Bee Gees Greatest

Infobox Album | Name = Bee Gees Greatest
Type = Compilation Album
Artist = Bee Gees


Released = October 1979
Recorded = January 1975-October 1978
Genre = Rock/Pop/Disco
Length = 79:66, 110:03 (2007 Remastered Edition)
Label = RSO Records
Producer = Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifqxql5ldse link]
Last album = "Spirits Having Flown"
(1979)
This album = "Greatest"
(1979)
Next album = "Living Eyes"
(1981)

"Bee Gees Greatest" is a compilation album released in 1979 by RSO Records. Coming soon after the blockbuster studio album Spirits Having Flown, "Greatest" was a summary of The Bee Gees most recent period of success, 1975-1979. The original release was a double album, with richly adorned album sleeves and labels, featuring pictures of each brother on the label and all 3 brothers on Side 4, while each record sleeve was adorned with the Bee Gees Greatest logo.

Side One was to be the disco side which featured "Jive Talkin'", "Night Fever", "Tragedy", "You Should Be Dancing" and "Stayin' Alive".

Side Two was the ballad side which featured "How Deep Is Your Love", "Too Much Heaven", "Love So Right", "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away", and "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)".

Side Three was B-Sides and album tracks such as "If I Can't Have You", "You Stepped Into My Life", "Love Me", "More Than a Woman" and "Rest Your Love On Me". Side Three can also be interpreted as songs that spawned cover versions for other artists.

Side Four was considered the more serious side with such songs as "Nights on Broadway", "Spirits (Having Flown)", "Wind of Change", "Love You Inside Out" and "Children of the World".

An interesting note is that two charting singles, "Boogie Child" #12, and "Edge Of The Universe (Live)" #26 were omitted in favor of tracks that other artists had hits with such as "Love Me" and "If I Can't Have You" (Yvonne Elliman) and "You Stepped Into My Life" (Wayne Newton). "Boogie Child"'s omission is particularly ironic as it reached the same Billboard position as Yvonne Elliman's version of Love Me, while Wayne Newton's recording of 'You Stepped Into My Life" only peaked at 90. "Boogie Child" did appear in the box set "Tales Of The Brothers Gibb" which was released in 1990, but it was again passed over on the double disc set "" from 2001.

Bee Gees Greatest topped the Billboard album charts early in 1980 which gave them 3 consecutive number one albums. "Greatest" was released on CD as a 2 disc set, but since has been deleted domestically with the release of "The Record".

In September, 2007, Reprise Records released a remastered and expanded version of "Greatest". Many of the tracks on "Greatest" have been previously remastered but this will be the first release for remastered versions of "You Stepped Into My Life", "Rest Your Love On Me", "Wind Of Change", "Spirits (Having Flown)" and "Children Of The World". In addition, there will be an extended version of "Stayin' Alive" and an unreleased Bee Gees track, "Warm Ride", which was written for the group Rare Earth. There will also be four new mixes of "You Should Be Dancing", "If I Can't Have You", "Night Fever" and "More Than A Woman" and as a hidden track, a new mix of "Stayin' Alive".

The re-issue of "Bee Gees Greatest" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Pop Catalog charts for the week of September 30, 2007. There was some question as to whether Billboard was going to treat this as a new release or a re-issue. The set scanned over 20,000 copies for the week, making it the 35th best selling album in the country, good enough to place in Billboard's Top 40, but Billboard's unofficial policy is there has to be at least 33% new material to qualify as a new release. "Bee Gees Greatest" contains about 28% new material, thus making it a re-issue.

Original track listing

*CD1
# "Jive Talkin'" - 3:45
# "Night Fever" - 3:29
# "Tragedy" - 5:05
# "You Should Be Dancing" - 4:17
# "Stayin' Alive" - 4:45
# "How Deep Is Your Love" - 4:05
# "Love So Right" - 3:36
# "Too Much Heaven" - 4:57
# "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" - 4:05
# "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)" - 4:03
*CD2
# "If I Can't Have You" - 3:21
# "You Stepped Into My Life" - 3:27
# "Love Me" - 4:01
# "More Than A Woman" - 3:16
# "Rest Your Love On Me" - 4:23
# "Nights On Broadway" - 4:34
# "Spirits (Having Flown)" - 5:21
# "Love You Inside Out" - 4:13
# "Wind Of Change" - 4:55
# "Children Of The World" - 3:08

2007 remaster

Album as above but also includes:

#"Warm Ride" - 3:16
#"Stayin' Alive" (Promo 12" Version) - 6:59
#"You Should Be Dancing" (Jason Bentley/Philip Steir Remix) - 4:46
#"If I Can't Have You" (Count Da Money Remix) - 4:10
#"Night Fever" (GRN Remix) - 4:44
#"How Deep Is Your Love" (Supreme Beings Of Leisure Remix) - 4:39
#"Stayin' Alive" (Teddybears Remix) - 3:23
#"More Than A Woman" (Equinox Remix) [iTunes Only Track] - 4:04
#"Stayin' Alive" (Version 2 Video) [iTunes Only Track] - 3:25

Chart positions

succession box
before = ""
by Donna Summer
title = "Billboard" 200 number-one album
years = January 12 - January 18 1980
after = "The Wall" by Pink Floydsuccession box
before = "Greatest Hits, Vol. 1" by Rod Stewart
title = Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
years = December 17 1979 - January 6 1980
after = "ELO's Greatest Hits"
by Electric Light Orchestra