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Welcome to the first of May – already. I can’t believe how quickly 2016 has been flying by!
I thought I’d bring in the new month with a song which comes to mind annually on this date – a mid-chart single from 1969 titled First Of May by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, The Bee Gees.
And if it hadn’t been for the dog of eldest brother Barry Gibb being born on that date, I very likely wouldn’t have this one to feature.
😎 Read on.
[NOTE]
Due to copyright issues, some audio song files may not play on smartphones, tablets and connected devices. A PC, Mac or laptop may be required.
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A-Side
FIRST OF MAY
The Bee Gees
(Single Version)
[1969]
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Barry Gibb wrote in the booklet from 1990’s excellent, but long out-of-print 4-CD boxed set Tales from the Brothers Gibb: A History in Song, 1967-1990, that the tune’s title came from the birth date of his dog, ‘Barnaby.’
And Maurice Gibb recalled how First Of May came about:
“Barry and I were sitting at the piano” he said, “And I started playing the chords, and Barry started singing, ‘When I was small and Christmas trees were tall’ and started singing along with it.”
That led to a demo of First Of May being recorded in New York City in August of 1968 (see below).
From their album called Odessa, First Of May debuted as a U.S. single on the Billboard Hot 100 in March of ’69 but stalled at #54.
[Note] Just prior to recording their debut album in 1967, the Bee Gees were a five-man outfit, with Vince Melouney and Colin Petersen having been added to the group.
By 1969, Melouney had departed, but Petersen was still a Bee Gee (third from the left in the record sleeve photo).
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B-Side
LAMPLIGHT
The Bee Gees
[1969]
(Single Version)
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The B-side of the single was Lamplight, featuring the incredible tenor voice of Robin Gibb on lead.
Naturally, Robin had wanted his song to be the A-side of the album’s first single, while Barry understandably preferred First of May.
In the end, Barry’s judgment won out – with reinforcement from the producer of both songs, Robert Stigwood. Stigwood felt that FOM had stronger potential as a commercial single, thus Lamplight was relegated to B-side status.
As a result, Robin temporarily quit the band – also allegedly due to treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. But he recovered, reconsidered and returned a year later just as First of May began gaining airplay in several countries.
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Demo Version
FIRST OF MAY
The Bee Gees
[1968]
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As noted, the Bee Gees’ first attempt at recording First Of May came on August 16, 1968.
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In-Store Promotional Announcement
ODESSA (Album)
The Bee Gees
[1969]
No other singles were released from the Odessa album, but here’s a special promotional announcement, for play in record stores only, after its release in America on March 30, 1969.
I speculate only that shop proprietors were likely given an ‘inducement’ by Atlantic/Atco to play the Odessa album over their sound systems during business hours for potential buyers to sample, followed by this announcement.
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Produced & Written By: Rick Murray Hunter / HouseoftheHits.com
Songs Source: The Music Vault of HouseoftheHits Inc.
Billboard® Chart Data: Joel Whitburn’s Record Research (eBook Editions)
References:
• The Billboard Book Of Number One Hits (5th Edition) by Fred Bronson
• 1000 UK Chart Hits (Kindle Edition) by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh
• The Archives of RollingStone.com
Record Sleeve & Label Graphics: Courtesy of 45cat
Special thanks to Starbucks®
