1 in the US, giving the Bee Gees an unbroken run of six US chart-toppers in a one-year period and equaling a feat shared by Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles.

Spirits Having Flown marked the end of the band's most successful era, prior to a severe downturn in the early 1980s when they were subject to a near-total radio blackout (particularly in America) that Robin Gibb would refer to as "censorship" and "evil" in interviews.

Reprise Records remastered and re-released the album on CD in 2006, although it did not include any additional bonus tracks, demos or outtakes.

[3] Co-producer Albhy Galuten recalls Spirits Having Flown as being created primarily by Barry Gibb, Karl Richardson and himself putting in long days and nights at Criteria Studios.

This was Robin's least amount of lead vocals on any Bee Gees album with the exception of 1970's Cucumber Castle, for which he was not part of the group at that time.

The horn section from Chicago (James Pankow, Walt Parazaider and Lee Loughnane) made a guest appearance on this album.

The Bee Gees also recorded "Desire" for the album but it was rejected and instead released as a solo single by their brother Andy.

The title track was also released as a single in the UK and a few other countries in December 1979 to promote the Bee Gees Greatest compilation.

The Globe and Mail concluded that "the three idiosyncratic voices are still so bleached out and emaciated, and the whole sound so pasteurized by cellophane-wrap production effects that it's difficult to regard the album in terms outside of disco.

"[17] Bruce Eder of AllMusic wrote that the album "showcased the usual superb singing, and featured the most delicate and ambitious production and arrangements in their history.