对Bee Gees比吉斯合唱团三兄弟而言，唱出和谐的合声就如同呼吸一样自然。当Barry /贝瑞9岁、双胞胎兄弟Robin/罗宾和Maurice/莫利斯 6岁的时候，他们便开始在家乡Manchester当地的剧院演唱当时的流行歌曲。从1966年他们的第一支澳洲冠军单曲开始，Bee Gees乐坛生涯已经横跨了5个年代，Bee Gees为他们自己以及其他流行乐界的指标性歌手创作和演唱了一系列不间断的畅销排行金曲。 　　  　　回首逾40年的歌唱岁月，比吉斯合唱团获得了7张白金唱片销售认证，在全球写下了超过60首进榜单曲的纪录，乐团的全球唱片销量高达1 亿8千万张，他们更赢得了包括传奇奖在内的8座葛莱美奖，还有来自於全美音乐奖、全英音乐奖等世界各地的10座终身成就奖，入列「摇滚名人殿堂」与「词曲创作名人殿堂」，比吉斯合唱团的丰采传奇其实早已毋需用以赘词装饰、他们经典、朗朗上口的比吉斯歌曲，早已经深植全世界千千万万的人们心中，贵为「第一音乐家族团体」，比吉斯合唱团实属当之无愧！ 　　  　　这张“Best Of Bee Gees Vol.1”，曾在1969年只以黑胶唱片的姿态首度上市，是比吉斯乐团的首张精选辑，2004年曾一度发行CD版本，但也早已经停产，也因为这跟其他比吉斯精选辑不一样的是，这款精选集收录的都是比吉斯早期的热门金曲，现在可是打着灯笼都买不到！幸亏华纳厂牌听到了全天下比吉斯迷的呼喊，特此买下版权，重新压片生产此张精选，其中有着充满风管器乐的慢板歌曲「Holiday」(1967 US#16)、第二支打进英国冠军榜的「I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You」、不断被翻唱再翻唱的「To Love Somebody」(1967 US#17)、首支在英美发行并进入排行榜上的里程碑单曲「New York Mining Disaster 1941」、连怀旧港片都使用的「First Of May」(1969荷兰#2)、首支登上全英单曲榜冠军的单曲「Massachusetts」等比吉斯在60年代後期的活跃作品，想回温比吉斯当年的曲风与青涩的歌声就得赶紧把握此次机会，以免再度向隅！(KKBOX)  　　 　　by Ned Raggett 　　If anyone needs conclusive proof that the brothers Gibb weren't always the chest-medallion-flashing kings of mainstream disco or, since about 1980 on, meaningless AOR washouts, the nearly 40-minute collection of the Bee Gees' earliest hits will suffice in spades. At their (perhaps, in hindsight) surprising best, the threesome, along with capable if generally unremarkable rhythm section members Melouney and Colin Peterson, created a slew of tender, affecting, and quite lovely hits. While the Stones/proto-metal crowd of the time probably thought them unbearably wimpy, their songwriting acumen, combined with their harmonies, fine production by Robert Stigwood, and ace orchestral/band arrangements by Bill Shephard, holds up astonishingly well. For all that the band clearly was often following the lead of the more elaborate Beatles songs of the same time -- consider the watery piano line opening "Words" as one example of many -- the Bee Gees didn't so much ape as they did come up with their own flavor. Considering that everyone from Catherine ("Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You") and Jimmy Somerville ("To Love Somebody") to Low ("I Started a Joke") and Jose Feliciano ("I've Gotta Get a Message to You") has covered something from this collection is testimony to the songs' continuing influence. Other times the connections to the future are subtler but still present -- "I Can't See Nobody," sonically and lyrically, has the same deep blue/string-backed feeling as Verve's "History." Sometimes the line between emotion and deep schmaltz is pretty fine, admittedly. However, when Robin's lead vocal on "I Started a Joke" hits the high notes while his brothers add soft backup as the music swells, it's just one example of many why the Bee Gees deserved their long overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.