A labour of love by three Bee Gee historians, who between them have over fourteen decades of combined expertise and history tied to the legacy of the Gibb brothers: the first two volumes of a planned series of four – Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1960s and Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1970s are simply the best chronicles published to-date of the Brothers Gibb.

With each volume focusing on a specific decade, the books catalogue the brothers’ musical legacy, their career zeniths, nadirs – and everything in between. Delving deep into their musical genius – album-by-album, song-by-song – fans of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb will also appreciate the authors’ expansive commentary on the siblings’ solo efforts, songwriting, production work, and side projects. But possibly what shines the brightest is the brothers’ grit and determination that made their careers as serious songwriters and musicians look so seamless.

With Robin Gibb’s singer-songwriter son Spencer Gibb providing a foreword for both published books and the two future planned editions, these encyclopedic and illuminating books are destined to captivate and dazzle fans of The Bee Gees, as well as all those with an appetite for music history.

Synopses:

Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1960s

In April 1967, the Bee Gees launched themselves onto the international music scene with the release of ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’. Whilst that haunting classic would be the first of many hits, The Bee Gees, consisting of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, had been releasing records since 1963.

As extraordinary as it sounds, with more than ten years of performing and four years of recording behind them, the Gibb twins, Robin, and Maurice, were just seventeen while elder brother Barry was only twenty. In an incredible career, The Bee Gees would go on to sell over 220 million records, making them among the best-selling music artists of all time. They would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Australian Recording Industry’s Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and receive lifetime achievement awards from the British Phonographic Industry, the American Music Awards, World Music Awards, and the GRAMMYs. According to Billboard magazine, The Bee Gees are one of top three most successful bands in their charts’ history. Few musical groups have provided the soundtrack to our lives like The Bee Gees, and it all started in the fascinating decade that was the 1960s.

Decades: The Bee Gees in the 1970s

For better or worse, The Bee Gees’ music and image has long been synonymous with the 1970s, and the career trajectory of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb in that ten-year span meanders between dizzying highs and devastating lows. The Bee Gees began 1970 as non-existent – bitterly split after succumbing to the pressures and excesses of their first wave of international fame in the latter part of the 1960s.

By 1979, they were one of the most successful music acts on the planet. In between, the brothers crafted timeless works that defied genre, transcended societal boundaries, and permeated generations of listeners.