As the 1980s commenced, The Bee Gees were ensnared by a fervent backlash stemming from their unparalleled late-1970s commercial halcyon. Undeserving of the anti-disco ire that came to an eruptive peak in 1979, the Gibbs found themselves embargoed from the same airwaves that propelled their musical contributions to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and their most successful studio album, Spirits Having Flown, into the stratosphere. Thwarting their detractors, Barry, Robin, and Maurice shifted their focus to writing and producing for other artists, working collectively and individually to mint some of the most successful records of the decade. By 1987, the brothers returned The Bee Gees to form as global hitmakers, galvanising their status as industry icons. The Bee Gees would go on to sell over 200 million records, making them among the best-selling music artists of all time; they would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Australian Recording Industry’s Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and receive lifetime achievement awards from the British Phonographic Industry, the American Music Awards, World Music Awards and the Grammys. According to Billboard magazine the Bee Gees are one of top three most successful bands in their charts’ history.
