Higher Than High

Background

Released in June 1979 on Pye Records, this album was the group's sixth studio effort with its current lineup. Unlike the two albums that came before it, it did not make the charts. Four singles were pulled from it: "Middle of the Night," "Goodbye Goodbye," "Papa Louis," and "Taxi." Only "Middle of the Night" charted, though it had already appeared on the group's Greatest Hits compilation a few months earlier. Both "Goodbye Goodbye" and "Papa Louis" did manage to appear on combined sales and airplay charts. At the time, the group had a weekly slot on the Rolf Harris show, Rolf on Saturday, OK?, where they performed several tracks from the album: "Papa Louis" (twice), "Middle of the Night," "Taxi," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Olé Olé."

Musically, the album stayed in the group's familiar pop style but leaned toward lighter themes. The single "Goodbye Goodbye" was more somber, and after it failed to chart, the next two singles were aimed at the children's market. "Papa Louis" told a story about a circus, while "Taxi" described a man and woman meeting in a cab. Manager Tony Hiller produced the album, continuing his habit of keeping songs short—many tracks run under three minutes. This was largely outdated at the time, as disco was at its peak and favored longer songs. Music Week commented on "Goodbye Goodbye," calling it a brave change of pace from the previous single, describing it as a "slow-pounder with the line music almost that of 'Hey Jude.' Should do fairly well or disappear."

According to group member Sandra Stevens, many photo shoots were done for the album cover, but a painting of the group in a hot air balloon was used instead. The artwork was created by Dawson Thomas. The album has never been released on compact disc, but it came out as a digital download in July 2019, bundled with the previous album B for Brotherhood and several bonus tracks.