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When Maurice Gibb passed away in 2003, it was effectively the end of the Bee Gees. That doesn't mean that his brothers/band partners had nothing further to offer, though. Robin Gibb's continuing relevance is borne out by this live recording, which finds him singing Bee Gees classics, selections from his solo albums, and some cover tunes, in grand style, accompanied by a full orchestra.
Robin was basically the Roy Orbison of the Bee Gees, possessed of a haunting, near-operatic tenor best suited to dramatic songs full of mournfulness and loss. Some of those are here, but he also tackles some Bee Gees tunes that originally featured lead vocals by brother Barry, with interesting results. And when Robin sinks his teeth into a pathos-filled ballad such as the Everly Brothers chestnut "Love Hurts," it seems as though the song was virtually made for him to sing.
Although he is best known for his years with 1970s disco kings the Bee Gees, Robin Gibb has continued to record solo albums that blend his unique vocal style with smartly written, experimental pop. This live concert CD captures Gibb performing live in Bonn, Germany, in September 2004, backed by the Frankfurt Neue Philharmonic for lushly orchestrated renditions of both solo material such as "Please," "Saved by the Bell," and "Juliet," as well as classic Bee Gees hits like "Emotion," "How Deep is Your Love," "Jive Talkin'," "Tragedy," and, of course, "Stayin' Alive." Eagle. 2005.
Personnel: Robin Gibb; Frankfurt Neue Philharmonic Orchestra.
Recording information: Museum Platz, Bonn, Germany (09/18/2004).
Live Music Review
Average Rating: (3.5 out of 5 stars)    Something to treasure
Being a loyal Bee Gees fan I had no hesitation in ordering this CD together with the DVD (See my seperate review). Sure I thought how is it going to be like listening to Bee Gees classics without Barry and the late Maurice. But then I thought, so many people cover Gibb compositions, so Robin has every right to do so. I was not dissapointed, and there are heaps of surprises, especially Nights on Broadway, New York Mining Disaster 1941, To love somebody and Words. Backed by a young band and a full Orchestra it is a truly magic experience for a Bee Gees fan, waiting for some new work to come from the remaining brothers since Maurice's untimely death. Lets not forget a couple of Robin's solo offerings, especially Saved by the bell and Juliet, the later being longer on DVD due to some great audience participation. Another bonus on DVD is a live version of Emotion which is not on this CD. I will be honest to say that the very last song does not gell with me, namely Stayin' alive without Barry, but hey, the rest L love and reccomend to any fan.
Submitted by Claude (Melbourne Australia)
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 LOST!
Robin Gibb has one of the most distinctive voices of the 1960s. With the BEE GEES or as a solo artist he has enough hits to make his own live show. However, in this LIVE recording he chooses to recreate mostly BEE GEES hits on which he had a secondary role on their famous three part harmonies. Thus he needs the help of another lead singer, chorus and The Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra. But everything goes wrong here: Robin’s voice remains buried among a real bulk of unmixed music; the lead singer (Michael Graves, we guess) is a poor substitute to Barry Gibb’s famous falsetto; the female voices are not very inspired, to say the least; while the orchestra is frequently out of tune and noisy (the winds on Juliet are really unbearable). Post-production seems to be non-existent and the overall sound is chaotic. Lines notes by experts Andrew Mon Hughes and Ann Grootjans are interesting and illustrative, but they seem to belong to another album.The message from Robin Gibb seems to be clear: “I can do it all by myself”. Well, he cannot. He should re listen to ONE NIGHT ONLY (1998) and check for sound, harmonies and sound.
Submitted by Aurelio Lucchini Freire. (Montevideo, Uruguay.)
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