"On Time" is a song written by
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 le ...
and recorded by the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
released on 14 January 1972 as the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of the single "
My World".
Background
It was recorded on 21 October 1971 in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, the day that they finished the song "
Alive
Alive may refer to:
*Life
Books, comics and periodicals
* ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler
* '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka
* '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...
", which was included on their 1972 album ''
To Whom It May Concern
To Whom It May Concern may refer to:
*Salutation (greeting), used for opening a letter to an unknown recipient
In music
; Albums
* ''To Whom It May Concern'' (Bee Gees album), 1972
* ''To Whom It May Concern'', a Blacklite District album, 2016
...
''. The swamp rocker "On Time" was one of Maurice's favorites, this being the first of three recordings he made of it. Maurice and guitarist Alan Kendall share a few tracks of acoustic and electric guitars, accompanied by Geoff Bridgford on
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
and string arrangement by Bill Shepherd that should not fit in, but does. Maurice later described this number as his "
Swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
period".
"On Time" was only available on vinyl until it was included in the 1990 box set ''
Tales from the Brothers Gibb
''Tales from the Brothers Gibb: A History in Song'' is a box set compilation released by the Bee Gees in 1990. Originally released on four cassettes and four compact discs, ''Tales'' is a summary of the Bee Gees output from their third album, ...
''. The single was released as a double A in the
UK,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. In Mexico, the song was released under the title "A Tiempo". The song was released in 1971 in other countries like France, Germany and Italy.
Personnel
*
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 le ...
—
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
and
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...
,
acoustic lead guitar
*Geoff Bridgford —
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
*
Alan Kendall
Alan Kendall (born 9 September 1944) is an English musician and was the lead guitarist for the Bee Gees, in an unofficial capacity from 1971 until 1980, and again from 1987 until 2001.
Career
His first recording was "Don't Play That Song (You ...
—
electric lead guitar,
guitar solo
A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music, pre-written (or improvised) to be played on a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular m ...
*Bill Shepherd —
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
l arrangement
Cover versions
*
Mike Berry and Bob Saker covered the song on their album ''Drift Away'' which was produced and played on by Maurice Gibb.
* Maurice Gibb re-recorded "On Time" in 1983 for the film ''
A Breed Apart
''A Breed Apart'' is a 1984 American drama film directed by Philippe Mora. It stars Kathleen Turner, Rutger Hauer and Powers Boothe.
The screenplay by Paul Wheeler concerns the need to protect endangered species, in this case the bald eagle. ...
'' and its
accompanying soundtrack, but it was the 1972 Bee Gees recording that was used in the film, and the 1983 version sounds like a home demo with guitars and drum track. The several guitar tracks may include a contribution from Alan Kendall. This version was recorded at the brothers' Middle Ear studios in Miami Beach, Florida.
*
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their original split in 1999. So ...
sampled "On Time" on his song "Are You Ready?" which featured in the 2011 film ''
The Adjustment Bureau
''The Adjustment Bureau'' is a 2011 American science fiction romantic thriller film written and directed by George Nolfi, based on the 1954 Philip K. Dick short story "Adjustment Team". Starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Sl ...
''. "Are You Ready?" was credited to Ashcroft and Maurice.
*
Steve Gibb
Stephen Thadeus Crompton Gibb (born 1 December 1973) is a British-American guitarist. He has been a member of numerous hard rock and metal bands including 58, Black Label Society, Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow, The Underbellys, SkilletHead, an ...
performed this in his father
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 popul ...
's, concert at the Hard Rock in Miami as well as on Barry's
Mythology Tour (2013-2014). He also recorded his own version for the Gibb Collective project
Please Don't Turn Out the Lights.
References
{{Authority control
1972 singles
Bee Gees songs
Songs written by Maurice Gibb
Song recordings produced by Barry Gibb
Song recordings produced by Robin Gibb
Song recordings produced by Maurice Gibb
Song recordings produced by Robert Stigwood
Polydor Records singles
Atco Records singles
Maurice Gibb songs
1972 songs