Casual listeners can't be blamed for equating the Bee Gees with the dance floor bonanza they reaped through 1978's Saturday Night Fever, yet that commercial zenith was actually the culmination of a comeback for a group that had seemed washed up by the early '70s. One Night Only thankfully takes an even-handed view of both their original late '60s hits ("Massachusetts," "To Love Somebody," "Lonely Days"), building from a cannily Beatle-browed vocal sound, and the '70s blue-eyed soul ("Jive Talkin'," "Nights on Broadway") that led them naturally into disco. The Fever hits are here, as are Gibb originals that clicked for other acts; the family circle also widens for a posthumous duet with their late brother, Andy Gibb, while Celine Dion gets star billing in the collaborative "Immortality." --Sam Sutherland

The technicalities: If you have a simple DVD player without a DTS Surround Sound player and receiver, you can buy any of the DVD's. If you are fortunate enough to own a DTS Surround capable DVD player and receiver, you are set for what the concert really sounded like! Remember that this was recorded in the 80,000 plus seat MGM Grand and the acoustics add something that is different than a regular studio recording. The crowd is recorded perfectly to coincide with the performance. Check your system, then decide. If you plan on a new system, I highly recommend spending a few extra bucks and getting this DTS Surround feature. It is that good.


A Major Reason To Buy DTS!   July 20, 2004
Martin A Hogan (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules))
39 out of 40 found this review helpful

The Bee Gees have always been great performers, but this is their career topping concert. Four decades of songs are showcased here with impeccable harmonies and a first class band. The highlights are the guest appearances whether ala 'Nat King Cole' style or real like Celine Dion. Yup, Franki Valli and a tear-jerking Andy Gibb can be heard here as well as the Celine highlight. There is too much and too little as great songs like, "Nights On Broadway" and "Guilty" are cut short, but the typical 'Bee Gees song medley' and the 'Night Fever/More Than A Woman' segment made up for that. In retrospect, the concert could have had more lighting effects, but, geez, the sound is just so good, you wonder if it really makes a difference. This was a historic event.



Excellent!   April 3, 2000
42 out of 44 found this review helpful

I will not argue the merits of whether one cares for the music of the Bee Gees or not. You either like them or you don't. I would have to take great exception to other posts stating that the "sound" of this recording is poor? I have the DTS version. For reference I also have James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theater, Fleetwood Mac's The Dance as well as The Eagles Hell Freezes Over. Anyone that has heard any of these titles is aware of the quality of each of those recordings. The Bee Gees One Night Only is every bit as good as any of the above listed titles. The mix between all 5 speakers is well balanced with a very light and open sound. The mix between the front 3 speakers is very even and natural. The rear speakers are primarily for the ambient concert sounds, as they should be. If you have this DVD and it does not "sound right", I would suggest examining your 5 channel set up.


Good songs but audio recording disappointing to me   February 11, 2000
dlee (canada)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

I love bee gee's songs and I own this DVD(DTS version). I am not sure whether it is just my copy. The audio is not up to any dolby digital standard not to mention DTS. Most of the time, the center and the sourround channels do not have much music effect/instrument or vocal, except occasional background noise and audience's applause.

I am not sure whether this is malfunctioning that happened to a certain number of DVD produced at a certain time. If it is, then i would ask for a return/refund.

If all DVDs produced are like this.Then this is really bad production. A bad DVD at the expense of very good, memorable songs by BEE GEEs. (e-mail:dlee_at@yahoo.com)

A good dts music dvd to model after is 'Hell freezes over' by Eagles - best use of all 6 channels in a well planned/beautifully mixed architecture. (i am not as great fan of Eagles, but this dvd is by far the best engineered, audio-ly and video-ly)


Hugely, hugely entertaining...   April 29, 1999
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I hate to admit it, but I can't stop playing this DVD! Even my girlfriend, who didn't give a hoot about the Bee Gees prior to listening to this, loves this DVD.

Barry Gibb undoubtedly gets better after the first few songs. He doesn't quite hit his highs until he gets warmed up a little. Amazingly, his voice quality is quite consistently great. However, don't expect him to sing studio-quality every single song--no way ANYONE can maintain that in a live concert, esp. with the range he has, and also since he carries nearly all of the songs.

Initially, I wasn't too impressed with the vocals. However, I realized I was playing through some terrible speakers on my laptop. But, when I plugged my Sony headphones (enclosed-ear type), the concert became an entirely different experience. (Apparently, the speakers were cutting off the highs and lows). If you're just using your TV speakers with this DVD, you're missing most of this concert!

The only way this could have been a better concert is if John Travolta had showed up!

Now, the only question I have is whether "The Very Best of the Bee Gees" as good a DVD? I need some more Bee Gees... :-)