Still Waters (Bee Gees album)

Still Waters
Studio album by
the Bee Gees
Released10 March 1997
RecordedOctober 1995 – August 1996
StudioMiddle Ear Studios, Miami Beach
Genre
Length53:40
Label
Producer
The Bee Gees chronology
Size Isn't Everything
(1993) 		Still Waters
(1997) 		One Night Only
(1998)

Still Waters is the twenty-first and penultimate studio album by the Bee Gees, released on 10 March 1997 in the UK by Polydor Records, and on 6 May the same year in the US by A&M Records. The group made the album with a variety of top producers, including Russ Titelman, David Foster, Hugh Padgham, and Arif Mardin.

Background

[edit]

In 1994, the Bee Gees and Polydor Records had planned a major tour to promote Size Isn't Everything (1993) but it was postponed in February the same year due to Barry Gibb's trouble with arthritis in his back, right hand and right knee. Following the cancellation of the tour, Robin Gibb told the press that the group was working on an album of acoustic versions of songs they had written for other artists. The project was later called Love Songs, which featured some new recordings and was announced as the Bee Gees' new album in September 1994 and planned for release on 14 February (Valentine's Day) of 1995. However, their record company rejected the album.[1]

Around 1994, the Bee Gees did record six songs, one of which was called "Miracles Happen" which was written and recorded to be the title song for a new film version of Miracle on 34th Street; the Bee Gees got the job in June 1994 and quickly returned this recording, with a boys’ choir and a big string section backing them. The filmmakers however decided later to use only old Christmas songs. On the same session, they also did their own version of their compositions such as "Emotion" (Samantha Sang), "Heartbreaker" (Dionne Warwick), "Love Never Dies" and "Rings Around the Moon", which were later released as B-sides.[1]

Recording

[edit]

In July 1995, they started with seven demos for what would become included on the album, along with four demos recorded in the second quarter of 1995. In the October 1995 sessions they recorded their rendition of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" for a Carole King tribute album Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King.[2]

In March 1996, they relocated to The Hit Factory in New York to record two songs. Around 1996, the Bee Gees used session musicians to complete the entire album, produced by Russ Titelman. Also in 1996, the Bee Gees recorded two songs with two members of P.M. Dawn, Attrel Cordes and Jarett Cordes. The producer on "With My Eyes Closed" was Raphael Saadiq. "Still Waters (Run Deep)" was produced by Hugh Padgham. The last song recorded for the album was "Closer than Close" which features Maurice Gibb's lead vocals produced by the brothers themselves.[3]

Release and critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Chicago Tribune[5]
Entertainment WeeklyC[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]

Though receiving lukewarm reviews from critics, the album was their most successful album in almost twenty years; it was released at a time when the Bee Gees were being awarded for lifetime achievements, had recently been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and were regaining high exposure on television, particularly VH1. The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 11 in the United States. The first single off the album, "Alone", was a worldwide hit, peaking at No. 5 in the UK and No. 28 in the United States, where it began as a "hot shot debut" at No. 34. "I Could Not Love You More" and "Still Waters (Run Deep)" also reached the UK top 20.

A reviewer for the newspaper Muzykalnaya Gazeta wrote: "There is life in the old dog yet! The water is still flowing in the river under the family name of Bee Gees! The brothers Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb did their best once again, for the umpteenth time, or rather to be even said, in their own style, as always."[10]

In a special agreement with Target, Polydor also sold a special edition of the album which included a bonus CD of songs from their VH1 Storytellers concert. This CD has never been made commercially available outside of the Target agreement.

Aftermath

[edit]

In 2003 Robin Gibb re-recorded the track "My Lover's Prayer" as a duet with Alistair Griffin. This reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side single with Griffin's solo recording of "Bring It On". It also appears on Griffin's debut album Bring It On, which reached No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart.

The album became one of the first of the Bee Gees' catalogue to be re-released on Reprise Records after the group regained the rights to all of their recordings in 2006.

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.

Still Waters track listing
No.TitleLead vocal(s)Length
1."Alone"Barry and Robin4:49
2."I Surrender"Barry4:18
3."I Could Not Love You More"Barry3:43
4."Still Waters Run Deep"Barry and Robin4:08
5."My Lover's Prayer"Barry and Robin4:00
6."With My Eyes Closed"Barry4:19
7."Irresistible Force"Robin and Barry4:36
8."Closer than Close"Maurice4:34
9."I Will"Barry and Robin5:08
10."Obsessions"Barry4:43
11."Miracles Happen"Barry4:12
12."Smoke and Mirrors"Robin and Barry5:00
Total length:53:40
Bonus tracks
No.TitleLead vocal(s)Length
13."Rings Around the Moon"Robin4:30
14."Love Never Dies"Robin and Maurice4:07

Personnel

[edit]

Bee Gees

  • Barry Gibb – vocals, guitars (1, 4), drum programming (1, 7), additional drum programming (12), arrangements (12)
  • Robin Gibb – vocals, arrangements (12)
  • Maurice Gibb – vocals, keyboards (1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12), guitars (1, 4), arrangements (12)

Additional personnel

Production

[edit]
  • Bee Gees – executive producers, producers (1, 2, 8, 12)
  • Russ Titelman – producer (1, 5, 12)
  • David Foster – producer (2, 3)
  • Hugh Padgham – producer (4, 7, 11)
  • Raphael Saadiq – producer (6)
  • Arif Mardin – producer (9, 10)
  • Joanne Schwartz – production coordinator (1)
  • Dawn Agent – production coordinator (6)
  • Maureen Droney – production coordinator (6)
  • Gloria Gabriel – production manager (9, 10)
  • Stylorouge – design
  • Anton Corbijn – photography
  • Alex Delves – stylist
  • Donna Karan – clothes
  • Left Bank Management – management

Technical

  • Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
  • John Merchant – recording (1–8, 11, 12), vocal recording (9, 10), mastering assistant, technical production coordinator
  • Dave O'Donnell – recording (1, 5, 12), mixing (1, 5, 12)
  • Russ Titelman – mixing (1, 5, 12)
  • Artie Smith – guitar and drum technician (1)
  • Felipe Elgueta – recording (2, 3)
  • Jon Gass – mixing (2)
  • Humberto Gatica – recording (3)
  • Mick Guzauski – mixing (3)
  • Hugh Padgham – recording (4, 7, 11), mixing (4, 7, 11)
  • Gerry Brown – recording (6), mixing (6)
  • Darrin Harris – recording (6)
  • Bill Malina – recording (6), digital editing (6)
  • Raphael Saadiq – mixing (6)
  • Michael O'Reilly – recording (9, 10)
  • Jason Goldstein – assistant engineer (1, 9, 10)
  • Jason Geek – recording assistant (4)
  • Steve Eigner – assistant engineer (5, 12)
  • Mike Viola – assistant engineer (5, 12)
  • Doug Bohem – assistant engineer (6)
  • Joe Zook – assistant engineer (6)
  • Glen Marchese – recording assistant (7, 11)
  • Richard Alderson – additional engineer (5)
  • Joe Lizzi – mix assistant (1, 5, 12), assistant engineer (9, 10)
  • Kyle Bess – mix assistant (2)
  • Marnie Riley – mix assistant (3)
  • Chris Carroll – mix assistant (4, 7, 11)

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Still Waters
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[40] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[41] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[42] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[43] Platinum 500,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[44] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[45] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[46] Gold 50,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[47] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[50] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs: 1994". Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  2. ^ Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs: 1995". Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  3. ^ Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs: 1996". Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Still Waters at AllMusic
  5. ^ Caro, Mark (6 June 1997). "Review: Bee Gees Still Waters". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  6. ^ Schinder, Scott (9 May 1997). "Still Waters Review". Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  7. ^ Gardner, Elysa (10 May 1997). "Bee Gees Show Just a Glimmer of Old Magic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  8. ^ Moon, Tom (22 April 1997). "Music Review: Still Waters by the Bee Gees". Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Обзор Bee Gees Still Waters" [Review of Still Waters by Bee Gees]. Muzykalnaya Gazeta (in Russian) (26). 1997 [1997]. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. ^ "australian-charts.com Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  12. ^ "austriancharts.at Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  13. ^ "ultratop.be Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  14. ^ "ultratop.be Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  15. ^ and Archives Canada. Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 February 2012
  16. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  17. ^ "finnishcharts.com Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  18. ^ a b Nielsen Business Media, Inc (5 April 1997). Billboard – 5 April 1997. Retrieved 16 February 2012. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ "lescharts.com Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). lescharts.com. SNEP. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  20. ^ "Album Search: Bee Gees – Still Waters" (in German). Media Control. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  21. ^ "charts.nz Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  22. ^ "norwegiancharts.com Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  23. ^ "swedishcharts.com Bee Gees – Still Waters" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  24. ^ "Bee Gees – Still Waters – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  25. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Bee Gees – Still Waters" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  26. ^ "Bee Gees Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1997". aria.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  28. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1997". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1997". Ultratop (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  30. ^ "Rapports Annuels 1997". Ultratop (in French). Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  31. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1997". DutchCharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  32. ^ "Eurochart Top 100 Albums 1997" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  33. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1997 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  35. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1997". The Official NZ Music Charts. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  36. ^ "Hitparade.ch – Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  37. ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  38. ^ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1997". billboard.biz. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  39. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  40. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  41. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters". Music Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  42. ^ "French album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  43. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bee Gees; 'Still Waters')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  44. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 29 October 2011. Enter Still Waters in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  45. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  46. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 1997 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  47. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Still Waters')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  48. ^ "British album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  49. ^ "American album certifications – Bee Gees – Still Waters". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  50. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1997". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
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