1969/1970: Going out in the midday sun

Wearing a crown and all the things

Barry and Maurice Gibb filming Cucumber Castle.

By 1969, as the hard times passed through, the Bee Gees had the idea to make a film. Based in the song Cucumber Castle, the concept of the film revolves into three heirs, Prince Frederick (Barry Gibb), Prince Edmund (Robin Gibb), and Prince Marmaduke (Maurice Gibb), and their dying father, the King (Frankie Howerd). The King orders his kingdom divided into three parts, the Kingdom of Jelly, Kingdom of Pudding and the Kingdom of Cucumbers. Before the king dies, Prince Frederick declares himself the "King of Cucumber", Prince Marmaduke becomes the "King of Jelly", and Prince Edmund becomes the "King of Pudding".

The film has several cameo appearances, such as the artists Lulu and Blind Faith, and also The Who's Roger Daltrey, Donovan, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and his then-girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull. Cucumber Castle contains comedy sketches from the Bee Gees along with performances by Lulu, Blind Faith, and the Bee Gees themselves.

In the studios, things have been gone smoothly, except maybe for the drummer Colin Petersen, who was fired during the sessions. He was replaced by session drummer Terry Cox, who played in the remaining tracks. During the same time, the Bee Gees found themselves in several contemporaneous activities to the album, such as producing music to other artists, and fired Petersen, a decision later regretted by Robin.

"There were many things going on at that time. Similar to the other year too. But this time there were more people that we were helping, Samantha Sang, P.P. Arnold, Tin Tin, and then we agreed on fire Petersen? That was quite stupid, thinking now."

-Robin Gibb

By September, the group returned to the studios to finish the recording sessions, and the things weren't seem to be going on as previously. The brothers lost the enthusiasm, starting to drift apart when the album was finished, putting the band in a hiatus for a year, and then, each one would record a solo record at the same time.

"We lost our inspiration by doing... really ambitious stuff. I realised that when we finished the album. Tours, two concept albums, a goddamn movie and other artists. That was too much in two years, and we lost two members in less than a year. Everything there bummed us a lot, so we decided to stop being the Bee Gees for a while."

-Barry Gibb

The album was titled Cucumber Castle, even though the film wasn't released yet, and the track that the film was based on wasn't in the track list either. Don't Forget to Remember, Tomorrow Tomorrow, and Saved By the Bell were previously released as singles to become three of the Bee Gees' greatest hits by the end of the 1960s. Critics praised the songwriting from the brothers in general.

Bee Gees – Cucumber Castle

Bee Gees - Cucumber Castle (1970)

Genre: Baroque pop, folk rock, country folk

Total: 37:40

All songs written and composed by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb & Maurice Gibb, except when noted.

Side A - 18:47

1. "If Only I Had My Mind On Something Else" - 2:33

2. "Tomorrow Tomorrow" - 4:05

3. "August October" (Robin Gibb) - 2:31

4. "Saved By the Bell" - 3:06

5. "Bury Me Down the River" (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb) - 3:25

6. "The Loner" (M. Gibb, Billy Lawrie) - 3:07

Side B - 18:53

7. "I Was The Child" - 3:14

8. "Railroad" (M. Gibb, Lawrie) - 3:37

9. "One Million Years" (R. Gibb) - 4:05

10. "My Thing" - 2:20

11. "Weekend" (R. Gibb) - 2:10

12. "Don't Forget to Remember" - 3:27

Cucumber Castle is the seventh studio album by the Bee Gees, produced by themselves and by their manager Robert Stigwood. The album consists of some songs composed as the soundtrack of their television special with the same name, being based in the song of the same name on their debut album. It was the last Bee Gees album featuring drummer Colin Petersen, and the last Bee Gees album before the short hiatus between late 1969 and mid 1970.

The record was released in 18 April 1970, as the Bee Gees were finishing their solo records, and still before the premiere of their television special. Considered a hit-driven album, three of the songs included in the album were incredibly successful, being regarded as some of their finest. Cucumber Castle peaked in number 2, displaced by The Beatles' Get Back, while it reached number 16 in Billboard 200.

Bee Gees' Cucumber Castle received mixed to positive reviews, being regarded as a faithful follow-up to the magnum opus The City in the Black Sea. Still, the unexpected hiatus of the band ended up affecting the album sales. One critic at the time regarded that the Bee Gees were a "hit-making machine, but also a very ambitious and unstable group".

Going good with the soul

The Beach Boys during Halloween, ca. 1969~70.

The release of 20/20 saw the popularity of the Beach Boys declining towards the 1970s. Even though Smiley Smile and Wild Honey were generally regarded as memorable records, the audience was consistently diminishing and the tours were generally regarded as 'underwhelming' and 'old-fashioned'. 20/20 became their second lowest-selling album at the time, and the group was amidst a lawsuit against Capitol for unpaid royalties.

By 1969, the mental conditions of Brian Wilson, whose reclusiveness and eccentric behavior were getting worse, since he began to use cocaine. Brian's behavior heavily affected his reputation in music industry, and to a lesser extent, the band found the distribution of their albums severely compromised as various labels deemed the band too risky to sign. The band's manager Nick Grillo was trying to negotiate with international labels, as the popularity from the band seemed higher than in the United States.

"I find it kinda bizarre when we are referred as America's Band by Mike. In the late 60's, nobody there wanted to listen to that 'Beach Boys bullcrap', even after Smiley Smile and Wild Honey, but a lot of people preferred us outside the United States, where we mostly went. The thing is, the audience liked all the albums, and expected music from and like both albums, but Mike wanted to stay with the surf stuff, as it was already out-of-fashion. Nobody liked that same surf-cars-girls-thing in the late 60s. Jack [Rieley] really opened my eyes about that."

 -Dennis Wilson, 2003

In late 1969, a deal was signed between The Beach Boys, Brother Records, and Island Records, arranged by manager Grillo. The contract stipulated Brian's proactive involvement with the band in all albums. And a wave of optimism and inspiration reached the band, which recorded a lot of material between November 1969 and January 1970.

In February 1970, the forthcoming album, Add Some Music to Your Day, was submitted to Island Records, and announced in March 1970. The title track was release as the promotional single, which would be well-received by the critics and by the fans of the band. It peaked in number 32 in Billboard Hot 100. The band started a campaign with the same name of the album and title track for the development of music in school.

"We have to thank a lot to Island Records to help to re-establish us in the United States. The thing is that we weren't that bad in music sales at all, the main problem was how tarnished our reputation was by that time. I mean, in one hand we had Brian and his drug problem, in the other hand, and the view that the general public had of the band was that we were stuck in the 1960s, using the same wardrobe, performing songs about love, cars and all that stuff, you know?"

 -Carl Wilson, 1990

The Beach Boys – Add Some Music To Your Day

The Beach Boys - Add Some Music To Your Day (1970)
Genre: Rock, progressive pop
Total: 39:55

Side A - 18:47
1. "Slip on Through" (Dennis Wilson) - 2:17
2. "Susie Cincinnati" (Al Jardine) - 2:57
3. "Got To Know The Woman" (D. Wilson) - 2:41
4. "It's About Time" (D. Wilson, Bob Burchman, Jardine) - 2:55
5. "This Whole World" (Brian Wilson) - 1:56
6. "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" (B. Wilson, Rick Henn) - 3:27
7. "All I Wanna Do" (B. Wilson, Mike Love) - 2:34

Side B - 21:08
8. "Take a Load Off Your Feet" (Jardine, B. Wilson, Gary Winfrey) - 3:27
9. "Tears In The Morning" (Bruce Johnston) - 4:07
10. "At My Window" (Jardine, B. Wilson) - 2:30
11. "Add Some Music To Your Day" (B. Wilson, Joe Knott, Love) - 3:34
12. "Deirdre" (Johnson, B. Wilson) - 3:27
13. "Where is She?" (B. Wilson) - 2:21
14. "Forever" (D. Wilson, Gregg Jakobson) - 2:40

Add Some Music To Your Day is the fifteenth studio album by the Beach Boys. The production is credited to the band, and released in 6 April 1970 by the Brother/Island Records, the first one under the label. Recorded and produced during a hard time for the band, the album sold better than 20/20, however, it sold poorly compared to the band's standards. The album had working names such as Reverberation and The Fading Rock Group Revival.

The recording sessions for the album began in January 1969, being completed a year later, in 1970. During this process, the band was struggling to search for a new record contract, signing with Island, and completing the album by January. Along with 20/20 and Landlocked, Add Some Music To Your Day is part of the stage where drummer Dennis Wilson was emerging as a creative force in the group, symbolised by the success of the single Forever.

In contemporaneous reviews, the album received favourable reviews, although it sold poorly compared to their previous albums (except for 20/20). It reached number 15 in Billboard 200 and number 2 in UK Album Charts intermittently for a few weeks. In later years, the album would be re-evaluated by the fans and the general public, and considered a favourite by the fans of the Beach Boy Golden Age.

The singles released by the group were the title track, receiving favourable reviews, Slip On Through, failing to chart either in the US and UK, and the two hits, All I Wanna Do, considered a precursor do chillwave and shoegaze, peaking in number 15 in Billboard Hot 100, number 3 in Billboard Hot Rock Singles, and number 7 in UK Single Charts, and Forever, reaching number 4 in Billboard Hot 100, and topping UK Singles Charts.

Aftermath

With the release of Add Some Music To Your Day, the band was seeking to re-establish themselves as a powerful force in the United States once again. In July 1970, Brian closed his health food store called Radiant Radish, and in the same day, he would met someone that would help the Beach Boys into reinvigorate themselves at the verge of the 1970's.

Bruce Johnston and Jack Rieley.

Jack Rieley was a record producer, songwriter and disc jockey based in North Hollywood, who gave space to the Beach Boys in his show on July 29, 1970. A week later, Rieley would send a six-page memo that explained how to stimulate "increased record sales and popularity". At instigation of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, the co-manager Fred Vail is replaced by Rieley, beginning a new era for the band.

"It has been quite since... late '68 I've seen the Beach Boys declining at that time, and Brian rambling about the band's problems during that interview only confirmed my suspicions. The band seemed unsatisfied with the charts, the audience dissipating from their shows, and Fred was not helping, according to Mike and Bruce. The band needed to be revitalised."

 -Jack Rieley

Don't put a price on my soul (Greasy Asylum)

Joe Cocker, 1970.

At the time, the Greasy Asylum fulfilled their contract with Apple Records due to problems with Allen Klein, moving to EMI in the United Kingdom, who would distribute Shelter Records in the country and in Europe. The decision was personally and privately supported by Paul McCartney, who was against Allen's administration of the label.

In September 1969, the group began to record their third album at Abbey Road Studios, but some members in the group wanted more space in the albums. "Until Delta Lady, the vocals were just Joe and me, sometimes Marc [Benno], then Henry shared us his songs as he wanted to sing something, and we've agreed. I see Greasy Asylum something more like a collective group, instead of a band, so everybody was open to contribute besides us. I didn't like the spotlight anyway.", Leon Russell.

The group would have the album finished by January 1970, leaving to Denny Cordell and Glyn Johns to mix the album. By March, Leon Russell would recruit a large number of musicians and backing vocalists from his association with Delaney & Bonnie. The tour's name was Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which the live album and the documentary name's were based on. The most remarkable concert was at Filmore East, recorded in the live album.

During the tour, EMI would announce and release the band's third album Hello, Little Friend, seeking capitalise from the tour's success. Feelin' Alright would be released as single reaching number 33 in US charts, backed by the title track. The single would be received with a warm reception by critics and the public, becoming another song performed during Joe Cocker's tours post-Greasy Asylum.

"People saw Russell and Cocker as the masterminds behind Greasy Asylum, but Cocker was the real frontman on the gigs. Leon appeared once or twice because he also sang, but Joe Cocker had an unique performing style onstage, playing air guitar, waving idiosyncratically to the song, and the audience liked him because of that. Greasy Asylum was mostly formed by unique people there."

-Denny Cordell, 1989

Greasy Asylum – Hello, Little Friend

Greasy Asylum - Hello, Little Friend (1970)

Genre: Blues rock, roots rock, folk rock

Total: 44:16

Side A - 22:47

1. "Dear Landlord" (Bob Dylan) - 3:23

2. "My Baby Left Me" (Arthur Crudup) - 3:06

3. "Shoot Out on the Plantation" (Leon Russell) - 3:13

4. "Feelin' Alright" (Dave Mason) - 4:10

5. "Mistake No Doubt" (Henry McCullough) - 4:20

6. "I Shall Be Released" (Dylan) - 4:35

Side B - 21:29

7. "Give Peace a Chance" (Russell, Bonnie Bramlett) - 2:23

8. "Hitchcock Railway" (Don Dunn, Tony McCashen) - 4:41

9. "Roll Away the Stone" (Russell, Greg Dempsey) - 3:10

10. "Prince of Peace" (Russell, Dempsey) - 3:05

11. "Hello, Little Friend" (Russell) - 3:52

12. "To the Lord" (McCullough) - 4:18

Hello, Little Friend is the third studio album by the British-American band Greasy Asylum. The album was produced by Danny Cordell and Glyn Johns, and released on 24 April 1970 by Shelter Records in the United States, and distributed by EMI Records in the United Kingdom. The album features the debut songs and vocals of Henry McCullough, and it is the first one after leaving Apple Records.

Still in Greasy Asylum, Hello, Little Friend would consolidate Joe Cocker as a standards singer rather than a singer-songwriter, and as the lead vocalist of the group. A few songs of the album would be part of the set of Joe Cocker's future tours, such as Hitchcock Railway and the hit single Feelin' Alright. The album would reach number 6 in UK Album Charts and number 22 in Billboard 200. It would be eventually overshadowed in the band's catalogue by the live Mad Dogs & Englishmen, released in August.

Aside from good critics, the album is generally regarded as the lowest-selling album of Greasy Asylum, thanks a combination of the hype for the band slightly diminishing, little to no promotion of the album (the campaign to associate it with the Mad Dogs & Englishmen failed), and few differences to the predecessor, Delta Lady.

Sources:

Bee Gees - Cucumber Castle:

• Bee Gees - Cucumber Castle
• Bee Gees - Tales from the Brothers Gibb
• Robin Gibb - Robin's Reign

The Beach Boys - Add Some Music to Your Day:

• The Beach Boys - Sunflower
• The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
• The Beach Boys - 15 Big Ones
• The Beach Boys - Endless Harmony Soundtrack
• The Beach Boys - Hawthorne, CA
• The Beach Boys - Made in California

Greasy Asylum - Hello, Little Friend:

• Joe Cocker - Joe Cocker!
• Leon Russell - Leon Russell (1970)
• The Grease Band - The Grease Band (1971)