''Odessa'' is the sixth studio album by the Bee Gees, a double vinyl LP released on 30 March 1969, initially in an opulent red flocked cover with gold lettering. Despite reaching the UK Top Ten and the US Top 20, the album was not particularly well-received, though now is regarded by many as the most significant of the group's Sixties albums. An ambitious project, originally intended as a concept album on the loss of a fictional ship in 1899, it created tension and disagreements in the band regarding the work's direction; finally, a dispute over which song to release as a single led to Robin Gibb temporarily leaving the group. Released by

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in the UK and

Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the comp ...

in the US, ''Odessa'' was the group's fourth album released internationally, and their only double album of original music. It would be the final Bee Gees album to include guitarist

Vince Melouney Vincent Melouney (Maloney) (born 18 August 1945) is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter best known as an official member of The Bee Gees from 1967 to 1969 during the group’s initial period of worldwide success. Prior to joining Be ...

. The album includes the 1969 hit single " First of May" (UK no. 6 / US no. 37) and notable tracks such as "

Lamplight "Lamplight" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as the B-side of " First of May", but featured as the single's A-side in Germany. It also featured on their double album '' Odessa'' in March 1969. The song was written and composed by Barry, Robin ...

", "

Marley Purt Drive "Marley Purt Drive" is a song recorded by the Bee Gees, It was written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and released in March 1969 on the album '' Odessa''. It was released in stereo in the United States in January and its mono version was released ...

" and "

Melody Fair A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinati ...

", the latter of which features on the 1973 compilation '' Best of Bee Gees Vol. 2''. The album was reissued as a single disc in September 1976 when interest was revived in the Bee Gees' career. Since then the album has gained increasing critical acclaim. It was reissued again in January 2009, as a deluxe three-disc set, and is included in ''

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...

''.

Origins and recording

The originally intended name for the album was ''An American Opera''. This later became ''Masterpeace'' and finally ''Odessa''. Colin Peterssen recalls about the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

influence on ''Odessa''. "It was my idea that we do that sort of thing, and Maurice is the one who will take more time out to listen to what I have to say, although within the group, the okay has to come from Barry". Their manager Robert Stigwood said, “Barry is the Bee Gees coordinator, I used the word advisedly, as there is no leader of the group as such. He has a tremendous feel for

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

a la his composing work for The Marbles, but he is also a fantastic solo singer in his own right”. The first song recorded for the album was "

I Laugh in Your Face "I Laugh in Your Face" is a ballad performed by the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb and released in March 1969 on the album ''Odessa''. Most of the vocals are performed by Barry Gibb except for a short central section sung by R ...

" on 12 July 1968, the same day the group recorded "

I've Gotta Get a Message to You "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single on 1968, it was their second number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 202 ...

" (released from the American version of the group's fifth album ''

Idea In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of bei ...

''). After recording eight songs for the album, guitarist Vince Melouney left the group amicably and joined the group Fanny Adams, wanting to pursue a more bluesy direction. A reel tape of mono mixes dated 24 November 1968 has "

Odessa (City on the Black Sea) "Odessa (City on the Black Sea)" is a song by the English rock band the Bee Gees, written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb in 1968 and released in early 1969. The song opened the album of the same name. The song was recorded twice. The first vers ...

", " First of May" and "

" called a "rough mix with orchestra". Therefore, about as soon as they returned to the studio, they were with Bill Shepherd arranging and conducting orchestral tracks to complete the album. This puts the re-make of "First of May" early in the November sessions, yet the song would be the last Bee Gees band session for the album. However, after recording "First of May", the instrumental tracks, "

Seven Seas Symphony "Seven Seas Symphony" is an instrumental composed by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, released on the Bee Gees album ''Odessa'' in March 1969. Recording This song was originally recorded on August 19, 1968, at Atlantic Studios in New York City and w ...

", "With All Nations" and "The British Opera" were recorded by Bill Shepherd. Also done somewhere around here are the final vocals for the New York songs and the added organ part for "Edison".

Release

''Odessa'' was initially released on Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and

in the United States in a red

flocked Flocking is the process of depositing many small fiber particles (called flock) onto a surface. It can also refer to the texture produced by the process, or to any material used primarily for its flocked surface. Flocking of an article can be per ...

cover with a gold lettering to the group's name and label symbol stamped in gold on the front and nothing but the flocking on the back. The gatefold has a large dotted image of people leaving a ship in a lifeboat. There are no photographs of the group and they are not named except as to all songs being written by B, R & M Gibb. Due to the high cost of production, as well as allergic reactions among workers during assembly, this design was discontinued.''

''. New York, NY: Universe, 2006. pg 165. () Prior to release, there were disagreements over which song was to be released as a single, when the Robin-led "

" lost out to " First of May," a Barry solo vocal. This led to Robin Gibb leaving the group in early 1969, though he would rejoin the group in August 1970. The split was a result of months of animosity, in relation to the album's final mix. As Barry explained: The last performances of the group including Robin were in early 1969, when they performed "First of May" (they also performed "

I Started a Joke "I Started a Joke" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album ''Idea'', which was released as a single in December of that year. It was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, where buyers who could not afford the album had to co ...

") on ''The Tom Jones Show'' (21 February) and ''Top of the Pops'' (6 March). Robin left the band on 15 March and made his decision public on 19 March. Robin told ''Mojo'' magazine in 2003 about his departure from the band after the release of ''Odessa'', saying "We had egos". Maurice later described the album as 'heavy'. "People thought it was an in-depth album", he recalled, "like, 'What do they mean by those lyrics?' and 'What's this all about?' There's all sorts of different areas on it. It went up and down in places, but a lot of people regard it as our '' Sgt. Pepper''. To us, I don't think it was the best album we made, but the main title 'Odessa' I loved". Barry responded to Maurice saying, "I guess I have strong personal feelings about it because it was a time when the group was splitting up". In July 1969, "

" was released as a single, backed with "

" only in South Africa.

Reception

The album was not well received by the public or the music press on release, and led to a decline in the band's fortunes. The album has since received critical acclaim, and is regarded by many reviewers as their most significant Sixties release, and has been re-released in a deluxe three CD set.

Reissues

The album was reissued in 1976 as an edited single-disc album with a plain red cover on

RSO Records RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several ma ...

. The 1976 single LP reissue deleted tracks 3, 5, 7–9, 12, and 17. Some early CD and cassette editions also omitted the track "With All Nations (International Anthem)". On 13 January 2009, Reprise Records released a deluxe remaster of the album, as prepared by

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

, with three discs containing, respectively, the album in stereo, the album in mono and selected rarities. The third disc, entitled ''Sketches for Odessa'' featured demos of the songs plus a vocal take of "With All Nations (International Anthem)" and the previously unissued tracks "Nobody's Someone" and "Pity". This edition restored the red flocking originally found on the LP.

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. ;Deluxe edition On 13 January 2009, Reprise Records released a 3-CD set of Odessa, complete with remastered stereo and mono version of all 17 tracks, plus a bonus third disc with demos, alternate version, and three unreleased tracks. To date, ''Odessa'' was the last album to receive the deluxe remaster treatment with extensive sleeve notes, and the status of the re-release program is unknown. Disc 1: stereo / Disc 2: mono # Odessa (City on the Black Sea) # You'll Never See My Face Again # Black Diamond # Marley Purt Drive # Edison # Melody Fair # Suddenly # Whisper Whisper # Lamplight # Sound of Love # Give Your Best # Seven Seas Symphony # With All Nations (International Anthem) # I Laugh in Your Face # Never Say Never Again # First of May # The British Opera Disc 3: "Sketches for Odessa" ll tracks previously unissued# Odessa (Demo) # You'll Never See My Face Again" (Alternate Mix) # Black Diamond (Demo) # Marley Purt Drive (Alternate Mix) # Barbara Came To Stay # Edison (Alternate Mix) # Melody Fair (Demo) # Melody Fair (Alternate Mix) # Suddenly (Alternate Mix) # Whisper Whisper – Part Two (Alternate Version) # Lamplight (Demo) # Lamplight (Alternate Version) # Sound of Love (Alternate Mix) # Give Your Best (Alternate Mix) # Seven Seas Symphony (Demo) # With All Nations (International Anthem) (Vocal Version) # I Laugh in Your Face (Alternate Mix) # Never Say Never Again (Alternate Mix) # First of May (Demo) # First of May (Alternate Mix) # Nobody's Someone # Pity # Odessa Promotional Spot

Personnel

Sourced from Joseph Brennan. ;Bee Gees *

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popula ...

– lead, harmony and background

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, rhythm guitar * Robin Gibb – lead, harmony and background vocals, Hammond organ,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, Mellotron *

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...

– harmony and background vocals, bass, rhythm and

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

s, piano, Mellotron, lead vocals on “Melody Fair” *

– lead guitar on “Marley Purt Drive,” “Edison,” “Whisper Whisper”, “Sound of Love,” “Give Your Best,” and “I Laugh In Your Face” *

Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (born 24 March 1946) is an Australian drummer, record producer and former child actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he wa ...

– drums ;Additional musicians and production * Bill Keith – banjo on “Marley Purt Drive” and “Give Your Best” * Tex Logan – fiddle on “Give Your Best” * Paul Buckmaster –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

on “Odessa (City on the Black Sea)” * Adrian Barber –

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...

– producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control Bee Gees albums 1969 albums Concept albums Polydor Records albums Atco Records albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Barry Gibb Albums produced by Robin Gibb Albums produced by Maurice Gibb Albums produced by Robert Stigwood Albums recorded at IBC Studios Baroque pop albums Albums recorded at Trident Studios