Mr. Natural
| Mr. Natural | ||||
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| Bee Gees studio album | ||||
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Publication |
July 1974 |
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| Label (s) | RSO records | |||
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Format (s) |
LP, MC |
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Pop, rock |
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Title (number) |
11 |
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Studio (s) |
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Mr. Natural is the tenth international music album by the Bee Gees .
production
After the commercial fiasco of the previous album " Life in a Tin Can ", Arif Mardin offered himself as a producer for this album through the distribution contract with Atlantic Records in the USA . He should provide new ideas, the Bee Gees show a new direction. The recordings began in November 1973 in IBC Studios , followed by a session in Command Studios in early 1974. At the end of January, the last two songs were completed in New York in Atlantic Studios and the orchestral parts were recorded. The recordings were repeatedly interrupted by concerts that took the band through the English provinces rather than through concert halls. For their live performances, the band had strengthened with keyboardist Geoff Westley and drummer Dennis Bryon , previously with Amen Corner . Both also took part in the studio recordings for “Mr. Natural «and thus filled the long vacant positions in the band.
Mardin's work can be heard clearly from the first song. His rhythm and string arrangements give the Bee Gees a new, livelier and very emotional sound. Barry and Robin Gibb write songs that have rarely been heard before. Almost everything can be heard here, from easy listening in the opening title “Charade” to hard rock songs like “Heavy Breathing”. And no matter which genre is served, the band presents itself as a real unit trained in live performances.
All compositions date from 1973 and 1974. Alone "Give a Hand, Take a Hand" is a Barry and Maurice Gibb composition from 1969, which was then released as a single by PP Arnold .
Contributors
- Arranger , conductor : Arif Mardin
- Sound engineer : Damon Lyon Shaw, Andy Knight (IBC), Alan Lucas (Command), Gene Paul, Lew Hahn (Atlantic)
- Guitar : Alan Kendall
- Drums : Dennis Bryon
- Keyboards , piano : Geoff Westley
- Clarinet : Phil Bodner
Track list
- A1. Charade (Barry & Robin Gibb)
- A2. Throw a Penny (Barry & Robin Gibb)
- A3. Down the Road (Barry & Robin Gibb)
- A4. Voices (Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb)
- A5. Give a Hand Take a Hand (Barry & Maurice Gibb)
- B1. Dogs (Barry & Robin Gibb)
- B2. Mr. Natural (Barry & Robin Gibb)
- B3. Lost in Your Love (Barry Gibb)
- B4. I Can't Let You Go (Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb)
- B5. Heavy Breathing (Barry & Robin Gibb)
- B6. Had a Lot of Love Last Night (Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb)
expenditure
The album was released in 1974 by RSO , distributed in Germany by Polydor and in the USA by Atlantic Records . The album was first released on compact disc in 1990 . Since 2008 it has only been available digitally in Europe.
- 1973: RSO 2394 132 (LP)
- 1990: Polydor 833 789-2 (CD)
reception
“Mr. Natural «sold even fewer units worldwide than its predecessor. Nevertheless, there were cover versions of some songs worth listening to . "Charade" was recorded by Samantha Sang in 1978 and Bill Fredericks a year earlier. Lea Roberts released a version of "Lost in Your Love" in 1975 on her album "Lady Lea". "Give a Hand Take a Hand" was adapted in 1971 by the Staple Singers .
See also
bibliography
- The Ultimate Bee Gees Biography: Stories of the Gibb Brothers by Melinda Bilyeu, Hector Cook, Andrew Môn Hughes, with Joseph Brennan and Mark Crohan. Starcluster Verlag, Balve, 2007, ISBN 978-3-925005-66-4 .
- The Essential Rock Discography by Martin C. Strong, Canongate Books, 2006, ISBN 978-1-84195-985-6 .