Review
by Nicholas James |
 |
The gap between this album and the previous
album, the glorious
Size Isn't
Everything, was four years, the
biggest gap between albums since that
difficult time when fans waited four years
for ESP. This
time, though, there was a good reason. The
inspired idea for this album would be that
the Bee Gees would not produce it
themselves; instead, they would allow a
number of top contemporary producers to take
on one or more tracks and - so the theory
goes - this would give the album a new,
fresh sound. This would mean recording in
different locations all over the world,
fitting into various peoples' diaries. A
logistical nightmare, but well worth it if
the resulting album pushed the group into
new territories.
A number of producers worked on this album:
Russ Titelman (Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood,
George Harrison), David Foster (Celine Dion,
Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole), Hugh
Padgham (Phil Collins, Sting, Clannad),
Raphael Saadiq (TLC, Snoop Dogg, Whitney
Houston) and the Bee Gees old mate from the
1970s and 1980s, Arif Mardin. Oh, yes, and
the Bee Gees co-produced a number of the
tracks and produced 'Closer Than Close' in
its entirety. But instead of delivering a
diverse mix of sounds and approaches, all
the producers seemed to compete to be the
same. This resulted in the blandest album
the Bee Gees have released since the early
1970s.
It isn't clear why this was the case.
Perhaps the producers they approached were a
little too much part of the establishment,
working for well-known, 'safe' artists.
Perhaps the Bee Gees themselves interfered
(this is unlikely, as they are not credited
as co-producers on many of the songs). Or
perhaps all the producers just had the same
inspiration when working with the Bee Gees,
to mix a slick, contemporary sound with
touches of their 1970s vocals. (Another
reason could have been - perish the thought
- that the Bee Gees simply did not supply
songs that were up to their usual standard.)
That isn't to say that this album is a
failure. far from it. The anthemic first
single, 'Alone', became yet another UK Top 5
hit, and this time managed to succeed all
around the world. It seems that, in terms of
chart success, the Bee Gees couldn't put a
foot wrong. (I heard it once said that, in
1997, the Bee Gees could have released a
single of them snoring in their sleep and it
would have been a smash hit, such was their
popularity!)
'I Will', produced by Arif Mardin, is one of
the most touching ballads they have recorded
in recent years, probably bettering any of
the ballads on the generally superior
Size Isn't
Everything album. Even 'Miracles
Happen', the first song the Bee Gees have
produce with a genuine Christmas sound, is a
top class slice of Bee Gees.
However, the remainder of the album suffers
from an overuse of Barry's breathy vocal
style, an under use of Robin's full vocal
range (in many songs, demoting him to merely
supplying the vocals for the bridge from
inside what sounds like a fish-tank) and a
lack of experimentation in the range of
instruments used. For example, 'I Surrender'
has the basics of a strong thumping dance
track, but it goes nowhere. 'My Lover's
Prayer' has all the hallmarks of a classic
Bee Gees love song, even down to the
falsetto harmony chorus, but again it stalls
shortly after leaving the starting blocks.
Even Maurice's 'token' track - which can
usually be relied upon to enliven a dull
album - fails to ignite the album, although
it features some extremely suggestive
lyrics. As 'Smoke and Mirrors' (which
features a nifty Status Quo impersonation)
fades, the listener is left a little
short-changed by the experience.
This album lacks all of the variety, depth
and warmth of the excellent
Size Isn't
Everything. In fact, the bonus
'B-sides' included on the CD singles ('Rings
Around The Moon', Love Never Dies') are far
superior to most of the tracks on this
album.
Love it hate it, though, there is no
doubting that the album was a hit, this time
on both sides of the Atlantic, entering at
Number 2 in the official UK album charts.
But there would be a long wait to see if
they could bounce back artistically with
their next project...
Why Buy Still Waters?
For 'Alone', 'I Will' and 'Miracles Happen'. |
