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
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
charts in 1977. But, strong as they are, neither gels well with the rest of the album.
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