The Bee Gees were a pop music group formed in 1958. The group’s line-up consisted of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The trio were successful for most of their decades of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a rock act in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, and as prominent performers of the disco music era in the late 1970’s. The group sang recognizable three-part tight harmonies; Robin’s clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry’s R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the late 1970’s and 1980’s. The Bee Gees have sold more than 220 million records worldwide, making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time. (More from Wikipedia)
With their experience in Norway fresh on their minds, Mal and the Primitives decided to become one of several expatriate British rock bands that began to appear elsewhere in Europe by the mid-1960’s. The Downliners Sect and Alexis Korner followed a similar route. Perhaps the best known is the Sorrows; unable to follow up their 1965 hit “Take a Heart” in their home country (also included on Nuggets II), the group relocated to Italy in 1966 and recorded a highly esteemed Italian album in 1968, Old Songs New Songs. I have the first official reissue of Old Songs New Songs in 2009 on Wooden Hill Records; a second CD includes an early demo of the album plus a concert performance from 1980. A full cover by the Sorrows of the early Bee Gees hit “New York Mining Disaster 1941” is included on this early demo; only a single line from “New York Mining Disaster 1941” made it onto their album.
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While still being backed by the Primitives, Mal Ryder later moved to the forefront and began changing his sound. Though I haven’t seen this mentioned anywhere else, evidently he was using only his first name “Mal” during this period, according to Italian Wikipedia. Under this name, he had a million-selling record (a remarkable achievement in Italy) with his Italian version of the Bee Gees song “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You” (released as “Pensiero d’Amore”). Mal Ryder also starred in four Italian movies and had a recording career spanning 37 years, including tours throughout Europe and also in America.
(May 2015)
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