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Chapter Fifteen: Santa Brings New Album and Manager In 1987
The first order of business in 1987 was the hiring of a new manager. In 1981, Air Supply had hired an accountant named Barry Siegel to be their financial manager. He was a partner in the international CPA firm of Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman. In 1982, Barry became a founding partner of a business management firm called Siegel & Feldstein, with offices in Los Angeles, San Fransisco, New York and Boston. The firm handled the business affairs of major recording artists, actors and anyone else in the field of entertainment. When Don Arden could no longer manage Air Supply, Barry replaced him. “We are fortunate as our manager, Barry Siegel, has been with us for several years now,” said Russell. “We were introduced to him in 1981 when we were having some managerial difficulties and he has been handling our business affairs since then. He has been a great friend to me. He is the kind of person that, once you have met a whole bunch of other people in the music business, you realize he is just so nice and does not fit the mold of rock and roll manager. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met in all areas of the business.”
Graham and Russell took time in 1987 to work on individual projects. Graham was determined to finish his Sherwood rock opera and worked with British writer and director, Lindsay Clennel, to write a screenplay. The rock opera consisted of pop songs as well as classical and medieval music. Upon completion in early 1987, they planned on sending the screenplay to top Hollywood film studios. “In 1987, when things slowed down a little, I built a studio in my house to accommodate the desire I had to complete Sherwood and put it all on tape,” said Graham. “I sang most of the roles myself at this stage, but the people that worked on the project would become immersed in it and take on their own roles. Being spurred on by Jodi, we took a trip to England to gather more historical information and completely by chance, met an historical author in Coventry whose new book was about to be released. The title of the book was Robin Hood, the True Story by Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman. We became great friends and the three of us traversed England, this time looking for the ‘real’ Robin Hood.”
When it was announced that Russell was releasing a solo album in August, there was much talk in the press that Air Supply was breaking up. The commercial failure of ‘Hearts In Motion’ only fueled these rumours. The band had certainly fallen on hard times and were searching for a new identity, but they had no intention of breaking up. In fact, Air Supply planned to release an album in 1988, which recording would start after the completion of the solo projects and the summer tour. The official press release from Arista stated:
Russell is now about to launch a solo career in tandem with his role in Air Supply, which has announced a year-long hiatus from performing and recording in order for Russell Hitchcock and his partner Graham Russell to pursue their own projects.
“Some people have come up to us backstage and in shopping malls because they have heard about Russell’s solo album and think we are breaking up,” said Graham. “But that is not true. Just because somebody wants to do a solo record does not mean the band is breaking up. In fact, we are as strong now as we ever have been and getting stronger. It just means we both want to do something different for a change. We are also planning a major tour next year. Not just America but some of the places we have neglected over the last couple years like Asia and Korea.”
Vina del Mar - 1987
The Air Supply fan club re-opened in 1987 after the legal problems were sorted out. “We realize there’s been a lot of problems with the fan club in the past, but we are slowly gaining control with this one,” said Russell. “We are working with some really good people this time. We apologize for any mess-ups, but things got a bit out of hand.” The band received overwhelming amounts of fan mail throughout the early 80s, and it showed no signs of letting up despite the band’s drop in popularity. Fan mail was now handled by Mackie Mann and her company The Mail Mann. Mackie ran the business out of her Sherman Oaks garage and ensured that every fan letter was read, either by her or one of her employees. “Russell and I both have complete control over this one,” said Graham. “Nobody in the fan club makes any decisions without contacting us. We approve all photos and all kinds of merchandise. There is no longer a middleman, so there is no chance of error anymore.”
1987 Easter Seal Telethon
In March, The National Easter Seal Society held its annual fundraising telethon that was broadcast nationwide from Los Angeles. The two day telethon raised over $33 million and featured many celebrities such as comedian Rich Little and music stars Air Supply, Robert Goulet, Eddie Rabbit and Ray Charles. Air Supply performed two songs, ‘Put Love In Your Life,’ one of Graham’s favourite songs from ‘Hearts In Motion,’ and ‘Lost In Love.’
In late March, Air Supply was invited to perform at the opening of the Gold Coast International Hotel in Australia. The hotel hosted a lavish three-day celebration for 2,000 high flyers, at a cost of $2.5 million. $250,000 of that was paid to Air Supply, making it a very lucrative trip for the band. A Friday cocktail party kicked-off the weekend, with a dinner dance in the Grand Ballroom the following night. After a five-coarse meal, Air Supply took the stage and played most of their hits. After what one attendee described as a “snoozefest,” the show picked up towards the end and had the guests dancing in the aisles.
Since its inception in 1985, VH-1 was a strong supporter of Air Supply, helping the band sell thousands of copies of the ‘The Greatest Hits.’ In April, the music channel announced it was revamping its format to include fewer videos from light rock artists, and was also changing its entire lineup of VJs. The station had so far used personalities from radio, such as Don Imus, whose lack of interest in TV was unfortunately evident in their on-air performance. Critics often complained that the music channel incorporated the worst of so-called ‘lite radio.’ New ‘personality VJs’ were hired in an attempt to give VH-1 a tougher edge. The changes meant less airtime for Air Supply, and more importantly, less exposure for Russell and his first solo record.
The tour of 1987 focused mostly on the U.S. with brief stops in Canada, Japan and South America. In February, Air Supply performed at the International Song Festival in Vina del Mar, Chile. The festival, which takes place over several nights, is considered the most important music event in Latin America and is broadcast live on television. It featured mostly international artists competing for awards, but each year an established and popular musical act was invited to perform. Sheena Easton, Mr. Mister and The Police are just a few of the artists who have performed at the festival. Air Supply was invited by the government of Chile to perform in 1983, but declined because of their recording schedule. In 1987, they performed to a sold-out crowd who had earned a reputation for being extremely energetic and vocal. The festival audience, referred to as ‘The Monster’ for their history of booing acts off the stage, play a significant role in determining the award winners. During the performance of an established act, the audience response can demand the presentation of an award, often stopping the performance for several minutes. Air Supply performed on consecutive evenings and during the second show the crowd granted them the Silver Torch award for best international stage performance. Air Supply played several songs from ‘Hearts In Motion’ including ‘Time For Love,’ ‘It’s Not Too Late,’ ‘Hope Springs Eternal’ and ‘Lonely Is The Night.’
The summer tour of the U.S. started on June 28 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and featured an updated set list with several new and upbeat songs. A highlight of the tour was an acoustic segment featuring just Russell and Graham. Surprisingly, the set list included no tracks from their latest album ‘Hearts In Motion.’ When asked why, Graham and Russell said it was a difficult period for the band. The 1987 tour was the first since 1982 to not sell tour books. Concert T-shirts and other clothing were still available at the live shows and from the fan club. The five-piece band all returned for the tour of ‘87 and impressed many music critics, especially with the new songs. Robin Swensen, Tim Godwin and Greg Hilfman all sang backup vocals, giving the band a new and fresh sound. “There’s definitely a new energy again in the shows this year, which I think is just the beginnings of something exciting that will happen next year,” said Graham. “We can feel it happening again.” A music critic from New York agreed:
Trying to broaden their musical base, the group branched out on their last album and tour with experiments in rock that added a much-needed edge to their sound. Not as commercially successful as past efforts, this nonetheless showed musical ambitions untapped in their previous saccharine ballad-dominated work. They sped up the proceedings with the new songs, ‘My Life, Your Touch’ and ‘Let’s Talk About Love,’ both mid-tempo rockers with some rhythmic drive to them.
Concert T-Shirt - 1987
The new songs played in concert were just a small sample of what Graham had written. He intended to use the summer tour as a sounding board for the new material. “This year we wanted to try some new songs before recording them so that we could get some feedback and change arrangements if they needed to be changed,” said Graham. “All the new songs have got a great reaction so we are looking to record them before the end of the year. Hopefully, the new album will be out in January.”
1987 Summer Tour Setlist:
1. Chances 9. I Want To Give It All
2. Just As I Am 10. Here I Am
3. Lost In Love 11. Stand Up
4. Even The Nights Are Better 12. All Out Of Love
5. My Life, Your Touch 13. Make It Right
6. Let’s Talk About Love 14. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
7. Sweet Dreams 15. This Heart Belongs To Me
8. The One That You Love 16. The Power Of Love
'The River Cried' - U.S. Pressing (Front/Back)
When the tour finished, Graham and Russell commenced work on their independant projects. The Sherwood rock opera suffered another unexpected delay when Graham and Lindsay decided not to proceed with the existing screenplay. Graham found a new partner in New York producer Larry Germain, who produced and directed the Los Angeles premiere of the Peanuts tuner Snoopy!!! as well as Godspell at the Improvisation in Los Angeles. Sherwood was being developed for a 1988 or 1989 opening in London before heading stateside. “I’ve been saying for a long time that Sherwood is going to happen, but the person I was working on it with, well, we are no longer working together,” said Graham. “I’m working with a new person now named Larry Germain, who is a Broadway producer. In August, I leave for Europe to do some more research. This will definitely be completed by the end of the year.”
Russell worked on his solo album with three established producers; Michael Lloyd (who recently produced such Top Five hits as Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Mad about You’ and Patrick Swayze’s ‘She’s Like The Wind’), Keith Olsen (Pat Benatar and Starship) and Robbie Buchanan (Phil Collins, Chaka Khan and Joe Cocker). Russell chose to work with several producers because he felt it would create a variety of textures within the eleven hand-picked songs for the album. “In a way I’m lucky,” said Russell, “because having a track record has made it easier to get to work with great producers and the quality material I wanted for this record. On the other hand, I’m like any new artist just starting out, and it’s a challenge. I like to think this record is a little more basic rock and roll than the stuff [Air Supply] has done before. We stay away from things like background strings - that’s totally out of the picture. There’s a particular style and sound to my voice, and I’m kind of stuck with it. It will sound different enough, but those who follow Air Supply will recognize it. I’m real pleased with the results.” The album was recorded and mixed at several studios in Los Angeles and used a host of session musicians. Arista planned to release the album, tentatively titled ‘The River Cried,’ in June, 1987.
Russell’s debut solo promotional single, ‘The River Cried,’ was shipped to radio on May 31, 1987. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who also penned Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors’ and Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin.’ Despite a spectacular vocal from Russell, ‘The River Cried’ was ignored by radio. The flipside of the commercial single included ‘Heart & Soul,’ taken from ‘Hearts In Motion,’ but there was no mention of it being an Air Supply song. A second single, ‘Dreams Of The Lonely,’ was released next but it also failed to chart. Russell’s solo career was off to a rocky start, and his album’s June release date was pushed back indefinitely.
‘Dreams Of The Lonely’ - Promo
On October 9, Air Supply announced they would record a Christmas album at A&M Studios in Los Angeles with producers Michael Lloyd and Jimmy Lenner. Arista wanted it released in time for the 1987 Christmas shopping season, which gave the band just one month to complete the record. Clive Davis believed that Air Supply’s trademark lush vocals and harmonies would give a collection of Christmas classics, such as ‘Silent Night,’ ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘White Christmas,’ a new and different resonance. They used over thirty session musicians. Many of the songs required full brass and string ensembles. Album photography was shot in Ottawa, Canada, and included several young children. Recording a Christmas album offered several benefits. First, they are often quick to produce as most artists simply re-record Christmas classics. Second, many classic Christmas songs are public domain, so there are no royalty payments.
On October 23, the athletic department at the University of Central Florida hired Air Supply to perform for its homecoming. The concert took place at the Ruth Eckerd Hall immediately following the UCF and Northwest Missouri football game. Unfortunately, UCF fans began to voice their displeasure several months before the show as Air Supply was not what most students wanted for the party atmosphere of homecoming. The UCF athletic department was heavily criticized for its decision. The concert went ahead as scheduled but the athletic department was more cautious the following year, avoiding music altogether and hiring comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Russell received some much needed promotion when a movie called, A Date With An Angel, was released on November 20, and offered a preview of two songs from his forthcoming album. ‘I Come Alive’ was the main theme song and ‘Someone Who Believes In You’ was included on the movie soundtrack. The romantic comedy was filmed in the U.S. and stared Phoebe Cates and Michael E. Night.
Towards the end of November, Arista sent radio a 12" promotional record, pressed in red vinyl, to generate hype around the forthcoming Christmas album. Despite being a 12" record, it included just three songs. The A-side featured ‘The Christmas Song’ and ‘Winter Wonderland,’ while the B-side included a new song written by Graham called ‘The Eyes Of A Child.’
‘The Christmas Album’ was released on November 17, 1987. Initial sales were strong and radio played several tracks throughout the holiday season. The lead single, ‘The Eyes Of A Child’ was released as a 7" record and included ‘Love Is All’ on the B-side. Graham wrote both songs, and while they might not be considered Christmas songs lyrically and were perhaps intended for another project, they still fit into the overall theme of the album. “We didn’t really want to do it,” said Graham, “but Clive said we should. We thought, ‘Oh God, we don’t want to do a Christmas album.’ But we did, and after we sat down and listened to it, we said ‘Wow, this is probably the best Christmas album we have ever heard.’ I still think it’s up there with all the great Christmas albums, and I still play it every year. I’m so glad that we did it.” Most music critics agreed and gave the album an adequate review:
Another Christmas album making quite a stir this season is Air Supply’s new ‘The Christmas Album.’ As usual, Graham and Russell sing these traditional favorites in perfect, sugar-coated harmony. The album includes traditional carols like ‘The First Noel’ and ‘Silent Night,’ and not-so-traditional favorites like ‘Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire’ and ‘Sleigh Ride.’ The album will definitely appeal to Air Supply fans, but it might prove too sweet for many Christmas-listening tastes. - Deseret News
This 1987 collection has Graham and Russell lending their distinctive balladic touch to strings-suffused arrangements of everything from ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Silent Night’ to ‘The Christmas Song’ and ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’ The performances are heavy on mush, but despite their drippiness, the music is appealing in a giddy way. - New Sunday Times
Singing ‘Winter Wonderland’
The 1987 Christmas music season was shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory as many older Christmas albums were available on Compact Disc for the first time. There were several big budget Christmas albums like A&M’s release called ‘A Very Special Christmas,’ featuring artists such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, U2, and Bon Jovi. The biggest seller of all was a double CD entitled ‘Carols for Christmas,’ featuring the Royal College of Music Chamber Choir and the Royal College of Music Brass Ensemble. Despite the competition, Air Supply’s Christmas album was considered a success.
On December 26, Graham and Russell made a guest appearance on a 2-hour ABC television special to celebrate the winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. They performed two songs, ‘The Eyes Of A Child’ and ‘Winter Wonderland,’ wearing winter jackets and walking around an outdoor skating rink.
Air Supply wrapped up 1987 with a New Year’s Eve performance at the Regency Ballroom in Florida. A new left-handed lead guitar player, Jimmy Haun, joined the band for its last tour of 1987, replacing Tim Godwin. When Graham slowed things down after the summer tour, Godwin left Air Supply and joined the Laura Branigan band. Jimmy Haun had met Graham and Russell a few years earlier when he was performing as a session musician, and was asked to join the band for a single tour. Haun was previously a member of a Los Angeles based band called Lodgic, who were signed to A&M Records in 1984. At the time, Lodgic consisted of band members Michael Sherwood, Jimmy Haun, Guy Allison, Billy Sherwood and Gary Starnes. After releasing an album in 1985, Lodgic was the opening act for the band Supertramp, but were eventually dropped by their record label after having no success on radio.
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狗仔卡
发表于 2013-2-1 17:41
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楼主
发表于 2016-1-22 14:43
Hope Spring Eternal很好听的说