Paul McCartney Once Recorded This Bee Gees Classic — But Barry Gibb Never Got The Master Tape
The Bee Gees and the Beatles are the very definition of pop culture icons. While they may sound different from each other, they both understood what it takes to make timeless music. As it so happens, Paul McCartney once recorded a popular Bee Gees song — but few have heard it due to the case of the missing master tape.
Barry Gibb kept himself busy after the end of the Bee Gees. In January 2021, he participated in a Reddit AMA, fielding questions from fans on a variety of topics. One Redditor asked if a collaboration with McCartney could ever happen. "He recorded 'Too Much Heaven,'" Gibb replied. "Robin talked him into it but I've never gotten the master tape of it."
Off the Bee Gees' album "Spirits Have Flown," the track "Too Much Heaven" turned into a big single for the group. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the start of 1979 and stayed there for two weeks. After Maurice Gibb died in 2003, Robin Gibb planned a tribute record for his brother, and McCartney agreed to participate with his own rendition of "Too Much Heaven." However, McCartney's version of the song was never released, and as Barry later revealed, he didn't receive the master tape of the recording session either.
Pau McCartney chose to record Too Much Heaven
In a now-unearthed conversation between Robin Gibb, Paul McCartney, and producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds in 2004, McCartney praised the Bee Gees' "Too Much Heaven" and the opportunity to work on the track. "Great song," he said. "A fabulous song to work on. Really nice."
The trio revealed that McCartney himself picked "Too Much Heaven" after having originally been presented with the options of recording "New York Mining Disaster 1941" and "You Win Again," the latter of which is considered a nearly perfect Bee Gees song that should be required listening for younger generations. According to Robin, "[McCartney] did such a great job on it. It's fantastic."
Sadly, we only have Robin's word to go on here, because it appears that McCartney's version of "Too Much Heaven" will stay lost in time — unless the master tape resurfaces in the future. In the meantime, fans can soothe the pain and FOMO by listening to the 2021 version of the classic track that features a superb duet by Barry Gibb and Alison Krauss.