THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

459-Bee Gees-New York Mining Disaster 1941.

1967-Number 12 single.

Best Bit-At 0.23. A very clever piece of marketing had everyone thinking that this was the new single from the Beatles.

The Bee Gees (see also best songs 211 and 35) were formed in 1958 by the three brothers Barry, Robin (1949-2012) and Maurice Gibb, (1949-2003) Robin and Maurice were twins. Their father Hugh Gibb (1916-1992) was a drummer, and an early influence in nurturing the brothers interest in making music. The Gibb’s were born in Douglas, Isle of Man, but Hugh moved the family to Manchester, England, in 1955 to pursue his music career. In 1958 the whole family including older sister Leslie, and infant brother Andy (1958-1988) emigrated to Queensland, Australia, where the three brothers began their recording career.They released their first two studio Albums in 1965 and 1966, along with 12 singles in Australia, and New Zealand, but felt that in order to achieve international success they needed to come to England. Before departing from Australia Hugh Gibb sent demos to the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, (1934-1967) who passed on the tapes to Robert Stigwood, (1934-2016) (see also best songs 768-306-211 and 35) who got them signed to a five year contract.

‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’ was the first of three singles released from the Bee Gees third studio Album ‘Bee Gees’ 1st,’ from July 1967, it was co-written by Barry Gibb, and Robin Gibb, with the production being by Robert Stigwood, and Ossie Byrne (1926-1983.) ‘Bee Gees’ 1st’ was the Bee Gees first international full-length recording after two Albums distributed only in Australia, and New Zealand. ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’ was the groups first single release since arriving in England, and their breakthrough international hit, they had previously released 14 singles in Australia, and New Zealand, between 1963-1966, of which ‘Spicks and Specks’ had charted the highest at Number 5 in 1966, on the Australian ‘ARIA’ singles chart. On ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941,’ all three of the Gibb brothers provided the vocals, and were joined on the track by Colin Peterson, (drums) who was a member of the Bee Gees from 1967-1969, and Vince Melouney, (lead guitar) who was also in the group for approximately the same time period.

Ossie Byrne, who co-produced ‘New York Mining Disaster 1941,’ was born Oswald Russell Byrne, in 1926, in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia, he died in December 1983, of cancer, at the age of 57. Ossie Byrne, was the youngest of nine children, who first got in to music, playing the cornet and trumpet in a Salvation Army band. During World War II, he fought with the ‘RAAF,’ being injured and losing an eye in New Guinea. In 1961 he recorded a local group, called the ‘Del-Fi’s,’ whose recordings had some success, and then in 1965 he moved to Hurstville, Sydney, Australia, and set up a new studio behind a butcher’s shop. Although the Bee Gees early recordings were relatively unsuccessful commercially, Ossie Byrne was a fan, and in 1966 offered the group almost unlimited recording time to develop their sound, he also became the group’s co-manager. At the same time, he worked as a producer with the successful Australian pop singer Ronnie Burns. When the Bee Gees decided to go to England, Byrne went with them, he co-produced the ‘Bee Gees’ 1st’ Album, but did not work with them again after that. After his death, the Bee Gees dedicated their 1987 Album, ‘E.S.P.,’ to his memory.

Robin Hugh Gibb CBE was born on December 22nd, 1949, in Douglas, Isle of Man, he died on May 20th, 2012, at the age of 62. In 2011, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, which had metastasised to his liver several months earlier, while it was initially reported that he died from cancer, his son Robin-John Gibb said that his father’s cancer had gone into remission by the time of his death, and the cause was kidney failure. Robin Gibb was the fraternal twin of Maurice Gibb, and was the older of the two by 35 minutes. In 1994, he was inducted into the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame,’ and in 1997, he was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,’ In the 2002 New Year Honours, he was appointed as a ‘Commander of the Order of the British Empire,’ (CBE) along with his brothers Maurice and Barry. As a solo artist Robin Gibb released eight studio Albums between 1970-2015, and 21 singles between 1969-2014, there are also two official live Albums, and one extended play (EP) available. In the UK, Robin Gibb has appeared on four top 40 singles without the Bee Gees, with his appearance on (‘Barry) Islands in the Stream,’ by Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon featuring Tom Jones and Robin Gibb, reaching Number 1 in 2009. while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, two of his singles have made the top 40, with ‘Oh Darling’ from 1978, peaking the highest at Number 24.

‘New York Mining Disaster 1941’ is about a miner trapped beneath the surface who wants to contact his wife, there was no such exact event, and the lyrics are totally fictional.There was no mining disaster in New York in 1941, but there was one in McIntire, Pennsylvania, which killed six people.The song though is probably inspired by the Aberfan tragedy in South Wales, in 1966.

In what was a very clever piece of marketing, promos of the song were distributed to radio stations with a blank label, with the suggestion that it was an English group whose name began with the letter ‘B,’ many DJ’s thought it was a new Beatles song, and played the track constantly.

The Bee Gees have admitted that the Beatles were a big influence on their early career. In turn this song was an influence on David Bowie’s 1969 song ‘Space Oddity,’ in style, arrangement and lyrics, as ‘Space Oddity’ is also about a trapped man who is soon to die.

‘I keep straining my ears to hear a sound, maybe someone is digging underground.’