Flowing Rivers / Shadow Dancing / After Dark

Though Andy Gibb's star power would peak with 1978's Shadow Dancing, his Flowing Rivers debut slammed him straight into the limelight and onto the top of the charts -- twice -- in 1977. A talented musician in his own right, Gibb hit the mainstream under the aegis of producer Robert Stigwood, quite independently of his brothers, $the Bee Gees. Although it's uneven and patchy in places, when this LP is good, it's really good. Both "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water are perfect pop songs -- heavier on the guitars than on the disco, thanks in part to the axe-wielding appearances of both renowned British sessionman Tim Renwick, and moonlighting Eagle Joe Walsh. Both do much to showcase the considerable, if immature, talent that Gibb was exercising. Perhaps helped along by Barry Gibb, who wrote the former and co-wrote the latter with Andy, both tracks reached number one on the pop charts in 1977. But, strong as they are, neither gels well with the rest of the album. Andy Gibb alone was actually worth a lot more. This is demonstrated throughout the album, most notably in the title track and "Let It Be Me," which are nice little rockers. In fact, most of this album is comprised of what could be considered classic rock songs. And while it can't be argued that he achieved most of his success with more dance-oriented material, it would have been interesting to see what would have come of his music had he stayed the course dictated by this LP. ~ Amy Hanson