...the Bee Gees were hotter than white hear. In the late...gasp...70s, they would regularly have four or five of the top songs on the music chart at one time. I must sheepishly confess to being a fan then.
And still now.
This new documentary which you can find on HBO Max is a wonderful time travel trip back to those days and before. Amazingly, Barry, Robin, and Maurice conquered several musical genres over their long career together. From being a Beatles-type to moving over to soul and R&B and then, ultimately disco. The latter was their biggest moment and eventually their final moments as performers. When disco records were burned in Comiskey Park circa 1979 on "Disco Sucks Night," it was the Bee Gees' fortunes who went up in smoke.
Almost mystically, they moved into yet another new direction as songwriters for the likes of Barbra Streisand and Dionne Warwick. Essentially, their work together spanned thirty years. Contrast that to the Beatles who really only lasted a decade as a group.
This film by Frank Marshall is painstaking in its linear delivery of the Bee Gees' history and even includes a portion of screen time to the short-lived career and life of the fourth Gibb Andy. There are plenty of talking heads from Eric Clapton to associates of producer Robert Stigwood to Barry himself. Sadly, he is the only one of the family left. The good news is he still performs from time to time and still can hit those falsettoes.
This documentary is also smart not to give just slivers of their hits. Whole chunks of songs are heard and you'll want to ratchet up the volume of your TV. It makes me want to see "Saturday Night Fever" all over again.
Or listen to their music on YouTube or Amazon. Oh, hell, I'll confess. I've got them on auto play right now as I type this.
LEN'S RATING: Three-and-a-half stars.
Dinner last night: Leftover pork tenderloin.
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