2 Years On
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| 2 Years On | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by the Bee Gees | ||||
| Released | November 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 13 June – 5 October 1970 | |||
| Studio | IBC (London) | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 35:57 | |||
| Label | Polydor (United Kingdom) Atco (United States) Spin (Australia, New Zealand) | |||
| Producer | Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees | |||
| The Bee Gees chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Australasian cover | ||||
 2 Years On album released on Spin Records only in Australia and New Zealand. | ||||
| Singles from 2 Years On | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C−[2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
2 Years On is the eighth studio album by the Bee Gees, which reached No. 32 on the US charts. Released in 1970, the album saw the return of Robin Gibb to the group after an earlier disagreement and subsequent split following Odessa. 2 Years On was the first album with drummer Geoff Bridgford, who remained a full-time member of the group until 1972 although he was not pictured on the sleeve. The best-known track is "Lonely Days". Released as the first single by the reunited brothers, it charted high in the US (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the rival chart Cashbox), but peaked at No. 33 in the United Kingdom.
Background[edit]
In March 1969, Robin announced that he was leaving the band. In June, he released his debut solo single "Saved by the Bell", which reached No. 2 on the UK charts. In August, drummer Colin Petersen was fired and was replaced by Terry Cox to complete the album Cucumber Castle. Before the album was released, Barry and Maurice announced that the Bee Gees had split in December 1969. The pair released singles, "Railroad" by Maurice and "I'll Kiss Your Memory" by Barry, but their respective albums The Loner and The Kid's No Good remain unreleased to this day. During the temporary break-up of the group, Maurice appeared in London musical theatre production Sing a Rude Song. Maurice recalls: "We got fed up with all the lawyers fighting over our assets, so we walked out of this big summit meeting and started the group again".[4]
Recording[edit]
Robin and Maurice reunited in June 1970, supported by new drummer Geoff Bridgford. They recorded four songs, including "Sincere Relation" and "Lay It on Me". "We Can Lift a Mountain" was also re-recorded, a song from 1968. After that, Maurice joined the supergroup The Bloomfields with Billy Lawrie, and worked with Tin Tin. In August, Maurice and Robin announced that the Bee Gees were back with or without Barry's participation, and fourteen songs were recorded including "Back Home" and "I'm Weeping". On 21 August, the three Bee Gees came together to continue recording as Barry announced, "The Bee Gees are there and they will never, ever part again". He continues, "If a solo record comes out, it will be with enthusiasm and great support of each of us. We are a musical establishment". Maurice, on the other hand, recalled: "We just discussed it and re-formed".[5]
Release[edit]
Around the same time, Barry's "One Bad Thing" / "The Day Your Eyes Meet Mine" was withdrawn at the last minute in the US for single release, while Polydor planned to release "One Bad Thing" as a single by 2 October (probably in Europe and Asia). Despite Barry's longing to prove himself as a solo artist, it was decided instead that the next single should be performed by the Bee Gees as they reunited around the same time.[5]
Despite the album marking the musical reunion of the Bee Gees, only three songs credited all three Gibb brothers as composers: the single "Lonely Days", its flip side "Man For All Seasons", and "Back Home". Maurice sings on all songs, but Barry and Robin are only on the ones they wrote or co-wrote.[6] In the August sessions, they also recorded "You Got to Lose It in the End", "Little Red Train", "Sweet Summer Rain", "Melody Fair" (originally released on Odessa) and "Maybe Tomorrow". None of these were released.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "2 Years On" | Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Robin | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Portrait of Louise" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 2:35 |
| 3. | "Man For All Seasons" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry, Robin & Maurice | 2:59 |
| 4. | "Sincere Relation" | Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Robin | 2:46 |
| 5. | "Back Home" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry, Robin & Maurice | 1:52 |
| 6. | "The 1st Mistake I Made" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 4:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocal(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lonely Days" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Barry, Robin & Maurice | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Alone Again" | Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | Robin | 3:00 |
| 3. | "Tell Me Why" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Lay It on Me" | Maurice Gibb | Maurice | 2:07 |
| 5. | "Every Second, Every Minute" | Barry Gibb | Barry | 3:01 |
| 6. | "I'm Weeping" | Robin Gibb | Robin | 2:45 |
Alternate track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "2 Years On" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Lonely Days" | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Lay It on Me" | 2:07 |
| 4. | "Portrait of Louise" | 2:35 |
| 5. | "Man For All Seasons" | 2:59 |
| 6. | "The First Mistake I Made" | 4:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Weeping" | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Every Second, Every Minute" | 3:01 |
| 3. | "Sincere Relation" | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Back Home" | 1:52 |
| 5. | "Alone Again" | 3:00 |
| 6. | "Tell Me Why" | 3:13 |
Personnel[edit]
Credits from Joseph Brennan.[7]
- Bee Gees
- Barry Gibb – lead, harmony, and backing vocals; rhythm guitar
- Robin Gibb – lead, harmony, and backing vocals; organ on "I'm Weeping"
- Maurice Gibb – harmony and backing vocals, bass guitar, lead and rhythm guitars, piano, lead vocals on "Lay It On Me"
- Additional musicians and production staff
- Geoff Bridgford – drums
- Bill Shepherd, Gerry Shury – orchestral arrangement
- John Stewart – engineer
- Robert Stigwood – producer
- Bee Gees – producers
Charts[edit]
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia Kent Music Report Albums Chart[8] | 22 |
| Canadian RPM Albums Chart[9] | 22 |
| US Billboard 200[10] | 32 |
| US Cashbox[11] | 14 |
References[edit]
- ^ Bruce Eder. "2 Years On – Bee Gees | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "The Bee Gees". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 58. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "Bee Gees Aim for Peak Stellar Performance in All Areas". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 25 August 1973. p. 18.
- ^ a b Andrew Môn Hughes (2009). The Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb. Omnibus Press. p. 611. ISBN 978-0-85712-004-5.
- ^ Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs: 1970". Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Gibb Songs : 1970".
- ^ "Australian Albums". australian-charts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "Canadian Albums". RPM Canada. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "US Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ "US Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
