Las Vegas Weekly

March 3, 2010 · 6:01 PM

Air Supply celebrates 35th anniversary with Las Vegas recording

By Robin Leach

Air Supply in Vietnam.

Photo: Luck Media

They have become the world’s longest-lasting and top-traveling minstrels. Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock have wandered the world for 35 years, and now to celebrate the milestone, they’ve recorded their first studio sessions of original material in eight years, with many of them here in Las Vegas.

The master men of music who have been turning out the hits since the early 1980s make their debut on the Las Vegas-based Odds on Records with a 14-track musical odyssey about man’s search for meaning in a mythical parallel universe. The album is titled Mumbo Jumbo, and its infectious first single “Dance With me” ships to radio stations this month ahead of the album’s May 4 release.

Before settling down for studio sessions here, Graham and Russell had a whirlwind touring schedule that included the U.S., Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Israel, Brazil and Vietnam. They talked about that jet-setting schedule with me last September. This fall, the dynamic duo is inviting hundreds of loyal Airhead fans to celebrate their 35th year on the Air Supply and Friends at Sea Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas from Oct. 31 through Nov. 7.

Mumbo Jumbo was recorded at Graham’s home studio near Park City, Utah, and at Odds On with top Las Vegas musicians. The album was produced by Graham and engineered by Odds On’s Sean O’Dwyer, whose credits include Pink Floyd, Randy Newman and Blink-182.

“Because of our crazy touring schedule, the album took three years to complete,” Graham said. “Russell and I couldn’t be happier with the results. We came at it with the attitude of, ‘If this were the last album we ever made, let’s make sure it’s the best we can ever do.’ We worked really hard on the right song selection, strong vocals and arrangements. While sticking to our vow of never making an album unless we are convinced it has numerous potential hit singles, we also believe that we have emerged with our best overall collection to date.

“We had been releasing projects independently for a long time but felt that Odds On Records was the perfect match for us. They were looking to sign a band with a strong track record, and we felt they had the resources to help us launch a new project on a global scale. Russell and I were very committed to making Mumbo Jumbo a great recording.”

Among the duo’s fans are Ozzy Osbourne, who has attended their shows, and Al Pacino, who recently hung out here in a dark booth in the back of The Orleans where the duo performs regularly. Fans intrigued about the story that Graham penned to set the scene for the 14 emotion-laden tracks of Mumbo Jumbo can visit Air Supply’s Web site and read his fascinating 4,000-word story Mumbo Jumbo … A Story So Far.

Continually amazed at his partner’s prolific songwriting even after 25 studio recordings together, Russell said, “He always gives me the best songs to work with, and I couldn’t be happier. I am really amazed at how well he integrated the songs he wrote over a period of a few years into the big picture of the Mumbo Jumbo story. One of the reasons I think it’s our best album is that the songs still maintain melodic simplicity, but, lyrically, tracks like the title song are very deep. That’s what makes it work, the combination of great melodies, strong vocals and good storytelling. The album runs the gamut from incredible, thought-provoking ballads and the loud rocker ‘Me Like You.’

“As the lead singer,” he added, “the same thing motivates me with every project, and that’s the excitement I get responding to the maturity of Graham’s writing and rising to the challenge of delivering the best vocals I can. Because I hear the core of these songs for the first time just with guitar or piano and Graham’s voice. It’s always a pleasure to ultimately fulfill them with strong arrangements and full instrumentation. Because we usually only have four to five days at a time off the road to be in the studio, the achievement is all the more gratifying.”

“People who haven’t seen us before always leave a bit surprised, and in a wonderful way,” Graham said. “They may come to see us because of the old songs, but leave wanting to hear more new songs after the five or six we share with them. We like to say we are cushioning the new material with the classic stuff. But we’re not just a nostalgia act, and we like to think our music doesn’t have a time stamp on it. I’m the group’s songwriter and Russell, as the lead singer, has for over 30 years been an invaluable and genuine sounding board for the songs I write. If something isn’t up to par, he’ll let me know. But if it’s working and he says we need to record it, that he’d love to sing it, I know we’re on the right track.”

Russell added, “We had 12 songs recorded for the album, which to me seemed like plenty, but Graham came to me with two more he wanted to record, and I had an equally positive reaction to those. When he said, ‘OK, now we have everything we need,’ I knew instinctively that we had a finished project.

“Writing and recording new material is our lifeblood that keeps us fresh and excited. In concert, we know we raise eyebrows when we say we’re going to start playing new songs, but then we start, and the audience realizes how much love and care go into them. We’ve been around nearly 40 years and are not only holding our own out there but firmly believe, with albums like Mumbo Jumbo, that our best days are still ahead of us.”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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