Idea

The "idea" here is to continue to make another good, solid album showcasing the entire spectrum of Bee Gees styles, from weepy emotional ballads to psychedelic rockers. The highlight of this album (and perhaps Robin Gibb's all-time finest moment with the Bee Gees) is surely "I Started A Joke," a massive chart-hit which encompasses everything that is beautiful and bizarre about the Bee Gees in one short song. The peculiar, theatrical nature of the song's lyrics makes it an easy target for the kind of tongue-in-cheek delivery that it's been given in subsequent (inferior) cover versions by artists ranging from Faith No More to the Zip Code Rapists--but Robin of course plays it straight and the result is a true musical miracle. No one can top this song! The cover art for this album was different in the US than in the rest of the world--and quite frankly Atco's pastiche of bits from the boys' faces was not an improvement over the lightbulb design used in the UK. The UK version also includes a song written and sung by one of the auxiliary members of the band, Australian Vince Melouney. Good on ya, Vince!