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How about some love for Maurice Gibb?

C

Clayman

Nov 26, 2002
18
8
55
Richmond, VA
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#1
I’m a metal/rock player for the most part, always have been, always will be. Of course I’m never above giving credit where it is due and in this case I’d like to recognize Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. Yes, I know it was “just” disco music but he has some very memorable and cool bass lines (not to mention selling a zillion records).

Night Fever
Staying Alive
Jive Talkin’ (Mu Tron effect?)
You Should be Dancing
More Than a Woman

I know that Marcus Miller and Pino Palladino were in the backing band at one point or another but Maurice is credited for the studio work on those cuts and most everything else I was able to find track listings for. How about some love for Maurice!
 
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#6
I know it was “just” disco music
Click to expand...

If that's all you're familiar with of their catalog you're missing out. They had a LOT of hits in the 60s, long before Travolta came along. Back then Maurice played Rickenbacker basses and had a cool McCartney-esque style.
mgibb.jpg

mgibb4001S68.jpg
 
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#7
I can't say I'm familiar with their early catalog. I think the earliest stuff from them I’ve heard is the mid 70’s stuff like Jive Talkin’ and Nights on Broadway (that had a cool line too). I do remember seeing an old video of Jive Talkin’ where he was playing a Ric. None of the album notes I found credited what bass he was playing on the big hit tracks, but it sure sounds like a Ric to me.
 
#8
A METAL musician tipping his hat to Maurice Gibb! WHAT is this world coming to???? :)

Neutral party here - not a big fan of either metal or the Bee Gees after they went disco - in fact, I used to have a "Disco Sucks!" bumper sticker on my bass case.
 
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#11
+1 I remember when that stuff came out, and it just blew us all away... groove, production, vocals, everything. There was 'good' disco and plenty of 'bad' disco. The Gibb's were the 'good' stuff.

I can't really listen to that stuff at this point, but it sure did change music when the Night Fever thing hit. It had an impact like a hammer on cover bands, and a whole style of playing.

The cool thing was the bass really started taking center stage in mainstream pop music (i.e., white radio), which was a revelation for me.
 
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#13
The Saturday Night Fever album is great. Classic songs with some groovy bass. I'd be surprised if it were Maurice Gibb, since the parts are so accomplished and studio players were usually all over that sort of music. But if it is him, fair play, he's a good bass player!
 
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#14
Dr. Cheese said:
How much did Maurice Gibb play on the Seventies records? Somthing tells me they used studio musicians alot.:eyebrow:
Click to expand...

Maurice was the acknowledged real musician in the group, also playing a lot of great keyboards and guitars. Certainly one of the greatest pop musicians of that time.

I personally prefer their pre and post disco stuff; although the Travolta era stuff was very well done, they had a lot more going for them than disco!
 
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#17
It's just an awful joke that their 40 year career is known to most people just by their disco period. History has such a way of reducing everything to a thumbnail sketch. Their early stuff- like 1968- 1972 - is really good British pop up there with Zombies and The Kinks, in my opinion. Songs like I Started A Joke, Words, To Love Somebody, How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Massachusetts were all hits- charted, sold millions of copies, covered by other artists- and they are all just obliterated by the cultural phenomenon of Saturday Night Fever.

Also, what's up on the bridge to Nights On Broadway? It's like it's from another song or something.
 
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