New York Mining Disaster 1941

"New York Mining Disaster 1941"
Single by The Bee Gees
from the album Bee Gees' 1st
B-side	"I Can't See Nobody" (US, CA) "Close Another Door" (UK)
Released	April 1967 (UK) May 1967 (US) June 1967 (AUS)
Format	7" single, 45rpm single
Recorded	13, 16 March 1967 IBC Studios, London, England
Genre	Rock, blues rock, acoustic rock
Length	2:09
Label	Polydor (UK/CA) Atco (US/MEX) Spin (AUS/NZ)
Writer(s)	Barry & Robin Gibb
Producer	Robert Stigwood
The Bee Gees singles chronology
"Born A Man" (1967) "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967) "To Love Somebody" (1967)
Music sample "New York Mining Disaster 1941"

"New York Mining Disaster 1941" is a song by the Australian band, Bee Gees, written by Barry and Robin Gibb. It was the first Bee Gees song to be released in the United States, and their first song to hit the charts in the US^[1] or UK.

History

At the time, rumours circulated that the Bee Gees were The Beatles recording under a pseudonym (the Bee Gees' name was supposedly code for "Beatles Group"), in part because the record referenced NEMS Enterprises (Brian Epstein's management agency, which had just been joined by Bee Gees' manager Robert Stigwood).

On 7 March, the first day the Bee Gees recorded four songs, recording their own instrumental parts and vocals. The orchestra and some other parts were added the next week. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was done first, and it may have already been nominated as the first single on the strength of the Polydor demo. This version however was not released until 2006. The other three songs were released, with later additions.^[2]

Release

Atco distributed promos with a blank label and the suggestion that it was an English group whose name started with B. Many DJs thought it was a new Beatles song and played the song heavily. Atco also retitled the song, to make sure people could find it in the shops, "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones).

Background

The song recounts the story of a miner trapped in a cave-in. He is sharing a photo of his wife with a colleague ("Mr. Jones") while they hopelessly wait to be rescued. According to the liner notes for their box-set Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990), this song was inspired by the 1966 Aberfan mining disaster in Wales. The song's lyrics do not contain the song's title.^[1] However, some copies were pressed with the title "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones?)", as the bracketed subtitle does appear in the lyrics of the song. In the second and third verses, the lyrical lines get slower and slower, as to indicate that life is about to expire for the miners.

Maurice Gibb recalled in an interview with Mojo magazine: "The opening chord doesn't sound like a conventional A minor. Barry was using the open D tuning he'd been taught when he was nine, and I was playing it in conventional tuning. It gives an unusual blend. People went crazy trying to figure out why they couldn't copy it." ^[3]

In film

In the movie Cucumber Castle – the movie that the Bee Gees starred in minus Robin Gibb – Maurice's character begins to sing this song while playing the banjo, only to end abruptly when a pie is thrown at his face.

Chart performance

Cover versions

Ashton, Gardner and Dyke recordered a version of this song for their self-titled debut album from 1969.

The Sorrows recorded this song in early 1969 as part of a demo album that was prepared before the release of their second album Old Songs New Songs; however, the song remained unreleased until it was included in a two-CD reissue of that album by Wooden Hill in 2009.

David Essex recorded another version of this song for his 1993 covers album Cover Shot.

British anarchist band Chumbawamba recorded an "minimalist" version for their 2000 album, WYSIWYG.

The Levellers covered the song as a B-side to their single Bozos.

It has also been performed by folksinger Martin Carthy.

In 2008 singer songwriter Trevor Tanner released a version entitled Mr. Jones on his album Eaten By The Sea.

In 2011 Australian bush punk act Handsome Young Strangers covered the song as a B-side to their single Sweet As A Nut and then included it on their album Here's The Thunder Lads!.

Veruca Salt recorded a song called "New York Mining Disaster 1996" for their 1996 EP Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt but this song is not a cover and has no resemblance to the original Bee Gees song.

References

External links

• History of the song
• Rolling Stone Review
• AMG Review