Bee Gees - Mr. Natural (1974)

Mr. Natural is the Bee Gees' twelfth album (tenth worldwide), released in July 1974. 

It was the first Bee Gees release to be produced by Arif Mardin, who was partially responsible for launching the group's later major success with the follow-up album Main Course. 

The album's music incorporates more rhythm and blues, soul and funk and hard rock than their previous albums. 

The cover photograph was taken at 334 West 4th Street, Greenwich Village, New York City by Frank Moscati.

The album reached No. 178 on the Billboard 200. Mr. Natural was also the first album to feature drummer Dennis Bryon. 

Although the album contains R&B and soul numbers, Barry said that the album was "whiter" than their next album Main Course (on which he said that they started to turn black on their songs).

Their previous album having scarcely made a ripple and, now, hitless for two years, the Bee Gees went for a new sound in the hands of producer Arif Mardin. 

The result was Mr. Natural, the sultriest and most soulful record they had ever delivered up to that time. Shedding their pop sensibilities here and singing in a freer, more soulful idiom (with a strong Philadelphia soul influence) on songs such as "Throw a Penny," and with a funky beat backing them up on a lot of this record, the group is scarcely recognizable in relation to their previous work. 

Mr. Natural was the liveliest, most invigorating body of music to come from the group since their debut, but it also had moments of extraordinary sensuality, most notably "Charade" and "Had a Lot of Love Last Night." 

In between those two bookends were the beginnings of the sound that would reach maturity on Main Course, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and Children of the World. Most of it is extraordinarily lively and upbeat, which was also a major change for the group; there are still some ballads here in their old style, such as "Down the Road" (which includes the extensive use of a Mellotron), but even these have a subtlety and freshness that had been lacking in the group's work since their debut. 

The main virtue throughout is, of course, the singing, which is some of the finest that all three Gibb brothers had ever turned in on a single LP up, mated to some of their loveliest and liveliest songs. 

Mr. Natural generated no hits, but it was their best original album since Odessa.

Side one

1. "Charade"   (Barry and Robin) - 4:13 

2. "Throw a Penny"   (Barry and Robin) - 4:54 

3. "Down the Road"   (Barry) - 3:35 

4. "Voices"  (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) - 4:50 

5. "Give a Hand, Take a Hand"  (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb) - 4:44 

Side two

1. "Dogs"  (Barry) - 3:43 

2. "Mr. Natural"  (Robin and Barry) - 3:46 

3. "Lost in Your Love"  (Barry Gibb) - 4:36 

4." I Can't Let You Go"  (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) - 3:45 

5." Heavy Breathing"   (Barry and Robin) - 3:26 

6." Had a Lot of Love Last Night"  (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb) - 4:07 

All tracks written by Barry and Robin Gibb, except where noted. 

Bee Gees

• Barry Gibb – lead, harmony and backing vocal, rhythm guitar
• Robin Gibb – lead, harmony and backing vocals
• Maurice Gibb – harmony and backing vocals, bass, mellotron, organ

Guest musicians

• Alan Kendall – lead guitar
• Dennis Bryon – drums, percussion
• Geoff Westley – piano, keyboards
• Ben Law – fretless bass on "Had a Lot of Love Last Night"
• Phil Bodner – clarinet on "Charade"
• Arif Mardin – orchestral arrangement

Production

• Damon Lyon-Shaw — engineering
• Andy Knight – engineering
• Alan Lucas – engineering
• Gene Paul – engineering
• Arif Mardin – production

Notes

Released: 15 June 1974 

Recorded: 14 November 1973 – 28 January 1974 Studio IBC Studios and Command Studios, London, UK, Atlantic Studios, New York City 

Genre. Pop rock, soft rock, funk rock, R&B, blue-eyed soul 

Length: 45:26 

Label - RSO Records