The Ultimate Bee Gees

The Ultimate Bee Gees
Compilation album by Bee Gees
Released	3 November 2009
Recorded	1967–2001
Genre	Rock, pop, disco
Length	Disc 1: 78:48 Disc 2: 68:02
Label	Reprise
Bee Gees chronology
Love Songs (2005) The Ultimate Bee Gees (2009) Mythology (2010)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

The Ultimate Bee Gees is a compilation album released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Bee Gees. Although the group did not start recording until 1963 on Festival Records in Australia, they began calling themselves the "Bee Gees" in 1959 after several name changes such as "Wee Johnny Hayes and the Bluecats", "The Rattlesnakes" and "BG's". Each disc is themed with the first containing more upbeat songs, called A Night Out, and the second containing slower songs and ballads, called A Night In, though the cover art does not distinguish this theme. Liner notes were written by Sir Tim Rice. This also marks the return of the 70's era logo on an official Bee Gees release, which was last used on the Bee Gees' 1983 single "Someone Belonging to Someone".

Track listing

Though every song in the Bee Gees catalogue since 1967 has been mixed in stereo, a few early tracks are presented here in the mono mixes heard on the original single releases, for the first time on a CD compilation. (The mono mixes were previously released on CD on the 2006 box set Studio Albums 1967–1968.^[2])

All songs were written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb, except where noted.

Disc one

1. "You Should Be Dancing" – 4:16
2. "Stayin' Alive" – 4:43
3. "Jive Talkin'" – 3:44
4. "Nights on Broadway" – 4:33
5. "Tragedy" – 5:02
6. "Night Fever" – 3:32
7. "More Than a Woman" – 3:17
8. "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" – 4:04
9. "Spirits (Having Flown)" – 5:11
10. "If I Can't Have You" – 3:19
11. "Boogie Child" – 4:11
12. "Love You Inside Out" – 4:10
13. "You Win Again" – 4:00
14. "One" – 4:52
15. "Secret Love" – 3:32
16. "Alone" – 4:49
17. "Still Waters (Run Deep)" – 4:08
18. "This Is Where I Came In" – 4:52
19. "Spicks and Specks" (Live) (Barry Gibb) – 2:25

Disc two

1. "How Deep Is Your Love" – 4:02
2. "To Love Somebody" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 3:00
3. "Words" (mono mix) – 3:17
4. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – 3:58
5. "Too Much Heaven" – 4:55
6. "Emotion" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 3:39
7. "Lonely Days" – 3:47
8. "Run to Me" – 3:12
9. "Love So Right" – 3:37
10. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (single edit) – 3:58
11. "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" (mono single mix) – 3:03
12. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (mono mix) (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 2:10
13. "Massachusetts" (mono mix) – 2:21
14. "I Started a Joke" – 3:08
15. "World" (mono mix) – 3:17
16. "First of May" (mono mix) – 2:50
17. "Holiday" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 2:55
18. "Don't Forget to Remember" (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb) – 3:31
19. "Islands in the Stream" (Live) – 3:46
20. "Heartbreaker" (Live) – 1:05
21. "Guilty" (Live) – 2:23

DVD bonus disc

The Ultimate Bee Gees [Deluxe Edition] came with a bonus DVD containing promotional clips and videos. Though the promo clip for Tomorrow, Tomorrow is included on the DVD, the song is not included in the collection. All tracks are original studio recordings unless otherwise noted.

1. "Spicks and Specks" – Promo Clip aired on Bandstand (Australia) – 19 November 1966
2. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" Promo Clip – 1967 (mono album version)
3. "Massachusetts" – Performed live on Top of the Pops UK TV – 26 December 1967
4. "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" – from Idea TV Special – 1968 (mono single mix)
5. "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" – Promo Clip – 1969
6. "Lonely Days" – Promo Clip – 1970 (alternate studio version)
7. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – Performed live on Whitaker's World of Music – 6/5/1971
8. "Run to Me" – Performed live on 'In Session' US TV – 1973
9. "Jive Talkin'" – Promo Clip – 1975
10. "Night Fever" – Promo Clip – 1977
11. "Stayin' Alive" – Promo Clip – 1977 (slightly sped up studio version)
12. "How Deep Is Your Love" – Promo Clip – 1977 (slightly sped up studio version)
13. "Too Much Heaven" – Promo Clip – 1979
14. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" – Promo Clip – 1993
15. "Alone" – Promo Clip – 1997
16. "Still Waters (Run Deep)" – Promo Clip – 1997
17. "You Win Again" – Promo Clip – 1987
18. "One" – Promo Clip – 1989 (Version 1)

Charts

Though there are not any new songs included in this compilation and there has been little promotion for it, the set has charted in the UK at No. 19 in its first week and in the US at No. 116 on the Billboard 200 top albums chart.^[3]

In May 2012, The Ultimate Bee Gees re-entered the Billboard 200 at No. 49 due to a huge increase in Bee Gees' album sales following the death of Robin Gibb.

Weekly charts Chart (2009–12) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] 7 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5] 25 French Albums (SNEP)[6] 52 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] 32 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[8] 83 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[9] 10 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] 28 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 44

Year-end charts Chart (2012) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 74

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: The Ultimate Bee Gees: The 50th Anniversary Collection". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
2. "Gibb Songs".
3. "Billboard Top 200".
4. "Australiancharts.com – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
5. "Austriancharts.at – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
6. "Lescharts.com – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
7. "Officialcharts.de – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
9. "Charts.org.nz – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
10. "Norwegiancharts.com – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
11. "Swisscharts.com – Bee Gees – The Ultimate Bee Gees". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
12. "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012". ARIA. Retrieved 15 January. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)