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On 'Greenfields', the legendary Bee Gee recruited Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, and more
for twangy takes on his trio's disco classics. Read about his favorite moments.

By Hilary Hughes in Entertainment Weekly

Reminiscing with Dolly Parton
Gibb had a major fan moment when Parton joined him and Nashville's renowned RCA Studio B to record their debut. After Parton took her place at the mic, she realized she was standing in the same spot where she recorded "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene." "It just gave me chills!" Gibb recalls. "She's the most down-to-earth, sweet person I think I've ever met with the kind of success she's had. She does not take it for granted.

Transforming "Jive Talkin'" "I wanted 'Jive Talkin'' to be slower than the one we did -- back it down, make it feel more emotional, and give it a groove," he says of the updated version, which features Miranda Lambert and Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan. "I heard a version by Rufus and Chaka Khan, and Rufus [was] doing 'Jive Talkin'' much slower, so when I got to Nashville, that was fixed in my head.

Hitting stores on January 8 via Capitol Records, Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Vol. 1 was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb and unites Bee Gees principal Barry Gibb with some of his favorite country stars, including Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert and Brandi Carlile.

Reuniting with Olivia Newton-John
The Grease icon sang "Rest Your Love on Me" with Gibb's late brother Andy in 1980. For the version she sings on Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1, its romantic synths are replaced with strains of lap steel, making for an uplifting collaboration between two old friends.

"We sort of grew up together -- not really knowing each other, but doing the same television shows in Australia as children," says Gibb, who spent some of this formative younger years Down Under. "If you grew up in a place like Australia and then leave, you never lose contact. I met Olivia in Melbourne in 1966, and she had already arrived there. She had a number of country records. We've always known each other without really meeting. So lately, we're much closer. That's a great thing."

Getting soulful with Keith Urban Gibb was thrilled to head into the studio with another Aussie, Keith Urban, when they teamed up for opener "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" (the original was the Bee Gees' first top 10 record in the U.S.).

"On this album, there's a definite Australian streak, which ranges from Olivia to Keith Urban to Tommy Emmanuel, the guitarist [who features on 'How Deep Is Your Love']," says Gibb. "Keith even brought Nicole Kidman with him, which was an incredible thrill too. It was wonderful. She was a very, very normal person, very sweet."

Revamping "Butterfly"
The album title comes from a lyric off "Butterfly," an early, folky tune Bee Gees recorded more than a decade before they defined disco with "Stayin' Alive." On Greenfields, the rustic, acoustic original gets a breathtaking update with the addition of David Rawlings and Gillian Welch.

"Dave and Gillian didn't want to do a song that was well-known, because that's their nature as an act -- they're very pure," he says. They leapt all over 'Butterfly,' which was out in 1966. It just worked out wonderful."

Reviving "Words of a Fool" with Jason Isbell "Words of a Fool" is Gibb's should've-been stand-alone hit, having initially been recorded in 1986 for a shelved solo album. But the Bee Gee finds it fitting that Isbell's "mind-blowing" performance on the track speaks to the song's country roots.

"It never got the treatment or attention that we could've given it because not all three of us were into country music; it was more Maurice and I that loved it," Gibb says. "Robin was much more concerned about whatever's a hit. You've gotta love something, and I love this music. I love real songs, that's what it is." 

Before she became an icon, Joni Mitchell was performing
at local radio stations and recording home demos.

Joni Mitchell
Archives - Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 - 1967)
Rhino Records
ROCK

By Hilary Hughes in Entertainment Weekly

his new box set of pre-fame material is both a time machine and an almanac for Joni Mitchell fans. The five-disc compilation called Archives - Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 - 1967) , which the singer-songwriter curated herself, transports the listener back to the folk icon's earliest gigs, leading up to her 1968 debut, Song to a Seagull. The first four years of Mitchell's professional career are represented here, with six hours of unreleased concert reels, radio performances, and home recordings, including traditional folk songs taped at her parents' home in 1965.

If the studio versions of "The Circle Game," "Chelsea Morning," and other Mitchell standards are finished portraits, consider this treasure trove to be the first drafts -- the brush-strokes, sketches, and outlines that eventually soundtracked her career. The collection offers multiple versions of various songs, which allow the listener to burrow into the nuance of her singing, playing, and storytelling prowess. "Eastern Rain" and "Chelsea Morning" shine as live recordings and radio sessions alike, as does "Both Sides Now," with three different yet equally gorgeous takes. Rarely do we get to hear a song before it becomes a classic, but this set gives us just that.

Incorporating family photos, childhood drawings, early reviews, and liner notes lovingly written by filmmaker Cameron Crowe (a friend of Mitchell's), Archives - Vol. 1 is a testament and a tribute to Mitchell's music. A

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