<P> "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" was recorded with "I Laugh in Your Face" (released on Odessa in 1969) on 12 July 1968 . This track was not recorded during the Idea sessions, which had concluded on 25 June 1968 with the recording of "I Started a Joke". As Barry explained, "Now that was a memorable night . The song we wrote together, all three of us . I think that night, I know for a fact, we didn't sing the choruses in harmony . Robert called us back to the studio at 11 o'clock at night and said,' I want the choruses in harmony, I don't want them in just melody . I want three - part harmony choruses .' So we went in and attempted that' round about midnight . Everyone drove back to the studio, and that's what we did ." The song features bass guitar lines by Maurice Gibb as Barry explained, "He had a lot of intensity in his bass, Mo was a real McCartney bass freak, as a lot of us were . He would pick up on all the things that McCartney would (do). Maurice was very good on different instruments, you know . Good lead guitarist, good bass player, good keyboard player . He was versatile . He loved playing bass more than anything else, I think, at that time ." </P> <P> The song was the group's second UK number one single, went to number one in Ireland and reached number eight in the US, their first top - ten hit in the Billboard Hot 100 . In the UK, the song was released as a single only . The song appeared on the US edition of the Bee Gees' third album Idea, but not in the UK, where the Vince Melouney track "Such a Shame" appeared instead . Both songs appeared on CD editions of the album . The song was sent to Atlantic Records with "I Laugh in Your Face", so it would be reasonable to assume that the latter was the intended B - side . However, it was dropped in favour of "Kitty Can". </P> <P> "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" has appeared in five versions all made from the same recording, but heard at three different speeds, faded out at three different points, and with different elements mixed forward . As to the speed, Bill Inglot said in 1999 that the mix he made for the Tales from the Brothers Gibb box in 1990 is at the correct reel tape speed . This speed is intermediate between the mono and stereo mixes released in 1968 . The correct speed can be achieved by playing the mono single mix at 98.8% and the LP stereo mix at 103.0%, which brings them to the correct timing . </P> <P> The first mix to appear was the mono mix for the single, followed closely by a stereo mix that appeared on North American copies of the Idea album . The two sound very different . For most of the song the album mix has percussion effects and string overdubs not heard (or barely heard) in the single mix . In the ending, most of the second chorus (2: 28 - 2: 37 at the correct speed) has lead vocal in the album mix but wordless backing vocal in the single mix, until at' hold on' they resume the same vocal tracks . The slower album mix is shorter because it fades out much sooner, 4 seconds sooner at the speed given, or 11 seconds sooner at corrected speed . At 2: 45 (correct speed) fans hear a spoken' save your voice' in the stereo album mix, and also less distinctly in the Tales from the Brothers Gibb mix . </P>

Lyrics i just gotta get a message to you