Anyone remember this album with the velvety cover? To be honest, I don't. I am only familiar with Saturday Night Fever, but I just wanted to know how good it is. I heard it is a pretty good album.

It's considered by many fans (not the part timers who only like the mid to late 70s stuff) to be one of their best albums, and most agree that it's their best 60s album. In terms of production and arrangement it certainly is, but their international debut Bee Gees First (1967) is probably a better set of songs. Robin left during the making of this album so he doesn't appear on a great many tracks. However, two of the albums' very best cuts are his; the title track and Lamplight. There's also that familiar argument that "it would've made a better single album" to consider, but there are enough good songs (if you like 60s orchestral pop, that is) to make it worth investigating. It may take a little while to appreciate (it took me the best part of ten years to fully get into it) and there's a few tracks that aren't particularly strong (the instrumentals should've been left off for a start) but, at the very least, it's an interesting album that is worlds apart from the stuff they would go on to do.

Oh! And Marley Purt Drive is one of my fave ever songs of theirs.

Odessa (1969)

My picks:

Odessa
You'll Never See My Face Again
Marley Purt Drive (Should have been a single)
Melody Fair (Quite possibly their prettiest ever song and another single that sadly never was)
Whisper Whisper
Lamplight (Should have been a single)
Sound Of Love
Give Your Best
Never Say Never Again
First Of May (The only single released)

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[Edited 11/8/04 9:38am]