Tuesday, February 4, 2014

CAFFE` LATTE` 
TOP 1200 CHOICE TRACKS


#516 JIVE TALKIN' Bee Gees
By 1974, the Bee Gees were in a rut. They were releasing ballads and struggling to dent the charts. Manager Robert Stigwood introduced the Gibb brothers to Arif Mardin. The former's RSO label was distributed by Atlantic Records and the latter was 1 of that company's most respected producers. Mardin urged the trio to check out the music scene in Miami. The Bee Gees began recording their next album at Florida's Criterion Studios.
The Gibbs' daily drive to the recording studio required crossing some railway tracks. Barry Gibb's wife Linda pointed out the sound the car tyres made as they drove over the tracks. That inspired the intro for their next major hit, "Jive Talkin'". 
All 3 brothers contributed to writing the song. Mardin produced the cut. The track was included on their 1975 LP 'Main Course'. "Jive..." led the group down a new musical direction. It was an upbeat song with elements of the burgeoning disco genre. It had strings atop a dance beat, borrowing from R&B and funk. Barry is starting to stretch out his falsetto, which would ultimately become a Bee Gees trademark. 
"Jive..." reached #1 in America and Canada, after a series of flops. The single also made the Top 10 in Britain and New Zealand. The Bee Gees were back and their golden period had only just commenced.

This is a list made up of the songs I enjoy the most, ranked in order of preference: the higher we go, the more I cherish them. Some were released as singles, others as album tracks. Some are obscure; others were worldwide hits or have universal appeal. They aren't always the most famous or popular, but simply a personal choice. I have excluded songs from the last few years in order to get a better idea of a song's lasting impression. I hope you find some new tracks to love, or re-discover some past favourites.
2 new songs are added each day (every 12 hours)  with a mid-week bonus every Wednesday.

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