Trafalgar (album)

1971 studio album by the Bee Gees

Trafalgar

Studio album by

the Bee Gees

Released| September 1971 (US)
November 1971 (UK)
Recorded| 28 January – April 1971
Studio| IBC (London)
Genre|

* Pop[1]
* soft rock

Length| 47:28
Label| Polydor (UK)
Atco (US)
Producer| Robert Stigwood, Bee Gees
The Bee Gees chronology
| 2 Years On
(1970)  | Trafalgar
(1971)  | To Whom It May Concern
(1972)

|
|

Singles from  Trafalgar

1. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
Released: May 1971
2. "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself"
Released: November 1971 (US)
3. "Israel"
Released: May 1972 (Europe)

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [3]
Tom Hull – on the Web| C−[4]

Trafalgar is a 1971 album by the Bee Gees. It was their ninth album (seventh internationally), and was released in September 1971 in the US, and November 1971 in the UK. The album was a moderate hit in the United States, and peaked at No. 34. The lead single "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" was the first Bee Gees' No. 1 single in the United States but failed to chart in Britain as did the album. It is Geoff Bridgford's only full-length appearance on a Bee Gees album as an official member.

Trafalgar is included in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[1]

## Recording

[edit]

In December 1970, barely more than two months after the group recorded their last session for the 2 Years On album, they recorded "Together", "Over the Hill and Over the Mountain", "Merrily Merry Eyes" and "When Do I". They returned to the studio with new backing band member, guitarist Alan Kendall, who would play on the majority of their subsequent albums. Several songs were recorded around this time which have not officially been released.[citation needed] All of the songs chosen for release were ballads. Recording began on 28 January 1971 with "We Lost the Road", "When Do I" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" ("We Lost the Road" was held over for use on the following album To Whom It May Concern). Recording continued through April with several demos and out-takes recorded but not released.[5]

## Release

[edit]

Advertisement and tour schedule

With "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" as the lead single from the album, "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" was released as the second single but only reached No. 57 on the US charts. "Israel" was released as a single in the Netherlands and reached No. 22. The album's cover depicts the battle of Trafalgar. Bridgford was credited on the sleeve notes on the original vinyl release as "Jeoff Bridgford".[6]

In support of the album, The Bee Gees toured the US in the fall of 1971, playing such cities as Boston, Asbury Park, New York City (7 shows), Memphis, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.

## Track listing

[edit]

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocal(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"| Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb| Robin and Barry| 3:58
2.| "Israel"| Barry Gibb| Barry| 3:54
3.| "The Greatest Man in the World"| Barry Gibb| Barry| 4:18
4.| "It's Just the Way"| Maurice Gibb| Maurice| 2:34
5.| "Remembering"| Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb| Robin| 4:02
6.| "Somebody Stop the Music"| Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb| Barry and Maurice| 3:31

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocal(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Trafalgar"| Maurice Gibb| Maurice| 3:53
2.| "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself"| Barry Gibb| Barry| 5:25
3.| "When Do I"| Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb| Robin| 3:58
4.| "Dearest"| Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb| Barry and Robin| 3:52
5.| "Lion in Winter"| Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb| Barry and Robin| 3:59
6.| "Walking Back to Waterloo"| Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb| Robin and Barry| 3:51

### Alternate version

[edit]

* This 53-minute version of the album was sent to Atlantic Records in the United States with a different track order and with 14 songs in total. The two extra songs are "Country Woman" (the B-side of "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart") and "We Lost the Road" (released on the group's next album To Whom It May Concern). There was no commercial release of the album in the US.

Side one

1. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
2. "Israel"
3. "The Greatest Man in the World"
4. "It's Just the Way"
5. "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself"
6. "Country Woman"
7. "Somebody Stop the Music"

Side two

1. "Trafalgar"
2. "We Lost the Road"
3. "Dearest"
4. "When Do I"
5. "Lion in Winter"
6. "Remembering"
7. "Walking Back to Waterloo"

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits from Bee Gees historian and sessionographer Joseph Brennan.[5]

Bee Gees

* Barry Gibb – lead, harmony, and backing vocals; rhythm guitar
* Robin Gibb – lead, harmony, and backing vocals
* Maurice Gibb – harmony and backing vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, piano, Mellotron, Hammond organ, lead vocals on "It’s Just the Way" and "Trafalgar", drums on "Trafalgar"
* Geoff Bridgford – drums

Additional personnel and production staff

* Alan Kendall – lead guitar
* Bryan Scott – audio engineer
* Bill Shepherd – orchestral arrangement
* Robert Stigwood – producer
* Bee Gees – producers

## Charts

[edit]

Chart  | Peak
position

|

Australian Kent Music Report[7] | 8
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[8] | 17
Japanese Oricon LPs Chart[9] | 57
Spanish Albums Chart[10] | 9
US Billboard 200[11] | 34
US Cashbox[12] | 18

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. New York, NY: Universe, 2006. pg 165. (ISBN 0-7893-1371-5)
2. ^ AllMusic review
3. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "The Bee Gees". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 58. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
4. ^ Hull, Tom (22 June 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
5. ^ a b Joseph Brennan. "Gibb Songs: 1971".
6. ^ Hughes, Andrew (2009). The Bee Gees – Tales of the Brothers Gibb. ISBN 9780857120045. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 16, No. 10". RPM. 23 October 1971. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
9. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
10. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
11. ^ "AllMusic: Trafalgar : Charts & Awards : Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
12. ^ "Cashbox Album Charts" (PDF). Retrieved 30 July 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Bee Gees

* Barry Gibb
* Robin Gibb
* Maurice Gibb

* Colin Petersen
* Vince Melouney
* Alan Kendall
* Dennis Bryon
* Blue Weaver

Studio albums|

* The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs
* Spicks and Specks
* Bee Gees' 1st
* Horizontal
* Idea
* Odessa
* Cucumber Castle
* 2 Years On
* Trafalgar
* To Whom It May Concern
* Life in a Tin Can
* Mr. Natural
* Main Course
* Children of the World
* Spirits Having Flown
* Living Eyes
* E.S.P.
* One
* High Civilization
* Size Isn't Everything
* Still Waters
* This Is Where I Came In

Extended plays|

* The Bee Gees
* New York Mining Disaster 1941

Soundtracks|

* Melody
* Saturday Night Fever
* Staying Alive

Live albums|

* Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live
* One Night Only

Compilation albums|

* Turn Around, Look at Us
* Rare, Precious and Beautiful
* Rare, Precious and Beautiful, Volume 2
* Best of Bee Gees
* Inception/Nostalgia
* Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2
* Bee Gees Gold
* Bee Gees Greatest
* Tales from the Brothers Gibb
* The Very Best of the Bee Gees
* Their Greatest Hits: The Record
* Number Ones
* Love Songs
* The Ultimate Bee Gees
* Mythology
* Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits

Videography|

* Idea
* Cucumber Castle
* The Bee Gees Special
* One for All Tour
* One Night Only
* The Ultimate Bee Gees
* In Our Own Time
* The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

Tours|

* The Bee Gees' concerts in 1967 and 1968
* Spirits Having Flown Tour
* One for All World Tour

Related|

* Discography
* List of songs recorded
* List of unreleased material
* A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants
* "The Barry Gibb Talk Show"
* The Rattlesnakes
* Humpy Bong
* The Fut
* The Bloomfields
* Tin Tin
* The Groove
* Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs
* Toe Fat
* Amen Corner
* One World Project
* Robert Stigwood
* Hugh Gibb
* Andy Gibb
* Steve Gibb
* Spencer Gibb
* Statue of Bee Gees
* Douglas, Isle of Man
* Redcliffe, Queensland

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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