BG, Said the DJ

Suppose the Beatles had discovered soothing syrup instead of psychedelia; where would their music stand today? A possible answer comes from the Bee Gees, acclaimed by many people to be the first deserving heirs to the Beatles' shaggy mantle. Last week the five tousled youngsters swept in and out of Anaheim, Calif., for their first American appearances, taped a couple of guest shots on the Smothers Brothers and Laugh-In TV shows, and relaxed in a Beverly Hills hotel to count their money and think clean.

"I don't think we want to go where the Beatles have gone," says Barry Gibb, 21, eldest of the brothers who form three-fifths of the group. "They've ruined their minds." "Kids growing up now would like someone to love and idolize," echoes Maurice, 18. Right, says his twin brother Robin.

Indeed, much of the Bee Gees' style (the name, coined by an Australian disk jockey, stands for Brothers Gibb) harks back to the days long past --1964, say--when love and idolatry dogged the Beatles' every step. The songs are simple, the beat steady, the tune up on top for easy listening. The words, too, push back the calendar a few years: unabashed love epics spiced with just a pinch of social awareness. "Oh, how I tried, really and sincerely I tried," quavers Robin in one song, as background strings swirl up in Pucciniesque supplication.

Born on the Isle of Man, the Gibb brothers formed a family combo almost as soon as they could walk. The family migrated from Britain to Australia in 1958, where the brothers worked their way up the radio-TV talent-show circuit. By last February the brothers had made it to London, acquiring along the way Drummer Colin Petersen and Guitarist Vince Melouney, and a producer got them into recording studios and out into the world.

Today, two LPs later (on the ATCO label) the Bee Gees' brand of straight-forward sentimentality is winning a surprising response from listeners who are either too young or too bored to investigate the rolling, stoned Beatles' milieu. The older boys smoke cigarettes, try a little wine now and then, nothing more. With a bit of luck, it might become a trend.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.