This can’t be happening. I’ve always prided myself as being a fairly with-it kind of guy. Alright, there was the 70’s, but everybody did it back then. I like to kid myself that I have decent musical taste. I’ve got my Sonic Youth and Nick Cave CDs, loved the Germs back in college, used to think Rollins was god. But today…it pains me to admit this…I was driving home from work, NPR was rehashing the election, time to scan the dial. Suddenly “You Should Be Dancing” comes on. I find myself getting into it. Actually singing along. Christ, what a revolting development.
Is there a support group out there for desperate people like me? I’ve got to find a cure before I go mad. Mad I tell you! Next I’ll be digging “New York Mining Disaster 1941.”
::runs screaming from this thread, as fast as possible::
Only because my ex-manager at the music store would play the BeeGee over and over, ad nauseum (and I do mean ad nauseum). This was during the 80s, post-disco/“Saturday Night Fever”, pre-retro.
As long as you don’t listen to Andy Gibb.
:sigh:
(I have to confess, I have my occasional John Tesh moments.)
I’m with you, man. I like the Bee Gees too. Also, count me in when ABBA comes to town. Furthermore, I have a whole hard disk of EuroTrash MP3’s, mostly 80’s shite.
And yes, my favourite band of all time is still Rush. I also adore Pink Floyd, Yes, Savatage, Camel, Marillion…
So, I’m either going to music hell, or music heaven. We’ll see.
Pete, you have my sympathy. I don’t know of a support group for you, but you’ll be in my prayers.
This seems as good a place as any to say that I consider the Bee Gees to be, in an important sense, The Worst Group Ever. Sure, there have been far worse groups (e.g. the Cowsills), but they dropped off the face of the earth before they could cause us too much pain. The Bee Gees, OTOH, have survived (and clearly, in some people’s opinions, thrived) long enough to cause us vast quantities of pain. And it is on the ‘pain scale’ that I have to rate them the worst band ever.
Take this as your basis for evaluation: multiply how bad a song is, by how much airplay it gets. That’s the amount of pain caused by a particular song. If you want to see which band or artist has caused the most pain over a career, you sum up how much pain has been caused by all their songs.
Obviously it’s impossible to quantify how bad a song is. But you’ve gotta admit that a group that’s come out with songs such as “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” “I Just Gotta Get a Message to You,” and “(You Don’t Know What It’s Like) To Love Somebody” has had some real stinkers which have gotten protracted airplay. And you can’t beat them for longevity: they’ve had hits in four different decades - I think they made the Top 10 in 1996 or thereabouts.
Don’t hassle it, Ace. I like the BeeGees myself. As a matter of fact I unashamedly LOVE 70’s and 80’s pop music as well as New Wave from the same time periods. Nothing to be ashamed of. Frankly I find myself enjoying songs today that I disdained when they were first aired. It ain’t so much the music as it is the memories that the tunes conjour up. Haunt the used CD bins; some people actually get rid of perfectly good compelation discs that freaks like us listen to constantly (much to the consternation of our co-workers and close friends). Indulge yourself-it’s harmless and fun to boot!
The rational part of me agrees with you totally. They are the anti-band. But yet I find myself grooving to “Staying Alive” and “Jive Talkin’.” I recognize the illness, just don’t know how to treat it.
Maybe there’s a disco-tine patch.
And Coldfire, we won’t even get into ABBA…(yes, I love them too, just too timid to admit it out of parantheses).
I have a confession to make as well. I not only like the BeeGees, I even liked the movie “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Yes, it was a shameful ripoff, yes it destroyed the Beatles music singlehanded, but God help me, Robin Gibb was HOT!! Hotter, even, than Peter Frampton, who did come in a close second.
Thank Heavens I have learned the error of my ways and am making amends even as we speak.
There are many of us out there who suffer this same disorder. I have been told that while it is not treatable or curable, it is also not harmful.
Unless, of course, you happen to be me.
See, I am married to a musician. A gifted guitar player. No, not gifted. More like, touched by the deities. He plays blues, so beautifully it’ll make you weep. And he does not understand my passionate love of disco/70’s & 80’s one-hit wonders. He uderstands that there are individual musicians and riffs that are great, and he will be the first to give credit where credit is due. But more often than not, he just shakes his head sadly while I dance to “Jive Talkin’.”
To his credit, though, he does believe that “To Love Somebody” is a very good song.
I love and adore the BeeGees, and I will not apologize for it. I think they are very talented songwriters and great performers. Pick up their live CD recorded in Vegas that came out a few years ago - it’s fabulous! And right on, aha - Nights on Broadway is one of my favorites.
P.S. Coldfire, because of your obsession with Rush, this weekend I was able to impress a friend with my knowledge. He mentioned Neal Pert being a great drummer, and I casually threw in, “oh, the drummer from Rush”? He was amazed that I knew that. So was I.
I think the Bee Gees are great.
There’s a lot of singers from that era who are overlooked.
If I had my own web radio show (once planned, but now abandoned), they would be on my playlist for sure.
sign me up. I like the Bee Gees too. I find myself playing a cass. I have of Heart. I love them ,too. The kids today dont know good music. The 70’s and 80’s were great.
But I do have to admit, I have a thing for Nsync. Those guys are hot. (signif only to be a teenager again)
Ah yes…pcubed, my friend, this is nothing. Long ago I myself admitted on this very board to liking ABBA. I don’t love ABBA, but I do know the lyrics to their songs.
Don’t fret. The Gibb brothers wrote some incredible songs for the soundtrack of their era. Even before disco. I think, probably, that ‘Run to Me’ is my favorite. But they do have that maddening quality of seeping into your brain so that you remember them long after they’ve worn out their popular welcome. (It’s that same maddening quality that’s sold so many of their albums…)
So, don’t feel bad. You’re still hip. You’re just eclectic and broader in your musical scope. Could be worse. You could be like me and love Jethro Tull. sigh
:eek:
That is not worse! What is wrong with Jethro Tull!!! They were here in concert a couple of years ago. A wee bit thin on top, but still some great music.
BTW, pick up “A Classic Case” by the London Symphony Orchestra with Ian Anderson. Classical (not Muzak) interpretation of JT songs. “War Child” at half-tempo is eerily moving.
[Not sure if they did one with Rush (My LSO/Genesis tape broke years ago).]
