One (Bee Gees album)

One is the Bee Gees' eighteenth studio album (sixteenth worldwide), released in April 1989 (August 1989 in the United States).

One
Studio album by
Bee Gees
Released17 April 1989 (UK)
24 April 1989 (Germany)
July 1989 (US)
RecordedMarch–April 1988, Middle Ear, Miami Beach;
November–December 1988 and February–March 1989, Mayfair Studios, London
Length52:15
LabelWarner Bros. Records, Warner Music
ProducerBarry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Brian Tench
Bee Gees chronology
E.S.P.
(1987)		 One
(1989)		 Tales from the Brothers Gibb
(1990)
Singles from One
  1. "Ordinary Lives"
    Released: March 1989 (EUR)
  2. "One"
    Released: June 1989
  3. "Tokyo Nights"
    Released: October 1989
  4. "Bodyguard"
    Released: January 1990 (US)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Background and recording

After the European success of their previous album, E.S.P., the Gibb brothers began to work on the One album in early 1988. In March, their brother Andy suddenly died and the Bee Gees took a break until November when they returned to the studio to complete the album, but this time they shifted to Mayfair Studios in London, making One their first album since Mr. Natural to be recorded partly or fully in the British capital, though "Ordinary Lives" was started before Andy Gibb's death.[3][4] The style of One was more melancholic than E.S.P., and heavily influenced by the loss of their brother. The album was dedicated to Andy and the song "Wish You Were Here" was written as a tribute to him.

The album was co-produced with Brian Tench, who had worked with them on the previous album. Related session outtake "Shape of Things to Come" was written for the Bee Gees' contribution to the 1988 Olympics album called One Moment in Time released the same year.[3]

Release

The album had varying degrees of success across the world. In Europe, the album reached the top 10 in Germany and Switzerland and reached the top 40 in the UK and France. North American audiences had still not embraced the Bee Gees as they were still regarded as a disco group and the album failed to reach the top 40 in the US and Canada, despite the success of the title track reaching No. 7 in the US and No. 11 in Canada. Other singles from the album included "Bodyguard" and "Tokyo Nights". In the UK, none of the singles from the album reached the top 40; this was ironic as every other Bee Gees album from the latter phase of their career produced at least one UK hit while making little impact in the US.

Barry Gibb commented on the song "One" at the time by saying "This song brought us back to US radio. A leading media paper recently stated regarding this song, 'The Bee Gees are capable of at least one more hit.' I don't believe that, I believe we could have at least two."

Track listing

In the US, "Wing and a Prayer" was substituted with the group's European #1 hit, "You Win Again".

All tracks are written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb.

No.TitleLead vocal(s)Length
1."Ordinary Lives"Barry and Robin4:01
2."One"Barry4:55
3."Bodyguard"Robin and Barry5:20
4."It's My Neighborhood"Barry4:19
5."Tears"Barry5:16
6."Tokyo Nights"Robin3:56
7."Flesh and Blood"Robin4:43
8."Wish You Were Here"Barry4:44
9."House of Shame"Maurice and Barry4:51
10."Will You Ever Let Me"Barry5:57
11."Wing and a Prayer"Barry4:05
Total length:52:15
The Warner Bros. Years bonus tracks
No.TitleLead vocal(s)Length
12."Shape of Things to Come"Barry4:18
13."One" (edit) 3:50
14."One" (12" dance version) 8:44
15."One" (12" club mix) 9:02
Total length:78:07

Personnel

Bee Gees

Additional musicians

Production

  • Barry Gibb - producer
  • Robin Gibb - producer
  • Maurice Gibb - producer
  • Brian Tench – engineering, mix engineer, producer
  • Noel Rafferty - assistant engineering
  • George Marino - mastering engineering
  • Ross Alexander - technical supervisor
  • Scott Glasel – programming, engineering

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[5] 29
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6] 23
Canada (RPM) 46
France (SNEP) 16
Germany (Media Control AG)[7] 4
Italy (Musica e dischi) 39
Japan (Oricon) 63
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[8] 22
Norway (VG-lista)[9] 19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 42
Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade)[11] 6
UK Albums (The Official Charts Company)[12] 29
US Billboard 200[13] 68

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14] Gold 35,000^
France (SNEP)[15] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[16] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[17] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[18] Gold 25,000^

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

References
  1. William Ruhlmann (25 July 1989). "One – Bee Gees | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  2. David Wild (21 September 1989). "One | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  3. "Gibb Songs : 1988". Columbia.edu. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  4. "Gibb Songs : 1989". Columbia.edu. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  5. "Bee Gees - One". australiancharts.com. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  6. "Bee Gees - One". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  7. "Bee Gees - One". officialcharts.de. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  8. "Bee Gees - One". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  9. "Bee Gees - One". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  10. "Bee Gees - One". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  11. "Bee Gees - One". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  12. "Bee Gees Album Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  13. "Bee Gees - Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  15. "French album certifications – Bee Gees – One" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 10 March 2015. Select BEE GEES and click OK. 
  16. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bee Gees; 'One')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  17. "Dutch album certifications – Bee Gees – One" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 10 March 2015. Enter One in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  18. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Bee Gees; 'One')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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