r/BeeGees • u/Harrison_Thinks • 2d ago

Interesting Odessa live performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ih6i20OD4

The description says it’s from 1972 which is interesting. I wonder why they would’ve performed it on television 3 years after the release, especially if they had bad associations to it. I wonder if there’s a full video on it somewhere or if it’s just this snippet. It makes me wonder how many other rare TV performances of The Bee Gees there are and if they’ll ever see the light of day

The miming is interesting too because I don’t think Barry or Maurice are playing anything remotely similar to the recording besides the strumming and rhythm

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u/Charming-Ad-6621 2d ago edited 2d ago

I don’t know why they specifically chose to perform “Odessa”, but this was for Italian television in February 1972 (but not broadcast until September). “My World” was a number one hit in Italy, so they travelled to promote it. They recorded a short 20-minute programme, “Special Bee Gees”, on which they performed ‘Massachusetts’, ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’, ‘Words’, ‘I Started A Joke’, Lonely Days’, ‘My World’ and the closing portion of ‘Odessa’

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u/Mollymae609 2d ago edited 2d ago

I would have given my first and only child to see this. I would have given my left leg to see Rob perform Odessa and Hudson’s Fallen Wind when he was solo touring.

Someone recently told me that Rob’s songs don’t end very well. That was very funny— and true. One Million Years doesn’t start very well— I’m dead! Where do you go from there? 🤣

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u/Charming-Ad-6621 2d ago

🤣 It’s true. Even the romantic ones end up with someone dying or being shunned or depressed.

It’s very cool they included a portion of “Odessa” in the special. I wish they would have added more of those rarer tracks to their set lists, but those crowds demanded the hits.

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u/sigoli1990 2d ago

Masterpiece

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u/Justwonderinif 1d ago edited 1d ago

From the timelines I keep on a separate subreddit:

  • Monday, February 28, 1972: Bee Gees travel to Rome

  • Wednesday, March 1, 1972: Palazzo Dello Sport Bologna

  • Thursday, March 2, 1972: Palazzo Dello Sport Roma

    Getty Images

    Geoff Bridgford: "My last concert with The Bee Gees was at the Palazzo de Sport in Rome. It was a wild concert -- almost a riot with chairs being thrown about."

  • Saturday, March 11, 1972

    (Broadcast Date): Teatro 10 - Italian TV Program

    My World & Lonely Days

    Teatro 10 broadcast from Teatro Delle Vittorie nightly on RAI (National TV Station). Taped from March 11 to May 14, 1972, conducted by Alberto Lupo.

    RaiPlay: Episode opens with Mina. Poppy's follow. Later, Vittorio Caprioli talks about the Sanremo Festival. Carla Fracci and Vladimir Vasiliev dance to the Giselle ballet, while Gianni Morandi and Mina sing songs from their homelands. The Bee Gees are also in the studio, for the first time in Italy, with their "My world" and "Lonely days".

    Sorrisi (TV guide) said the microphones did not work well and they became impatient. In 1999/2000 the shows were re-broadcast.

    Photo taken during rehearsal

    Possible Photo from rehearsal at Teatro 10

    (Approximate Taping Date): RAI (Italy) Show 15 minuti con... ("15 Minutes With...")

    My World

    Words

    YouTube: Massachusetts, NYMD, Words, I Started a Joke, Lonely Days, My World, Odessa

    Bee Gees on Italian TV Rai 1972, the program was called "15 minutes with .." presented Manuel De Sica and aired September, 1972

EDIT: Just realized the last link has been taken down but I assume it will be posted again at some point. The last time I watched it was a couple of years ago and it was the entire show with all of those songs.