1967……#14 U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #17 U.S. Cash Box Top 100, #12 UK Singles Chart, #13 Canada, #3 Australia, #3 New Zealand, #10 Germany
Original video edited and remastered with HQ stereo sound.
“New York Mining Disaster 1941” (also titled as “New York Mining Disaster”) is the debut international single by the Bee Gees, released on 14 April 1967. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Aside from a moderately successful reissue of their Australian single “Spicks and Specks”, it was the first single release of the group’s international career and their first song to hit the charts in both the UK and the US. It was produced by Ossie Byrne with their manager Robert Stigwood as executive producer. The song was the first track of side two on the group’s international debut album, Bee Gees’ 1st. This was the first single with Australian drummer Colin Petersen as an official member of the band.
On 3 January 1967, the Gibb brothers, along with their parents and Byrne, travelled from Australia to England on the ship Fairsky, reaching Southampton on 6 February. The brothers performed on board in exchange for passage. Later, the Gibb brothers auditioned for Stigwood; passed the audition, and signed to Robert Stigwood Organisation on 24 February. “New York Mining Disaster 1941” was their first song to be written in 1967.
The Bee Gees’ first recording session after returning to England was “Town of Tuxley Toymaker, Part 1,” a song recorded by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, but first recorded by Jon Blanchfield in Australia. Kramer had recorded his version on 4 March 1967 in IBC Studios, London, with the Gibb brothers on background vocals.
Barry and Robin Gibb wrote “New York Mining Disaster” while sitting in a darkened stairway at Polydor Records following a power outage. The song recounts the story of a miner trapped in a cave-in. He is sharing a photo of his wife with a colleague (“Mr. Jones”) while they hopelessly wait to be rescued. According to the liner notes for the box set Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990), the song was inspired by the October 1966 Aberfan disaster in Wales. According to Robin, there actually had been a mining disaster in New York in 1939, but not in 1941, and he thought “New York” sounded more “glamorous”.
In the second and third verses, the narrative becomes slower and slower, as if to indicate that life is about to end for the miners. On the second chorus, the drums get louder. On the second verse, when Robin sings the line “I keep straining my ears to hear a sound,” a violin is heard in response.
On 7 March, the Bee Gees recorded “New York Mining Disaster 1941” in six takes, along with three other songs: “I Can’t See Nobody,” “Red Chair, Fade Away,” and “Turn of the Century.” The orchestra and some other parts were added on 13 March.
Barry and Robin Gibb took both leading and backing vocals: Robin sang the high harmony while Barry sang the lead (low harmony) both on the first and second verse.
On the video, the band only features four members (but Vince Melouney later joined the band), Barry playing his guitar, Maurice playing his Rickenbacker 4001, Robin Gibb on vocals and drummer Colin Petersen wears a hat.
The group found time to record their first BBC session at Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London, with producer Bill Bebb, on which they performed this song, with the songs “In My Own Time,” “One Minute Woman,” and “Cucumber Castle.” When the BBC Light Programme’s Saturday Club presented by Brian Matthew was broadcast on April 22, it was noted that there were “rave reviews from the audition panel.”
The group (Barry, Robin, Maurice, Colin and Vince) made their first British TV appearance on Top of the Pops performing this song on May 11 and were rather awe-struck at the company they were keeping. On 20 May 1967, the group performed this song on Beat-Club, a German TV program.
The Bee Gees performed this song on 21 July 1967 at the Stockholm Palladium, Stockholm, Sweden, 12 August 1967 at The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England and Christ the King College at Newport, England on 27 September 1967. Since 1967, the song has been part of every Bee Gees concert, eventually becoming part of their acoustic medley performed during the middle of the concert. It was also performed on the show Beat-Club in Germany, on that performance Robin wears a hat and plays violin. It was performed by the group in 1973 on The Midnight Special with Barry and Maurice on rhythm guitar. The song usually began the acoustic medley during The Bee Gees’ concerts starting in the mid-70’s and continued until their final shows in 2001.
Credit to : Smurfstools Oldies Music Time Machine