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This is one of the finest
albums the Bee Gees ever produced.
Size
Isn't Everything is the Bee Gees' first album following
their return to Polydor, after a three album
stint with Warner Brothers. Each of the
three albums with Warners saw the group
develop and change their musical style. On
this album, they crystallise this process
and produce the most perfectly crafted set
of songs of their careers.
I don't usually review albums on a
track-by-track basis. But this album is so
special that I will break with tradition.
The first track and first single release,
'Paying The Price Of Love', saw the brothers
back on the case with a fantastic slice of
mid-1990s dance music. As the distinctive
opening bars pound in, you just know that
the guys are on top form. This is dance
music with passion, with perfect breathy
Barry Gibb vocals and and the highest pitch
falsetto middle eight I have heard from the
man. Anyone who saw the Bee Gees perform
this song on the BBC's Top of the Pops in
1993 live
from Miami Beach will know that the Bee Gees
put their all into this, with their best
ever television performance.
'Kiss Of Life' is a driving piece of Europop,
with a crystal clear vocal lead from Robin
and some uplifting synthesiser backing.
With 'How To Fall In Love, Pt 1', the guys
slip down a gear, with an intense,
Barry-led, love song, with a rich
production.
Maurice steps in and triumphs with the
simply remarkable 'Omega Man', a mid tempo
track with a chorus you won't get out of
your head (not that you will want to get it
out of your head!) Maurice's voice is
perfectly matched to the groovy melody, and
the delicate production - with hints of
1960s-style organ in the background - is
flawless.
'Haunted House' takes up the 'spooky
amusement park' theme that the guys
experimented with in
High
Civilization's 'Ghost Train' and
takes it a step further. The production of
this song is quite literally sumptuous, and
shows the Gibb Brothers complete mastery of
the art at this point in their careers. From
the unsettling 'Hammer House of
Horror'-style opening bars, through Barry
and Robin's unison vocals, and the lulling,
dreamy chorus, this song has it all.
In 'Heart Like Mine', the album takes a
surprising turn. Here we have a completely
innovative ballad, which shows that the guys
want to try something new. But perhaps the
most surprising thing about this track is
Robin's vocals. Here he returns to the nasal
vibrato he used in the 1960s, and this works
splendidly with this delightful, gentle
melody. The careful use of falsetto
harmonies in the chorus uses that particular
Bee Gees sound better than it had been used
for many years.
'Anything For You' is a lightweight piece of
Barry Gibb pop, and is the weakest song on
the album, but that is quickly forgotten
when 'Blue Island' gently floats in. This is
yet another surprise, as the Bee Gees go
completely acoustic for the first time since
the early 1970s. Not only is this a nice
song, it yet again proves that the Bee Gees
were inspired when they produced this album,
doing something they had done before, but
with a contemporary edge. First-rate song,
very pleasing production.
Then Maurice's 'Above and Beyond' storms in
like a hurricane. I have always had a liking
for Maurice's 'token' songs, but this album
gives us two Maurice leads. That should have
been a good sign, because whereas 'Omega
Man' was great, this song is beyond compare.
With a bracing, uplifting backbeat, the Bee
Gees mastery of the melody is used to
amazing effect here. This song is completely
exquisite and, I believe, could have been a
major hit single.
'For Whom The Bell Tolls' was the second
single from the album and was a massive UK
hit. Again this demonstrates the quality of
the Bee Gees song writing and production at
this period in their careers. Lovely guitar
intro, simple, effective lyrics sung by
Barry in a gentle falsetto. The build-up to
the chorus is clever, and Robin's section is
powerful and memorable.
'Fallen Angel; is like a cross between
Robin's
How
Old Are You album and the Pet Shop
Boys. Again this is a perfect pop song and
Robin's voice adds to the experience no
end.
The album ends with a re-recording of 'You
Should Be Dancing' called 'Decadance'. Quite
why they decided to do this I do not know,
but my belief is that the Bee Gees knew that
they were producing a multi-layered sound
that had much more depth than they had
previously achieved and just wanted to show
what a classic old dance track could sound
like if performed by the new, invigorated
Bee Gees. It doesn't disappoint.
So, Size Isn't Everything is probably the
ultimate Bee Gees album. It has a much
bigger, clearer sound than any album they
had produced to date, with a staggering
attention to detail that was several years
ahead of its time. For this album, they
composed the best selection of songs for a
single project since 1975's
Main Course,
and they used their different vocal and
musical styles to much better effect than
they probably ever did before or since. In
short, this album demonstrates why the Bee
Gees are regarded as one of the world's
great bands. Sadly, this was to be the last
great Bee Gees album, and they would never
return to this level of ingenuity and
excitement.
Send your review
of this album to BeeGeesReviews.info and if
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Where to Buy
Buy CD (released 2006)
Buy Australian import CD (released 2006)
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