There’s a class of albums that, in my mind, have been awarded the title of Pop Masterpiece. These are albums that exemplify everything that’s great about pop: expressive melodies, memorable hooks, beautiful production, and a real depth of feeling. I’d like to write about all of these albums eventually, but I’ll start with the Bee Gees’ Main Course, as they’ve been the focus of much of my recent listening and enthusiasm.
The album’s opening track “Nights on Broadway” might be called the Bee Gees’ career in miniature. The verse and chorus of the song have an R&B/funk influence that foreshadows the disco craze they would embrace a couple years later. It’s also reportedly the first time that Barry began to sing in his famous falsetto.1 “Nights on Broadway” sounds just enough like the popular conception of the Bee Gees to (probably) be recognizable to a general audience. To boot, the main portion of the song is actually more satisfying than any of the Saturday Night Fever tracks, as it weaves a measured dose of falsetto into the more dominant natural vocals, maximizing the effect without drifting into self parody.
Slipped into the midst of all of this is a stunning, crystalline middle eight that — as a good middle eight should — raises the emotional pitch of the song by several generous notches. The strings come in and suddenly we’re back in 1968, all pure harmonies and wrenched hearts. The line “Somehow I feel inside/You never ever left my side./Make it like it was before/Even if it takes a lifetime” is almost pathetic in its raw desire for the return of a departed lover. And then we slide back into the chorus so seamlessly, it’s hard to believe this middle eight was even there. It’s one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever heard.
With the exception of the gentle “Songbird,” the rest of Side 1 continues largely in this proto-disco vein with considerable success. “Jive Talkin’” has a hooky stutter, a breathy vocal, and a keyboard line that wouldn’t sound out of place had it been recorded in any one of the last 42 years. “Wind of Change” is an early draft of the urban commentary to come on “Stayin’ Alive.” But the track that gives “Nights on Broadway” the best run for its money is “Fanny [Be Tender With My Love].” Main Course was produced by Arif Marden, who had produced Hall and Oates’ Abandoned Luncheonette (another Pop Masterpiece!) just a year earlier. “Fanny” has a “She’s Gone”-style build, working from an opening acoustic guitar and soft vocal, through another excellent middle eight, to a fevered falsetto scream at the end. Blue Weaver, a keyboardist who worked with the Bee Gees, even admits to stealing the key change from “She’s Gone.” The overall effect is again one of beauty and extreme vulnerability: “You know how easy it is to break me.”
While I’ve never owned Main Course on vinyl, the concept of sides feels very much at play here. Not withstanding “All This Making Love,” with its cringe-worthy lyric and silly tiger roar sound effect, Side 2 is effectively a last hurrah for the old Bee Gees sound. “Country Lanes” is the only Robin lead vocal, and it’s classic Robin — a quavering, haunting tale of loneliness. “Come On Over” has a countrypolitan sound, and the little tag of “so bring your love around” at the end of the chorus rounds it out beautifully. “Baby as You Turn Away” is basically a full-length song built on the musical idea of the “Nights on Broadway” middle eight. Another heartbreak song, it’s melody is gorgeous and more poignant than words could ever be.
“Edge of the Universe” is the high point of Side 2 and the album’s best deep cut. It’s mid-tempo, guitar-based pop-rock — something of a rarity for the Bee Gees. Blue Weaver once again proves himself to be the album’s unsung hero, contributing a spacey synth line that defines the song musically. Like “I Started a Joke,” “Edge of the Universe” is lyrically obtuse, metaphysical even. It starts out with the intriguing line “Just my dog and I at the edge of the universe/Well I didn’t want to bring her and I know it will make her worse.” But despite the ominousness of the opening, the overall effect of the song is one of triumph and acceptance — particularly on the middle eight: “Well, here I am and here I’m staying.” The song really could be about anything from a long hike to a journey of self discovery, but the overall effect is undeniably uplifting. 2
Main Course was released in 1975, and it was the Bee Gees’ thirteen album in ten years. It marked the start of the band’s unexpected late-period transition from a moderately successful vocal harmony group to worldwide disco superstars. What’s great about Main Course is that it teeters just on the edge between these two modes and — especially on tracks like “Nights on Broadway” — manages to meld both into a cohesive whole. Is Main Course the best Bee Gees album? I’m not sure. It’s predecessor, Mr. Natural, is the running too. But Main Course is the album that I would recommend to anyone who wants to get to know the Bee Gees a little better and experience the breadth of their talents.
- Killer quote from Barry: “Arif said to me, ‘Can you scream?’ I said, ‘under certain circumstances’. He said, ‘Can you scream in tune?’ I said, ‘well, I’ll try.’”
- “Edge of the Universe” also mentions a strange name, Shenandora. I did some semi-serious research to find out of this was a something real. Academic databases came up short. On Google, all I found were references to “Edge of the Universe” itself — including a Yahoo answers thread making the unsubstantiated claim that Shenandora was an ancient deity and a Doctor Who fan fiction inspired by the song. My guess is that the Bee Gees just made it up.
You seemed rather flippant about “All This Making Love.” I will say if you were ever married to a man you absolutely loved to hate. And the best sex you ever had was angry sex, you would have a whole new appreciation for that song.