The Farr Side: Air Supply shows the power of love songs

Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock are just one year away from celebrating their 50th anniversary recording and playing music together. These guys, better known as the band Air Supply, have created a sound and a legacy that has taken them to all points of the globe.

Their brand of popular music and timeless love ballads have made them one of music’s most popular touring bands for decades. In fact, Air Supply is out on tour again this year with a show appropriately titled “The Lost In Love Experience.” The band will play at the award-winning Blue Gate Performing Arts Center in Shipshewana, Ind., on Friday, March 15. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at thebluegate.com.

I’m a huge lover of music and growing up in the '80s afforded me the luxury of enjoying some of the best music ever recorded. This band is one of my all-time favorites.

I’m often asked by readers of this column what was the first album I ever owned. Truth be told, it was a cassette copy of Air Supply’s “Greatest Hits” given to me by my parents for Christmas. I loved every song on it and knew the words to each one. I always thought Russell Hitchcock had one of the greatest voices in rock 'n' roll. No other male artist could hit some of the notes that Hitchcock could achieve.

Like most great pairings in rock and roll, Russell and Hitchcock met and instantly bonded. The two stars lived in Australia and met during rehearsals for “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

The guys would perform at nightclubs, coffee shops and any other gathering spot to perform. Russell would play guitar and harmonize with Hitchcock. Performing well-known tracks by other artists and some originals written by Hitchcock, they created a buzz.

CBS Records took interest and soon they began making a bigger splash in their native Australia. Then, they got a break opening for Rod Stewart in Australia, the U.S. and Canada. After the tour they recorded the song “Lost In Love,” which uickly became a Top 10 song. The song also caught the attention of Clive Davis at Arista Records in New York.

Davis had an ear for talent. This man knows how to pick them — i.e. Barry Manilow, Melissa Manchester, Whitney Houston and Alecia Keys to name a few. Under Davis in 1980, “Lost In Love” became the fastest-selling single in the world. The band’s follow-up, “All Out Of Love,” was even a bigger hit.

So, for two guys who loved to talk about their love for the Beatles, they would see their names in a similar setting. Air Supply quickly amassed seven consecutive top-five singles which tied the Beatles’ record.

Album after album including “Lost In Love,” “The One That You Love,” “Now And Forever” and “Air Supply Greatest Hits” have sold over 25 million copies. But, their singles have long been hits, even decades after their chart domination days in the '80s.

Songs like “All Out Of Love,” “Every Woman In The World,” “Lost In Love,” “Here I Am,” “The One That You Love,” “Sweet Dreams,” “Two Less Lonely People In The World,” “Even The Nights Are Better” and “Young Love” have become part of the fabric of our lives. But, for me, it has always been their song “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All” that has remained one of my all-time most favorite songs. I put that song into a class all its own. Hitchcock’s vocals can’t be matched no matter how hard others have tried to duplicate them.

I’ve had the luxury of seeing Air Supply in the past. I was blown away by the fact that many years have gone by, but this music can still have the power to move people and have the same impact. It’s an experience — a “Lost In Love Experience.”

— David T. Farr is a Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: The Farr Side: Air Supply shows the power of love songs