Admittedly, I’ve never intentionally listened to the Bee Gees in my life (my brother-in-law gave this to me for Christmas), so when the lady-filled crowd screams wildly, I have to wonder what the big deal is.

But for the most part, the Bee Gees show what the big deal is.

They didn’t get to be the biggest disco band in the world through their tight pants, high voices, and receding hairlines alone. There’s a surprising meticulousness to their arrangements, which reaches far beyond the discotheque (like Come on Over…a country song). On side two when they announce, “We’d like to do a medley of some of our older material,” you’d think the following twenty minutes would be a non-stop disco party. Instead, there’s a lot of acoustic guitar and keyboard strings (and a LOT of screaming from the crowd). Turns out the Bee Gees started out doing folk rock, not disco. You learn something new everyday. You’d also think the songs would be seamless (read: medley), but they’re still punctuated with rapturous applause. Though the definite highlight in that “medley” is the classic “To Love Somebody” (which I learned from Billy Corgan’s version).

The disco doesn’t really start until side three opens with a ten minute version of classic single You Should Be Dancing, which probably featured a huge dance break that is sadly missing from the vinyl version. But it does feature a pretty baller bongo solo. Once the disco starts, it stops rarely, pausing briefly for the ballad “Words,” and then going right back into it.

But largely, this album seems to be a fan offering. And unfortunately, having not been a Bee Gees fan before this, much of its appeal is lost on me. It’s not terrible, and there’s plenty of goodness to be had in these grooves, but it probably won’t make it into regular rotation.