Every once in a great while, there is a band that reaches such monumental fame based on a legitimate talent that, through no fault of their own, they become almost universally despised - victims of their own overexposure. Occasionally, they might write songs with prophetic titles like "Tragedy" or "Turning Tide," or even hammer the final nail in the coffin themselves - making a movie, for instance, with Peter Frampton, and butchering some of the rock's most beloved music in the process ("It seemed like a good idea at the time - Steve Martin and Aerosmith were there!").
Poor, poor Bee Gees. Forever remembered for falsetto vocals and white satin bell bottomed trousers, the Brothers Gibb actually first gained notoriety as a top-notch psych-pop outfit in the late '60s, while they were still barely in their twenties. The momentum begun during this period proved difficult to maintain into the following decade, and by the mid-'70s things were drying up commercially. Enter DISCO!! Defying all reason, when Barry, Robin and Maurice embraced that maligned urban dance format, it was a total smash and, owing to their awesome fashion accoutrement, provided a soundtrack for fraternity dress-up theme parties for decades to come.
Obvious ridicule and pigeon-holing aside, The Bee Gees possessed amazing foresight in the direction of popular music and the surplus of ability and raw soul necessary to follow it. That their distinctive, early ambitions had an early expiration date is unfortunate, but nothing compared to the unfair flogging they have received for nothing more than singing songs and making people dance. So indulge in a guilty pleasure - it's high time they had their due.