This Is Where I Came In is the twenty-second and final studio album by the Bee Gees. It was released on 2 April 2001 by Polydor in the UK and Universal in the US, less than two years before Maurice Gibb died from a cardiac arrest after surgery to repair a twisted intestine.
It is the only album of all-new material released by them on the Universal Music label (which had acquired the rights to the group's releases on Polydor Records when they bought that label's parent PolyGram). The album peaked at No. 6 in the UK, while the single, "This Is Where I Came In", reached No. 18. In the US, the album peaked at No. 16. The group appeared on the A&E concert series Live by Request in April 2001 to promote the new album.
The brothers saw the album as a return to the original Bee Gees formula as well as a new beginning. The album marked the fifth decade of recording for the band. Two of Robin's songs, "Embrace" and "Promise The Earth" are Europop dance songs, while Barry's "Technicolor Dreams" is an exception to the rule, as it is an homage to the typical 1930s Tin Pan Alley melody. Maurice Gibb provides lead vocals for two songs, "Man in the Middle" and "Walking on Air". Around 1999, the Bee Gees recorded "I Will Be There" but only as a demo as they sent it to Tina Turner and she recorded it for her album Twenty Four Seven that same year. Maurice Gibb was busy producing songs for the band Luna Park. Also in 1999, three new Barry Gibb compositions "Technicolor Dreams", "Loose Talk Costs Lives" and "Voice in the Wilderness" were recorded as well as four new Maurice Gibb compositions, but only "Walking on Air" and "Man in the Middle" were released. Also in 1999, the new Robin Gibb composition, "Embrace" was recorded. In October that year, the group recorded "Wedding Day". The next year 2000, the group recorded five more songs including the title track, "This Is Where I Came In".
Track listing
All songs written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, except where noted.
Personnel
Bee Gees
- Barry Gibb – lead vocals <small> (1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12)</small>; harmony vocals <small> (1–4, 8, 11)</small>; backing vocals <small> (1–5, 7, 9, 11, 12)</small>; acoustic guitar <small> (3, 4, 9)</small>; drum programming <small> (3, 11)</small>
- Robin Gibb – lead vocals <small> (1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11)</small>; harmony vocals <small> (1–4, 6, 8, 11)</small>; backing vocals <small> (1–4, 6, 10, 11)</small>
- Maurice Gibb – lead vocals <small> (5, 8)</small>; harmony vocals <small> (1–4)</small>; backing vocals <small> (1–5, 8)</small>; acoustic guitar <small> (1, 3–5)</small>; electric guitar <small> (2, 3, 5, 8, 9)</small>; keyboards <small> (3–5, 8)</small>; bass programming <small> (5, 8)</small>; drum programming <small> (5, 8)</small>
Additional musicians
- Alan Kendall – electric guitar <small> (1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 11–13)</small>
- Robbie McIntosh – electric guitar <small> (6)</small>
- Ben Stivers – piano <small> (7)</small>; organ <small> (12)</small>; keyboards <small> (4, 7, 9)</small>; programming <small> (4, 9, 12)</small>
- Mark Evans – keyboards <small> (10, 14)</small>; programming <small> (6, 10, 14)</small>
- Peter-John Vettese – keyboards <small> (10, 14)</small>; programming <small> (6, 10, 14)</small>; backing vocals <small> (14)</small>
- Roger Lyons – keyboards <small> (10, 14)</small>; programming <small> (10, 14)</small>
- George "Chocolate" Perry – bass guitar <small> (1–3, 9, 11, 13)</small>
- Matt Bonelli – bass guitar <small> (4, 7, 12)</small>; additional bass guitar <small> (9)</small>
- Steve Rucker – drums <small> (1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 11–13)</small>
- John Merchant – drum programming <small> (3, 5, 8, 11)</small>
- Neil Bonsanti – clarinet <small> (7)</small>
Orchestra on "The Extra Mile"
- Peter Graves – arrangements
- Larry Warrilow – orchestrations
- Alfredo Olivia – concertmaster
;Horns
- Joe Barati, Jon Hutchinson and John Knicker – trombone
- Jason Carder and Ken Faulk – trumpet
- Jim Hacker – piccolo trumpet solo
- Dwayne Dixon, Eric Kerley and Cheryl Naberhaus – French horn
;Strings
- David Cole and Chris Glansdorp – cello
- Tim Barnes and Chauncey Patterson – viola
- Hui Fang Chen, Gustavo Correa, Orlando Forte, Mel Mei Luo, Alfredo Olivia and Mariusz Wojtowics – violin
Production
- Bee Gees – executive producers
- Barry Gibb – producer (1–4, 7, 9, 11–13)
- Robin Gibb – producer (1–4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14)
- Maurice Gibb – producer (1–5, 8, 11, 13)
- Peter-John Vettese – producer (6, 10, 14)
- John Merchant – recording (1–5, 7–9, 11–13), mixing (1–5, 7–9, 11–13), mastering assistant, technical production
- Mark Evans – engineer (6, 10, 14), mixing (6, 10, 14)
- Ashley Gibb – assistant engineer (1–4, 7, 9, 11–13)
- Geraldine Dubernet – assistant engineer (5, 7, 8)
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
- Dick Ashby – project coordinator
- Pat Gulino – project coordinator
- Cheryl Engels – quality control
- Unit – design
- Randee St. Nicholas – photography
- Alex Delves – stylist
- Left Bank Organization – management
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"
!scope="col"|Chart (2001)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
| European Albums (Music & Media)
|align="center"|4
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
!scope="col"|Chart (2001)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
|align="center"|58
|-
|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
|align="center"|72
|-
|UK Albums (OCC)
|align="center"|185
|}
