Maurice Gibb — “I’ve Come Back”: Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! — September 15, 2024

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

1,336) Maurice Gibb — “I’ve Come Back”

I’ve featured the A-side (see #861), here is the B-side, “in many ways . . . equally as good and even more rare”. (Tim Roxborogh, https://www.roxboroghreport.com/2020/04/samantha-gibb-covers-her-dads-greatest-song-my-flashbacks-to-being-backstage-with-the-bee-gees-in-1999.html)) From the first of Maurice Gibb’s (see #353, 354, 466, 861) two singles (the other not til ’84), he gives us a song that “is almost too good to be true.” (stevereid5495, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8dSQXGd-LZk&pp=ygUbTWF1cmljZSBnaWJiIGkndmUgY29tZSBiYWNr) Indeed. Richie Unterberger wrote that it is “more palatable [than the A-side,] fit[ting] in snugly with the Bee Gees’ early tuneful melancholy pop”. (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-loner-mw0001053220) Richie!

I thought I quite perceptively noticed a definite John Lennon vibe, until I noted that stevereid5495 wrote that it is “[o]ne of the best ‘John Lennon’ vocal/songs I’ve ever heard” (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8dSQXGd-LZk&pp=ygUbTWF1cmljZSBnaWJiIGkndmUgY29tZSBiYWNr) and BartMazzetti wrote that it is “[v]ery Lennon-esque”. (BartMazzetti, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtuPRQ7teOs&pp=ygUbTWF1cmljZSBnaWJiIGkndmUgY29tZSBiYWNr) Oh well!

Bruce Eder tells us:

[D]uring the 1969 split between . . . Robin Gibb and his two brothers . . . . Maurice Gibb did begin work on a solo LP, and released a single, “Railroad,” co-authored by Billy Lawrie, a songwriter and singer, and also the brother of the British pop/rock legend Lulu [who also co-write “I’ve Come Back”] who became Maurice’s wife in 1969. . . . [He also began] work on a solo LP to have been called The Loner.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maurice-gibb-mn0000865286

Tim Roxborogh rhapsodizes:

[When told by Roxborogh that “‘Railroad’ is one of my all time favourite songs”, Maurice responded] “I’m glad somebody liked it!” Maurice cracked up as he said this, laughing at the fact his debut solo single from April 1970 had flopped all over the world. Well, not entirely, because unknown probably to even the man himself, [it] had done well in Southeast Asia, charting as high as #6 in Malaysia and #9 in Singapore. Still, it was hardly enough to ignite significant transatlantic interest in him as an entity separate to the Bee Gees. Confusing matters further was that Railroad’s release inexplicably coincided with I.O.I.O – the latest single [see #594] from the two-man, Barry and Maurice incarnation of the Bee Gees. With Robin having quit the band in 1969, and Barry and Maurice working on solo projects in conjunction with the spluttering continuation of “the Bee Gees”, most people thought it was over for one of the biggest, most creative bands to emerge in the late 60s. And yet I.O.I.O’s success across Europe, Asia and Australasia showed there was still a commercial appreciation out there for the Gibbs, and by the end of 1970 all three of the brothers would reunite . . . .

https://www.roxboroghreport.com/2020/04/samantha-gibb-covers-her-dads-greatest-song-my-flashbacks-to-being-backstage-with-the-bee-gees-in-1999.html

I have added a Facebook page for Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock! If you like what you read and hear and feel so inclined, please visit and “like” my Facebook page by clicking here.

Pay to Play! The Off the Charts Spotify Playlist! + Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock Merchandise

Please consider helping to support my website/blog by contributing $6 a month for access to the Off the Charts Spotify Playlist. Using a term familiar to denizens of Capitol Hill, you pay to play! (“relating to or denoting an unethical or illicit arrangement in which payment is made by those who want certain privileges or advantages in such arenas as business, politics, sports, and entertainment” — dictionary.com).

The playlist includes all the “greatest songs of the 1960’s that no one has ever heard” that are available on Spotify — now over 900 songs. The playlist will expand each time I feature an available song.

All new subscribers will receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock magnet. New subscribers who sign up for a year will also receive a Brace for the Obscure 60s Rock t-shirt or baseball cap. See pictures on the Pay to Play page.

When subscribing, please send me an e-mail (GMFtma1@gmail.com) or a comment on this site letting me know an e-mail address/phone number/Facebook address, etc. to which I can send instructions on accessing the playlist and a physical address to which I can sent a magnet/t-shirt/baseball cap. If choosing a t-shirt, please let me know the gender and size you prefer.

Just click on the first blue block for a month to month subscription or the second blue block for a yearly subscription.