The Bee Gees — “If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — January 1, 2024

THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD

1,065) The Bee Gees — “If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else”

A gorgeous ballad by Barry and Maurice when the two brothers briefly were the Bee Gees (see #291, 353, 354, 439, 466, 484, 497, 570, 594, 717, 861, 962) ”The lyrics. The melody. Wow … you’re a GENIUS BARRY GIBB!” (@coffeeonthedeck6258, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i5dmj_sdhnU&pp=ygUxYmVlIGdlZXMgaWYgaSBvbmx5IGhhZCBteSBtaW5kIG9uIHNvbWV0aGluZyBlbHNlIA%3D%3D) Yes, he is! Cash Box called the song a “[s]plendid ballad” and a “stunning performance, both vocal and instrumental, and a less obscure lyric” that “should take the team back into the good graces of the teens with explosive sales results”, and Billboard said it was a “strong rhythm ballad loaded with commercial appeal” with a “top vocal performance and string arrangement.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Only_I_Had_My_Mind_on_Something_Else) Alas, the song only reached #91 in the U.S.

Bruce Eder notes that in “1969, the trio split up in a dispute involving the Odessa album [and an inability] to agree on which song would be the single[. ] Robin walked out [and] Barry and Maurice held on to the Bee Gees name for one LP, Cucumber Castle . . . . [which] generated several successful singles in England and Germany”.  (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bee-gees-mn0000043714#biography)  Michael Ofjord adds:

An overlooked work in the Brothers Gibb catalog, Cucumber Castle is an excellent album that plays to the Bee Gees’ strengths of melody, arrangement, and craftsmanship. . . . Barry and Maurice carry on with 12 cuts that continue in the tradition of their distinctive pop sound. Orchestral arrangements and Mellotrons abound, and the sound tends toward full productions . . . . Barry’s vocals are particularly strong and heartfelt. . . . [A s]uperb eye for detail in the arrangements of the songs give them added life. . . . [T]his is a fine album that cements the Brothers Gibb’s reputation as superior pop songwriters and craftsmen.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/cucumber-castle-mw0000203147

Oh, and Cucumber Castle was also a Christmas ’70 BBC TV movie. As what-it-says-on-the-screen describes:

The plot revolves around two heirs, Prince Frederick (Barry Gibb) and his brother Prince Marmaduke (Maurice Gibb), and their dying father (Frankie Howerd). On his death bed, The King orders his kingdom divided into two halves, the Kingdom of Jelly and the Kingdom of Cucumbers. Before the king even dies, Prince Frederick declares himself “King of Cucumbers” and Prince Marmaduke becomes the “King of Jelly”. The film intersperses comedy sketches with Bee Gees songs plus performances by Lulu and Blind Faith with cameo appearances.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301143/

Here is the song in the movie:

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