THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,343) The Bee Gees — “One Minute Woman”
From the Bee Gees’s “1st” album (outside of Australia) — Bee Gees 1st — comes “Barry’s bleeding-heart romantic ode to the object of his affection”. (Grant Walters, https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-50-years-of-bee-gees-bee-gees-1st)
Grant Walters goes on:
[“Woman” is] the work of a band who knew instinctively how to mesh their crystalline brotherly harmony and melodic savvy for maximum impact. The Bee Gees’ unpretentious commitment to their craft—and sometimes a penchant for technical perfectionism—helped them transcend the confines of the British Invasion.
https://albumism.com/features/tribute-celebrating-50-years-of-bee-gees-bee-gees-1st
Yup. Oldies but Goodies tells us:
[T]he song reportedly came together rather quickly. The Bee Gees, known for their songwriting talent, showed up to a recording session with very little prepared material. “One Minute Woman” was one of the songs they crafted on the spot, highlighting their ability to create compelling music under pressure.
https://oldiesbutgoodies.charmingflowers.com.vn/bee-gees-one-minute-woman/#google_vignette
K. Kamitz can’t get over the LP:
[T]he Bee Gees were master craftsmen of some of the greatest pop-rock the late ‘60s and early ‘70s had to offer. . . . [T]hey exploded in the North American market in the late summer of 1967 with this album (their first US Top 10 album), and three Top 20 singles: “New York Mining Disaster 1941,” “To Love Somebody” (originally meant to be recorded for the late great Otis Redding), and “Holiday.” . . . On first listen, Bee Gees 1st plays like a wonderful, lost baroque-pop album, which isn’t far from the truth. . . . [T]he record embodies the sweet sounds of the summer of ’67. . . . full of tunes that will make you smile, whether out of pure joy or bittersweet introspection. . . . If you want to hear classic, endearing, and beautiful 1960s pop, pick up this album.
The Bee Gees “Bee Gees 1st”
Here is Bruce Eder’s perspective:
Up until 1966, they’d shown a penchant for melodic songs and rich, high harmonies, in the process becoming Australia’s answer to the Everly Brothers. When the Bee Gees arrived in London late in 1966, however, they proved quick studies in absorbing and assimilating the progressive pop and rock sounds around them. In one fell swoop, they became competitors with the likes of veteran rock bands such as the Hollies and the Tremeloes, and this long-player, Bee Gees’ 1st, is more of a rock album than the group usually got credit for generating. Parts of it do sound very much like the Beatles circa Revolver, but there was far more to their sound than that. The three hits . . . were gorgeous but relatively somber, thus giving Bee Gees’ 1st a melancholy cast, but much of the rest is relatively upbeat psychedelic pop. . . . Robin Gibb’s lead vocals veered toward the melodramatic and poignant, and the orchestra did dress up some of the songs a little sweetly, yet overall the group presented themselves as a proficient rock ensemble who’d filled their debut album with a full set of solid, refreshingly original songs.
While I love the song, I can’t resist sharing Altrockchick’s blog hilariously slagging it off:
“One Minute Woman” is guilty of deceptive advertising due to the unforgivable omission of the comma. A “one-minute woman” seems to connote a woman who poops out sometime during foreplay or a broad who could be ready for a roll in the hay in sixty seconds. It’s hard to imagine a man with Barry Gibb’s looks going down on his knees for a party pooper . . . . The confusion vanishes when you hear Barry’s phrasing, clearly indicating an effort to engage the woman in conversation, as in “One minute, woman.” The comma clears up that aspect of the song, but then you have to ask, “If Barry’s so enamored with this chick, why doesn’t he use her name?” Only self-centered assholes would depersonalize someone of the superior gender, as in “That’s enough, woman!” or “Gimme a beer, woman!” . . . . Now the song makes perfect sense . . . and it still sucks. No matter, Barry will get another chance to express the anguish of lost love and fully redeem himself for poor punctuation and his rather maudlin performance here.
https://altrockchick.com/2018/08/16/the-bee-gees-bee-gees-1st-classic-music-review/?amp=1
Here they are live:
Here is an alternate version:
Here is a lovely version by Billy Fury:
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Cool find!
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