''High Civilization'' is the nineteenth studio album by British pop group the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...

, released on 25 March 1991 in the U.K., and 14 May 1991 in the U.S. It was their last album recorded for

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, after a four-year contract (they would return to WB through subsidiary

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

in 2006: after gaining the rights to their previously released material, they reissued each album through Reprise). Possibly in reaction to firm resistance from U.S. radio to the previous two albums, '' E.S.P.'' (1987) and ''

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'' (1989), which had done well in other countries, the U.S.-based Warner Bros gave this one less promotion and did not issue remixes. They recorded this album and their next album ''

Size Isn't Everything ''Size Isn't Everything'' is the twentieth studio album by the Bee Gees, released in the UK on 13 September 1993, and the US on 2 November of the same year. The brothers abandoned the contemporary dance feel of the previous album '' High Civili ...

'' with

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

Femi Jiya. In the U.S., the album was available only on the CD and cassette, but the LP version was released in limited quantities in some countries. While it did not chart in the U.S., it reached No. 6 in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, No. 2 in Germany (reaching platinum certification in both countries), No. 24 in the U.K.

Background

The songs as sequenced on the "High Civilization mixes" tell a story of "secret love" that might be all in the singer's head and secret from the girl too. He hesitates one moment and speaks explicitly the next, but is he telling her what he feels. The contradictions give the story a dreamlike effect of details shifting while the singer's feelings remain consistent. The only song that does not fit is the dystopian political title song, unless it expresses the singer's anger and confusion with the world as he feels things are all falling apart. He then casts it all as a romantic tragedy, before finally proposing that maybe even the girl being in love with someone else does not mean the end of it.Gibb Songs 1990
/ref> ''High Civilization'' found a new change for the Bee Gees sound, with heavier use of drum programming and electronic effects, giving a more modern dance feel to the production. Highlights from the album included the first single, " Secret Love", an up-tempo ballad, which was a top five hit in the U.K.; "

When He's Gone "When He's Gone" is the first and only American single from the 1991 Bee Gees album '' High Civilization''. Warner Bros. did nothing to promote the album or the single and neither charted in America, the first and only time a Bee Gees album fai ...

", a heavier pop song, issued as the album's second single, featuring

Alan Kendall Alan Kendall (born 9 September 1944) is an English musician and was the lead guitarist for the Bee Gees, in an unofficial capacity from 1971 until 1980, and again from 1987 until 2001. Career His first recording was "Don't Play That Song (You ...

's guitar solo ending on that song; and the sentimental ballad "

The Only Love "The Only Love" is a ballad performed by the Bee Gees, It was written and produced by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb, lead vocals by Barry Gibb. Released on their 1991 album ''High Civilization''. Recording "The Only Love" was original ...

", released as the third and final single from the album. The soft ballad " Happy Ever After" was released as a cassette-only single. "True Confessions" was the bonus cut available only on the CD version; it was also issued only in the U.S. as the B-side of "When He's Gone". The album's length was 60 minutes for only eleven songs. Both ''High Civilization'' and ''

'' were the only post-RSO era albums not to feature concert dates in the U.S., presumably due to health issues with Barry Gibb and lackluster record sales. The band did play three dates in the U.K. and toured Europe. Despite the album's failure in the U.S., the brothers would work with Femi Jiya again on the follow-up, ''

''.

Track listing

Alternate release

#"Human Sacrifice" #"When He's Gone" #"Secret Love" #"Ghost Train" #"Evolution" #"Party With No Name" #"True Confessions" #"High Civilization" #"The Only Love" #"Happy Ever After" #"Dimensions"

Personnel

Bee Gees * Barry Gibb – lead and

harmony vocals Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...

, guitar *

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...

– lead and harmony vocals * Maurice Gibb – backing vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, guitars, lead vocals on "Dimensions" Additional personnel *

– guitar *Tim Cansfield - guitar *

George "Chocolate" Perry George Wesly Perry (born 1953), known professionally as "Chocolate Perry" is an American bassist, songwriter and producer. Perry has worked with the Bee Gees, John Cougar, Jon Secada, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Al Kooper, Dion ...

– bass guitar *Tim Moore – keyboards, synthesizer,

programmer A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software. A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...

Mike Murphy Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', ''Winning Streak'' and '' The Big ...

- drums * Trevor Murrell - drums *

Scott F. Crago Scott Francis Crago (born July 26, 1963) is an American session drummer, songwriter, and producer. He has worked with the Eagles as their backup and touring drummer since 1994. Other artists he has played with include Venice, Sheryl Crow, Bo ...

- drums ''(on "When He's Gone" and "The Only Love")'' (uncredited) *Lenny Castro – percussion *Julia and Maxine Waters – backing vocals and percussion Production *Femi Jiya – sound engineer *John Merchant – sound engineer *Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb – producer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Bee Gees albums 1991 albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Barry Gibb Albums produced by Robin Gibb Albums produced by Maurice Gibb