Mr. Natural is the Bee Gees' twelfth album and first to be produced by Arif Mardin, who was partially responsible for launching the group's later major success with follow-up album Main Course.
Mr. Natural is the Bee Gees' twelfth album and first to be produced by Arif Mardin, who was partially responsible for launching the group's later major success with follow-up album Main Course.
8.0
Bee Gees
Mr. Natural
Artist Origin: 🇬🇧
Release Date: 1 January 1974
Label: RSO
Genres: Rock / Pop
Prosecutor: Mike
Well where to start with this one. The Brothers Gibb deliver an eclectic slice of sweet sweet pie. Disco, Funk, Soul, Country, Ballads. This album has it all. Somehow this feels like a crossroads type of album, where they are trying to decide which path to finally settle on. The harmonies as always with the Bee Gees is on point and thankfully slightly less high pitched than later efforts.
There are clear influences from other bands and artists throughout. Throw a Penny is a track that could have been lifted from Sgt Peppers. Dogs sounds like Elton John had written for them. Mr Natural is so close to Islands in the stream it hurts, and Voices is surely a Simon and Garfunkel track. I Can't let you go is a prototype to Tragedy.
However this is a good thing and doesn't detract in any way for me.
Baz, Robin and Mo may always be Le Tossers to Clive Anderson, but they have gone up in my estimation. You're the tosser Pal, Bye everybody. 8.1
Phil
After a subdued start we get rockin’ with “Throw a Penny” and from then on it’s hit after hit all the way up to and including “Mr Natural”. Late on we venture into Le Tossers territory with cringe inducing “Heavy Breathing”/“Had a lot of love last night.” Did ye? Keep it to yourself next time please fellas. (B Side - “Pot Noodle an a wank”). 7.5
Dan
Brothers Bee-G leave their twerpy interview persona’s aside, to deliver a delectable slice of 70s soul. Teeming with lush melodies and unapologetically euphoric choruses, Mr Natural is sultry perm tanned hunk, I wouldn’t sling out of bed…
Opener Charade is a slightly rocky start, an overly slushy 70s ballad, but things soon pick up. Throw a Penny is an engaging well-crafted pop song. Like the clever shift in direction towards the end of the track with the long fade leading into the Beatles-esque rockier Down the Road. A cracking track, which I’m surprised hadn’t seaped into my conscious before now.
Voices feels like a homage to Simon & Garfunkel - no bad thing. The harmonies are typically on point, and I enjoyed the building instrumentation alongside the more anthemic vocals. Other highlights include the album’s title track, which is feels like a long-lost cousin to ‘Island in the Stream’ - a great example of the band’s ability to ability to craft catchy pop songs. And Dogs feels like it was tailor-made for peak-era Elton John. 8.3
Adam
Now we all know a fair amount of the Gibb brother’s back catalogue but this album presented me with some fresh cuts to sink my ears into. The vocals, and harmonies are predictably strong and generally astute and economic in their delivery.
‘Throw a penny’ really struck me as a great pop rock song, until the crap organ kicks in and makes it feel like something off an 80s sitcom theme tune.
‘Had a lot of love’ gave me hints of batt & Garfunkel’s bright eyes with a heap of cat Stevens in his pomp thrown in.
‘Mr natural’ felt like it could’ve been penned by Dolly Parton with a sound reminiscent of ‘islands in the stream’. This was a contender for my favourite song but Dogs just edged it - dogs have been popular in this pandemic huh?! Overall this was a welcome return to solid listenable fare for Criminal Records. 8.1
Rich
Now, I'm man enough to admit that I had my doubts ahead of CR16. Rightly or wrongly, I'd long overlooked the brothers Gibb on the basis that I find their sky-high harmonies a bit much. Bit of a gimmick.
Yet, while Mr Natural contains no shortage of their trademark falsetto, I was pleased to hear it employed with a lot more restraint. In its place, you get a masterclass of musical craftsmanship, encompassing everything from sultry pop ballads (Voices) and seductive soul (Charade) to dutty funk (Heavy Breathing) and groove-laden rock to rival your boy Elton (Dogs).
Had A Lot Of Love Last Night puts the record to bed with a slightly bilious note, but nevertheless, I'm thankful to have been exposed to this side of the Bee Gee canon. 7.9
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Well where to start with this one. The Brothers Gibb deliver an eclectic slice of sweet sweet pie. Disco, Funk, Soul, Country, Ballads. This album has it all. Somehow this feels like a crossroads type of album, where they are trying to decide which path to finally settle on. The harmonies as always with the Bee Gees is on point and thankfully slightly less high pitched than later efforts.
There are clear influences from other bands and artists throughout. Throw a Penny is a track that could have been lifted from Sgt Peppers. Dogs sounds like Elton John had written for them. Mr Natural is so close to Islands in the stream it hurts, and Voices is surely a Simon and Garfunkel track. I Can't let you go is a prototype to Tragedy.
However this is a good thing and doesn't detract in any way for me.
Baz, Robin and Mo may always be Le Tossers to Clive Anderson, but they have gone up in my estimation. You're the tosser Pal, Bye everybody. 8.1
Phil
After a subdued start we get rockin’ with “Throw a Penny” and from then on it’s hit after hit all the way up to and including “Mr Natural”. Late on we venture into Le Tossers territory with cringe inducing “Heavy Breathing”/“Had a lot of love last night.” Did ye? Keep it to yourself next time please fellas. (B Side - “Pot Noodle an a wank”). 7.5
Dan
Brothers Bee-G leave their twerpy interview persona’s aside, to deliver a delectable slice of 70s soul. Teeming with lush melodies and unapologetically euphoric choruses, Mr Natural is sultry perm tanned hunk, I wouldn’t sling out of bed…
Opener Charade is a slightly rocky start, an overly slushy 70s ballad, but things soon pick up. Throw a Penny is an engaging well-crafted pop song. Like the clever shift in direction towards the end of the track with the long fade leading into the Beatles-esque rockier Down the Road. A cracking track, which I’m surprised hadn’t seaped into my conscious before now.
Voices feels like a homage to Simon & Garfunkel - no bad thing. The harmonies are typically on point, and I enjoyed the building instrumentation alongside the more anthemic vocals. Other highlights include the album’s title track, which is feels like a long-lost cousin to ‘Island in the Stream’ - a great example of the band’s ability to ability to craft catchy pop songs. And Dogs feels like it was tailor-made for peak-era Elton John. 8.3
Adam
Now we all know a fair amount of the Gibb brother’s back catalogue but this album presented me with some fresh cuts to sink my ears into. The vocals, and harmonies are predictably strong and generally astute and economic in their delivery.
‘Throw a penny’ really struck me as a great pop rock song, until the crap organ kicks in and makes it feel like something off an 80s sitcom theme tune.
‘Had a lot of love’ gave me hints of batt & Garfunkel’s bright eyes with a heap of cat Stevens in his pomp thrown in.
‘Mr natural’ felt like it could’ve been penned by Dolly Parton with a sound reminiscent of ‘islands in the stream’. This was a contender for my favourite song but Dogs just edged it - dogs have been popular in this pandemic huh?! Overall this was a welcome return to solid listenable fare for Criminal Records. 8.1
Rich
Now, I'm man enough to admit that I had my doubts ahead of CR16. Rightly or wrongly, I'd long overlooked the brothers Gibb on the basis that I find their sky-high harmonies a bit much. Bit of a gimmick.
Yet, while Mr Natural contains no shortage of their trademark falsetto, I was pleased to hear it employed with a lot more restraint. In its place, you get a masterclass of musical craftsmanship, encompassing everything from sultry pop ballads (Voices) and seductive soul (Charade) to dutty funk (Heavy Breathing) and groove-laden rock to rival your boy Elton (Dogs).
Had A Lot Of Love Last Night puts the record to bed with a slightly bilious note, but nevertheless, I'm thankful to have been exposed to this side of the Bee Gee canon. 7.9
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