December 4th, 2006
A little known gem
“After Dark” by Andy Gibb
The setting for a romantic evening. Create a serene envionment quiet and beautiful. Use soft lights, candles, favourite drinks, indoors or outdoors, somewhere in the evening light or on your terrace in the moonlight and under the starry sky. Then invite the person you love. Get your dream music system around you (very, very, very important) and slip in the After Dark CD and let Andy Gibb take over. If this is the first time you are listening to Andy, I am sure it will be a date to remember. Such is the beauty of this album. However it isn’t a popular Andy Gibb album either. It remains anonymous. Andy is known for hits from his “Flowing Rivers” and “Shadow Dancing” albums. This was Andy’s third studio effort and his last before his passing away.
There are many out there among the new generation of music lovers who may not know Andy as the youngest of the Gibb brothers, the other three, Barry, Robin and Maurice comprise the super group ”The Beegees”. Andy was the youngest of the Gibb brothers. Though he also had hits his success could hardly match the success of the super group of this elder siblings, “The Beegees”.
The CD begins with the title track, so warm and sensous it’s a killer and you’ll be instantly hooked. Made in 1980 you will admire the quality of the great recording in stereo. This one of my first albums that I had listened to in 1983 when I was beginning to listen to western music (pop, rock, metal, disco and country, ‘und alles’).
The next number, “Desire” is a rare recording sung by all the Gibb brothers, i.e The Beegees and Andy. It is normally the most popular song of the album.
The third number “Wherever you are” is the only slightly fast number of the album.
“Warm Ride” is a slow number compared to its predecessor but is good song worth a listen.
Next are the two duets with Olivia Newton John, long time friend of the Gibb family. On the L.P or the Audio Cassette these make the last song on Side 1, “Rest your love on me” and the first on Side 2, “I can’t help it”. The duets may be the only digression from the other songs in style and the way they are sung. They aren’t bad songs but may not be very impressive. Andy’s numbers are certainly better.
And beginning with ”One Love” get ready for some very soft, smooth and beautiful numbers. It is a lovely trip till the end with ”Someone I ain’t” and “Falling in Love” and by the time you listen to the final number, the lullaby “Dreamin’ On” you will actually fall asleep.
Barry wrote all the songs on this album. Andy was particularly close to Barry. Andy was romantically linked to Victoria Principal and they also recorded a duet together. The duet was not so impressive. Some releases of this CD includes that recording too.
As he grew older Andy grew more and more lonely and spent the last days in isolation and severe depression. He also gave in to excessive drinking. Andy passed away tragically in 1988. He was only 30 years of age. I was in my final year at the Madras Christian College and I remember reading the death of his news in the now defunct magazine “Jetset” that had a small run with the youth of the 80’s shortly when “Sun” the music magazine went out of publication. I had started listening to this album only a few years earlier. What a tragedy to have lost such an amazing talent.
To buy “After Dark” from Amazon click here.
Better still download the album for free at UnlimitedDownloadCenter.com.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Andy’s first album was called “Flowing Rivers” not “Rivers having flown”, Then there’s “Spirits having flown”, but that’s a different album by the Bee Gees
September 9th, 2007 at 5:02 am
Thank you Cristina for pointing out error. I am also a big Beegees fan and I must have certainly made the mistake thinking of the “Spirits having flown” album. The error will be corrected.