[.ca] Cucumber Castle

THEY CAN CUT IT AS A DUO!:
PERSONALLY I THINK THAT THEY ARE BETTTER AS A DUO -AT LEAST WE DONT NEED TO TO PUT UP WITH ROBINS SILLY VOCALS ALL THE TIME! BUT THEYRE NEVER GOING TO SPLIT UP AGAIN SO I SUPPOSE WERE STUCK WITH HIS VOCAL UNTIL THE END OF TIME! MY REVIEW OF THIS IS - ITS WONDERFUL! IVE NEVER SEEN THE PROGRAMME BUT IM SURE IT TIES IN WELL!(IT DOES HELP IF YOU FANCY ONE OF THEM AS WELL!)I LOVE IF ONLY I HAD MY MIND ON SOMETHING ELSE BEST!

Something is missing...:
...and part of it is the fifth star. Robin is that fifth star that could've made this cd a huge success. Don'g get me wrong; the songs are great. But some songs could've used his voice. Songs like the big hit Don't Forget To Remember and Sweetheart are perfect and need no changing. Robin could've had a great backup voice in Then You Left Me, and great solo parts in the other hit I.O.I.O. Leave the best song on the album alone, too, If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else, the #3 hit on the cd. Maurice's solo My Thing is completely whack, more or less like Such A Shame off Idea. I Lay Down And Die has a lovely chorus that should be left the way it is, but the verses could use Robin. In The Lord, the beat has nothing to do with the words. It's country combined with Gospel to make a bit of a chaos. Bury Me Down By The River is well sung by Barry, but the woman should've been replaced by Robin. Again, don't get me wrong, but the BeeGees are better off as a trio and nothing else. While Robin was making an album of a bunch of nothings accept the playful Saved By The Bell, Barry was trying to make the awful Turning Tide into something. The third best song on this album I'd say is the beautiful The Chance of Love. Reminds you of First of May a little. This album is packed with great tunes and songs and even voices, but it makes another BeeGees album sound better after you've listened to one without Robin. But we're all glad he came back.

Enter at your own risk:
I had always known this LP was "iffy", but I only recently listened to it all the way through. Turns out to be a bigger disaster than I expected. Following the epic "Odessa" and Robin's exit, Barry & Maurice continued as The Bee Gees. These sessions produced an odd combination of country-pop tunes and meandering MOR offerings, with little of the inspiration of previous Bee Gees music. The opener, "If I only had my mind on something else" is probably the highlight, and "Then You Left Me" isn't half bad either, but the remaining tracks are just plain dull. "Don't Forget to Remember Me" has a memorable chorus, but you must suffer through Barry's hillbilly-inflected vocals to get to it, and it's barely worth the bother. Even so, this went to No. 2 in the UK charts, the best chart showing of any of the tracks. The Carribean-flavored "IOIO" is downright annoying right off the bat, and the insipidity continues elsewhere, with "My Thing" being a real time waster. Where are the big choruses, the gorgeous melodies, the drama of past work? It must be said that this is one of the weakest LPs by a major group I can think of. "Cucumber Castle" is squarely situated in Blandsville.

Contains Some of the Gees' Best Tunes:
Pity that the weakest tune of the lot was picked to lead off the collection. That's the only reason I can think of that my fellow reviewers didn't rate this higher -- they must have tuned out early. Because the fact is, Barry and Maurice came up with one of the Bee Gees' strongest collections in 'Cucumber Castle.' 'I.O.I.O.,' 'Don't Forget To Remember Me,' 'Sweetheart,' 'Bury Me Down By The River' -- these are lush, unforgettable pop classics, as good as anything the Three Gees ever did, which is saying a lot. I've got most of the Gees' opus -- I'm only missing a few from the disco years. Along with 'First,' 'Odessa,' and 'Still Waters,' this is my favorite.

Bee Gees and Country are words that go together:
My one complaint about Cucumber Castle is its length. At only 36 minutes, it seems cut short, despite having 12 songs. Of the 12 songs presented, they definately prove Barry and Maurice could hold their own without Robin. Cucumber Castle is of course the only album done by only two brothers. After a rift during the making of Odessa, Robin went solo. Barry and Maurice here make a worthy contribution to the Bee Gee catalogue. Cucumber Castle takes the road less traveled. It is mainly a country style broken hearted sound, with a few stand outs. I like If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else. Of course, I like them all. I think Barry's voice is very strong on this album, and this track in particular. He's got a lot to prove without Robin backing him or to hand off to. The lyrics are well done in this opening track. Sometimes in the later songs the writing seems a bit thin lyrically. I.O.I.O is such a fun jubliant song in its beat and reggae feel, that its easy to forget the lyrics about the girl leaving. Maurice's background contribution defines the song. The arrangement of only the two voices is very well done. Although not a traditional song, indeed a Bee Gees classic! My only complaint is its too short. Sweetheart was made famous by Engert somebody Hickdink , another one of those songs that people have to stop and say, "Wait? This is The Bee Gees?!" Again a love lost type song, but the tone is upbeat and easy to get stuck in your head. The vocals are particularly strong, again due to Maurice. As with The Lord, Bury Me Down By The River is again not your typical Bee Gees song. This is a very country gospel style album defined by this song, in my opinion. It seems very personal, and Barry is at top form. The simple arrangement is very well done and has a very southern gospel church feel. One might wonder about the lyrics, but to each his own when interpreting lyrics. My Thing is a worthy song if only to hear Maurice sing lead. I'm not quite sure what this song is about. The lyrics are, well, short on words, but again its all in one's interpretation. But be careful, you will get this one stuck in your head, whether you love it or hate it. Once the brothers came back together, Don't Forget To Remember was the song always added on compilations as representive of this album. (Usually along with Saved By The Bell, from Robin's Reign.) It's lyrics are top, as are the voices and arrangements, and the style is true to this broken hearted country sound, but I don't think its the best song on the album. In the Bee Gee songlist, Don't Forget to Rembember is just another easy listening sappy love song, and not exactly the best to represent the album. Still, its on par with If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else and thus Cucumber Castle starts and finishes on a strong note. Those who enjoy Robin's vilbrato voice will not enjoy this album naturally. It is also tough to listen to each song and not wonder what Robin's parts would or should have been, and vice versa with Robin's Reign. As good as they are separately, the brothers are the best together. Cucumber Castle is a treat for Barry fans and worth a listen to anyone who doubts the Bee Gees can do country.

• If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else
• I.O.I.O.
• Then You Left Me
• Lord
• I Was the Child
• I Lay Down and Die
• Sweetheart
• Bury Me Down by the River
• My Thing
• Chance of Love
• Turning Tide
• Don't Forget to Remember