Barry Gibb's Rare Demos are Broadcast

August 30, 2010
In 1980, Barry and Robin Gibb collaborated with Barbra Streisand on "Guilty," an album that was to become her most successful. Perhaps by sheer coincidence, BBC-2 aired a Bee Gees radio special today, the 30th anniversary of "Guilty's" release, which included a fascinating examination of that landmark recording and an insightful discussion about the album's production.

Robin Gibb spoke about his and Barry's time with Barbra in the studio: "We recorded Barbra very much the way we would do ourselves. She was great to work with. When she was in the studio, she was very much a part of the team. She wanted ideas, she encouraged them. And we would do the same with her."

But the most fascinating aspect about today's BBC broadcast was the rare chance to hear two truly remarkable demos: Barry Gibb performing solo versions of his original concepts for "Woman In Love" and "Guilty." These were the actual audio demos that were presented to Barbra for her consideration while tracks for the album were still in development.