Spirits Having Flown, by the Bee Gees

For a variety of reasons I have been a bit slow in finishing some of the discography projects I started years ago, and because circumstances have changed, I can get back to listening to album the way I want to, and so I would like to revive my deep discography series by returning to a group whose music I am very fond of, namely the Bee Gees. Today’s album is the last album of their peak disco period of popularity, released in 1979, “Spirits Having Flown,” and it contains three massive hits, one of which was constantly played on the radio as I was growing up and that deeply influenced me, “Too Much Heaven,” the others being “Tragedy” and “Love You Inside Out.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, these three massive hits are the first three songs on this surprisingly short and spare album of only ten songs lasting 45 minutes. Is this album worth the hype that made it, for a time, one of the biggest albums around, and made the Bee Gees among the biggest acts of the mid-to-late 1970’s? Let’s find out.

The album begins with “Tragedy,” a disco rock classic that has (like the Bee Gees’ material in general) definitely stood the test of time in its portrayal of the tragedy of heartbreak. This is followed by “Too Much Heaven,” which is not really a disco song at all but an example of the Adult Contemporary and Easy Listening which would become particularly popular in the 1980’s, and this song is a tasteful and gentle reflection on the difficulties of finding salvation and love and an appreciation when one is able to find out. It’s still a classic, no matter how many times one has heard it. “Love You Inside Out” is a sweet and romantic disco song that was popular and is easy to see, as songs of love and devotion are pretty worthwhile in any musical moment. “Reaching Out” is a gorgeous and mostly acoustic song about devotion and intimacy. “Spirits (Having Flown)” is a beautiful and moving, passionate song that relates love to powerful (and even dangerous) forces of creation. “Search, Find” is more upbeat even if there is definitely some melancholy to be found in the lyrics, in its optimism about seeking and finding. Stop (Think Again) has a smooth jazz feel to it, reflecting a desire to recover the love of the past before it is lost, a rather downtempo and spare waltz for the most part. “Living Together” has a similar brassy instrumentation to “Tragedy,” and a similar focus on seeking to live together in harmony and unity rather than breaking apart. “I’m Satisfied” is a sweet song about the contentment of love and it fits in well with the general tone of the album as a whole. “Until” closes the album with spare song full of atmospheric sounds and negative spaces and soulful sounds, a very effective way to close a great album.

When one listens to this album in the aftermath of both the immediate backlash against disco and the longer and slower reappreciation of genuine classics of their time it is easy to see how the Brothers Gibb’s solid songwriting and production values put their music far above the curve of the music of their time. Every one of these songs is crafted with beautiful touches that show the care that was taken to make this album as a whole enjoyable to listen to. This is by no means my favorite Bee Gees album, but it starts out strong and is once again full from top to bottom of very good to great songs. It’s hard to imagine anyone not being satisfied with this album or tossing it aside quickly without paying attention to its depth. A solid 4.5/5 for sure.