Life in a Tin Can explained

Life in a Tin Can
Type:	studio
Artist:	the Bee Gees
Cover:	Album_Life_in_a_Tin_Can.jpg
Released:	19 January 1973 (United States) 1 March 1973 (United Kingdom)
Recorded:	September 1972
Studio:	Record Plant (Los Angeles)
Length:	32:11
Label:	RSO
Producer:	Bee Gees
Prev Title:	To Whom It May Concern
Prev Year:	1972
Next Title:	Mr. Natural
Next Year:	1974

Life in a Tin Can is the Bee Gees' eleventh studio album (ninth worldwide), released in January 1973.

Background

The Bee Gees travelled to Los Angeles to record Life in a Tin Can. However, it was unable to prevent a commercial decline with the album criticised for a lack of innovation. Despite its low sales and poor chart performance, Life in a Tin Can was awarded "Album of the Year" by Record World magazine. It was the first Bee Gees album to bear the RSO label in the US.

Four of the eight songs were written by all three brothers with the other four being Barry Gibb compositions. "Saw a New Morning" was a No. 1 hit in Hong Kong. During the sessions, Robin Gibb had to leave the sessions suddenly when his son Spencer was born a month early. He returned to Los Angeles a week or so later to continue on into the next album.^[1] The musicians who participated on Life in a Tin Can were Jim Keltner, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Tommy Morgan, Jerome Richardson, Ric Grech, Jane Getz and Johnny Pate.^[1]

When asked by Billboard why they moved from London to Los Angeles, Maurice says: "We don't want to talk about it yet. But we're going to attempt a concept album that's a major departure from our usual Bee Gees trademarks. And if that doesn't work out, we'll do something else".^[2]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone called the album "vaguely pleasant and certainly innocuous enough to fit right in with the prevalent Seventies soft-rock ambience."^[3]

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, except for songs with asterisks, which are by Barry Gibb.

Personnel

Credits from historian and sessionographer Joseph Brennan.^[4]

Bee Gees

• Barry Gibb – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
• Robin Gibb – lead, harmony, and backing vocals
• Maurice Gibb – harmony and backing vocals, bass guitar (except “Saw a New Morning” and “While I Play”), rhythm guitar, piano, keyboards

Additional musicians

• Alan Kendall – lead guitar
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Sneaky Pete Kleinow – lap steel guitar on “South Dakota Morning” and “Come Home Johnny Bridie”
• Tommy Morgan – harmonica on “South Dakota Morning” and “My Life Has Been a Song”
• Jerome Richardson – flute on “Living in Chicago”
• Rick Grech – violin and bass guitar on “While I Play”
• Jane Getz – piano on “Come Home Johnny Bridie”
• Johnny Pate – orchestral arrangement

Production

• Bee Gees – producer
• Mike D. Stone – engineer of the Record Plant in Los Angeles, California
• Chuck Leary – engineer

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1973)	Peak position
Australia Kent Music Report Albums Chart^[5]	19
Canadian RPM Albums Chart^[6]	54
Italian Albums Chart	10
US Billboard 200^[7]	69

Singles

Song	Chart	Rank
1973	"Saw a New Morning"	Billboard Hot 100	94

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gibb Songs: 1972 . Brennan . Joseph . 13 January 2014.
2. Bee Gees Aim for Peak Stellar Performance in All Areas . Freedland . Nat . Billboard . August 25, 1973 . 18 . 8 February 2015.
3. Life In A Tin Can. Ken. Barnes. Rolling Stone. 10 May 1973.
4. Web site: Gibb Songs : 1972.
5. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. doc. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W . 1993. 0-646-11917-6.
6. Web site: Canadian Albums . RPM Canada . 2014-11-09.
7. Billboard Top LP's & Tape . March 10, 1973 . 58 . Billboard . 8 February 2015.