The Bee Gees took a recording hiatus between their contributions to the Staying Alive soundtrack in 1983 and their E-S-P album in 1987, during which Barry and Robin Gibb each released solo albums. Barry, of course, had established himself not only as the Bee Gees' lead singer, but as a singer and songwriter in his own right through his work on Barbra Streisand's 1980 Guilty album, so anticipation was understandably high for Now Voyager. (And was that album title a subtle assertion that Gibb, like the Bette Davis character in the 1942 movie of the same name, was going to bloom after leaving his family?) Not surprisingly, the result sounded like a Bee Gees album minus the brotherly harmonies (though Gibb convincingly approximated them through overdubs here and there), and very much of its time, with danceable rhythms and prominent synthesizer work. "Fine Line," which sported a chorus featuring Roger Daltrey and Olivia Newton-John, was the most dancefloor-friendly track and actually got some disco play. "Face to Face" was a steamy ballad duet with Newton-John that wouldn't have been out of place on Guilty and might have made a good single. The actual first single, the midtempo "Shine Shine," had an engaging chorus and Caribbean riff that enabled it to slip into the pop Top 40 and the Top Ten of the AC charts. Though not a hit, Now Voyager actually did a little better commercially than the most recent Bee Gees album, 1981's Living Eyes, indicating not so much that the public was rejecting Gibb's solo bid as that the brothers had passed out of fashion. Nevertheless, he retreated back into the group and remained there. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Harold Diner (Brass), Aubrey Powell (Producer), Lew McCreary (Brass), Sid Sharp (Strings), K.C. Terry (Choir, Chorus), Storm Thorgerson (Director), Michael Brecker (Sax (Tenor)), Barry Gibb (Arranger), Karl Richardson (Producer), Randy Brecker (Trumpet), Barry Gibb (Vocals (Background)), Kitty Terry (Choir, Chorus), David Duke (Brass), Myrna Matthews (Vocals (Background)), Jimmie Haskell (Arranger), Barry Gibb (Guitar), George Bitzer (Synthesizer), Joe Lala (Percussion), Dennis Bryon (Drums), George Terry (Guitar (Bass)), Olivia Newton-John (Choir, Chorus), Ronald "Tubby" Ziegler (Drums), Hog Cowart (Guitar (Bass)), Barry Gibb (Producer), George Terry (Guitar), Marti McCall (Vocals (Background)), Terry Harrington (Brass), Vincent DeRosa (Brass), Jimmie Haskell (Conductor), Walt Johnson (Brass), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Denise DeCaro (Vocals (Background)), George Bitzer (Keyboards), Bob Findley (Brass), Roger Daltrey (Choir, Chorus), Steve Klein (Engineer), Steve Klein (Mixing)
Now Voyager is the first solo album released by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. It was released in 1984. The single "Shine Shine" peaked at number 37 on the Billboard MagazineHot 100. Gibb also released a full length Now Voyager video.
