Editing Bee Gees (section)

====''Odessa'', ''Cucumber Castle'' and break-up====
[[File:The Bee Gees - This is Tom Jones, Season 1, Episode 3 (1969).jpg|thumb|right|The Bee Gees performing at ''[[This Is Tom Jones|The Tom Jones Show]]'' in early 1969, one of the last performances with Robin as he left the group later in March]]
By 1969, Robin began to feel that Stigwood had been favouring Barry as the frontman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15431875|title=Obituary: Robin Gibb|date=21 May 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref>

The Bee Gees' performances in early 1969 on the ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' and ''[[This Is Tom Jones|The Tom Jones Show]]'', singing "I Started a Joke" and "First of May" as a medley, were the final appearances of the group with Robin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/69.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1969 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

Their next album, which was to have been a concept album called ''Masterpeace'', evolved into the double-album ''[[Odessa (Bee Gees album)|Odessa]]''. Most rock critics felt this was the best Bee Gees album of the 1960s with its progressive rock feel on the [[Odessa (City on the Black Sea)|title track]], the country-flavoured "[[Marley Purt Drive]]" and "[[Odessa (Bee Gees album)|Give Your Best]]", and ballads such as "[[Melody Fair]]" and "[[First of May (Bee Gees song)|First of May]]" (the last of which became the only single from the album and a UK # 6 hit). Feeling the flipside, "[[Lamplight]]", should have been the A-side, Robin quit the group in mid-1969 and launched a solo career.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/arts/music/robin-gibb-62-member-of-the-bee-gees-dies-at-62.html|work=[[New York Times]]|date=20 May 2012|title=Robin Gibb, a Bee Gee With a Taciturn Manner, Dies at 62|first=Ben|last= Sisario|access-date=22 January 2024}}</ref>

The first of many Bee Gees compilations, ''[[Best of Bee Gees]]'', was released featuring the non-LP single "[[Words (Bee Gees song)|Words]]" plus the Australian hit "[[Spicks and Specks (song)|Spicks and Specks]]". The single "[[Tomorrow Tomorrow (Bee Gees song)|Tomorrow Tomorrow]]" was also released and was a moderate hit in the UK, where it reached No.&nbsp;23, but it was only No.&nbsp;54 in the US. The compilation reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US.<ref name="Charts" />

While Robin pursued his solo career, Barry, Maurice and Petersen continued as the Bee Gees on their next album, ''[[Cucumber Castle]]''. The band made their debut performance without Robin at [[Hippodrome, London#The Talk of the Town|Talk of the Town]]. They had recruited their sister, Lesley, to participate in at least one performance at this time as a replacement for Robin.<ref name="Lesley Gibb 1969">{{cite web |title=Lesley Gibb Joins Brothers of the Bee Gees |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-bu-lesley-gibb-jo/34585743/ |website=Newspaper.com |publisher=Detroit Free Press |access-date=21 March 2024 |date=4 July 1969}}</ref> To accompany the album, they also filmed a [[Cucumber Castle (film)|TV special]] with [[Frankie Howerd]] and cameos from several other contemporary pop and rock stars, which aired on the BBC in December 1970. Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album but was fired from the group after filming began (he went on to form the [[Humpy Bong]] with [[Jonathan Kelly]]). His parts were edited out of the final cut of the film and [[Pentangle (band)|Pentangle]] drummer [[Terry Cox]] was recruited to complete the recording of songs for the album.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/10/friday-nuggets-early-bee-gees-drum-fun/|title=Friday Nuggets: Early Bee Gees Drum Fun
|magazine=[[Modern Drummer]]|access-date=22 January 2022|date=28 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/australian-singers-turned-actors/|title=Australian Singers Turned Actors|date=14 July 2019}}</ref> A proposed feature film starring the group, ''[[Lord Kitchener's Little Drummer Boys]]'', was not made.

After the album was released in early 1970, it seemed that the Bee Gees were finished. The leadoff single, "[[Don't Forget to Remember]]", was a big hit in the UK, reaching No.&nbsp;2, but only reached No.&nbsp;73 in the US. The next two singles, "[[I.O.I.O.]]" and "[[If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else|If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else]]", barely scraped the charts. On 1&nbsp;December 1969, Barry and Maurice parted ways professionally.<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}}</ref>

Maurice started to record his first solo album, ''[[The Loner (Maurice Gibb album)|The Loner]]'', which was not released. Meanwhile, he released the single "[[Railroad (song)|Railroad]]" and starred in the West End musical ''Sing a Rude Song''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcdustsucker.de/disco/alben/railroad.htm |title=Bee Gees Discography: Maurice Gibb – Railroad (Single) |publisher=Mcdustsucker.de |access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref> In February 1970, Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release either, although "[[I'll Kiss Your Memory]]" was released as a single backed by "This Time" without much interest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Barry-Gibb-Ill-Kiss-Your-Memory-This-Time/release/1544685 |title=Barry Gibb – I'll Kiss Your Memory / This Time |date=May 1970 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=17 February 2015}}</ref> Meanwhile, Robin saw chart success in Europe and Australia with his UK No.&nbsp;2 hit "[[Saved by the Bell (song)|Saved by the Bell]]" from the album ''[[Robin's Reign]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11536234/Lost-Robin-Gibb-album-to-be-released-thanks-to-fans.html|title='Lost' Robin Gibb album to be released thanks to fans|first=Hannah|last=Furness|work=[[Daily Telegraph]]|publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group Limited]]|access-date=24 January 2024|date=14 April 2015}}</ref>