When I was a teenager, there was a mall record store called Harmony Hut. I spent a lot of money there and other mall record stores such as Sam Goody, Alwilk, and others I can't remember the names of. So lately I've been thinking about doing a series of music posts, and I wanted to start with harmonies... so I stole the name. Sue me.
Welcome to Sharon's Harmony Hut.
I have a thing for harmonies. I've always had an ear for harmonies, and I can harmonize with just about anything. Call it an obsession.
So for today's first ever Sharon's Harmony Hut post, I chose some of the best harmonizers out there: The Bee Gees.
Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, the Brothers Gibb, the BG's, have very distinctive vocals. Robin's quavering vibrato makes his voice one of the most recognizable ever. I saw them in person twice, and I've seen countless videos, and they are always pitch perfect. The only other group I've ever seen as pitch perfect is the Osmonds, and believe me, they will be featured in Sharon's Harmony Hut.
The Bee Gees started performing quite young, in fact, I think Robin and Maurice weren't even teenagers yet when they began singing professionally. Of course they became quite well known for 'Saturday Night Fever,' but they had been around long before that. It's hard for me to choose a best song, but I narrowed down some of their best work.
Now, while 'Massachusetts' isn't exactly one of my most favorite songs of theirs, their harmonies in this clip from a television talk show are perfect. In fact, you really need to appreciate that they are just sitting there singing with nothing other than guitars, and it sounds this good.
'Islands in the Stream' was never a favorite of mine, mostly because I just didn't like the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton version. (And I'm a Dolly Parton fan... go figure). But when the Bee Gees sang this unplugged version in concert, it became a whole different song to me. I never knew why they gave it away instead of making it a hit for themselves. But whatever... it made them a ton of money anyway.
'Nights on Broadway' is definitely one of my favorite Bee Gees songs, in fact, it might be my favorite. It also reminds me of the very funny Saturday Night Live sketch, "The Barry Gibb Talk Show," which you can find on You Tube. (I don't know why this video cuts off the end, but oh well).
And last but not least, I chose this charming little clip because it highlights not only their barbershop like harmonies but because it's just cute. I read that both Robin and Maurice were the comics of the family, and you can see that is probably true. Plus, if you listen closely, you can hear Robin's overbite when he sings, something that stayed with him his whole life. (And actually Barry’s too). Fun fact, if you listen closely to the Andrews Sisters, you can hear Patty sing through her overbite.
My favorite Bee Gee was Maurice. When he died suddenly, I was heartbroken, but it wasn't until I looked him up for this post that I realized he was only 53 when he died. It's sad that now both Robin and Maurice (along with youngest brother Andy) are all gone and Barry is the sole survivor. That must be hard.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Sharon's Harmony Hut. More to come.
Welcome to Sharon's Harmony Hut.
I have a thing for harmonies. I've always had an ear for harmonies, and I can harmonize with just about anything. Call it an obsession.
So for today's first ever Sharon's Harmony Hut post, I chose some of the best harmonizers out there: The Bee Gees.
Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, the Brothers Gibb, the BG's, have very distinctive vocals. Robin's quavering vibrato makes his voice one of the most recognizable ever. I saw them in person twice, and I've seen countless videos, and they are always pitch perfect. The only other group I've ever seen as pitch perfect is the Osmonds, and believe me, they will be featured in Sharon's Harmony Hut.
The Bee Gees started performing quite young, in fact, I think Robin and Maurice weren't even teenagers yet when they began singing professionally. Of course they became quite well known for 'Saturday Night Fever,' but they had been around long before that. It's hard for me to choose a best song, but I narrowed down some of their best work.
Now, while 'Massachusetts' isn't exactly one of my most favorite songs of theirs, their harmonies in this clip from a television talk show are perfect. In fact, you really need to appreciate that they are just sitting there singing with nothing other than guitars, and it sounds this good.
'Islands in the Stream' was never a favorite of mine, mostly because I just didn't like the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton version. (And I'm a Dolly Parton fan... go figure). But when the Bee Gees sang this unplugged version in concert, it became a whole different song to me. I never knew why they gave it away instead of making it a hit for themselves. But whatever... it made them a ton of money anyway.
'Nights on Broadway' is definitely one of my favorite Bee Gees songs, in fact, it might be my favorite. It also reminds me of the very funny Saturday Night Live sketch, "The Barry Gibb Talk Show," which you can find on You Tube. (I don't know why this video cuts off the end, but oh well).
And last but not least, I chose this charming little clip because it highlights not only their barbershop like harmonies but because it's just cute. I read that both Robin and Maurice were the comics of the family, and you can see that is probably true. Plus, if you listen closely, you can hear Robin's overbite when he sings, something that stayed with him his whole life. (And actually Barry’s too). Fun fact, if you listen closely to the Andrews Sisters, you can hear Patty sing through her overbite.
My favorite Bee Gee was Maurice. When he died suddenly, I was heartbroken, but it wasn't until I looked him up for this post that I realized he was only 53 when he died. It's sad that now both Robin and Maurice (along with youngest brother Andy) are all gone and Barry is the sole survivor. That must be hard.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Sharon's Harmony Hut. More to come.
I loved the Bee Gees and Massachusetts was one of my favorites. It is sad that Barry is the only brother left. I'm sure it was very hard to him to lose his brothers, especially when they were so young.
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty song. Most of their songs are.
DeleteI had forgotten how much I loved their harmonies. It's really quite beautiful to hear their incredible voices together again. Thank you for this, and wow, that one when they are young is incredible.
ReplyDeleteThat last one is pretty darn cute.
DeleteThese clips are fun and they certainly took me back! I've always loved the Bee Gees harmonies too. I also have always loved the acoustic, unplugged versions of many artists. And talking about harmonies - Simon and Garfunkel were always a favorite of mine!
ReplyDeleteSo many good artists out there.
DeleteI'm so delighted that you posted these. I don't recall the song Massachusetts, and it's lovely, especially because it's just their voices and the one guitar. Stellar. The last one -- too cute! They are so young! The song reminds me of something the Kingston Trio might have done. Btw, I'm terrible with harmonizing. I have to practice a LOT and it does not come naturally to me. Lost me a slot in a band a few years back. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you liked them. There were more videos I would have put up, but then the post would be too long. You can find some good ones on YouTube.
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