Horizontal =expanded= [Original recording remastered]

Horizontal is the second album by the Bee Gees, and is the second album that they made in 1967 (being released in January 1968). The second album is always meant to be a difficult one for bands, especially when they had such a strong start, but they manage to deliver another brilliant and fascinating set of songs.

The album opens with a clattering of bass, guitar, piano and drums which abruptly stop and open into the gorgeous piano/mellotron/vocals chorus of World. It's an absolutely first class song. It is somewhat unconventional what with multiple stops and starts and frequent tempo changes. The mellotron which drifts in and out gives the song a haunting quality, possibly the best use of mellotron in a pop song? The lyrics are fantastic too, and typical of the obscure stuff they were coming up with at the time. I must say, the melody is spot on too, what a great opener.

And the Sun Will Shine is the first of the very sort of depressing songs on the album. It's not one of my favourites, but I do love the orchestral arrangement to it, especially the oboes. The melody is pretty enough, and the lyrics again are great.

Lemons Never Forget brings the album into Rock territory, allegedly it is about the Apple corporation and the problems they were having. It continues the sombre and ominous mood started by the previous song. It's not one of the standouts for me, I think the guitar in the background annoys me a bit, but I do enjoy the chorus.

Ending the depressing succession of songs is Robin's Really and Sincerely. I used to hate this song with its annoying accordian and very whining vocals, but I have actually come to love it, based mainly on the fantastic chorus which I never fail to sing along to loudly. It is a very emotional song about Robins involvement in a train crash (he was a passenger).

Birdie Told Me comes next, I think it was the first song I latched on to when I initially listened to the album. It's such a pretty song, pretty lyrics, pretty harmonies, pretty music.... it's just great. I was actually just about to say that after repeated listenings I have grown sick of it, but listening to it now I find that that is not the case. Those strings are fantastic.

With the Sun in My Eyes I think is the weakest song on the album, consisting mainly of organ and vocals with a bit of orchestration coming in half way through.

The beautiful Massachusetts, the bands fist #1, comes next. They did a really good job on this song, the vocals are so spot on. I love the driving rythm section combined with the sweeping strings and the glockenspiel (if that's whats making that noise!). Just a beautiful track.

Their song about a fictional racing driver, Harry Braff comes next. Very up tempo compared the rest of the album, quite catchy, great harmonies, it reminds me of Holiday Maker by Kaleidoscope. It's a decent track, definately stands apart from the rest of this album. Would have probably been more at home on their first album.

Day Time Girl is yet another soft and sombre track, it is quite delicate and beautiful, but not one of the stand out tracks for me. Maybe there is a bit of overkill on the lilting heartbreakers on this album, although to be fair they do do them well.

One of the best named songs in my music collection comes next, The Earnest of Being George. It's a great track, very rocky, fantastic bass playing from Maurice, and some great lead guitar work from Vince. I really love all the stops and starts during this song, it is not unlike The Little Girl I Once Knew by The Beach Boys.

The Change Is Made is not unlike the previous track, heavy on the bass and with some powerful soulful vocals from Barry, who really shows what is voice is capable of here. Not quite as good as the Earnest of being George, but still good. You can tell Vince was in his element playing the lead guitar on this.

The album closes with Horizontal, which is similar to World. A good way to close the album, it is a very ethereal song thanks again to the mellotron. It is an optimistic sort of song, the lyrics make me feel all warm inside ("You are a good friend/friendly as good friends should be"). A good way to end the album if you ask me.

The glorious Rhino reissue provides a wealth of bonus material, some of which actually far surpasses some of the material on the album! It actually could have been an album in itself. The highlights include Out of Line which is one of my all time favourite Bee Gees tracks. That bass playing is phenomenal, and their harmonies never sounded better. I think it should have been on the album in the place of The Change is Made, but surprisingly was totally unissued!

Another highlight is the B-side to Massachusetts, called Barker of the UFO, easily their most experimental song. It consists of a backwards drum track, a tuba and a xylophone with Barry singing his heart out over it. I would describe it as "Bouncy", never fails to put a smile on my face.

The beautiful Words is also present, which has been covered to death over the years. Also present is the B-side to World which is called Sir Geoffrey Saved the World, a fantastic example of "toytown pop", full of the brothers' glorious warbling vocal harmonies. The brilliantly entitled Mrs. Gillespie's Refridgerator is another highlight.

I must admit I have become encompletely enamoured with the Bee Gees lately. They rarely (if ever) dropped the ball in the 60s as far as I am concerned, releasing album after album of gold. It really puts the record industry today to shame to consider the volume of work produced by this band in a 3 year period. Anyway, this is a fantastic album overall, I highly recommend the spectacular Rhino reissue of this and the other 60s Bee Gees output. I will leave you with a quote from Horizontal;

I have been lying, under a pillow of dreams
And feeling moments of swimming in cream

Wrapped in a snug fold-out digipak, this Rhino re-issue of Bee Gees Horizontal is a wonder to behold. Being the second album by the three brothers, Rhino has beautifully remastered the original into one CD that has all the original twelve songs in Stereo and Mono. These are different sounding recordings and not simply Stereo condensed into Mono. Classics like, "World" and their first #1 hit in the U.K., "Massachusetts" is given new life.

Disc 2 contains fantastic Alternate Versions and previously unreleased material. Compare "Swan Song" or "Really And Sincerely" to the original takes. Also included on album for the first time are singles, "Words", "Barker Of The UFO", "Sinking Ships" and "Sir Geoffrey Saved The World". Other new delights are the vibrant, "Out Of Line" and "Ring My Bell". Eastern influence is obvious on "Deeply, Deeply Me" and the second CD concludes with two Christmas songs, the second being a medley never before released. With 37 songs and a running time of nearly 100 minutes, this is a long awaited release. "Massachusetts" went to #11 on the Billboard Charts and #1 in the U.K. (Their first #1!). The album hit #12 in the USA! Also includes a colorful booklet packed with trivia, history, album and single photos as well as comments from Barry and Robin Gibb.

This being the Bee Gees 2nd album, they distanced themselves a bit from the previous heavy orchestration and established themselves more of a rock/pop band. Featuring the #1 UK hit "Massachusetts" and the loud, rocking "World" (UK only), this set contains everything from plaintive sad ballads to rock and roll standards. Robin's "And The Sun Will Shine" is a classic tear-jerker and reputably, recorded on the first take. "Lemons Never Forget", "The Earnest Of Being George" and "The Change Is Made" are fine examples of late sixties rock and roll. The Beatles influenced is heard on "Birdie Told Me", a bouncy McCartney-esque tune and "Day Time Girl" also falls into this category. "Really And Sincerely" is a tad too melancholy and "Harry Braff" is simply annoying. However, the album succeeds in the end and finishes with "Horizontal", a brilliantly simple song with the piano chords reading - literally - horizontally.