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The Bee Gees History Lesson

Ken Barnes, Phonograph Record, April 1976

THE BEE Gees endure. Through changing musical fashions and their own self-induced periods of inspiration and stagnation, they've muddled through. They were an original "next-Beatles" sensation in 1967, with as much appeal to the burgeoning underground as to the pop audience. When their lilting and melodic songs lost them votes in the heavy FM precincts, they picked up landslide returns in the pop ballad box. They have the rare ability to fade out for a year or two and come back stronger than ever for a whole new audience, a knack shared by only a few acts, notably the Hollies — but the Bee Gees are the past masters. 'Jive Talkin'' was their first overt bow to trendiness, but the disco transfusion took so well that the Bee Gees, without dramatically altering their lush harmonic sound, have ended up more successful than ever.

Total word count of piece: 1870

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