bee Gees have written a new song, "Immortality", for the
"Fever" musical, which is opened in London in May of 1998.
BILL SHEPHERD - When recently asked about him on the "Words"
mailing list, Renee mentioned that Bill passed away some years
ago. Bill, as you recall, did the orchestrations for the early
Bee Gees albums, and it could be said that he had a lot to do
with the lush sound of those albums as well. He was also one of
their producers in the Australian days.
ALBHY GALUTEN AND KARL RICHARDSON - In much the same way that
Bill Shepherd helped to sculpt the sound of the early Bee Gees
albums,Albhy and Karl had a lot to do with the sound of the
"helium years". I had a press release from MCA about one of
these two a few months back, talking about work with CD-ROMs.
According to an article Joey Spain recently forwarded, it appears
to be Albhy, who is now VP of interactive programming for MCA
Music Entertainment. Thanks, Joey!
ARIF MARDIN - Arif produced three albums with the Bee Gees: "Mr.
Natural", "Main Course", and "E.S.P.". He also produced two
songs on the new "Still Waters" CD: "I Will" and "Obsessions".
On December 17th 1996, the New York Post reported that,
after 33 years with Atlantic Records, Arif has signed a
"long-term deal" to stay with the company. It also notes that in
1990 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He won his sixth Grammy
award earlier this year for his work on "Smokey Joe's Cafe -- The
Songs of Leiber and Stoller" from the hit Broadway play. His
previous Grammy awards include Producer of the Year in 1975 and
for co-producing the soundtrack for "Saturday Night Fever" in
1978, according to the Post.
GUMMO GIBB - Joe Brennan writes...
Apparently Hugh and Barbara were big Marx brothers fans, and
started off naming their boys after them in order. Luckily for
the others, by the time the second boy came along, Gummo was old
enough to be attending school and taking quite a bit of teasing
about his name, and they decided to name the second boy Barry.
The parallels would have been uncanny. It was the middle
three brothers who performed together and achieved the greatest
fame, and consider even the personalities involved: Chico, the
one who gets the girls; Harpo, the best musician and whose voice
you rarely hear; and Groucho, the one known for his wordplay.
And then even little Zeppo would have been the young handsome
brother.
But it was not to be. The real reason for the family's move
to Australia was not the alleged arson incidents, but for the
sake of poor Gummo, who needed to start a new life where his name
was less known.
Living out an eerie parallel, Gummo left show business early
in the family's career and was never captured on film performing
with them. He is said to be a travelling sheepshearer in
Queensland, keeping to himself and never revealing his first
name, going only by "Gibb... just call me Gibb".
At his request, only his feet are shown in the drawing in
the "Legend" book, and not even an animal parody of his face is
provided. He is not mentioned in the autobiography of the group,
and if you ask any of the family about him today, they will deny
his existence, mainly because I have made all of this up.
SUNNY JIM - In their authorized biography, the Bee Gees mention
that they often did little comedy skits about Sunny Jim as a way
of warming up before recording in the studio -- "Sunny Jim in the
Arctic", etc. Sunny Jim is also among those given thanks in the
liner notes of the "Children of the World" CD.
Of course, all this you hear about Sunny Jim action figures,
and Rankin/Bass yuletide productions of "The Adventures of Sunny
Jim" with the composition "What's That on the Floor, Sunny Jim,
Sunny Jim", is nothing more than groundless rumor. Ignore it.
Please.
4-03. Will the Bee Gees ever perform live again?
A. They already have. In October of 1996, a surprise appearance
of the Bee Gees introduced the VH-1 Fashion Awards special. The
warm reception they received showed that, while "Stayin' Alive"
may be derided by anti-disco critics, it still enjoys huge
popularity with the listening public.
Another recent performance, although a brief one (and
troubled with a water-logged mixing board -- outdoors on a rainy
morning), took place at Rockefeller Center in June 1997, as part
of the Today show's Friday summer concert series.
But of course, the highlight of recent performances has to
be the "one night only" event in Las Vegas in November 1997.
This has since been shown in the US on pay-per-view and HBO, and
is now starting to appear on television broadcasts worldwide --
most recently, on BBC Television.
Plans are in the works presently for more "one-night-only"
performances in Ireland, London's Wembley Stadium, and other
venues in South America, Africa, and Australia. For the lastest
news and ticket info, be sure to check http://www.beegees.net
(and your local travel agent...)
4-04. Will "Still Waters" be their last album?
A. They have stated previously that, as long as their fans want
to hear them, they will be happy to keep making albums.
Does this mean they will keep going on forever? Well, in
recent interviews Barry has suggested some reluctance at touring
past the age of 55, but hopefully that doesn't rule out doing
more albums. Of course, this is a man who was talking about
retirement back in 1979....
No matter what the future holds, chances are the Bee Gees
will never leave the music business entirely. An interview on
"Oprah" revealed that they intend to work with Barbra Streisand
again. Also, a recent USA Today article mentioned that the Bee
Gees may at some point start their own record label, and give new
artists a chance to launch their careers. Great news! Now,
where did I put my box of demo tapes? ;-)
4-05. What is the Bee Gees' e-mail address?
A. The address given on the Official Bee Gees Web Experience
is...
beegees@beegees.net
Of course, this doesn't answer the question of who actually
clicks on the "Get New Mail" icon to read the mail sent to this
address, or to what extent the Bee Gees read e-mail sent there.
But this is the e-mail address given to fans on the Official Bee
Gees Web Experience.
Speaking of the internet, are there Bee Gees in cyberspace?
Well, word has it that Maurice, a Macintosh enthisiast, has
surfed the net on occasion, but as far as I know Barry and Robin
have not yet ventured onto the information superhighway. And as
an aside to Maurice, if you're reading this, please... what does
"I.O.I.O." mean? ;-)
4-06. Who is Renee Schreiber?
A. Renee is the Bee Gees' designated liasion with various
recognized Bee Gees fan clubs worldwide (as it happens, there is
no "official" Bee Gees fan club at the present time, and some
locales may have more than one "recognized but unofficial" fan
club, as well as some which may or may not be in various stages
of Gibb acknowledgement. Complicated stuff, these fan clubs!).
Renee is also administrator of the official Bee Gees and
Andy Gibb web sites. Additionally, Renee assists Beverly Burke
with the editing of the BGQ fan club newsletter, and often gives
up-to-date media info and other helpful guidance to fans in
cyberspace.
Renee can be reached by e-mail at bgmelody@gate.net and by
snail-mail at the address below.
The liner notes of the "Still Waters" album, by the way,
suggest that fans seeking fan club info write to:
Bee Gees Fan Club Info
20505 US 19 N. Suite #12-290
Clearwater, FL 34624
U.S.A.
For information and a list of clubs, send a self-addressed
stamped envelope. Outside the U.S., along with your
self-addressed envelope, please include post office-marked IRCs
with your self-addressed envelope.
4-07. What is this rumor about missing lyrics to the song
"Rings Around the Moon"?
A. Well, while the song "Rings Around the Moon" has been
relegated to "b-side rarity" status elsewhere in the world, in
Japan it is a bonus track on the "Still Waters" CD. And the
lyric sheet has the words to the song there, but it includes an
extra verse that doesn't appear in the recording! Here is the
missing verse, provided by Joseph Yellin...
If you let me hide
In the corner of your soul
I will cherish you forever
I will keep you from the cold
And you know from the start
I will never break your heart
4-08. When will the Bee Gees make a Christmas album (and/or
country album, "unplugged" album, etc.)?
A. Not for a very long time, from the sound of things.
However, if you're looking for an "unplugged" album in
particular, the mini-CD of the "Storytellers" performance may be
of interest to you. It was, at one point, available as an add-on
to the "Still Waters" CD at Target stores in the US. Perhaps
these songs may appear in other forms elsewhere in the future;
then again, maybe not.
So far, the closest they've come to a Christmas album has
been a rare performance of "Silent Night" on an old fan club
release some years back. The requests by fans for a Christmas
album have been many, but the brothers have maintained that they
just aren't into Christmas albums.
On the other hand, we now have the track "Miracles Happen"
on the "Still Waters" CD. This song was originally written for
the movie remake of "Miracle on 34th Street". Not exactly "Have
a Holly Jolly Christmas with the Bee Gees", but it's a start,
right? ;-)
4-09. Who decides whether rarities are released? Any chance
that some unreleased tracks will be made available?
A. It's an interesting situation. All music recorded by the
brothers Gibb since 1967 remains under their own control, and
nothing can be released without their approval.
Not too many artists are blessed with such circumstances.
Witness the contractual stuggles that o+> (the artist formerly
known as Prince) and George Michael have gone through.
Some performers -- Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, and the late
Frank Zappa, to name two -- have made a point of getting as many
rarities out there as possible, both to appease die-hard fans and
to beat bootleggers at their own game. The Bee Gees, by
contrast, have chosen to keep their unreleased tracks unreleased.
There's certainly enough material in the archives to work
with, if they so chose. In 1973, Atlantic records shelved Bee
Gees album "A Kick in the Head is Worth Eight in the Pants"
shortly before its scheduled release. All three brothers have
abandoned at least one solo album each. And more than one Bee
Gees studio LP has left behind extra songs on the storage reels.
Also, let's not forget several albums worth of songs written
for other artists. Virtually all of these tracks began as demos
with one or more brothers singing. In addition, if they wanted
to go the route the remaining Beatles have gone, they could mine
the vaults of the BBC and countless other radio and television
performances. Finally, there's at least a few demos and
unreleased songs by Andy that remain withheld.
Some of these items have been made available on bootleg CDs,
put out by underground outfits such as Ladybird and Brothers Gibb
Records. Among these have been the "Kick in the Head" album,
both early and recent live performances, solo works and leftover
songs from the "Hawks" soundtrack. Unfortunately, recent
crackdowns in the US by Customs and FBI officials have made these
even harder to find than ever.
Ironically, sixty songs from the brothers' Australian years
have been sold -- legally -- with maniacal enthusiasm around the
world. One song, "I Was a Lover, a Leader of Men", has been
released on ten seperate albums! Festival Records has been
licensing these songs worldwide successfully simply because the
Bee Gees have no creative control over their Australian
recordings of 1963-1966. (Now, if only the brothers would turn
over the Middle Ear Studio vaults to the troops at Festival, they
could give bootleggers a good run for their money...)
4-10. What kind of tuning does Barry use on his guitar?
A. The tuning is what he calls a "Hawaiian" tuning, consisting of
guitar strings tuned as follows (from lowest note to highest
note...)
D A D F# A D
Thanks to Greg Luther for tracking this down on "a web site
that has a few selected Bee Gees songs for guitar." The address
of that web site:
http://www.scranton.com:2222/archive/b/bee_gees/
Maurice, incidentally, uses standard guitar tuning. I like
it that way -- the contrast between the two guitars came out very
nicely on songs such as "Come Home Johnny Bride" and on their
medleys on the "Midnight Special" TV appearances.
4-11. How tall are the Bee Gees?
A. I was surprised to discover how hard it's been to get an
answer to this one! Even the "official" reports have changed
over the years, and differ substantially from guesses hazarded by
fans who have met them and posed for photos with them. I was
hopeful that the Official Bee Gees Web Experience would settle
the matter once and for all, but now I see that they use the very
same estimates that I've always been using. Good heavens,
doesn't SOMEBODY have a tape measure over there? Anyway, fans
estimates have been as follows:
Barry: between 5' 10" and 6' 1"
Robin: between 5' 8" and 5' 11"
Maurice: between 5' 6" and 5' 9"
Further, it is interesting to note that the Official Bee
Gees Web Experience lists Andy as having been between 5' 7" and
5' 9" in height.
4-12. Are any of the Gibb brothers left-handed?
A. Barry is. Andy was too.
4-13. When are their families' birthdays and anniversaries?
A. Thanks to Lynn Lyda and Bette Hanson for their help with the
following...
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb and his family
Barry and Linda Gibb married Sept 1, 1970 (his 2nd marriage)
Barry's Birthday: Sept 1, 1946
Linda's Birthday: May 11, 1950
children's birthdays...
Stephen Gibb: Dec 1, 1973
Ashley Gibb: Sept 8, 1977
Travis Gibb: Jan 10, 1981
Michael Gibb: Dec 1, 1984
Alexandra Gibb: Dec 29, 1991
Robin Hugh Gibb and his family
Robin and Dwina Gibb married Jul 31, 1985 (his 2nd marriage)
Robin's Birthday: Dec 22, 1949
Dwina's Birthday: Dec 22, 1952
children's birthdays...
Spencer Gibb: Sept 21,1972
Melissa Gibb: Jun 17, 1974
Robin John Gibb: Jan 21, 1983
Maurice Ernest Gibb and his family
Maurice and Yvonne Gibb married Oct 17, 1975 (his 2nd marriage)
renewed wedding vows Feb 23, 1992
Maurice's Birthday Dec 22, 1949
Yvonne's Birthday: Sept 24,1950
children's birthdays...
Adam Gibb: Feb 23, 1976
Samantha Gibb: Jul 2, 1980
Additional days and anniversaries:
January 12, 1945 Leslie Gibb (sister)
January 25, 1978 Peta Gibb (Andy's daughter)
September 29,19-- Berry Gibb-Rhodes (Leslie's daughter)
November 17, 19-- Barbara Gibb (mother)
Andy Gibb was born March 5, 1958 and died March 10, 1988
Hugh Gibb was born January 15, 1916 and died March 6, 1992
4-14. Who is older, Robin or Maurice?
A. Although they are twins (and thus born on the same day,
December 22nd), Robin was born first.
4-15. What's on the list of forthcoming events?
A. For the latest info, be sure to check the Official Bee Gees
Web Experience, at: http://www.beegees.net
Also, for televised events, a good source of up-to-date
information is RockonTV, a free e-mail subscriber service that
let's you know who will be appearing and/or performing on US
television in the week to come. "BG Pixie" CBolitiski describes
it as follows:
"RockonTV is great cuz they post appearances on all sorts of
variety/talk shows, VH1, MTV, and other. They generally post
two notices during the week, one in time for week-end events and
then one for the entire week to come. To get the e-mail delivery
of RockonTV send an e-mail message with the words "subscribe" in
the subject area to RockonTV@satchmo.com. Now we can all watch
for the Brothers at the same time. Happy Screening!"
Joey Spain adds the following...
"You need not actually 'subscribe' to the notice list to
receive the information they offer. They have a WWW site with
the same content, and more at:
http://www.satchmo.com/rockontv/rocknext.html
4-16. Where can I find the lyrics to...?
A. This question has both a short answer and a long answer.
First the long answer, which is... nowhere.
Now, you might take issue with this, and say that lyrics are
easily obtained in sheet music, in songbooks, even on lyric
sheets that come with the CDs. But, quite simply, these sources
are by no means guaranteed to be accurate.
Take, for example, the song "Alone Again" from the "Two
Years On" album. The sheet music anthology "Bee Gees Complete,
Vol. 2", cites the phrase "I'm an abandoned train," However,
another songbook lists the same phrase as "I'm on a bound down
train." Which is correct?
As for the lyric sheets on the CDs, let's look at the "High
Civilization" CD. For the song "Secret Love", we see the phrase
"I'd follow anywhere to make you happy." But listen to the CD,
and it's OBVIOUS that Barry is singing "I'd follow anywhere to
make it happen."
So, why not ask the Bee Gees themselves? It's a thought, of
course. But what about the song "Jive Talkin'?" On the "Main
Course" CD Barry clearly sings "You'll never know / just what you
mean to me." But in concert -- for example, the Melbourne
concert on the "All For One" video -- he sings "You'll never
know / just what you've done to me." For a while I thought this
just might be the NEW official lyric, but then on VH-1's
"Storytellers" Barry reverted back to "what you mean to me".
Such is songwriting.
Now for the short answer. An exhaustive anthology of Bee
Gee lyrics can be found at...
http://mv.ru/~eddy/bee.html
4-17. Have any books been written about the Bee Gees or Andy
Gibb?
A. Well, some have in years past, but my understanding is that
they are pretty much out-of-print now. So, check your local used
book store for any of the following titles (as supplied by Kathy
Gray...)
1) "The Legend" Written by David English - Illustrations by
Alex Brychta - Nov. 1979 - The Legend Company.
(This is truly a priceless find. A cartoon-illustrated
biography of the Bee Gees which portrays Barry as "Lionheart,"
Robin as the "Red Setter" and Maurice as an "Eager Beaver." Yes,
it's worth having just for this. The book is hard to find, but
worth the effort. Available as a large paperback, but if you're
lucky enough to find one of the very few (extremely rare) large
hardcover editions with the red cover, you're quite lucky indeed.
The Bros. had those printed up specially just for family members
and friends).
2) "The Authorized Biography" Written by Barry, Robin and
Maurice Gibb as told to David Leaf - 1979 - Dell Publishing
(This book is also elusive, but it's out there, folks! If
you're lucky enough to find a copy of this large hardcover book,
you'll be treated to many enjoying (and some surprising)
anecdotes about the Gibb Family and the Bros' rise to stardom.
Includes many, many, original photos and a large, full color
foldout poster. The same book can also be found with the same
cover, but in a smaller paperback version).
3) "The Bee Gees" Written by Kim Stevens- 1978 - Quick Fox
(This is a large paperback with a photo of the Bee Gees
dressed in full Sgt. Pepper regalia on the front (headshots only)
- 92 pages with many photos)
4) "The Bee Gees" Written by Kim Stevens - 1978 - Scholastic
Book Services
(This is a small paperback of the above book but by a
different publisher. The cover is a brownish/orange color with a
photo of the Bee Gees - 109 pages)
5) "The Bee Gees - a Photo-Bio" Written by Kim Stevens - 1978 -
Jove
(This is the exact same book as the "Bee Gees" by Kim
Stevens, but in a small paperback version with a different cover
of the Bros. in Sgt. Pepper regalia. - 192 pages).
6) "The Bee Gees" by Larry Pryce - 1980 - Chelsea House
(This small paperback book features a black cover with the
words "The Bee Gees" in hot pink lettering on the front - A
biography, including an album discography and a few photos - 139
pages).
7) "The Bee Gees" by Craig Schumacher - 1979 - Creative
Education
(This small, thin blue paperback book features a cover photo
of the Bros. from the old Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid film
lot while filming the "Stayin Alive" video. Includes several
photos and a rather brief (considering the size of the other
bios) biography - 32 pages).
8) "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - by Henry Edwards -
1978 - Pocket Books
(The small paperback book from the movie - includes many
photos from the shooting of the film).
9) "The Bee Gees 1" and "The Bee Gees 2" - Chatty Books, The
Netherlands
(These are two very tiny hardcover books from the
Netherlands with different covers on each. Each book is approx.
125 pages long and written in the native language - includes many
song lyrics written in English).
10) "The Official Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band
Scrapbook, Collector's Edition" - Written by Robert Stigwood and
Dee Anthony - 1978 - Pocket Books
(This is a
large paperback book featuring a cover photo of
the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton from the movie of the same name -
includes many color and B/W photos of the filming of the movie -
80 pages)
11) "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - Official Programme
- 1978 - Robert Stigwood Group, Ltd.
(This is the official programme (large paperback) from the
movie and is special in that it includes a 33 1/3 rpm mylar
record - it's written in "playbill" format with biographies of
the actors, including the Bee Gees, etc.)
12) "Andy Gibb" - Written by Connie Berman and Marsha Daly -
1979 - Xerox Corp.
(This small paperback book features a nice cover photo of
Andy, a biography and several photos - 122 pages).
Thanks, Kathy, for your hard work at digging up this info!
4-18. Where can I order a CD of...?
A. Fans have found various Bee Gees CDs (including imports and
rare items) at many of the following places. Please understand,
not all outlets carry all items, so compare and evaluate...)
http://www.musicexpress.com/
Phongsak Suppattarachai of Thailand found "Living Eyes"
here, and says orders take about one month to deliver. Also,
Helio Takahashi mentions seeing the astonishingly rare "Runaway"
CD by Carola here at $19.75!
http://www.musicshop.co.uk
Park Duk-Hyeon recently found the new single "Alone" through
this service. The order arrived just a few days after the
single's release halfway around the world. Pretty fast delivery!
Doug Wilson also recently found his "Still Waters" CD here.
telnet://cdeurope.com
http://www.cdeurope.com
CDEurope has a nice database format for those who prefer
telnet to www; they also have their own BBS. Phongsak
Suppattarachai recently discovered "The Bunbury Tails" here!
http://www.cdconnection.com
Phongsak Suppattarachai says that he's seen the UK "Alone"
single here. Sounds worth checking out.
Tower Records: (800) ASK-TOWER
This number will give you the location of the Tower Records
store nearest you (based on your zip code). Personally, I wish
it would give the location of the LARGEST Tower Records store
nearest me -- that would be more useful. Thanks to Marty for
this number, and for the number of Tower Records' Kingston store
in London: 011 44 171 439 2500. I called them, and the clerk
cheerfully confirms that desperate Yanks can order their UK
singles and albums by phone. Thanks, Marty!
Take Notes Records: (800) 650-3472.
At Marty's suggestion, I gave them a call. It sounds like a
one- man operation, and at the time I called the one man was out
having lunch, but it does seem to at least be the right number.
Give it a try...
Golden Treasures: (501) 795-4209.
According to Kathy Gray, the "Birth of Brilliance" CD can be
found here for a mere $29. Mailing address:
Golden Treasures
PO Box 601
Bentonville AR 72712
HMV Records, Herald Square, NYC
Located on 34th and Broadway (across from Macy's). They
almost always seem to have a copy of the "Living Eyes" CD there
on the shelves, and it's a reasonably priced $28.99 for the
Japanese import. Last week they had four! Their collection of
imports is astonishing, and both Tom Fini and I are starting to
question the import manager's claims of impartiality toward the
Bee Gees. After all, who but a true fan would stock Japanese
mini-CDs of the "Melody Fair" Subaru commercial?
Virgin Megastore, 45th and Broadway, NYC
The place bears a striking resemblance to Pizza Planet in
the animated classic "Toy Story". Certainly NYC's REDDEST
neon-lit CD shop. An entire import section is down in the
basement. Pricier than HMV, but chances are if you can't find
something at HMV, you may quite possibly find it here. And
surely THAT'S good to know...
For those passing through Singapore (a major transit stop in
the Far East, and a pleasant one too!), Karen Liew suggests
making a stop at the following shops on Orchard Road, "the ONLY
place to shop in Singapore <that is, if you're a tourist>"...
Chua Joo Huat
14 Scotts Road #03-22
Far East Plaza
Singapore 228213
Tel.: (65) 7360621
Fax.: (65) 2351330
Disc Domain (branch of Chua Joo Huat)
6 Raffles Boulevard #03-134
Marina Square
Singapore 039594
Tel.: (65) 3343168
Fax.: (65) 3347134
Supreme Compact Disc
Far East Plaza
14 Scotts Road #03-14
Tel.: (65) 7325432
[most of the hard-to-find CDs and cassettes from the
1969-1973 period are here.]
Tower Records
Pacific Plaza
9 Scotts Road #04-00
[has the Warner catalog of CDs that are out of print in the
US -- both the European and US versions!]
Tel.: (65) 7353600, (65) 7353487
Fax: (65) 7348762
Thanks, Karen!
4-19. Any fan get togethers planned for the near future?
A. There are occasional get-togethers in Miami, but I don't know
of any scheduled at present. Local get-togethers often take
place in other parts of the fan community. Check with the
mailing lists for details...
4-20. What interviews have appeared in newspapers or
magazines lately?
A. Kathy Gray has done a splendid job of providing a list of
recent published articles at her "Bee Gees Pictorial" web site,
http://users.deltanet.com/~twograys/beegees.htm
and I personally would suggest checking here at least once or
twice a week, before heading off to the newsstand. Here is a
recent listing from her site...
2/15/97: Billboard Magazine
2/27/97: Daily Record (UK)
3/1/97: Daily Express (UK)
3/1/97: Music Week (UK)
3/1/97: Film and TV Week (UK)
3/1/97: Times (UK)
3/1/97: TV Quick (UK)
3/1/97: TV Times (UK)
3/1/97: What's On TV (UK)
3/2/97: OK Magazine (UK)
3/2/97: The Observer Review (UK)
3/2/97: Sunday People (UK)
3/2/97: Mail on Sunday (UK)
3/2/97: Sunday Telegraph (UK)
3/3/97: Here (UK)
3/8/97: Music Week (UK)
3/12/97: The Sun (UK)
3/13/97: Swiss Magazine
4/97: Q Magazine (UK)
5/97: ELLE Magazine
4/97: DAS NEUE Magazine
5/6/97: USA Today
5/26/97: People Magazine "Still Waters Review"
5/97 Entertainment Weekly
5/29/97 Rolling Stone Magazine
6/97 People Magazine
Thanks, Kathy!
4-21. Where can I find Maurice Gibb lunchboxes and other Bee
Gees memoribilia?
A. Have you tried Maurice's garage? Just kidding.
Given that most official Gibb-related merchandise dates back
to 1979 or so, you're not likely to find much on the shelves of
Wal-Mart or your local Target store. No, for this, a little
effort shall be required.
If you're at Times Square, and Pepe doesn't have his open
briefcase of Bee Gee belt buckles on the subway platform (lately
Pepe's been straying over to Hanson keychains), you can always
try The Colony, on 49th and Broadway, in the historic Brill
Building. Their slogan is "I found it at the Colony!" I've
heard fans suggest other slogans, with regard to the price tags
one finds when one finds it at the Colony. Admittedly, The
Colony does tend to be geared toward the die-hard fan with more
disposable income than will-power. Believe me, I've seen it
happen. Lunchboxes, jigsaw puzzles, Andy Gibb dolls -- people
have left that place in tears. As a non-collector, I just think
of it as another of New York City's well-stocked museums. After
all, I don't think about how much the Van Goghs cost at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, right? In any case, enter at your
own risk: you just might end up buying something that you're not
quite prepared to explain to your spouse...
Then there's the auctions. No, not Sotheby's, and not
Hank's Saturday Afternoon Auctions in Gilbert, Iowa. This is the
age of cyberspace, and the best auctions can be found with a
click of the mouse. You could start with ebay, at
http://pages.ebay.com/aw/index.html on the world wide web. Type
"Bee Gees" in the search dialog box, and you will likely find
between 40 and 60 items up for sale. Make your bid, and when the
auction closes, within a week after it started, you may or may
not find yourself with a delightful little bargain. Details are
explained in the ebay help file, or you can just e-mail the
persons selling the items for more details. If it's out there,
chances are one of these days you'll see it for sale at ebay...
Among items to keep an eye out for:
* Bee Gee lunchboxes. As seen on the Rosie O'Donnell show,
three different ones, a Barry, a Robin, and a Maurice. Pay no
mind to the lurid discussions regarding Robin's trousers on the
photo...
* Andy Gibb doll. I saw this at the Colony. Given my
attitude on dolls -- and this is no "action figure," this is a
DOLL, make no mistake -- I'll refrain from offering my opinion
here. But I hear it's a very popular item.
* Bee Gees musical keyboard. Makes sounds almost entirely
unlike anything heard on any Bee Gee recording or demo (except
possibly the Ocean Drive Mix of "Paying the Price of Love"), but
has that cool Bee Gees logo and a nice photo on the box (make
sure you get the box with it).
* Bee Gees Jigsaw Puzzle. It's a jigsaw puzzle, with a Bee
Gees picture on it. There are stories I could tell, but I am
sworn to secrecy.
4-22. Save me, save me! The Bee Gees are just another one of
my obsessions, but she says it's tearing my world apart, and if I
only had my mind on something else, I could dedicate my life to
something new. Where do I stand? I look like a happy man, but
how hopelessly I'm lost! I have just myself to blame, it seems.
Where do I go from here?
A. If I understand correctly, your question is, "how can I tell
if I'm overly obsessed with the music and the careers of the
brothers Gibb?" Well, over quoting of song lyrics is one sure
sign; e-mailing the FAQ Maintainer to check the sources of quotes
in the above question is yet another.
By way of reply, we have this helpful ten-point checklist,
provided by Diane Weidenkopf at her web-site:
http://www.bgwoc.org/
Here is her list of signs to watch out for (or strive
for...):
Top 10 Warning Signs you are obsessed with The Bee Gees:
10. You have 100 video tapes and every one has some Bee Gees
related clip on them.
9. You seriously think of naming your first born Barry.
8. You are willing to rent "Grumpy Old Men" just for the
"Staying Alive" part.
7. You always check the Bee Gees section at the record
store, hoping against all hope there will be some unknown Bee
Gees album you missed.
6. You declare Sept. 1st and Dec. 22nd holidays, take off
from work and have a cake with the number of candles since the
first Australian record was released.
5. Your goal in life is to fill your 100 disc changer with
nothing but Bee Gees (and you feel inadequate because you only
have 32 discs).
4. You can find redeeming qualities in the Sgt. Pepper
Movie.
3. You keep buying Bee Gees vinyl even though you no longer
own a turntable.
2. You find yourself defending your CD collection to people.
They just don't understand that you NEED that European import of
"One" (when you already have the U.S.version) because it has ONE
EXTRA SONG!
1. You break up with a boyfriend/girlfriend because he/she
tells you (the next day) that a TV show had a clip about the Bee
Gees yesterday and he/she thought about telling you but didn't
know if you'd be interested.
Thanks, Diane, for this remarkable insight. But I have to
admit, none of these seem like a problem to me! ;-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Responses to FAQ: Send responses and comments to David
Garcia at garc@compuserve.com or post to the mailing lists if you
are a subscriber.
Special thanks to the following for their kind assistance in
producing this FAQ: Renee Schreiber, Joe Brennan, Chris Mathis,
Bette Hanson, Lynn Lyda, Antonette Daniar, Jill Thompson, "Imran
C.", Joey Spain, Ed Vlasov, Melody Ishiwata, "Kevin M.", Doug
"Doug in MO" Shannon, Jimmy Wade, Goran Gustafsson, Juan Perea,
Grant Walters, "Tony", "Mike", Lucas Broer, Joel K. Ashby, "Di",
Marty Hogan, Rhonda J. Platania, Anne Simpson, Al Collum III,
Elliott A. Jacobowitz, Sue Thompson, Kathy Gray and her friend in
France, Ruth Burcaw, "BG Pixie" CBolitiski, Ann M. Richardson,
Marcel Troost, Daniel Navarro, Doug "Doug in TX" Wilson, Phongsak
Suppattarachai, "Marion from (today's climate here) Germany",
Colin Harris, Greg Luther, Helio Takahashi, Douwe Dijkstra, Diane
Weidenkopf, Robert Phan, Karen Liew, Ron Ramirez, Jay Siekierski,
Alan Dail, Joan Furilla, Jan Carnell, "Amy on AOL", Udo Muellner,
Park Duk-Hyeon, Joseph Yellin, Tom Fini, Martha Irvin and many
others (to whom I apologize for their accidental omission)
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