Who Did It Better? More Than A Woman

Who Did It Better?

More Than A Woman

When is a hit not a hit? That would be when it's not released as a single. And, I must say, it came as a bit of a shock to me when I discovered that the best known version of this song never charted in the US or the UK. But then, the entire story about the song's genesis is more than a bit curious.

More Than a Woman is a song written by the brothers Gibb, Barry, Robin, and Maurice, better known as the Bee Gees, for the film Saturday Night Fever and its accompanying soundtrack. The soundtrack includes two versions: one by the Bee Gees and the other by the brother group, Tavares. Both versions are featured in the film as well. 

As John Travolta recalls, "The Bee Gees weren’t even involved in the movie in the beginning. I was dancing to Stevie Wonder in rehearsals." And that was the original plan: for Stevie Wonder to provide the music that would serve as the film's soundtrack.

However, when Robert Stigwood, the producer, ran into problems getting the rights to use Wonder’s music. he turned to a group signed to his label, RSO Records, whose careers had been recently revitalized: the Bee Gees. At the time, the group was living on the Isle of Man (for tax reasons) and busy putting final touches on their live album, Here At Last... Bee Gees... Live. 

A script was delivered and the group agreed to give a look... if they found the time. Which they didn't; they never read the script. And, in fact, had no intentions of writing anything for the film. However, once their live album was completed, they found themselves with a free weekend, using it to write the five songs that make up the heart of the film's soundtrack: Night Fever, Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, If I Can’t Have You, and  More Than a Woman. 

"These songs were gold dust. I can’t think of any other composers you could have asked that of and had them come back with that, having not read the script," said Bill Oakes, the producer who would go on to win a Grammy for the soundtrack to the film.

Stigwood and Oakes flew to France to listen to demo versions of the five songs and the Bee Gees started recording in February of 1977 at Chateau D’Heuroville, with Albhy Galuten acting as co-producer. Barry Gibb and Galuten came up with the drum part for More Than a Woman, and liked it so much they used the same loop on Night Fever. 

In April, as finishing touches were being made on Night Fever at Criterion Studios in Miami, it was decided to give If I Can’t Have You to RSO roster mate, Yvonne Elliman. Her version was set to be produced by by Freddie Perren, who was responsible for most of the Jackson 5's early hits and would later co-produced and co-write Gloria Gaynor's classic, I Will Survive.

The Bee Gees had a working version of More Than A Woman, which they'd started to record back in February  at the Château d'Hérouville, in France. They continued to work on it at the Criteria Studios in Miami that April, but abandoned it once they decided to approach another group and offer the song to them.

Tavares, brothers Arthur, Ralph Vierra, Perry Lee, Antone and Feliciano, were backstage at a Madison Square Garden show when the Bee Gees offered them the opportunity to record More Than A Woman. The group accepted and Perrin, who was producing If I Can't Have You for Yvonne Elliman, was tapped to produce; an effort that would end up winning Perrin a Grammy. 

However, it turned out the soundtrack, which had blossomed to a double disc set, was a bit on the light side, so the film studio decided that both versions of  More Than a Woman should appear, not only on the soundtrack album, but in the film, itself. In September of 1977, the Bee Gees hastily put the finishing touches on their version of the song in Los Angeles at the Cherokee Studios. 

As we all know, the film and the soundtrack became something of a phenom. Tavares' version of More Than A Woman was released as a single and ended up peaking at #32 in the US, and #7 in the UK, while the Bee Gee's version was only released as a single in select markets; Italy, Portugal, Philippines, Australia, Peru, Chile and Mexico. 

The reason for this decision? Well, it's twofold. First, there was the matter of market saturation. It was in RSO's best interests that the Bee Gees not compete with themselves. As it turned out, the Bee Gees' Night Fever ended up holding down the #1 spot exactly when Tavares hit #32 with More Than A Woman. The other reason? Night Fever and More Than A Woman shared the same rhythm track, something much more apparent on the Bee Gees' version, so it was decided to allow Perrin to reinvent the song in order to differentiate the two. 

Despite the Bee Gees never charting with the song, their version of More Than A Woman became, and remains, a staple on radio and is one of their best known songs - which is why it's been included on a number of the Bee Gees' greatest hits compilations.

And the song would enjoy a long shelf life, recorded and sampled by a number of other artists, most notably in 1998, when the British boy band 911 recorded  More Than a Woman  for their third studio album, 1999's There It Is. Produced by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, the group's version was released as the album's lead single on October 12, 1998 , peaking at #2 in the UK, #1 in Scotland, and #8 in New Zealand.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: More Than A Woman

The Competitors: Tavares vs. Bee Gees

More Than A Woman - Tavares

More Than A Woman - Bee Gees

Tavares

I must confess; my ears are attune to the Bee Gees version, so there is a sort of bias built in to my opinion. 

Don't like the opening. Stupid flute. Dull horns. Lots of swirling strings, though, and those I approve of. It all sounds a bit mushy. There's a piano in there, too, though it only cuts through at the very end of the intro. 

I take issue with the lead singer almost immediately. He's behind the beat constantly, as if not feeling it. Hate all the background noise - that annoying flute. I like Chubby Tavares' voice. It's warm. It's simply not very prompt. I really wish the producer had spent more time getting him comfortable with the song and providing him an environment more conducive to his style. Perrin, the producer, seems focused on creating fire via distraction. Listen to the punctuation provided by the horns and strings and then listen to how out of sync our dear Chubby sounds. 

Fortunately, the rest of the brothers come to the rescue, picking up a line of the bridge leading to the chorus. Is it me? This is a mess. The combined voices feel very rushed, and but the timing feels very off. 

I love the soulfulness of the chorus. Are the strings to blame? Is it simply too much, as in over-arranged? It's stuffed to the gills. My ears keep getting pulled all over the place. There's no breathing space. That piano run at the end of the chorus, just before the "shoo-doots" is very nice. And I like the tiered 'ahhs'. 

Had Perrin approached this with more of a Philadelphia sound, which is much cleaner, I think this could have been a much bigger win for Tavares. As is? Everything is fighting with everything and everyone else. At the 1:20 mark? I don't want to go on. 

I love their voices. That falsetto at the top of the second tiered series of "ahhs"? Breathtaking. I don't fault the brothers for this mess - the responsibility is all Perrin's. He's trying to shoehorn them into an unsympathetic environment. 

I find things more appealing after the 2:13 mark. That growled "more than a woman?" Lovely. As play outs go, this one is a lot of fun; I dare say far better than the mess which preceded it. 

Bee Gees

Love the plaintive, warm Morse code-like opening. One sort of falls into the song rather than being assaulted by a bunch of instruments. Oh, there is a lot going on, but each piece is being used in moderation, so there is a lot of texture, a bit of drama, and a lot of color - all without creating a sonic clusterfuck. 

The lead vocals are a bit pinched for my taste. Spot on, though and so relaxing. 

I was expecting warmer waters once the other brothers came onboard. Instead, it still strikes me as a bit pinched. "Say you'll always be my baby, we can make it shine..." - adore; like the sun coming through clouds. And so simple and clean. 

I must say, this song sounds completely different to my ears when on the radio. There's a layer of warmth missing. Maybe I'm just waxing nostalgic. 

The string arrangement is a study in good taste. It does exactly what strings are meant to do in a pop song - showcase additional dimensions of the melody while providing a solid architecture upon which to float the vocals. And disco? Disco, in addition to the bass/the beat, is all about the strings. They're ethereal, taking us outside ourselves, moving our spirits upward like smoke escaping a chimney. 

Second verse you notice that bell-like synth (xylophone) dotting the musical landscape. Such a beautiful sound and dealt out so sparingly. It pops in and out like soap bubbles. The arrangement, overall, strikes me as extremely tasteful and economical. Nothing's wasted. Nothing's over the top. One is aware, because artists love telling us, of how much time and effort went into creating this musical biosphere, yet, we, the listeners, are allowed to consume it without a hint. For us? It's a lovely, gentle ride. Everything dovetails perfectly, wafting smoothly into the next section of the song. 

And going back to something I'd mentioned previously, it's obvious the brothers Gibb studied the work of Gamble and Huff, founders of Philadelphia International. Had that label not become so enamored of its own initial success (and stuck,) I have no doubt that they would have gone on to evolve, discovering a sound akin to that of the disco-era Bee Gees.  

The chief difference? Those vocals. No one exploited the falsetto voice as successfully or for as long as the Bee Gees. As vocalists, they'd discovered their magic. And it would serve them well, until time and tastes turned against them. 

The Verdict

I so wanted this to be more difficult, but there's a clear winner here, for me. 

The Bee Gees' version is so elegant and tasteful.

Tavares? It's a bloody mess. And I don't blame the brothers; it's Perrin. I don't know what he was thinking. He did such a lovely job with Yvonne Elliman's If I Can't Have You and would go on to do a bang up job for Gloria Gaynor. Perhaps men simply aren't his cup of tea? He's done both the group and the song a great disservice. 

It was a golden time, wasn't it? I know many poke fun at it or have come to disdain disco's excesses and faux glamor, but not I. There was so much beauty to be found in this genre and it was such a product of its times. I tend to appreciate history and those who make it. 

That said, there's good reason we hear the Bee Gees version of More Than A Woman on the radio much more often than Tavares'. The brothers Gibb captured the magic of an era, a magic that is still tangible to this day.

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And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn. Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I'm always open to a different opinion. 

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

More Than A Woman - 911