| High Civilization | ||||
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| Studio album by the Bee Gees | ||||
| Released | 25 March 1991 | |||
| Recorded | August – December 1990 | |||
| Studio | Middle Ear Studios (Miami Beach, Florida) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 60:12 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb | |||
| The Bee Gees chronology | ||||
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| Singles from High Civilization | ||||
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High Civilization is the nineteenth studio album by British-Australian pop group the Bee Gees, released on 25 March 1991 in the United Kingdom and 14 May 1991 in the United States. It was their third and final album Warner Bros. Records, following the release of the successful comeback albums E.S.P. (1987) and One (1989), and was self-produced by the group in their Miami studio.
Recorded with a small group of musicians, High Civilization was the first of two Bee Gees albums recorded with Prince's engineer Femi Jiya, whose preference for hard, loud percussion ensured that the drums and beats are loud in the mix, pushing the Bee Gees' vocal harmonies further back. The album favours a dance style with electronic instruments and studio effects, such as programmed drums and synthesisers, and features an eclectic array of material including art rock songs and love ballads. The record features high concept lyrical imagery and themes of romance.
On release, the album reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart and was also successful in Germany, where it was heavily promoted. However, it did not chart in the United States. The Motown tribute "Secret Love" was issued as the lead single and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. Music critics commented on the album's dense production and lengthy songs, which some Bee Gees biographers have dismissed. The Bee Gees promoted the album with a 1991 European tour that spanned 23 cities; it included several shows in Berlin that were filmed and a London concert that was broadcast on BBC Radio 1.