Long before they reinvented themselves as the kings of Saturday Night Fever, The Bee Gees were an amazing Australian trio singing songs that were more rooted by lilting folk guitar melodies than dance floor beats. The high, almost falsetto, harmonies were in place even in their hits of the mid- and late-1960s. The melodicism of hits like "Holiday" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" had a darker, even eerie, quality compared to the more typically melancholy "To Love Somebody." Comparing the music on Best of the Bee Gees, Volume I to the later antics of the Brothers Gibb is the proverbial apples and oranges. It's clear that the boys truly knew how to craft a hit regardless of the genre, but it does beg the question, "Will the real Bee Gees please stand up?" While both periods have their moments, the smart money seems to be on their earlier work. --Steve Gdula