Tragedy: The Ballad of the Bee Gees

by Jeff Apter

The rise and fall of the brothers Gibb--Barry, Robin, Maurice, and younger brother Andy--is perhaps the greatest saga in Australian music history.Although the Bee Gees enjoyed several rebirths in a career that spanned many decades, it seemed that tragedy followed the Gibbs like a curse. For every incredible career high there was a hefty personal divorce, drunkenness, and death seemed as synonymous with the Gibbs as falsetto harmonies, flares, and multi-platinum record sales.Not long before his death, Robin made it clear that he believed the Gibbs had been forced to pay the highest possible cost for their success. "All the tragedies my family has suffered . . . is a kind of karmic price we are paying for all the fame and fortune we've had." This is the story of the brothers' incredible careers and an examination of the Gibb 'curse'--an all-too-human look at the rollercoaster ride of fame.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 19, 2015

About the author

Jeff Apter is the author of more than 30 books, many dealing with the world of music. He has written biographies of Keith Urban, Malcolm and Angus Young of AC/DC, Jeff Buckley and the Bee Gees. As ghostwriter, he has worked with ARIA Hall of Famers Kasey Chambers and Richard Clapton, and AC/DC’s Mark Evans. He was also the creative consultant for the award–nominated live production A State of Grace: The Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley and spent four years on staff at Rolling Stone Australia.

Reviews

[Carol Seeley Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My View:

What an incredible story! Did I even realise when I was in primary school and we were singing “Words” with Mr Dickinson, music teacher and piano player that we were singing a Bee Gees hit? No. I had little knowledge of the Bee Gees early days. I am amazed to discover how young these musicians were when they first sampled success; they were barely our out their teens. Astonishing really.

When I was a teenager and listening to the sounds of the Saturday Night Fever (yes I admit to it I did have the album) I still wasn’t really away of the Gibb’s early days or their more narrative (ballad style) earlier music – like New York Mining Disaster, I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You, Lonely Days Lonely Nights…these I “discovered” later and they still remain firm favourites today. In fact I have been playing these songs not stop – in my head and on my mp3 player all the time I was reading this biography. What a talent – I don’t think I have reflected on the body of work these guys produced before – it is amazing – thank you Jeff Apter for alerting me to this.

And what terribly tragic story the Bee Gees life was. More than a few times I had tears in my eyes. It is even sadder to think that Robin Gibb believed the family deserved to pay such a high price for their success and fame. I don’t believe he was right – they were just unfortunate and maybe a little too young and inexperienced when fame initially found them. Barry Gibb I wish you joy and peace and hope that you are still sharing your talent by writing and producing music for others.

A moving, memorable and well researched story.

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Going Down Memory Lane Stars
* * * * * Spoiler Free-An HBOMAX Doc
There are documentaries that can take to you your past and bring a rush of what it felt like. HBO has done one about The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart and all my memories came rushing back about the music of Saturday Night Fever and the band.

I was one of the lucky ones getting to read the New York magazine article that was the basis of Saturday Night Fever. I lived in Manhattan, heard of clubs happening out of the city, and people dancing the Hustle on the weekends. When the first cut of the soundtrack came out, I was all in wanting to see the movie and own the soundtrack. The movie delivered but the music, oh...that was something that lasted long after the movie stopped playing in the theaters.

That soundtrack had songs that stayed with you and to this day they hold up.

This documentary has huge people talking about the music, the people who were there from the very beginning of the BeeGees career, and Brian Gibb, himself. If you have any interest in this band, take the time to see this. Really worth seeing and learning more about these amazingly talented brothers.

Tragedy: The Sad Ballad of the Gibb Brothers
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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[Paul Whitla · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

The title over-promises and under-delivers; this is a rather conventional history of the 'singing siblings' (yes, the author uses the term) with very little new material or insights, perhaps more of a focus than usual on their time growing up in Australia and their subsequent visits back. It is an Australian book, written by an Aussie and with a local publisher (the author refers to a baseball match rather than a game and refers to a cancelled Rhode Island gig by stating 'Massachusetts wouldn't be performed in Massachusetts'!).

Perhaps the real 'tragedy' here is that there is a great book yet to be written (although the HBO documentary is a good alternative) about the Bee Gees and the personal lives of the Gibb brothers and how the fame and brotherly rivalry combined to haunt the family, leading to early deaths for some of the brothers and perhaps a legacy that has not yet reached, and may never reach, the heights that it could have. Only the last fifty pages or so of the book cover the 'post-fever' days and there is really very little insight into the personal challenges faced by the brothers, what pop psychology there is, is simplistic, endlessly repeated and unsupported conjecture (Andy felt in the shadow of his brothers).

Disappointing, a quick read, but searching Wikipedia probably provides more detail and insight than can be found here.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gibb brothers’ unparalleled vocal chemistry allowed Barry, Robin, and Maurice to fuse their distinct vocal ranges into a singular, instrument-like sound. By tightly blending their soaring falsettos and vibrato on a single track, they crafted some of the most iconic harmonies in pop and disco history. The Bee Gees’ perceived simplicity is their greatest illusion. While their melodies are immediately catchy, their impact was revolutionary.

The book chronicles the dramatic rise, fall, and multi-generational rebirth of the Gibb brothers alongside the heavy personal cost of their historic musical fame. What the reader gets is an extended Wikipedia entry; it had all the facts, figures and places but lacked somewhat for style. It would have been nice if the author would have interviewed each Gibb brother but that never happened. Most of what I read I already knew about their life. No surprises. It misses the mark on why things started to go horribly wrong for the brothers, starting with the 1988 death of their brother Andy, just five days after turning 30 years old from a heart related ailment. What I also wanted to learn from this book it never answered. How did they come to write what they did? Each song has meaning behind it. Apter miss the mark on that. If you’re a fan and have followed the Brothers Gibb career, this is a waste. Enough said.

[Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what a book. I was born in Sydney in 1959 so grew up listening to these guys, all through my childhood and teenage years, and beyond - absolutely loved anything they did, even what they wrote for others. This book filled in a few gaps in my knowledge, even Andy Gibb's life (met his wife Kim years later). What a bloody great band they were, and their unique sound was just phenomenal. Well written, Jeff Apter. A top book.

[Greg Mcloughney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the Gibb brothers. As Barry Gibb once said, they were “the enigma with the stigma”. Like a lot of Australian bands, they had to leave the country to be appreciated. They are still very underrated for the success they achieved, not just for themselves, but for other singers of their songs.

[Sophfronia Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

It reads like a long-form magazine article written from clips. Also, I bought this book new but discovered pages 233-248 are missing. Not torn out, just missing as though they were somehow dropped in production. Disappointing.

[Jonathan Shaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you're a fan

Great insight. I give it a 5 not because it's great prose but because of the way it delivers information on the best band of my lifetime.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, just left some stuff out. Nothing about Barry's 1984 solo effort, Now Voyager. I'm so curious about this disc and can find no info about it!

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sad. These 4 brothers followed their hearts and pursued their dreams, eventually realizing their goals and gaining everything they ever wanted, yet they were never able to enjoy it.

[Ward Whipple · Rating 3 out of 5]

You want dirt and some factual errors? Dig in? You want to know more about the music itself? Look elsewhere.

[Shannon1986 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already knew the story of the band, but I found this book quite enjoyable. If you don't know anything about the band or just know them as that silly disco group, make sure you have some hankies nearby. The last section focuses on their post-disco careers, but more or less on the heart wrenching tale of their younger brother Andy and the effect it had on them. Maurice and Robin's death and Barry continuing on without them, but keeping their spirits alive, is sure to bring a tear to your eye.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast easy read

[Pam Schartner · Rating 2 out of 5]

good for a skim read.

[Annie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Good. Interesting.