“After Dark” by Andy Gibb
Another full reivew in a long time. Now that I own the LP there’s no excuse for not writing about this gem.
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 hi-fi music system around you (very, very, very important)
and slip in the After Dark CD or play the LP 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 almost 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 “Bee Gees“. 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 his elder siblings, “Bee Gees“. As of this writing two of the other Gibb brothers have left us too, Maurice and Robin. Barry is the only one left.
The album 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 beautiful 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.
The next number, “Desire” is a rare recording sung by all the Gibb brothers, i.e Bee Gees 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 familyand who left us a few months ago. 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 poor songs but may not be very impressive,though over the years I have learnt to love them. 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 the 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 news of his death 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 circulation in India. I had started listening to this album only a few years earlier.
There are videos on YouTube, one where he meets his crush Victoria Pincipal on a T.V show for the first time and another where Barry talks of him. Andy even learnt how to fly a plane just a month before he passed away. What a tragedy to have lost such an amazing talent.
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