The Bee Gees

The Bee Gees, Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, did not invent disco, but they did more than any other artist to transform it into a global phenomenon, based in large part on their mesmerising harmonies and undeniably catchy tunes. Like John Travolta, although not in such spectacular fashion, they would make a comeback of their own, but the perennial image of the band will always be fixed in that halcyon period. The long hair, wispy beards, and those white jump suits unzipped to the waist to reveal de rigueur chest hair, are every bit as much a 70s icon as the Beatles' afghan coats or the Sex Pistols' safety pins and ripped t-shirts. It was the band's music that really counted, though. Their romantic yet complex lyrics were steeped in gorgeous melodies and arrangements, many of them strangely melancholy.

The Gibb brothers had always drawn on black music (mainly soul and Tamla Motown), but in 1967 producer Arif Mardin persuaded them to go full-tilt down that road. Maurice learned to play funk bass, and Barry discovered the power of his soaring falsetto at the top end of their vocal harmonies. Their trademark disco sound was born on 'Jive Talkin'' in 1975, and sparked a string of best-selling singles and albums which included 'Nights on Broadway', 'You Should Be Dancing', and the Saturday Night Fever triumvirate of 'Stayin' Alive', 'How Deep Is Your Love' and 'Night Fever'. It was only after Maurice’s unexpected death in 2003 that the brothers’ phenomenal harmony singing finally came to a natural and sad ending. Barry and Robin both now say they cannot sing without their third, integral part. As Maurice said in 1978: 'The key to our success, I think, is the lyrics. People can listen to our lyrics and relate to what's happening. Everyone has loved somebody. Everybody knows what it's like staying alive.'