Saturday, 25 April 2009 00:00
As originally seen in Billboard Magazine, April 25, 2009.
Air Supply: Love Jones '80s Duo Raises Odds With New Label Deal
By Gail Mitchell
Love never goes out of style--just ask Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell of Air Supply. Celebrating its 35th anniversary next year, the soft-rock gurus of romance still perform between 120-140 shows annually, singing such '80s perennials as "All Out of Love," "The One That You Love" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All." Despite Air Supply's crowd-drawing appeal, eight years have elapsed since the veteran duo's last commercial album. And no one was more astonished than Air Supply when Las Vegas-based startup Odds On Records invited the duo to join its roster. Distributed by E1 Music (formerly Koch) and headed by former Warner Bros. marketing and promotion executive Ted Joseph, the full-service indie plans to release a new Air Supply studio album in 2010.
"We were surprised," Graham Russell says with a laugh. "However, the people at Odds On are industry veterans with a lot of experience. So we said, 'Who knows? We may be able to crack everything once more.' Weirder things have happened." Such as writer Russell and singer Hitchcock's chance meeting in 1975 while both were performing in a Sydney production of "Jesus Christ Superstar." Or crafting a platinum-studded career out of percolating performances at local coffeehouses.
After touring extensively with Rod Stewart in the late '70s, Air Supply signed with Arista and scored its first U.S. top five pop hit with 1980's "Lost in Love." That was followed a year later by the group's sole No. 1, "The One That You Love." Hitchcock explains, "We're just a couple of working-class guys who fortunately--and maybe cosmically--connected with a distinctive sound and great songs."
The duo's heavily orchestrated sound racked up five more hits (including "Every Woman in the World" and "Sweet Dreams") as well as several multiplatinum albums ("Lost in Love," "The One That You Love" and "Now and Forever"). Losing momentum after the No. 2 success of the 1983 single "Making Love Out of Nothing at All"--later featured in the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie film "Mr. Mrs. Smith--the duo segued to Giant Records in the early '90s. After a less dramatic run there, Air Supply moved to Warner Bros. and released "Yours Truly" in 2001.
The duo always remained a constant on the show circuit. Hitting the road again in January, Hitchcock and Russell played the Nokia Theater in New York's Times Square Feb. 20. According to Nielsen Boxscore, they played to a near-capacity audience (1,161 out of a total 1,186 seats) at ticket prices of $64.50 and $39.50. During the next six months, the two will perform in Brazil, Australia and across the United States.
Odds On's Joseph first entertained the idea of signing Air Supply after catching a Las Vegas show last year. "I saw females from 17 to 77--and a lot of males--who knew the words to every hit," he says. "Coupled with Air Supply's expansive touring . . . this was an opportunity to partner with a strong brand."
Joseph declines to reveal Odds On's investors, but he is one of several principals--including Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer James Caruso--involved with the label and its $2 million recording studio. In addition to Air Supply, the roster includes the Los Angeles act Ultra Violet Sound. The electro pop band is slated to release its first single in June. Odds On has also licensed two indie Air Supply projects, "Singer and the Song" and "Free Love." Previously sold at Air Supply shows and on the duo's Web site, the label plans to release one of the albums this summer.
In the meantime, Hitchcock and Russell are completing next year's comeback. Titled "Mumbo Jumbo," it's a concept album with a story line integrating acoustic sound and full-on rock'n'roll. But there's no denying Air Supply's stock in trade: love songs.
"The older I get, the more interesting love becomes," Russell says. "It's one thing when you're 19; another as you mature and start thinking about the universe. I don't think I've even touched the edges yet."
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/magazine/music/e3iea8e9b63ae2a4f8a749c46d8d880e89e