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Odessa
Odessa in Bloomington, MN
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The group members may disagree for personal reasons, but
Odessa
is easily the best and most enduring of
the Bee Gees
' albums of the 1960s. It was also their most improbable success, owing to the conflicts behind its making. The project started out as a concept album to be called "Masterpeace" and then "The American Opera," but musical differences between
Barry
and
Robin Gibb
that would split the trio in two also forced the abandonment of the underlying concept. Instead, it became a double LP -- largely at the behest of their manager and the record labels; oddly enough, given that the group didn't plan on doing something that ambitious,
is one of perhaps three double albums of the entire decade (the others being
Blonde on Blonde
The Beatles
) that don't seem stretched, and it also served as the group's most densely orchestrated album. Yet amid the progressive rock sounds of the title track and ethereal ballads such as
"Melody Fair"
"Lamplight"
were country-flavored tunes like
"Marlery Purt Drive"
and the vaguely
Dylan
esque bluegrass number
"Give Your Best,"
delicate pop ballads like
"First of May"
(which became the single off the album), and strange, offbeat rock numbers like
"Edison"
(whose introduction sounds like
parodying
Cream
's
"White Room"
), and
"Whisper Whisper"
(the latter featuring a drum break, no less), interspersed with three heavily orchestrated instrumentals. Even the seeming "lesser" numbers such as
"Suddenly"
had catchy hooks and engaging acoustic guitar parts to carry them, all reminiscent of
the Moody Blues
' album cuts of the same era. Moreover, the title track, with its mix of acoustic guitar, solo cello, and full orchestra, was worthy of
at their boldest. The myriad sounds and textures made
the most complex and challenging album in the group's history, and if one accepts the notion of
as successors to
the Beatles
, then
was arguably their
Sgt. Pepper's
. The album was originally packaged in a red felt cover with gold lettering on front and back and an elaborate background painting for the gatefold interior, which made it a conversation piece. ~ Bruce Eder
Odessa
is easily the best and most enduring of
the Bee Gees
' albums of the 1960s. It was also their most improbable success, owing to the conflicts behind its making. The project started out as a concept album to be called "Masterpeace" and then "The American Opera," but musical differences between
Barry
and
Robin Gibb
that would split the trio in two also forced the abandonment of the underlying concept. Instead, it became a double LP -- largely at the behest of their manager and the record labels; oddly enough, given that the group didn't plan on doing something that ambitious,
is one of perhaps three double albums of the entire decade (the others being
Blonde on Blonde
The Beatles
) that don't seem stretched, and it also served as the group's most densely orchestrated album. Yet amid the progressive rock sounds of the title track and ethereal ballads such as
"Melody Fair"
"Lamplight"
were country-flavored tunes like
"Marlery Purt Drive"
and the vaguely
Dylan
esque bluegrass number
"Give Your Best,"
delicate pop ballads like
"First of May"
(which became the single off the album), and strange, offbeat rock numbers like
"Edison"
(whose introduction sounds like
parodying
Cream
's
"White Room"
), and
"Whisper Whisper"
(the latter featuring a drum break, no less), interspersed with three heavily orchestrated instrumentals. Even the seeming "lesser" numbers such as
"Suddenly"
had catchy hooks and engaging acoustic guitar parts to carry them, all reminiscent of
the Moody Blues
' album cuts of the same era. Moreover, the title track, with its mix of acoustic guitar, solo cello, and full orchestra, was worthy of
at their boldest. The myriad sounds and textures made
the most complex and challenging album in the group's history, and if one accepts the notion of
as successors to
the Beatles
, then
was arguably their
Sgt. Pepper's
. The album was originally packaged in a red felt cover with gold lettering on front and back and an elaborate background painting for the gatefold interior, which made it a conversation piece. ~ Bruce Eder
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