Editing Barry Gibb (section)

===1967–1970: return to UK, commercial break-out and worldwide popularity===
[[File:Barry Gibb early 1968.jpg|thumb|Headshot of Gibb in 27 January, 1968 issue of [[KRLA Beat]]]]
The Bee Gees returned to the United Kingdom in early 1967. On 24 February, the group passed a live audition with [[Robert Stigwood]] and later signed to Robert Stigwood Organization also the same day that "Spicks and Specks" was released by Polydor as a single in the United Kingdom. Stigwood became the manager of the Bee Gees. [[Colin Petersen]], drummer, and [[Vince Melouney]], lead guitarist, later joined the group. The result was their first international LP ''[[Bee Gees' 1st]]''. The second single from the album "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]" – on which Gibb provided the lead vocal – has become a standard, covered by hundreds of artists consistently throughout the years since.

Around the same time, the Gibb brothers contributed backing vocals on the track "[[Cowman, Milk Your Cow]]" a song written by Gibb and Robin sung by singer [[Adam Faith]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/67.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1967 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref>

In 1967, Gibb was in [[The Speakeasy Club]], a nightclub in London where he was introduced by [[Pete Townshend]] to [[John Lennon]]. Lennon was still wearing his outfit for ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' photo shoot earlier that day on 30 March 1967; after a couple of scotch and cokes, Townshend said to Gibb, "Do you want to meet John?" and he led Gibb across to a room where Lennon was holding court and Townshend said, "John. This is Barry Gibb, from the group the Bee Gees" to which Lennon replied, "Howyadoin'"."So I met John Lennon's back", Gibb says with a laugh, "I didn't meet his front".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/barry-gibb-the-last-brother-20140704?page=2 |title=Barry Gibb: The Last Brother |last=Eells |first=Josh |date=4 July 2014 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=10 March 2015}}</ref> Gibb earlier said in 2010 about the meeting, "It was virtually a closed club and you went downstairs and there was a coffin and if you were someone they knew and you were supposed to go in, the wall would turn around... and in you would go. There would be [[The Rolling Stones|[Rolling] Stones]] lying around all over the place. It was one of those days when I met John Lennon – from the back. It was Pete Townshend who introduced me... [Lennon said], 'Pleased to meet you', and he carried on talking to his guest."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hub.contactmusic.com/bee-gees/news/gibb-still-cherishes-first-lennon-meeting-in-exclusive-club_1187658 |title=Bee Gees – Gibb Still Cherishes First Lennon Meeting In Exclusive Club |date=6 December 2010 |author=WENN |publisher=contactmusic.com |access-date=10 March 2015}}</ref>

After many stresses on their personal and professional lives, both Barry and Robin collapsed from nervous exhaustion on a flight from Australia to Turkey in 1967. On 23 December 1967, Barry and Robin left England for Australia. As Gibb explained: "But due to time difference we arrived on Christmas Day, we missed Christmas Eve altogether!". The pair celebrated Christmas with their manager [[Robert Stigwood]]'s family as Gibb said: "We went on to Sydney".<ref name="hughes2009"/>

[[File:Barry Gibb 1968.jpg|thumb|upright|Gibb performing with the [[Bee Gees]] in 1968]]
At the end of 1967, fame was taking its toll and the group were at odds with each other. At the start of 1968, the Gibbs were vying for influence in determining the musical direction of the group, creating tension in the studio and on stage. Also in 1968, to promote ''[[Horizontal (album)|Horizontal]]'' the group made their first appearance on U.S. television on ''[[The Smothers Brothers Show]]'' as well as ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-aS_vD_lYwEC&q=bee+gees+the+smothers+brothers+show&pg=PA159 |title=Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" |last=Bianculli |first=David |date=December 2009|publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781439109533 }}</ref> The group later filmed a TV special ''Frankie Howerd Meets the Bee Gees'' with [[Frankie Howerd]].<ref name="hughes2009"/> His 1968 composition "[[Only One Woman]]" (UK No. 5) was [[The Marbles (duo)|the Marbles]]' most successful single up to date. The Bee Gees were invited by Hollywood manager [[Lee Hazlewood]] at his party alongside the members of [[the Monkees]] and [[Honey Ltd.]] The photos from that event were leaked, and two of the pictures showing Gibb was talking to actress [[Angela Cartwright]], and the other, is Gibb who was shown playing guitar and the members of Honey Ltd. sing along.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/parties.htm |title=Monkee Parties |publisher=psycho-jello.com |access-date=10 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513213359/http://www.psycho-jello.com/monkees/parties.htm |archive-date=13 May 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1969, the Bee Gees released "[[First of May (Bee Gees song)|First of May]]" as the A-side, with the flip side being "Lamplight" on which Robin sang the lead. Robert Stigwood chose "First of May" to be the A-side. No other songs were released from the album ''[[Odessa (Bee Gees album)|Odessa]]''. Shortly after Robin announced his solo plans, the Bee Gees released their first single without him, "[[Tomorrow Tomorrow (Bee Gees song)|Tomorrow Tomorrow]]". Barry also worked with [[Samantha Sang]], co-writing and producing two songs "The Love of a Woman" and the B-side "Don't Let It Happen Again" released on [[Parlophone]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/nzp3335 |title=Samantha Sang – The Love of a Woman / Don't Let It Happen Again |publisher=45cat |access-date=11 March 2015}}</ref> He also produced songs for [[P.P. Arnold]] including "[[Bury Me Down By the River]]" (released as a single) which were originally recorded by the Bee Gees for their 1970 album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/59367 |title=P.P. Arnold – Bury Me Down By The River / Give A Hand, Take A Hand |publisher=45cat |access-date=11 March 2015}}</ref> In the summer of 1969, Petersen left the group which now only featured Barry and Maurice as the Bee Gees. [[Pentangle (band)|Pentangle]] drummer [[Terry Cox]] replaced Petersen to complete another 12 songs, but only five songs were released in the album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/69.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1969 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=2 December 2014}}</ref>

The film ''[[Cucumber Castle (film)|Cucumber Castle]]'', featuring only two Bee Gees after originally including Petersen, aired on BBC2 on 26 December 1970. When the group announced that they had split at the start of December 1969, Gibb spent January 1970 writing songs to record the following month.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sandoval|first=Andrew|title=The Day-By-Day Story, 1945–1972|year=2012|publisher=Retrofuture Day-By-Day|isbn=978-0-943249-08-7|pages=102–115|edition=1st|type=Paperback}}<!--|access-date=20 January 2013--></ref>