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Gibb Songs version 2 by Joseph Brennan, copyright 2006—2013

2011

Throughout 2011, Robin continued work on ‘The Titanic Requiem’, a long-form piece to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of Titanic in April 1912. Work ran from May 2010 until the end of recording in September 2011. Robin and his son Robin-John were assisted by arranger Cliff Masterson and recorded with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. His unreleased 2008 composition ‘Don’t Cry Alone’ is included in ‘The Titanic Requiem’.

Barry did not do any known musical work, but he did release downloads of three previously unheard songs.

No new greatest hits collection this year. The best Warner could come up with was a new package for Number Ones... which turned out to mean only that it now came in a slipcase with the same artwork. Warner also reissued some rare albums on MP3 on Amazon, including Robin’s Reign (1969) and Hawks (1988).

songs

THE TITANIC REQUIEM
Robin Gibb, Robin-John Gibb
The Titanic Requiem, March 2012

SYDNEY
Robin Gibb
online, August 2011

recording sessions

Robin Gibb and RJ Gibb

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Cliff Masterson
RSVP Voices, conducted by Rob Johnston
Cliff Masterson — piano (‘Reflections’), arranger, orchestrator
Andrew Busher — vocal (‘Gradual’)
Mario Frangoulis — vocal (‘Daybreak’)
Isabel Suckling — vocal (‘Christmas Day’)
Robin Gibb — vocal (‘Don’t Cry Alone’)
producer: Cliff Masterson, Savvas Iosifidis
engineer: Geoff Foster, Jake Jackson, Savvas Iossifidis
May 2010, 15,21 December 2010, 21 February 2011, 24 June 2011,
  19 September 2011, 20 December 2010, Lyndhurst Hall, AIR Studios, London;
  March 2011, 7 October 2011, Sunrise Studios, London; unknown 2011,
  Angel Studio, London; unknown 2011, BK Studios, Athens.

THE TITANIC REQUIEM
Robin Gibb, Robin-John Gibb (2010, 2011)
2008, 2010, 2011
stereo (60:59)
TRIUMPH (SHIPBUILDING) (4:06)
FAREWELL (THE IMMIGRANT SONG) (3:15)
MAIDEN VOYAGE (4:28)
NEW YORK SUITE IN C MAJOR (6:05)
SUB ASTRIS (UNDER THE STARS) (3:27)
KYRIE (2:58)
S O S (TRACT) (4:36)
DISTRESS (CONFUTATIS) (4:28)
SALVATION (GRADUAL) (3:00)
REFLECTIONS (3:19)
DAYBREAK (4:05)
CHRISTMAS DAY (3:54)
LIBERA ME (3:39)
DON’T CRY ALONE (3:25)
IN PARADISUM (6:14)
The Titanic Requiem, March 2012

‘The Titanic Requiem’ consists of many parts recorded on different dates. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and RSVP Voices were recorded at Lyndhurst Hall, AIR Studios, and some vocal parts at Angel Studio, London. Vocal soloists Isabel Suckling and Marios Frangoulis recorded at Sunrise Studios in March and October respectively. Robin’s vocal on ‘Don’t Cry Alone’ was taken from his 2008 recording with Peter-John Vettese.

The first half consists of mostly instrumental music with some choral parts. As explained in the commentary by Robin and RJ (in the CD booklet), these sections express the hopes of the builders and of the passengers on the great ship. There are feelings of excitement and of peace as the ship sails through the night. The mood changes at the end of ‘Kyrie’ as the ship scrapes the iceberg.

In the second half, as the disaster progresses, the established sound of large musical forces working together is broken, just as the voyage of Titanic breaks down. The choral group takes center stage on ‘Salvation’ ; a solo piano plays ‘Reflections’. Toward the end are three true songs, sung by two classical soloists and Robin himself, expressing the loss felt by the survivors of the dead. In a call back to ‘One Million Years’ (1969), two are sung by the departed to their loved ones.

Two sections have older origins. In the commentary RJ says that ‘S O S’ is adapted from ‘a piece I wrote called Cyprus about the ghost town of Famagusta’, a piece that is otherwise unknown. ‘Don’t Cry Alone’ was written and recorded by Robin and Peter-John Vettese in 2008 but not released until 2014. Its vocal track was used together with new orchestral accompaniment.

The musical form requiem has come to mean any piece of music intended as a memorial to the dead. Originally it was more strictly the music for a requiem Mass. The name is from the first word of the opening of the Mass, requiem aeternam dona eis, meaning grant them eternal peace. Like other modern composers Robin and RJ used some of the standard Mass sections. RJ notes that their first piece ‘Triumph’ contains lines from the Tridentine Mass (the Roman Catholic Mass in Latin). The customary two opening parts, Introit and Kyrie Eleison, do not appear until their sixth piece, ‘Kyrie’, but they are then quickly followed by a Gradual and a Tract (out of sequence) and part of the musical section known as Dies Irae, namely the Confutatis Maledictis (‘the cursed ones made silent’). In place of the more explicitly Christian sections that would follow, they put the instrumental ‘Reflections’ and the songs of grief, but then return to classic form with the usual last two parts, Libera Me and In Paradisum, in which the souls of the departed are freed from the worries of this world and ascend to heaven.

Robin Gibb

Robin Gibb — vocal
Savvas Iosifidis — guitar, keyboards
Roger Askew — guitar
RJ Gibb — keyboards
producer: Savvas Iosifidis
engineer: Simon Henderson
London and Robin Gibb home, 2011

ONE WAY LOVE
Robin Gibb, Mike Read (2010)
2011
stereo 4:05, lead vocal Robin Gibb
50 St Catherine’s Drive, 2014

This song was intended to be a record by Peter Andre, an English-Australian singer and television celebrity. Engineer Simon Henderson recalled in May 2012, ‘I ended up visiting Robin 3 times at his home to record, one visit to Peter’s house to record, and a backing vocal session with Robin in a studio in Islington with Savvas’. Robin’s poor health delayed work. ‘We got all Robin’s backing vocals done and the track was finished too, we were just waiting for Peter to be available to re-voice the track in a lower key’. Peter Andre’s first pass at a vocal was at a higher pitch and Robin wanted it re-done, but it seems that never happened.

The only released version has the completed instrumental tracks and Robin’s completed backing vocals, with a demo lead vocal by Robin at his preferred pitch. The keyboard by RJ may be a late addition. In January 2013 RJ claimed to be a co-writer.

The Soldiers with Robin Gibb

Robin Gibb — vocal
Trooper Ryan Idzi — vocal
Sergeant Major Gary Chilton — vocal
Sergeant Richie Maddocks — vocal
Toby Chapman — synthesizers
producer: Nick Patrick
July 2011, AIR Studios, London

I’VE GOTTA GET A MESSAGE TO YOU
Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb (1968)
September 2011
stereo, lead vocal Robin Gibb, Ryan Idzi, Gary Chilton, Richie Maddocks
single, October 2011

This recording was for the Poppy Appeal 2011 charity, which benefits The British Legion and The Soldiers Fund. Robin sings solo on the first and third verse, as he did on the 1968 Bee Gees version, and the Soldiers take a series of solos on the second verse.

The Soldiers released an album-length CD, Coming Home, in 2009.

Robin Gibb

Robin Gibb — vocal, guitar, Garage Band
RJ Gibb — piano (remix)
producer: Robin Gibb (original), Savvas Iofidis, RJ Gibb (remix)
Robin Gibb home, August 2011.

SYDNEY
Robin Gibb (2011)
August 2011
stereo (original) 3:38, lead vocal Robin Gibb
streamed, 2011
stereo (remix) 3:43, lead vocal Robin Gibb
50 St Catherine’s Drive, 2014

Robin wrote and recorded this song by himself using Apple's Garage Band software, and made it available almost immediately on his web site. It’s an unusually personal memoir about childhood days in Sydney, Australia. It is also his last recording. He sings it in the higher pitch that he used on demos.

The remix for 50 St Catherine’s Drive brings up some of the backing track and has piano by RJ Gibb. It loses some of the homemade feel but none of the intensity. ‘Brothers are with me’.

selected record releases

Barry sings part lead vocal. This was recorded in 2002 but not previously released.

‘Sydney’ could be heard by those with (free) accounts on robingibb.com.

Robin sings lead on two of the three verses.

Two recordings from (probably) 2007, released for the first time. The title of the second one is given as ‘Daddies Little Girl’.

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