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For a group that had been making music for
almost 30 years, the Bee Gees were still
able to surprise their audience. High
Civilization was the band's third and final
album with Warner Brothers and, following
the dark and intense
One album, they changed direction
again.
High Civilization is an upbeat, electronic
album, with numerous interesting, often
humorous touches that ensure that the album
works on several levels. The song writing is
as good as, if not better than,
One (which was
itself better than
ESP).
The title track is a perfect example of what
is good about this album. This inspired song
has genuinely biting lyrics that have taken
on new meaning since September 11 (listen to
the middle eight), especially with one of
the Twin Towers featuring on the front
cover. The production of the song is truly
innovational, with an electronic back beat
and synthesizers dominating the musical
accompaniment, backed up by the ticking of a
clock, tribal beats and - towards the end,
as we reach Armageddon - the noise of a
crowd. These sorts of genuinely clever
touches, aimed at adding to the
effectiveness of a song, feature all over
the album.
The first single, 'Secret Love' a major UK
and European hit, is an impossibly catchy
track, with great vocals from Barry and
Robin and a nifty guitar lead-in. Cynics
might say that here they were ripping off
'Chain Reaction' (which, don't forget, is
one of their own songs), just as 'Ordinary
Lives' tried to play the 'You Win Again'
card again. But that is to miss the point.
'Secret Love' is almost a cynical
ploy, sitting as it does within an album of
experimentation and new directions, with the
Bee Gees saying "we can do an intelligent
album, demanding the attention of the
listener, and we can also have a major pop
hit while we are at it." Fine by me, guys!
The best track on the album may well be
'When He's Gone'. This has a thrilling
synthesizer-led opening, as the melody
crashes in, eventually to be joined by
Robin's stirring lead vocals. This is the
Bee Gees sounding fresher than they ever
have before, and they even have the audacity
to throw in an addictive chorus with a
harmony that almost sounds like Abba! And
the video that accompanied the song is
probably the most animated they have done -
remember, these guys were in their forties
when they made this. The song plays out with
a superb, lengthy guitar solo from Alan
Kendall. The only downside to this track
(and it sort of affects the whole album) is
the sound quality of the vocals. For some
reason, they are not as clear as they should
be, and sometimes it is necessary to open
the lyrics in the CD cover to work out
exactly what has been said.
The album just keeps on coming. 'Happy Ever
After' opens with the washing of waves
across a beach, and develops into a crisp,
blissful ballad. 'Party With No Name' blasts
in like some black dance track (yes, those
first lines really are Barry Gibb!) and
'Ghost Train' may sound like a song about a
visit to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, but ends to the sound of crying
children and smashing glass.
'Human Sacrifice' is a taught dance track,
showing that the Bee Gees had their fingers
on the pulse of early 90s music, and 'True
Confessions' is another frantic, up-tempo
track. 'Evolution' - like many songs on this
album - finishes the album but leaves the
listener thinking. This is not an album to
play as background music!
Of course, there is a 'How Deep Is Your
Love'-style ballad, this time called 'The
Only Love', and it is a beautiful,
heart-rending song (I am sure they could
actually write this sort of thing in their
sleep - I wish they would write some more).
Only the 'token' Maurice song disappoints
this time, with 'Dimensions' sounding like a
group playing with technology that they
don't fully understand. Given Maurice's
knowledge of synthesizers (and the fact that
the album was engineered by Femi Jiya, whose
influence was undoubtedly partly responsible
for this fresh new sound), I am sure this
was not the case, but it is perhaps the only
track that should have seen the cutting room
floor.
As you can probably tell, I love this album.
If I am feeling down, I play it. Then I am
down no more! In the period 1991-1993, I
believe that the Bee Gees were at the height
of their powers, both creatively and
vocally. Music doesn't get much better than
this. Well, until the next album, that is...
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Where to Buy
Buy CD (released 2006)
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