Love Songs (Bee Gees album)

Love Songs
Compilation album by Bee Gees
Released	November 28, 2005 (UK) December 6, 2005 (US)
Recorded	April 1967 - November 1999
Genre	Rock, pop, disco
Length	69:42 (US)
Label	Universal, Reprise (re-release)
Producer	Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten, Karl Richardson, Robert Stigwood
Bee Gees chronology
Number Ones (2004) Love Songs (2005) The Ultimate Bee Gees (2009)

Love Songs was the third Bee Gees compilation album in four years, though the first to cover a specific musical style. A proposed album of love songs was in the works around 1995 when the Bee Gees recorded their own versions of "Heartbreaker" and "Emotion", but that project was soon shelved and those recordings remained unavailable until 2001.

Following the success of the Number Ones compilation in 2004, Universal once again tried to mine the Bee Gees catalog, this time focusing on their ballads. Spanning their entire career, Love Songs features many of the group's big hits, but also includes some lesser known tracks such as "Secret Love" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls", which were both big hits in Europe. Also included is a live version of "Islands in the Stream".

The U.S. and the UK versions differed slightly in song selection and running time. Included in the UK version were 1993's "Heart Like Mine" and a song Barry and Maurice wrote together with Ronan Keating in 1999 called "Lovers and Friends", backing Keating both vocally and instrumentally while also producing the recording.^[1] Another anomaly was the inclusion of the Robin Gibb solo hit "Juliet" from 1983, which was a big hit in many countries, except in the UK and the U.S.

By the time Love Songs was released, there had been several Bee Gees compilations on the market as well as their entire back catalog, so this release seemed somewhat redundant. In the U.S. it did chart but only managed to reach #166. In their homeland it climbed to No. 51 in the UK Albums Chart,^[2] but its best showing was in France where it went Top 20, peaking at No. 18.

Track listing

USA/International

1. "To Love Somebody" (Bee Gees' 1st)
2. "Words" (Horizontal)
3. "First of May" (Odessa)
4. "Lonely Days" (2 Years On)
5. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (Trafalgar)
6. "How Deep Is Your Love" (Saturday Night Fever soundtrack)
7. "More Than a Woman" (Saturday Night Fever soundtrack)
8. "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away" (Bee Gees Greatest)
9. "Emotion" (Their Greatest Hits: The Record)
10. "Too Much Heaven" (Spirits Having Flown)
11. "Heartbreaker" (Their Greatest Hits: The Record)
12. "Islands in the Stream" (Live) (One Night Only)
13. "Juliet" (How Old Are You?) - Robin Gibb solo track)
14. "Secret Love" (High Civilization)
15. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Size Isn't Everything)
16. "Closer Than Close" (Still Waters)
17. "I Could Not Love You More" (Still Waters)
18. "Wedding Day" (This Is Where I Came In)

UK/Japan

1. "To Love Somebody"
2. "Words"
3. "First of May"
4. "Lonely Days"
5. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
6. "How Deep Is Your Love"
7. "More Than a Woman"
8. "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away"
9. "Emotion"
10. "Too Much Heaven"
11. "Heartbreaker"
12. "Islands in the Stream (Live)"
13. "Juliet"
14. "Secret Love"
15. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
16. "Heart Like Mine" (Bonus track) (Size Isn't Everything)
17. "Closer Than Close"
18. "I Could Not Love You More"
19. "Wedding Day"
20. "Lovers and Friends" (feat. Ronan Keating) (Bonus track) - 5:17 (New song)

PRC

1. "To Love Somebody"
2. "Words"
3. "First of May"
4. "Lonely Days"
5. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
6. "How Deep Is Your Love"
7. "More Than a Woman"
8. "(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away"
9. "Emotion"
10. "Too Much Heaven"
11. "Heartbreaker"
12. "Juliet"
13. "Secret Love"
14. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
15. "Closer Than Close"
16. "I Could Not Love You More"
17. "Wedding Day"

References

1. Brennan, Joe. "Gibb Songs : 1999". Retrieved 16 January 2013.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 51. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.