THE Bee Gees suffered their first break-up in 1969. The tension between Barry and Robin Gibb came to a head over the choice of lead single from the Odessa album, which favoured the older brother’s First Of May over Robin’s Lamplight.

Robin felt restricted within the confines of the band and needed to explore what he could achieve alone. Officially, contractual obligations and lawsuits halted the majority of the 63 tracks recorded in 1968-1970 from being heard at the time.

Gibb the younger never hid his resentment that his solo album, Robin’s Reign, received very little media attention, and more insulting that his Sing Slowly Sisters album never received an official release.

But, maybe it was wise to bury the songs at the time. Robin Gibb wrote truly preposterous and self-important lyrics in this period. “World War I has started; we’ve just heard the news, All our friends have parted, Not much time to lose” is typical of the set.

Add to this Robin’s use of primitive drum machines and studio effects; although ground breaking in ’68, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix were light years ahead at the time. Yet the set is an aural songwriters' masterclass and will help hard-core fans and music historians understand the Bee Gees’ metamorphosis from Sixties' boy band to the song-writing powerhouse of the next three decades.

The melodies are almost there, the lyrics unconventional but inventive. But it would take a reunion with siblings Barry and Maurice to really deliver the goods. Saved By The Bell, The Collected Works Of Robin Gibb has been lovingly curated and restored as a handsome triple CD and book set, which will be cherished by established fans.