''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

In March 1969, Robin announced that he was leaving the band. In June, he released his debut solo single "

Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...

", which reached No. 2 on the UK charts. In August, drummer

Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (born 24 March 1946) is an Australian drummer, record producer and former child actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he wa ...

was fired and was replaced by

Terry Cox Terence William Harvey 'Terry' Cox (born 13 March 1937, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire) played drums in the British folk rock bands The Pentangle, Duffy's Nucleus and Humblebums. He also drummed with several other artists, most notably D ...

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 Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

" by Maurice and " I'll Kiss Your Memory" by Barry, but their respective albums '' The Loner'' and ''

The Kid's No Good ''The Kid's No Good'' was to have been the debut solo album by British musician Barry Gibb following his departure from the Bee Gees in December 1969. There was no official title given to the album at the time. The line "the kid's no good", whic ...

'' 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".

Recording

Robin and Maurice reunited in June 1970 with 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 The Bloomfields were an English rock band formed in 1970 by Maurice Gibb, Billy Lawrie and Johnny Harris (musician), Johnny Harris. During the 1969-1970 split between the three Gibb brothers (Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin and Mauric ...

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".

Release

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. 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. In the August sessions, they also recorded "You Got to Lose It in the End", "Little Red Train", "Sweet Summer Rain", "

Melody Fair A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinati ...

" (originally released on '' Odessa'') and "Maybe Tomorrow". None of these were released.

Track listing

Alternate track listing

Personnel

Credits from Joseph Brennan. ;Bee Gees *

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popula ...

– lead, harmony and backing

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

; rhythm guitar * Robin Gibb – lead, harmony and backing vocals; organ on “I’m Weeping” *

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...

– harmony and backing vocals,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and rhythm guitars,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, lead vocals on “Lay It On Me” ;Additional musicians and production staff *Geoff Bridgford – drums * Bill Shepherd,

Gerry Shury Gerald Roland Shury (11 August 1944General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 17; Page: 0919 – 24 May 1978)England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), page 7395 was a British songwriter, arranger, an ...

–

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l arrangement * John Stewart –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2 Years On Bee Gees albums 1970 albums Polydor Records albums Atco Records albums Albums produced by Robert Stigwood Albums produced by Robin Gibb Albums produced by Barry Gibb Albums produced by Maurice Gibb Albums recorded at IBC Studios Soft rock albums by English artists Symphonic rock albums