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How on Earth could the Bee Gees ever follow
Saturday
Night Fever? The album had made the
Bee Gees the biggest music stars on the
planet and had come to define the late
1970s. Their response was to take the
falsetto style of the most popular tracks
from Fever and develop the style further in
a collection of beautifully crafted pop
songs.
The first track, 'Tragedy', became one of
the group's most famous songs. The
everything-but-the-kitchen-sink production,
swooping melodies and perfect harmonies of
this infectious track ensured that it went
to the number one spot on both sides of the
Atlantic. Supposedly, Abba-influenced,
'Tragedy' is probably the ultimate
falsetto track from this period.
'Too Much Heaven' took the 'How Deep Is Your
Love'-style ballad to new levels, in an
almost impossibly emotional song with a
spectacular Barry lead vocal. Bee Gees songs
don't get much better than this. 'Love You
Inside Out' and 'Spirits (Having Flown)'
followed the same trend, sparkling, clean
production, highly over-produced harmonies,
enigmatic lyrics and a chorus to die for.
'Reaching Out' completed what was the first
side of the original vinyl release, a song
that almost certainly would have been
released as a single were it not surrounded
by the songs that it was. I don't think the
Bee Gees ever wrote a more beautiful melody
than that used in the verses of 'Reaching
Out'.
The former vinyl side 2 is less impressive,
again dominated by the funky pop style, with
falsetto harmonies, but lacking the
memorable songs of the first 'side'. 'Stop
(Think Again)' is a stand-out track, with
Barry experimenting further with his new
found vocal range in a soft song with sax
appeal. In 'Living Together', we hear
something highly unusual for the late 1970s:
Robin not only takes the lead vocal, but he
also sings in a Barry Gibb-style falsetto!
The fact that it is also a nice song adds to
the experience, but it wasn't something he
would do again, suggesting that he didn't
consider it a success. Only the final track
completely changes style, with a slower
pace, less instruments and Barry singing
mainly in his natural voice. It is a perfect
end to an excellent album.
Overall, and in hindsight, Spirits suffers
from too much falsetto. It would have been
better to have had a wider variety of vocal
sounds and more from Robin and Maurice, and
a break from the synthesisers that dominate
the album. Clearly the Bee Gees were
capitalising on their Saturday Night Fever
success, and the album does not disappoint
in that regard, but the album would have
been improved if they had not allowed
themselves to get swept up in the wave of
Fever hysteria. This would ultimately be
their undoing for a little while, but would
force their career into a new direction.
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Where to Buy
Buy reissued CD version (released 2006)
Buy original CD version (released
1989)
Buy Australian import (released 2006)
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