One (Bee Gees album)
| One | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by the Bee Gees | ||||
| Released | April 17, 1989 (UK) April 24, 1989 (Germany) August 1, 1989 (US) |
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| Recorded | March-April 1988, Middle Ear, Miami Beach; November-December 1988 and February-March 1989, Mayfair Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rock, pop rock, adult contemporary | |||
| Length | 52:15 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Brian Tench | |||
| the Bee Gees chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
One is the Bee Gees' eighteenth studio album (sixteenth worldwide), released in April 1989 (August 1989 in the United States).
Background
After the European success of their previous album, E.S.P., the Gibb brothers began to work on the One album in early 1988. In March, their brother Andy suddenly died and the Bee Gees took a break until November when they returned to the studio to complete the album.[3][4] The style of One was more melancholic than E.S.P., and heavily influenced by the loss of their brother. The album was dedicated to Andy and the song Wish You Were Here was written as a tribute to him.
The album was co-produced with Brian Tench who had worked with them on the previous album.
Release
The album had varying degrees of success across the world. In Europe, the album reached the Top 10 in Germany and Switzerland and reached the Top 40 in the U.K. and France. North American audiences had still not embraced the Bee Gees as they were still regarded as a disco group and the album failed to reach the Top 40 in the U.S. and Canada, despite the success of the title track reaching #7 in the U.S. and #11 in Canada. Other singles from the album included "Bodyguard" and "Tokyo Nights". In the UK, none of the singles from the album reached the Top 40. This was ironic as every other Bee Gees album from this latter phase of their career produced at least one UK hit while making little impact in the US.
Barry Gibb commented on the song "One" at the time by saying "This song brought us back to US radio. A leading media paper recently stated regarding this song, 'The Bee Gees are capable of at least one more hit.' I don't believe that, I believe we could have at least two."
Track listing
| # | Title | Notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ordinary Lives | Lead vocal by Barry Gibb. Originally recorded under the title of "Cruel World". This had started as a demo in Maurice's garage studio "Panther House". Released as a single. | 4:01 |
| 2. | One | Lead vocal by Barry Gibb. Released as a single. | 4:55 |
| 3. | Bodyguard | Lead vocal by Robin and Barry Gibb. Released as a single. | 5:21 |
| 4. | It's My Neighborhood | Lead vocal by Barry Gibb. Also used in the stage version of Saturday Night Fever | 4:17 |
| 5. | Tears | Lead vocal by Barry Gibb. | 5:16 |
| 6. | Tokyo Nights | Lead vocal by Robin Gibb. A previous version of this song was recorded back in 1987 in Maurice's garage with Scott Glasel programming. | 3:56 |
| 7. | Flesh and Blood | Lead vocal by Robin Gibb. | 4:44 |
| 8. | Wish You Were Here | Lead vocal by Barry Gibb. Written a couple of weeks after Andy Gibb's death, in March 1988. This song was dedicated to him. | 4:44 |
| 9. | House of Shame | Lead vocal by Maurice Gibb. | 4:51 |
| 10. | Will You Ever Let Me | Lead vocal by Barry Gibb. | 5:58 |
| 11. | Wing and a Prayer | Lead vocal and Guitars by Barry Gibb. Background vocal Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. Keyboards programmed by Scott Glasel and Maurice Gibb record and mixed as a demo in three days by Scott and Maurice. Bonus track included only in the CD release. Produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robin Gibb. | 4:10 |
The USA edition had a different track listing when originally released. "Ordinary Lives" and "One" were switched in the running order, and the CD bonus track "Wing And A Prayer" was dropped and replaced with "You Win Again" from the ESP album. The current issue is now in the same order as non-US editions.
All compositions by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.
Personnel
- Barry Gibb - vocals, guitar
- Robin Gibb - vocals
- Maurice Gibb - vocals, keyboard, synthesiser, guitar
- Additional and guest musicians
- Peter-John Vettese - keyboards, synthesiser
- Tim Cansfield - lead guitar
- Alan Kendall - guitar solos on tracks 4, 6 and 9
- Nathan East - bass
- Steve Ferrone - drums
- Scott Glasel - programming, engineer
- Brian Trench - engineer
Album produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb and Brian Tench except for "Wing and a Prayer", produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb.
Singles
| Date | Single | Notes | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 1989 | "Ordinary Lives" | Released only in Europe | #54 UK, #8 Germany, #19 Austria, #23 Netherlands |
| June 1989 | "One" | Released worldwide | #7 US, #71 UK, #1 Brazil, #7 Argentina, #11 Canada, #37 Germany |
| October 1989 | "Tokyo Nights" | Released only in Europe and Asia | - |
| January 1990 | "Bodyguard" | Released only in the United States | #9 Adult Contemporary |
| January 1990 | "Wish You Were Here" | Released only promotionally in limited Latin-American and European countries | #2 Brazil |
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany | 4 (Gold) |
| Switzerland | 6 (Gold) |
| Netherlands | 15 |
| France | 16 (Gold) |
| Norway | 19 |
| Austria | 23 |
| United Kingdom | 29 |
| Australia | 36 (Gold) |
| Italy | 39 |
| Sweden | 42 |
| Canada | 46 |
| Japan | 63 |
| United States | 68 |
