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第十八章:巨人唱片公司和新的开始 (1991-1992) Giant Records & A New Start

发布者: hitchcock | 发布时间: 2013-3-8 09:58| 查看数: 15960| 评论数: 7|帖子模式

Chapter Eighteen: Giant Records & A New Start (1991-1992)

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      After the recording contract with Enigma fell apart, Air Supply began looking for another label to distribute their new record. The album was mostly complete because Air Supply had decided that they would finance the record from inside their own organization and take it to a record company. This meant longer hours in the recording studio, but it also gave them artistic freedom.

      In 1990, a new start-up label called Giant Records was created by Warner Music Group and Irving Azoff. Azoff, a former artist manager and MCA Records president, was both feared and loathed in the record business. Warner was looking to start another label because they had just sold Geffen Records to MCA Music Entertainment. Originally, Azoff wanted to call the label Big Records but the name was already taken. The Giant Records name was also taken by a record label in Australia owned by former Air Supply producer Peter Dawkins but he agreed to sell the naming rights to Azoff. Giant Records focused mainly on Top 40 and R&B but also signed older established artists such as Steely Dan, Deep Purple, Brian Wilson and Kenny Rogers. At this point in their career, Air Supply fit perfectly into this category and signed a record deal with Giant. WEA was responsible for distribution of all Giant Records recordings outside of North America. With the backing of an established label like Warner, Air Supply was now able to complete the new record and have it promoted and distributed worldwide.

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Frank Esler-Smith 1948-1991

      The backing band for Air Supply in 1991 was an extremely talented group of musicians. The band toured as a group of seven, but the studio sessions for the new album included many other musicians. Lead guitar player, Kevin Curry, toured with the band when Jimmy Haun was not available. Haun, Michael Sherwood, Larry Antonino and David Young all contributed as co-writers with Graham on many of the new songs. Ralph Cooper remained on drums and Guy Allison played piano on tour.

      On March 1, former Air Supply arranger and keyboard player Frank Esler-Smith died from pneumonia while at home in Melbourne, Australia. According to the website, rememberme.org, Esler-Smith is listed as a musician who had AIDS. Born in London in 1948, Esler-Smith came to Australia in 1961 and settled in Melbourne, where he graduated in Music and Education at Melbourne University. He first worked for Harry M. Miller on the Melbourne production of Grease and was musical director for the Total Theatre production of Guys and Dolls. Before joining the 1975 production of Superstar, Esler-Smith worked as a musician at GTV-9 in Melbourne, and toured with several local and international artists, including Gene Pitney and Del Shannon.  

      Frank Esler-Smith was arguably the most influential band member in creating the lush orchestrated sound of Air Supply that was so popular in the early 80s. “It was a great loss for us,” said Graham. “He was there from the beginning. He actually played piano at my Superstar audition before I knew him. Then, when we made a record, he joined the band and left the Superstar production. He was a great, great musician and a beautiful pianist. But his greatest contribution was the fact that he could compose beautiful string arrangements for us like the ‘Lost In Love’ arrangement and the ‘All Out Of Love’ arrangement. We will always miss Frank’s stunning string arrangements.”

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Promotional Photo 1991

      Air Supply toured North and South America throughout the spring and summer. One of the new live songs, ‘Dancing With The Mountain,’ showed a more mature side of the band and was an indication the next record would be a departure from their earlier work. Graham’s writing took on deeper meaning and focused less on simple love stories. ‘Dancing With The Mountain’ was a title that came out of Russell’s attempt to learn skiing. His instructor told him he would have to dance with the mountain if he was to master the art. Another song called ‘Bread and Blood’ was written after two of Graham’s friends asked him for advice after difficulties they encountered over forbidden love based on religious grounds.

      The transition to lyrics with deeper meaning was not by accident as Graham and Russell shared a fascination with the supernatural for many years. At just seventeen, Russell found it difficult to find his place in the world. “I had questions about why am I here and how can I get out,” he said. “I just didn’t go with the normal flow of things.” Russell was seeking answers to his existence and the meaning of life when a friend handed him several obscure philosophical books. Graham could easily relate to Russell’s identity struggles because he had started reading similar books at age 20. “There has always been that esoteric bond between us even though we obviously do not sit down and read books together,” said Graham. “We’ve both had several mystical experiences. We still do. We get little messages in life that tell us we are on the right track.” Graham’s involvement with mysticism had lead him to wear a fossilised walrus tooth carved in the shape of an eagle’s head around his neck for protection. “If you grind our bodies down, we just break up and end up as either of the four elements - earth, air, fire or water,” he claims. “In the mythological world, I relate to the air element, hence the eagle. You know it’s funny, because nobody’s going to believe this, but the best part is... it’s all true. I’ll give you a hint - I’m an air element and so is Russell. Doesn’t that say anything as to why we’re called Air Supply?”

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The Earth Is... Tour T-Shirt

      While the band experimented with new lyrics, they also unveiled a new image. The colorful suit jackets from the 80s were replaced with predominately black and white rock attire. Russell wore a black cutoff shirt, which revealed his many tattoos. Graham wore a black and white outfit that looked to be a cross between Shakespeare and Victorian goth. Graham spent considerable time pushing his Robin Hood-inspired musical over the last three years and he was still dressing the part in 1991.

1991 Summer Tour Setlist
1. Dancing With The Mountain              8. Bread And Blood
2. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All    9. The Earth Is...
3. Here I Am                                      10. The One That You Love
4. Lost In Love                                   11. All Out Of Love
5. Stronger Than The Night                 12. Stand Up
6. Never Fade Away                           13. Without You
7. She’s Got The Answer

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'The Earth Is...' album & 'Without You' 7" Single

      On July 23, the band’s Giant Records debut album, ‘The Earth Is...’ was released along with the lead single ‘Without You.’ The album cover featured the band name in the typeface it made famous in the early 80s. Air Supply recorded very few covers over their career but the new single held special meaning with Graham because it has the first song he heard after the birth of his daughter Samantha in 1972. “We were in Mexico in ’89, driving between shows and talking about the new album,” said Graham. “Out of the blue, I said to Russell, ‘I’d love to record ‘Without You’’. He misunderstood - he thought I meant without him. He turned to me and he said, ‘Really? What do you mean? What have I done?’ I said ‘No, the song - I want you to sing ‘Without You.’’”     

      ‘Without You’ was first released by British rock band Badfinger in 1970, but was not a hit until Harry Nilson recorded the song in 1971. The song had been covered by dozens of artists but Russell felt their 1991 version was better than most. “This is an undeniably great song written by Pete Ham of Badfinger,” said Russell. “It was a huge hit for Harry Nilson and I truly believe that our version is up there with the best of them. We recorded it in Capitol Studios in Los Angeles where Frank Sinatra used to record most of his stuff. When I went into the studio I was not even aware that I had sang the song. Everything just went dark around me and I just sang it. It was like somebody had to come in and slap me to wake me up. That was about the most spiritual experience that I’ve had. And I think that ‘The One That You Love’ and ‘Without You’ were recorded in one take, usually you do it half a dozen times to get the best.” Air Supply’s version of ‘Without You’ quickly entered the U.S. Adult Contemporary charts but stalled at #48. A grueling promotional tour across the U.S., including several late night TV appearances, did not convince radio to play Air Supply in North America. In August, ‘Without You’ reached #32 in Japan, where it charted for 5 weeks.

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1990 Promotional Photo

      Produced by Harry Maslin, and remixed by Humberto Gatica, ‘The Earth Is...’ offered a variety of sounds. Songs such as ‘Stop The Tears,’ ‘Speaking Of Love’ and ‘Stronger Than The Night’ were classic grand-scale ballads designed to showcase Russell’s powerful vocals. ‘She’s Got The Answer’ and ‘Love Conquers Time’ explored the issues between men and woman, and highlighted Air Supply’s trademark harmonies. ‘Dancing With The Mountain’ and ‘Dame Amor’ emphasized percussive world beat arrangements. ‘Dame Amor’ (Spanish for ‘Give Me Love’) was sung in flawless Spanish by both Russell and Graham, and featured an elegant guitar and mandolin underscore. Russell said that ‘Dame Amor’ would never have had a chance to be included on earlier Air Supply albums. Arista would have never allowed it. In fact, there was initial negative response to it this time from Giant. “But we were determined it would be on the record,” said Russell. “This is Air Supply now. ‘Dame Amor’ came out of our many months of touring in Latin America and absorbing the music there.”  Adds graham, “We’d be having breakfast in a hotel in Paraguay, and there would be some native band playing in the corner while you reached for the Corn Flakes! The rhythms were all around us.”

      Music critics were quite impressed with ‘The Earth Is...’ and Air Supply’s evolving sound;
      ‘The Earth Is...’ Air Supply’s first album in five years, mixes influences from across the world. It’s a free-sounding album full of life and energy. And that’s no accident. Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell have worked hard to break out of the studio-driven ‘ballads-only’ mode and give Air Supply the sound they want. Success! ‘The Earth Is...’ is an album full of concerns for life, love and our planet. -  USA Today

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Live in 1991 (Courtesy of Lisa Rowland)

      The music scene in the early 1990’s was heavily influenced by the Seattle grunge movement as bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden became mainstream. There was little demand for adult contemporary music and this made ‘The Earth Is...’ a tough sell in North America. But music critics felt the album was a step in the right direction because it showed growth and maturity. “We haven’t compromised, and have remained true to ourselves and true to our music,” said Graham. “That’s part of the reason we’ve been around so long. The whole business has changed. When we started, the emphasis was on artistic integrity and creativity. Over the years, it has shifted to business, mainly money... It’s a fast-food world now. I really think that being considered uncool is what makes us a cool band.”

      Although it was largely ignored by North American radio, ‘Without You’ received significant airplay in Latin America, Asia and parts of Europe, exemplifying the shift in Air Supply’s popularity away from North America. But Giant Records had only recently signed Air Supply with the intention of bringing them back to radio dominance, and were unwilling to give up on the U.S. market. They invested a lot of marketing resources in vain before they resigned to the fact that money was better spent overseas. The lack of success of ‘Without You’ in North America was painfully highlighted when in 1994 Mariah Carey scored a massive hit with her version of the song. Air Supply refused to play ‘Without You’ at concerts in North America for several years following.

      The Earth Is....live VHS music video was released after three years in the making, but was only available through the official fan club. It was originally intended for release on cable television’s VH-1 network. The video included interviews with Graham and Russell plus live concert footage from Los Angeles, Taiwan and Venezuela. Very few copies of the video were sold, making it perhaps the single most sought after item by collectors.  

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'The Whole Thing's Started' Japan CD

      Another rare item was released by Sony/Epic Records in 1991, a CD version of ‘The Whole Thing’s Started’ LP, first released in Japan in 1980 with a different album cover. This was the first time the record was made available on CD format and it quickly became a highly sought-after collectible. In 2002, the CD was again re-issued by Sony/Epic in Japan but it did very little to help satisfy the demand. It is not uncommon for this CD to sell on eBay for $75 - $100 (USD).

      A compilation CD was released in Singapore by Hanyang Records Co., Ltd. The hits collection, titled ‘Air Supply Best,’ contained 14 tracks taken from early Arista recordings, and signaled the start of many Air Supply compilations to hit record stores in the early 90s.

      The Rainbow Music Group, a small Australian budget label based in Sydney, released a re-issue of Air Supply’s 1976 debut album on CD (RCD 1118) in 1989. This marked the first time that the album was transferred to CD in its entirety with original cover artwork. Rainbow was in the business of re-issuing older albums on CD at a budget-friendly price as part of their Rainbow Music Series. Rainbow again re-issued Air Supply’s debut album on CD (RCD 9081) in 1991.

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U.S. Promo CD Single

      The second single off ‘The Earth Is...’, ‘Stronger Than The Night,’ was released in October. The song highlighted Russell’s powerful vocals and was accompanied by a promotional music video. “This one is more in the classic Air Supply vain,” said Russell, “it’s quite grand at the end and I think it has a really incredible melody - it’s one of the prettiest things we’ve done. I just hope people will respond to it over the airwaves as they have in concert. It’s a song that we’ve been playing for a quite a while now and every night it gets an incredible response.” Graham adds, “It was chosen as the second single because it’s probably one of the more accessible tracks on the album. It’s more familiar Air Supply as opposed to the rest of the tracks - some of the other tracks are a little more left-wing. ‘Without You’ was an old song, it was a song that we just wanted to record because we loved the song. But now I think with ‘Stronger Than The Night’ it’s sort of back to business - this is Air Supply.”

      Billboard magazine did not recognize ‘Stronger Than The Night’ as a Critics Choice or Pick Single, which identified new singles with the most chart potential, but gave it a favourable review:

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'Air Supply' - Rainbow 1989 & 1991

      Aussie duo’s trademark sound remains intact, even after a six-year hiatus. Dramatic, passionate rock ballad lays romantic melody against environmental theme. Should play well with nostalgic programmers.
Unfortunately, the song and video was ignored by radio and TV. ‘Stronger Than The Night’ failed to enter the charts in North America, and any momentum created by ‘Without You’ was all but gone. ‘Stronger Than The Night’ did much better in Asia and Latin America, which was vital in helping ‘The Earth Is...’ achieve platinum status there.   

      A lengthy tour of the U.S. and Canada continued throughout October before all shows in Florida were canceled in early November. The constant touring was putting a strain on Russell’s vocal chords and he required time off to rest his voice. “My dad was a singer so maybe I got some part of his genes or something,” says Russell. “If I wasn’t a singer I sometimes think I would enjoy it more because if you have a cold and you play guitar it’s OK. But if you sing, it’s your body and not an outside instrument. I really have to be sensible and not do anything that I shouldn’t do anymore.”  

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Taiwan TV - December, 1991

      In late November, Air Supply began a promotional tour of Asia in support of the ‘The Earth Is...’. The popularity of the band in South Eastern Asia had not dropped like it had in North America, but rather had increased. “We first came to Asia in 1981 and we thought then that it would be great, but we presumed that no one would understand or get the music,” said Graham. “We thought we might be mildly successful at most. But when we came here it was quite the opposite.” Now ten years later and just one month after release, ‘The Earth Is...’ had sold over 12,000 units in Malaysia, and several other Asian countries were reporting similar numbers.  ‘The Earth Is...’ never charted on North American album charts, but it did achieve gold status in over 20 countries and platinum status in many others. Air Supply were now international superstars, but were considered has-beens in North America and Australia.

      During press conferences in Asia, Russell and Graham were repeatedly asked what the new album was all about. Was it another save-the-planet project, a popular topic with musicians in the early 90s? Graham claimed that the album held deeper meaning and was not simply suggesting the world needs to save the whales. “‘The Earth Is...’ is not an environmental album,” he said. “What it’s supposed to mean is that the earth is too small to be divided. The world is becoming a smaller place. We’re not saying ‘save the shrimp’ or some such thing. We’re making people aware of what they already know. Instead of I love you, you love me - it’s I love everybody. I was wondering why the governments of the world couldn’t just once stop what they’re doing, feed the hungry and rescue the planet. Then they can resume their wars.”

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'Air Supply Best' - Singapore CD

      Russell’s third marriage ended when he and Paula divorced in 1991. He began dating a girl from California named Rebecca Fields who was involved in the music business as a live sound engineer, and with whom he shared a fascination with tattoos. Russell first went under the needle in 1986, getting a small, quarter-size rose. Five years later, he went in for another, with plans for many more. “The guy said, ‘If you’re going to do this again, you should do it bigger,’” said Russell. “So, it was relatively big. And when it was done, it just looked so nice. I have already paid about $300 for a phoenix on my chest. It will probably cost another $600 when it is coloured.” Russell’s other tattoos included three ancient Japanese characters that read ‘beautiful song,’ a red heart on his right shoulder, which he and Rebecca shared and a green Peter Pan directly above his heart tattoo. “My [then] wife freaked out when I told her I was going to get a tattoo. So she said I may as well get a Peter Pan because, she said, I’d never grow up. I said, ‘That’s a good idea,’ and I did it. People just think because you have a tattoo, you’re weird or different and treat you funny. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it so I just did it!” While Russell found new love with Rebecca, he was in no rush to get married again saying it was simply “too expensive” to re-marry.

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1992 Concert Pass

      Air Supply traveled to Asia in early 1992 to continue ‘The Earth Is...’ tour, including a free concert in Korea for the 2nd Infantry Division GIs, civilian employees and their families. Air Supply experienced a major shakeup before the start of the Asian tour. Bass player Larry Antonino was not able to join the tour so Cliff Rehrig, a musician from California, took his place. “They held auditions and I got to go to Asia with them,” remembers Rehrig. “I had to think about that for a long time, whether I wanted to go on tour with them or not. It took about two seconds!” Rehrig found it rather ironic that he was now working with Air Supply because ten years earlier, when he first moved to California, he had met Graham in a music store. “He has hair down to his ankles and all the woman love him to death,” jokes Russell. “He is a great bass player and one of the gentlest souls I have met. He kinda does not belong in music because he’s too nice of a person.” Jimmy Haun, Guy Allison, and Michael Sherwood stayed on with Air Supply, but other artists were called upon to perform when needed. Michael Thompson, an accomplished session guitarist, performed with Air Supply when Haun was not available.

      Mark Williams, the son of American composer John Williams, frequently filled in for Ralph Cooper, who had recently married and started a computer business. Cooper officially announced his departure from Air Supply in 1993, deciding that life on the road was not for him anymore. He spent 14 years with Air Supply. “I got interested in drums when I was was five,” said Cooper. “My Mother took me to see The Gene Krupa Story, and he was a great swing drummer. I loved it so much I made her sit through it three times. From that point on it was just drums for me. I started playing in bands in my late teens. I toured around Australia a lot, and eventually joined Air Supply [in 1978]. After spending about twenty six years touring, working and playing, I decided to take a year off because I felt burnt out, and I was ready for a break. I thought I would take just a year off, and I got involved in my own IT business for fun. But it turned into a real business, and then I got married. I really thought that I would go back and possibly join another band, and keep touring, but life changes sometimes.”  

      Mark Williams replaced Ralph Cooper as Air Supply’s full-time drummer. Graham first worked with Williams in 1988 during recording sessions for the Sherwood project. “We actually met one time before in 1984 at a concert in Hartford when I was playing with Crosby, Stills and Nash,” said Williams. “Jimmy Haun recommended that they call me, and I said absolutely!”  

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                                              Relaxing at Home

      Air Supply’s increasing popularity in Asia and Latin America was made evident by the growing amounts of fan mail from these regions. Mackie Mann, co-owner of Mail Mann fan mail answering service, was still processing all Air Supply fan mail and she noticed a large increase in mail from Japan, Russia, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and several countries in South America. They even received letters from Sweden where one fan wrote, “Dear Air Supply members: I love your music. I need your music. I really respect your music.” Mackie says that of her 64 clients, who pay between $75 and $1,000 a month depending on mail volume, only a select few, like Air Supply, can she mention by name. “One reason is that some stars go on TV and say, ‘I read every letter,’” she said. “Since the fans think that the replies come from the stars, I don’t want them to know any different.” Air Supply had no problem letting fans know they used a fan mail answering service and although every letter might not get a response, every piece of mail would be read by someone.

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Flagstaff, Arizona

      While much of 1992 was spent on the road, Russell made a major change back home in the U.S. The Los Angeles riots, which occurred after the acquittal of the police officers involved in the Rodney King beating, helped to convince Russell that it was time to leave the area. So he moved to Flagstaff, Arizona to live with Rebecca at the base of the San Francisco Peaks. “It was time to get out of Dodge, [so] I moved to Northern Arizona,” said Russell. “I live in the mountains there on a dirt road. There is a well that pumps water into my house. It’s not primitive but it’s not like living in the city. Because we travel so much now and all the places we go to are big cities mostly, primarily in Asia and Latin America, it’s just a joy to get home. I lived in a city all my life. I was was born in Brunswick in Melbourne and it was a very city vibe there. Where we are now is very peaceful. When you go out in the winter all you can hear is the breeze. There’s no traffic, just nothing. About fifty feet from my house is about a million acres of national forest full of pine trees. We have all kinds of wild life like elk, deer, coyotes, bears and chipmunks. It has kinda rejuvenated my interest in the universe.”

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'Greatest Hits' VHS  & 'Stop The Tears' Video

      The third and final single from ‘The Earth Is...’, ‘Stop The Tears,’ was released but it did not chart. Giant released an accompanying music video showing Russell and Graham performing in a desert setting.

      In the early 90s, television music videos were still very popular, and EMI Australia released a VHS video called ‘Greatest Hits,’ featuring 11 videos from Air Supply. EMI was licensed to use Arista and CBS videos, so the recent Giant videos (‘Stronger Than The Night’ and ‘Stop The Tears’) were not included. The video was released exclusively in Australia, making it a rare item today. Demand for the video was somewhat lowered when most of its content was released in 2001 on the Definitive Collection DVD. Regardless, the ‘Greatest Hits’ VHS is the only official release to include the music videos for the bands first hit, ‘Love and Other Bruises,’ and the seldom seen ‘Bring Out The Magic.’

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      The tour of ‘92 returned to North America for the summer months, and featured Air Supply performing a mostly acoustic set. Like the acoustic tour in 1990, Russell and Graham were backed by two musicians: bassist Cliff Rehrig and pianist Wade Preston. The stripped-down instrumentals gave extra feeling to such hits as ‘Lost In Love’ and ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.’ During breaks in Air Supply’s summer tour, Russell booked a series of solo performances in Midwestern America. His attempt at a solo career in 1988 was a disappointing failure, but the success of his latest single, ‘Swear To Your Heart,’ gave him renewed hope. Despite significant promotional work on television and radio (Dick Clark’s Countdown America spotlight on Russell Hitchcock), Russell’s concerts were cancelled last minute due to poor ticket sales.

      Graham had penned several new songs and Air Supply previewed some of these during the summer tour. The newer material, especially songs from ‘The Earth Is...’ were not going over so well, as fans gave the older hits a more enthusiastic reception. One new song that did stand out was ‘It’s Never Too Late.’ Air Supply began playing the song during the tour of Asia and it quickly became a crowd favourite. “We always test the material live,” said Graham. “If we get a certain reaction, we know we’ve gotten it right, and we record it.” Another new song, ‘I Remember Love,’ did not get the same reception from fans but it was another classic-sounding Air Supply song. “The new album has a diverse range of material,” says Russell. “But it’s true to Air Supply’s original vision. With the upsurge of different kinds of music, it’s easy to think we should record a song like this or that, because it’s what’s happening right now. But we’ve never done that. Rightly or wrongly, we’ve always stuck to our guns and done what feels best to us. We’re going to begin recording our next album in September. This will be our 14th - we’re catching up to Chicago.”

      The tour of North America was considered a success, although the band was no longer performing in arena-sized venues. They mostly played two-to-three thousand seat theaters and festivals. Not every show sold out, but Air Supply maintained a loyal following in North America. In Canada, they played the Ontario Place Forum in 1991 and 1992, and both performances ranked in the top 10 shows of the year for that venue which comfortably holds up to 10,500 people. By the end of 1992, ‘The Earth Is...’ had quietly sold over 500,000 copies worldwide.

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      Several compilation CDs were released around the world in 1992. The first was a joint venture between Arista and BMG called ‘Love Songs.’ BMG was now a strong presence in Asia and they were more than anxious to take advantage of Air Supply’s popularity in the region. ‘Love Songs’ is a compilation from Taiwan featuring 14 songs from albums released in 1980-1988, including three tracks from Russell’s solo album. The inclusion of ‘I Can Wait Forever,’ ‘Love Is All’ and several less popular songs like ‘Tonight’ and ‘I’ll Never Get Enough Of You’ make this the most interesting compilation to date. Yet, the absence of songs from the 1985 self titled album is puzzling.

      The popularity of Air Supply in Taiwan was so high that a second hits compilation was released in the same year. Manufactured again by Arista/BMG, ‘Greatest Hits Vol.3’ was essentially a follow-on to the ‘Love Songs’ collection rather than the ‘Greatest Hits Vol.2’ album from 1985. Like ‘Love Songs,’ the ‘Greatest Hits Vol.3’ collection contained many less popular tracks such as ‘Time For Love,’ ‘You’re Only In Love,’ ‘My Best Friend’ and fan favourite ‘One More Chance.’ Most of the 14 tracks were taken from albums released in the second half of the 80s making this a welcome addition as most compilations focused on the earlier albums. Today, both Taiwan CDs are difficult to find and there have been few compilations since that offer such a unique mix of songs.

      In October, Graham and Russell traveled to Taipai, Taiwan to perform at Star TV’s one year anniversary as representatives of MTV-Asia. They played acoustic versions of ‘All Out Of Love’ and ‘The Earth Is...’. The show aired throughout Asia and parts of the Middle East, reaching over 500 million viewers.        

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'Feel The Breeze' 2CD                  Argentina Television

      EMI Music Group Australasia manufactured and released a re-issue of the Australian ‘Air Supply Greatest Hits’ on CD, complete with new packaging. The 14-song hits collection was mostly aimed at the Australian market, as it included the Aussie singles ‘Bring Out The Magic’ and ‘Love and Other Bruises.’ The CD was later released in 2003 and 2007 by Pid Records, making it a relatively easy find for collectors.

      The Rainbow Music Group released a 21-track double CD titled ‘Feel The Breeze.’ The 2-CD Australian set was not a hits compilation but a re-issue of Air Supply’s first two CBS albums. The package was released just one year after Rainbow had re-issued Air Supply’s 1976 debut album on CD, but there was still demand for the early recordings on compact disc technology. The value-priced package sold out quickly and has become a difficult find for collectors.

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Air Supply Perform on Ritmo De La Noche - Argentina

      In November, Air Supply traveled as a seven-piece band to Argentina to perform at a private party for the Brahma Beer Company. The band included Ralph Cooper, Jimmy Haun, Wade Preston, Guy Allison and Cliff Rehrig. While there, they also made appearances on two television shows; Jugate Conmigo and Ritmo De La Noche. The shows featured performances of ‘Lost In Love,’ ‘All Out Of Love,’ ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All,’ ‘Without You,’ and a new song ‘I’ll Be Thinking Of You.’ Air Supply was extremely popular in Argentina, where ‘The Earth Is...’ went to #1 and remained at that chart position for five weeks. The record sold over 40,000 units in just four weeks.

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'Air Supply Collection' & 'It's Not Too Late'

      On December 16, a Japanese hits collection, ‘It’s Not Too Late ~The Best of Air Supply,’ was released by Arista. The CD was manufactured by BMG Victor and featured 12 songs from 1980 to 1986, including the live version of ‘Late Again.’ Most of the tracks are from the early U.S. albums, and with the exception of ‘It’s Not Too Late’ and ‘Late Again,’ this hits collection is similar to most other compilations.

      BMG Records (Pilipinas), Inc. released a 16-track compilation CD in the Philippines called ‘Air Supply Collection.’ Like many of the Asian compilation CDs released in the early 90s it contained songs from 1980 to 1988, and included solo material from Russell Hitchcock.   

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Warner 15th Anniversary 1992

      Graham and Russell performed at the 15th Anniversary celebration for Warner Music at the Coliseum in Hong Kong. The event was televised and featured many Asian musicians and actors including Dicky Cheung, Alex To, Sally Yeh and Carina Lau. The Air Supply band did not make the trip but Graham and Russell performed ‘All Out Of Love’ and ‘Without You’ before a crowd of almost 12,000. Warner Music released the event on VHS and Laser Disc in Hong Kong along with a karaoke version.

最新评论

hitchcock 发表于 2013-3-8 10:48
译文: <转载请注明空气补给中文网>
      在乐队和Enigma的合同瓦解之后,Air Supply开始寻找另一个厂牌为他们的新专辑作发行。新专辑大部分已经完成因为Air Supply已经决定他们从内部融资,把专辑送去唱片公司发行。这意味着更长的录音时间,但也给了他们更多的制作自由。

      1990年,一个名叫Giant Records的新新品牌由华纳音乐和Irving Azoff共同创立。Azoff是过去的经纪人和MCA Records的主席,过去对唱片行业相当畏惧和厌恶。他经常提到这个词‘'Poison Dwarf’。华纳正在想办法创立另一个厂牌因为他们已经把Geffen Records卖给了MCA Music Entertainment。原本Azoff想要取名为Big Records,但是这个名字已经被人使用了。而Giant Records这个名字也已经在澳大利亚被Air Supply过去的制作人Peter Dawkins拥有,但是他同意把这个名字的使用权卖给Azoff。Giant Records的重心主要在Top 40和R&B,但也签约了以前老艺人如Steely Dan,Deep Purple,Brian Wilson和Kenny Rogers。在生涯的这个重要时刻,Air Supply完美的融入了这份名单,并且和Giant唱片公司签了一纸合约。WEA负责发行所有Giant Records在北美范围之外的唱片发行。有了Warner的支持,Air Supply现在终于能够完成新专辑并且在全球范围内宣传和发行了。

      Air Supply在1991年的幕后乐队是一群极具天赋的音乐家。7人巡演阵容,除了参与新专辑的录制包括了一些新的乐手。主音吉他是Kevin Curry,他在Jimmy Haun不在时和乐队一起参加了巡演。Haun,Michael Sherwood,Larry Antonino和David Young,他们和Graham一同谱写了几首新歌。Ralph Cooper依旧坐镇鼓手的位置,而Guy Allison也在巡演中演奏钢琴。

      3月1日,Air Supply过去的键盘手Frank Esler-Smith由于肺炎在澳大利亚墨尔本的家中去世。在rememberme.org这个网站上,Frank被列为患有艾滋病的乐手。Frank于1948年出生在伦敦,1961年移居墨尔本,在墨尔本大学进修音乐和教。他最早在Harry M. Miller的墨尔本演出Grease中任职,并且在Guys and Dolls的Total Theatre production中担任音乐指导。在1975年加入超级明星之前,Esler-Smith在墨尔本GTV-9电视台担任乐手,他曾经和一些当地和国际艺人合作,包括Gene Pitney和 Del Shannon。

      Frank在Air Supply中创造了许多弦乐编排,让乐队在80年代初流行。“这对我们来说是个莫大的损失。” Graham说。“他从一开始就和我们在一起。事实上,他在我们认识之前就已经在Superstar的面试中弹奏钢琴了。然后当我们录制了一张专辑后,他加入了我们乐队并且离开了Superstar。他是伟大的音乐家,钢琴家。但他最大的贡献却是把美妙的弦乐都编排在一起,就像 ‘Lost In Love’ 和 ‘All Out Of Love’ 中的编排一样。我们会永远想念Frank那迷人的弦乐的。”

      Air Supply在南美和北美的巡演跨越春季和夏季。新歌‘Dancing With The Mountain’ 展现了乐队更多成熟的一面。这也是乐队的新方向,和早先的专辑有所不同。Graham的创作有了更深层次的寓意,而不是过去简单的情歌。‘Dancing With The Mountain’ 这个标题是Russell在学滑雪时突然想到的。他的老师告诉他如果想学会花絮就必须想象着和大山一起跳舞。另一首歌 ‘Bread and Blood’ 是两位在Graham的朋友询问,关于爱能否穿越世俗禁忌之后所写。歌词的深度并不是意外而成,因为Graham 和Russell许多年来都迷恋超自然力量。

      在仅仅17岁的时候,Russell发现很难再世界上找到属于他自己的世界。 “我经常问自己为什么我会在这里,我怎么样才能逃离出去。” 他记得,“我经常就是不走寻常路。”  Russell总是在寻找生命的意义的答案。  Graham能够很轻松的体会到Russell的感受,因为他在20岁的时候就已经开始阅读相关的书了。“在我们之间总会有那些深奥的东西存在,甚至我们没有在一起读书。” Graham说,“我们都有过一些神秘的体验。而现在依然有。我们已经总结出了一些生命中的讯息,让我们走在正轨上。” Graham的神秘主义让他脖子上戴着老鹰头部形状的化石海象牙齿以求保护。“加入我们的身体倒下了,我们会打破四元素中的一个 - 土,空气,火,水。” 他说,“在这个神秘的世界里,我属于空气元素,因此是老鹰。你会觉得这很滑稽,因为没人会相信这些,但精彩的是。。。这全是真的。我会给你提示 - 我是属于空气,Russell也是。不需要说更多了,为什么我们会叫Air Supply?(空气补给)”  

      当乐队在歌词上有了新的风格时,他们的新形象也公布于众。80年代多彩的夹克被黑白色调的摇滚服饰取代。Russell穿了一件黑色短衬衫,他的纹身露了出来。Graham穿了一件黑白色外套,看起来像穿越与莎士比亚和维多利亚哥特风格。Graham在最近3年里花了相当多的时间创作罗宾汉音乐剧,并且在1991年依然工作着。

1991 Summer Tour Setlist
1. Dancing With The Mountain              8. Bread And Blood
2. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All    9. The Earth Is...
3. Here I Am                                      10. The One That You Love
4. Lost In Love                                   11. All Out Of Love
5. Stronger Than The Night                 12. Stand Up
6. Never Fade Away                           13. Without You
7. She’s Got The Answer

      7月23日,乐队在Giant Records的首张专辑,‘The Earth Is...’ 伴着首支单曲 ‘Without You’一起发行。专辑封面包含了乐队80年代早期著名的乐队标志艺术字体,这个举措一定是为了收回他们过去的成功。Air Supply在他们生涯中录制了不多的翻唱曲,但是这首新单曲对于Graham来说有着特殊的意味,因为这是在他女儿Samantha在1972年出生后他听到的第一首歌。“We were in Mexico in ’89, driving between shows and talking about the new album,” said Graham. “Out of the blue, I said to Russell, ‘I’d love to record ‘Without You’’. He misunderstood - he thought I meant without him. He turned to me and he said, ‘Really? What do you mean? What have I done?’ I said ‘No, the song - I want you to sing ‘Without You.’’”     

      ‘Without You’ 是英国摇滚乐队Badfinger在1970年发行的歌曲,但没有能够成功直到Harry Nilson在1971年录制了这首歌之后才流行。这首歌已经经过了无数次反常,但是Russell认为他们1991年的版本比大多数要好。 “这是首无可争辩的好歌,Badfinger的Pete Ham写的。”Russell说。“是Harry Nilson的金曲,但我也真的认为我们的版本是其中最好的。当我进入录音室录制这首歌的时候,我甚至没有意识到我已经唱过这首歌了。一切都暗了下来,我唱了这首歌。就像有人进来把我摇醒一样。” Air Supply的版本迅速进入了全美成人流行榜,第#48位。一次紧张的全美宣传巡演,包括了许多次在夜间电视上路面,但是这一切都没能说服电台在北美播放Air Supply的歌。8月,‘Without You’ 在日本排行榜爬到第#32位,并且保持了5周。

      专辑由Harry Maslin制作,Humberto Gatica混音,‘The Earth Is...’ 提供了一系列不同的声音。歌曲如 ‘Stop The Tears’, ‘Speaking Of Love’ 和 ‘Stronger Than The Night’ 都是经典的情歌,特别能够秀出Russell有力的嗓音。‘She’s Got The Answer’ 和 ‘Love Conquers Time’ 探索了男人和女人之间的情感问题,有着Air Supply标志性优美的和声。 ‘Dancing With The Mountain’和 ‘Dame Amor’ 增加了世界性的打击乐编排。 ‘Dame Amor’ (西班牙文,意为 ‘Give Me Love’) 由Russell和Graham用西班牙语无可挑剔的演绎,并且有优美的吉他和曼陀林伴奏。Russell说 ‘Dame Amor’ 原本有可能收录在他们早些的的Air Supply专辑中。Arista不允许这样。事实上,一开始那时Giant也对此有一些消极的反应。“但是我们最后决定把他收录进专辑中。” Russell说,“这才是Air Supply。‘Dame Amor’  写自几个月前我们在拉丁美洲巡演的时候,并且吸收了当地的特色音乐。”  Graham补充道,“我们在巴拉圭的酒店吃早餐,当你想去拿玉米片的时候发现有一支当地乐队在角落演出!到处都是美妙的节奏。”

      许多乐评人对于 ‘The Earth Is...’ 相当影响深刻,和Air Supply那不同的声音:
      ‘The Earth Is...’ Air Supply’s first album in five years, mixes influences from across the world. It’s a free-sounding album full of life and energy. And that’s no accident. Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell have worked hard to break out of the studio-driven ‘ballads-only’ mode and give Air Supply the sound they want. Success! ‘The Earth Is...’ is an album full of concerns for life, love and our planet. -  USA Today

      90年代初期的音乐环境被西雅图grunge音乐运动影响,诸如Nirvana,Alice in Chains和Soundgarden这样的乐队成为了主流。对于成人流行音乐的需求日益减少,这导致了 ‘The Earth Is...’ 在北美销量惨淡。但是乐评家对这张专辑确实好评,认为他走了正确的方向,展现出更成熟的一面。“我们还没有妥协,我们依旧保持着对我们的音乐的那份执着和纯真。” Graham说。“那是为什么我们能够坚持那么久的原因。整个音乐产业已经变了。当我们出道的时候,重点在艺术的完整性和创造性。过了那么多年,他成为了一种商业行为,金钱是第一的。。。现在的世界是快餐式消费。当初让我们成功的东西在现在看来都是落后的”

      尽管在北美的电台忽略,‘Without You’ 在南美,亚洲和欧洲部分国家电台收到了显著的播放率,Air Supply的流行从北美开始转移了。但是Giant唱片公司签约Air Supply意在把他们带回主流,重回电台,而不是放弃美国市场。之前的市场调查都成为了徒劳。‘Without You’ 在北美没能成功,而1994年Mariah Carey的翻唱版本取得了巨大成功。此后许多年Air Supply拒绝在北美演唱会上演唱 ‘Without You’ 。

      The Earth Is....live VHS电视录像带在3年后发行,但仅仅是在官方歌迷俱乐部内出售。这原本打算大规模发行。这张录影带包含了Graham 和 Russell的采访,加上在洛杉矶,台湾和委内瑞拉演唱会的花絮。很少的拷贝出售,这可能是收藏者最为抢手的物品。

  另一件罕见的物品是Sony/Epic Records在1991年发行的CD版本的 ‘The Whole Thing’s Started’ ,原先是1980年在日本用不同的封面发行的黑胶唱片。这是这张专辑第一次在CD格式上提供,很快成为了收藏者的抢手货。2002年,这张CD由Sony/Epic 在日本重制发行,但是这无法满足市场上的需求。这张CD在ebay上相当罕见,通常要卖到$75 - $100 (美元)。

      一张名为‘Air Supply Best’的合辑在新加坡由Hanyang Records Co., Ltd. 公司发行。包含了14首乐队在早期Arista时期时候的曲目,暗示了90年代初发行了相当多的Air Supply精选集的开始。

      The Rainbow Music Group是一家位于悉尼的小成本唱片公司,1989年它在CD(RCD 1118)上重制了Air Supply1976年的同名专辑。这是第一次也是唯一一次Air Supply的首张专辑用完全的原始歌本和插画转换成CD。Rainbow唱片公司专门负责把一些老唱片以低价格转换到CD格式上,成为了Rainbow Music系列。Rainbow在1991年再次在CD上重制了这张Air Supply首张同名专辑 。

       ‘The Earth Is...’ 中的第二支单曲 ‘Stronger Than The Night’ 在10月发行。歌曲体现出了Russell强有力的嗓音,并且伴随着单曲一直宣传MV一同发行。“我们做了够多的了。” Russell说,“在结尾处相当庞大,我觉得它的旋律太不可思议了 - 这是我们做过的最美的部分。我只是希望人们能够在演唱会上和我们一起共鸣。现在这首歌我们已经演唱了很多次了,而每次我们都能获得很棒的回应。” Graham补充,“它被选为第二支单曲是因为这可能是专辑中最能被接受的歌。相对于其他歌曲,这首歌更属于Air Supply的风格 - 其他的一些歌显得更极端一些。‘Without You’ 是首老歌,这是一首我们很想录的歌,因为我们都爱它。但是现在我觉得‘Stronger Than The Night’ 更加商业一些 - 这才是Air Supply。”

      Billboard杂志并不认为 ‘Stronger Than The Night’ 是具有排行榜潜力的新单曲,但是给予了他们有利的评论:
      这对澳大利亚双人组合标志性的声音依旧保持着完整性,甚至在6年暌违之后。戏剧性的,充满激情的抒情摇滚以他们浪漫的旋律对抗者当前的主流音乐环境

      不幸的是,这首歌和录影带被电台和电视忽略了。‘Stronger Than The Night’ 没能进入北美排行榜,由 ‘Without You’ 创造出的任何良好势头都远去了。这首歌在亚洲和南美做得更好,这也是帮助 ‘The Earth Is...’ 在那些地方获得白金唱片的重要原因。


      冗长的美国和加拿大巡演在10月继续演出,之后11月的佛罗里达演出全部被取消。持续的巡演让Russell的嗓子处于极限状态,他必须要求让他的嗓子得到休息。“我父亲是一位歌手,所以我可能遗传了他的一些东西。”Russell说。“加入我不是歌手可能我会更轻松一些,因为加入你感冒了,那还是能弹吉他的。但假如你是歌手,那就是关系到身体状况了。我真的必须很小心,我不能再折腾自己了。”   

     11月下旬,Air Supply开始在亚洲宣传他们专辑 ‘The Earth Is...’。乐队在东南亚的流行度没有像北美那样坠落的那么快,而且居然开始增加了。“我们在1981年第一次来到亚洲,但我们以为没人会喜欢我们的音乐。” Graham说。“我们觉得我们最多只会一般流行。但当我们到这里才发现,不一般啊。” 现在已经10年过去了,而且在新专辑 ‘The Earth Is...’ 发行后的一个月,已经在马来西亚卖除了1万2千张唱片,许多亚洲别的国家也据说卖掉差不多数量。 ‘The Earth Is...’ 从来没有在北美上过榜,但是却在超过20个国家获得金唱片,另有一些国家中获得了白金唱片。Air Supply现在是国际明星,过去在北美和澳大利亚已经走红。

      在亚洲的发行大会上,Russell 和 Graham反复地被追问新专辑的情况。在90年代初,拯救地球主题是否在音乐家们中间流行的? Graham称专辑有着更深的意味,而不仅仅是简单的希望拯救鲸鱼。“‘The Earth Is...’ 不是一个关于环境的专辑,” 他说。 “地球现在正在变得越来越小,太难分割了。我们不会说 ‘拯救虾’ 或者别的什么。我们试着让人们重新认识已经存在的东西。而不是关于你情我爱。我很想知道为什么政府都没有制止他们现在的行为,去拯救这个地球。反而去发动战争。”

      Russell和Paula的第三次婚姻在1991年走到了终点。他开始和一个来自加利福尼亚的女孩Rebecca Fields约会,他是一名现场音响师,他们都迷恋纹身。Russell在最近的4年里已经有了6个纹身,计划纹更多。“耶!我觉得这很有男性气概,看起来非常棒。” 他说,“我在菲尼克斯花了300美元在我的胸口纹身。上色后可能还要花600美元。”  Russell的其他纹身包括了一个古日本文字,译为 ‘beautiful song’ ,右肩上一个红色的心,他心型纹身下面他和Rebecca共享一个绿色的彼得潘。“当我告诉我妻子我要去纹身时她显得很兴奋。所以她说我可能也会去弄一个彼得潘的纹身。我说,‘那是一个好主意。’ 然后我做了。人们会因为你有纹身而觉得你很怪异,另类。我不认为这又什么不对的!” 当Russell找到了他的新欢Rebecca后,他不再着急结婚了,只是简单的因为 “太昂贵了”。

      Air Supply在1992年早先时候去亚洲继续 ‘The Earth Is...’ 巡演,乐队此时经历了重大的改组。贝斯手Larry Antonino没有加入巡演,所以来自加利福尼亚的Cliff Rehrig取代了他的位置。“他们举办了面试,而我去亚洲见了他们。”Cliff回忆到,“我已经为此想了好久了,无论是否我想去和他们一起巡演。” 讽刺的是Cliff发现现在他和Air Supply一起合作,因为10年前,他在音乐商店里见过Graham。“他的长发几乎要到他的脚了,所有的女人都为他疯狂。” Russell开玩笑道,“他是个很棒的贝斯手,而且又绅士。他人太好了,几乎像是不身处音乐圈的。” Jimmy Haun,Guy Allison,和Michael Sherwood还在Air Supply中。Michael Thompson一名临时吉他手,当Jimmy Haun不在的时候在Air Supply阵中演出。

      Mark Williams,他是美国著名作曲家John Williams的儿子,经常代替Ralph Cooper打鼓,他最近结婚并且在电脑行业中开始一番新天地。Ralph在1993年官方宣布离开Air Supply,决定开启新生活,巡演已经不在适合他了。他陪伴了Air Supply14年。“当我5岁时候我就对打鼓感兴趣了。” Cooper说,“我妈妈带我去看The Gene Krupa Story,他是个很棒的鼓手。在我童年时代快结束的时候我开始在乐队里演奏了。我经常在澳大利亚巡演,最后甚至加入了Air Supply [在1978年].在经过大约26年的巡演岁月之后,我觉得要花一年时间来修正,因为我觉得我快被耗尽了。我想我只需要休整一年就够了,我想要在我自己的IT业内干一阵子。然后我会去结婚。我真的觉得我可能会回来,或者加入另一支乐队,然后继续巡演,但是人生有时候会改变的”  

      Mark Williams取代Ralph成为Air Supply的全职鼓手。Graham在1988年第一次和Mark合作,在Sherwood计划中作为乐手。“事实上,我们之前在1984年Hartford演唱会上见过一次,那时我和Crosby, Stills and Nash一起演出。” Mark说,“Jimmy Haun那时推荐我,我说当然!”

      Air Supply在亚洲和南美的知名度显著增长,歌迷来信踊跃。Mackie Mann是Mail Mann歌迷来信服务的副合作人,他们依然在处理所有的Air Supply歌迷来信,她注意到日本,俄罗斯,德国,波兰,瑞士和数个南美国家的歌迷来信剧烈增长。甚至受到了来自瑞典的一名歌迷的来信。“亲爱的Air Supply成员们:我爱你们的音乐。我需要你们的音乐。我真心尊重你们的音乐。” Mackie说他的64位客户,美元按照来信量支付$75 和 $1,000一个月,而只有少数,像Air Supply这样,她能够记起名字。“其中一个原因就是有些明星在电视上说,‘我读过每一封信。’” 她说,“因为歌迷认为这些回复是明星亲自回复的,我不想让他们知道其中任何区别。” Air Supply让歌迷们了解到他们使用了邮件服务,尽管不是每封信都会被阅读。

      1992年大多时候乐队都在巡演,Russell在回到家经历洛杉矶暴乱发生后做了一个重大的改变,警察参与殴打Rodney Kingwhich,这说服了Russel是时候离开这里了。所以他和Rebecca一起搬到了亚利桑那Flagstaff。“是时候离开了,所以我搬到了被亚利桑那去了。” Russell说,“我住在山上,伴着肮脏的小路。有自来水通道我的屋子里。不是很原始,但也不像城市里那样。因为我们有太多的旅行,大多都去那些亚洲和南美的大城市,这样回家才会变得更有趣。我一辈子都生活在城市里。我出生在墨尔本Brunswick,有很浓的城市氛围。我们现在住的地方很宁静祥和。冬天当你出门时,你耳边能听到的只有微风的声音。没有交通噪音,什么都没有。我屋子周围50英尺只有满是松鼠的广阔的国家森林。这里有各种野生动物,麋鹿,鹿,土狼,熊和金花鼠。这里重燃了我对世界的兴趣。”

      ‘The Earth Is...’中的第三支单曲 ‘Stop The Tears’ 发行,但是没能上榜。Giant伴随歌曲发行了音乐录影带,Russell和Graham在沙漠场景中歌唱。

      在90年代早期,电视录影带依然相当流行,澳大利亚EMI发行了一盒VHS名叫 ‘Greatest Hits’ ,包含了11首Air Supply的音乐视频。EMI被授权可以使用Arista和CBS的影像,所以最近Giant发行的(‘Stronger Than The Night’ 和 ‘Stop The Tears’)没有包括在内。这份录像带只有在澳大利亚发行,这使得它成为了一件十分罕见的藏品。对于影像的需求由于2001年Definitive Collection DVD的发行而变得逐渐降低。不管怎样,‘Greatest Hits’ VHS是唯一官方发行包含有乐队第一支金曲 ‘Love and Other Bruises’ 和鲜有所见的‘Bring Out The Magic’的录像带。

      92年的巡演在夏季回到了北美,Air Supply大多数都表演了不插电的歌曲。就像1990年的不插电巡演一样,Russell 和 Graham得到了两位乐手的支持:贝斯手Cliff Rehrig和键盘手Wade Preston。这给与了如 ‘Lost In Love’ 和 ‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All’全新的感觉。在Air Supply夏季巡演的间歇,Russell在美国中西部预定了一系列个人演出。‘他1988年的个人生涯尝试以完全的失败告终,但是他最近单曲 ‘Swear To Your Heart’的成功给了他以希望。尽管在电视和电台上的宣传巨大 (Dick Clark’s Countdown America spotlight), Russell的演唱会都在最后时刻被取消,由于惨淡的门票销量。

      在夏季巡演期间,Graham已经写了好几首新歌,Air Supply也已经预演了好几首。而新歌特别是专辑 ‘The Earth Is...’ 中的歌曲反响并不太强烈,歌迷们更喜欢经典老歌。一首比较出彩的新歌是 ‘It’s Never Too Late’,Air Supply开始在亚洲巡演中表演这首歌,很快成为了观众的最爱。“我们总是会在演唱会上试着演唱新歌。” Graham。“假如反响热烈, 我们知道这首歌很棒,马上我们就会去进录音棚录歌。” 另一首新歌 ‘I Remember Love’,没有从歌迷这里得到相同的反应,但这缺是另一首经典Air Supply风格的歌。“新专辑有着各种风格的素材。” Russell说。 “没错,这是Air Supply最初的设想。伴随着不同类型的音乐,很容易让我们挑选歌曲来录制,因为这是我们现在所想的。但是我们过去从来没有做过。正确与否,我们总是在坚持自己的风格。我们准备在9月录制我们下一张专辑。这将是我们第14张专辑 - 我们赶超了芝加哥乐队。”

      北美巡演被认为是成功的,尽管乐队不再在舞台大小的场地上表演了。乐队大多都在2到3千人座位的剧院和盛会上演出。并非每场演出都售完票,但是Air Supply在北美歌迷中依旧保持着忠诚,尽管他们已经几乎不在电台上出现了。在加拿大,Air Supply在1991和1992年在Ontario Place Forum上演出,两场演出都位列年度10佳演出,那个场馆能够容纳最多10,500名观众。直到1992年末,‘The Earth Is...’ 已经悄无声息得在全球售出了50万张。

      许多合集CD于1992年在全世界范围内发行。第一张是由Arista和BMG联合发行的专辑 ‘Love Songs’。BMG在亚洲的势力很大,他们更考虑Air Supply在那里的知名度。‘Love Songs’ 在台湾发行,包含了乐队在1980年到1988年间的14首歌曲和Russell的个人专辑中的歌曲。而 ‘I Can Wait Forever’ ‘Love Is All’ 和一些知名度不高的歌曲诸如 ‘Tonight’ 和 ‘I’ll Never Get Enough Of You’使得这张专辑更令人感兴趣。然而没有任何一首1985年同名专辑中的歌曲依然是个谜。

      Air Supply在台湾的流行度相当高,于是第二张精选集也在同年发行。再次由Arista/BMG发行,‘Greatest Hits Vol.3’ 基本是遵循 ‘Love Songs’ 的歌曲而不是1985年的‘Greatest Hits Vol.2’ 。‘Love Songs’ , ‘Greatest Hits Vol.3’ 这两张合集都包含了一些知名度较低的歌曲诸如 ‘Time For Love’ ,‘You’re Only In Love’, ‘My Best Friend’ 和歌迷的最爱‘One More Chance’。14首歌曲中的大多数都选自80年代后半程,而他们大多数精选集都针对了乐队早期的歌曲。今天,这两张台湾发行的CD都相当难寻觅,迄今也罕有合集有如此混杂的曲目单。

      10月,Graham和Russell去台北,作为MTV亚洲的代表在Star TV’s一周年纪念演出上表演。他们演唱了不插电版本的 ‘All Out Of Love’和 ‘The Earth Is...’。这场演出在亚洲和中东部分国家播出,超过5亿人收看。

      EMI Music Group澳大利亚制作发行了CD版的‘Air Supply Greatest Hits’ ,使用全新包装。14首金曲大多瞄准澳大利亚市场,因为专辑包含了澳大利亚的单曲‘Bring Out The Magic’ 和‘Love and Other Bruises’。这张CD于2003年和2007年由Pid Records再版发行,让这张专辑对于收藏者来说更容易寻觅。

      The Rainbow Music Group发行了21首歌的双CD专辑‘Feel The Breeze’。这张双CD澳大利亚发行的专辑并不是一张精选集,而是一张Air Supply的最初在CBS旗下录制的两张专辑的合辑。这张套装刚好在Rainbow公司重制发行CD版的Air Supply1976年同名专辑后的一年发行,但CD版本的乐队早期专辑的需求量依然十分巨大。这份套装很快一首而空,这对于收藏者来说是个相当难收集的物品。

      11月,Air Supply一行7人前往阿根廷在Brahma Beer公司的私人派对上表演。乐队阵容包括了Ralph Cooper,Jimmy Haun,Wade Preston,Guy Allison和Cliff Rehrig。那里他们也登上了两档电视节目:Jugate Conmigo和Ritmo De La Noche。他们表演了 ‘Lost In Love’, ‘All Out Of Love’,‘Making Love Out Of Nothing At All’, ‘Without You’ 和一首新歌 ‘I’ll Be Thinking Of You’ 。Air Supply在阿根廷相当流行,在那里‘The Earth Is...’登上了排行榜冠军,并且保持了5个星期。专辑在短短4周内卖掉了4万份。

      在12月16日,一张日本发行的精选集由Arista发行,长长的标题叫 ‘It’s Not Too Late ~The Best of Air Supply’ 。这张CD由BMG Victor制作发行,包含了1980年到1986年间的12首歌,并且包含了现场版本的 ‘Late Again’ 。大多歌曲都选自早期美国专辑,除了 ‘It’s Not Too Late’ 和 ‘Late Again’ 。这张精选集在歌曲选择上和大多数别的合辑类似。

      BMG Records (菲律宾), Inc. 在菲律宾发行了16首歌曲的精选集CD名叫 ‘Air Supply Collection’ 。和其他90年代在亚洲发行的精选集CD相似,歌曲选自1980年到1988年间,包含了Russell的个人专辑中的歌曲。

      Graham和Russell也受邀在香港Coliseum上为华纳15周年纪念演唱会演出。这场盛会在电视上播出,受邀者包括了许多亚洲音乐家和演员,有张卫健,杜德伟,叶倩文和刘嘉玲。Air Supply乐队并没有一同前往,Graham和Russell在1万2千名观众面前表演了 ‘All Out Of Love’ 和 ‘Without You’ 。华纳音乐在香港发行了VHS和LD版本的录影带和卡拉ok带。






russellper 发表于 2013-3-27 09:05
The earth is...是我最喜欢的专辑,个人感觉这张专辑就像教科书一样经典,无论从演唱还是编排方面。
hitchcock 发表于 2013-3-27 13:04
russellper 发表于 2013-3-27 09:05
The earth is...是我最喜欢的专辑,个人感觉这张专辑就像教科书一样经典,无论从演唱还是编排方面。

是Air Supply花大心思想要重回主流世界的尝试~至少专辑在世界范围内是成绩不错的。我觉得至少是90年代最强的一张专辑了。
hitchcock 发表于 2015-2-6 20:40
大图和更新资料已经更新完毕!
141SFS 发表于 2015-11-25 13:24
The Earth is和The Vanishing Race一生推!
hitchcock 发表于 2015-11-25 17:55
141SFS 发表于 2015-11-25 13:24
The Earth is和The Vanishing Race一生推!

你回帖把我文章的顺序打乱了。
141SFS 发表于 2015-11-25 22:47
hitchcock 发表于 2015-11-25 17:55
你回帖把我文章的顺序打乱了。

哈哈不好意思

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