Air Supply was in a steady decline by the time the band returned to the studio for their 1986 album, Hearts In Motion. Their prior album would be their last gold release, and from there sales, as well as charts, would fair worse. Also by this point, the two founders, Russell Hitchcock, and Graham Russell were the only credited remaining members.
Hearts In Motion wouldn't track well with critics and fans, having only one minor hit, Lonely Is The Night, which piqued at 76. As for me, I only picked up the album because it seemed silly that it was the only one from them in the 80's that I didn't have. Did I want it? No. Not at all. But, it was cheap, in comparison to the others, so I grabbed it to essentially fill a hole.
Historically, I find a way somehow of really liking the albums from artists that did the worst in their careers. Maybe this is because the material is relatively fresh, having not been subjected to steady radio rotation, or possibly being true diamonds in the rough. However, that has typically also been with artists I like a lot, such as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, etc. Air Supply is not among that honor, but I'll be optimistic as I dive in.
The inevitable ballad does come, and yes, for me, they're skippable. On the whole, there are no hits to be found on Hearts In Motion. However, it's not a bad album. What stood out the most was how the mediocre nature of it still resonated better than the lackluster impressions of previous albums.
Air Supply would have one final entry in the decade, 1987's The Christmas Album. This, while technically a studio release, is one I'm going to skip for now. I own it, it's just not the time of year that I want to fire it up. Career wise, it was their last obligation to label Arista. They would return in 1993 with their twelfth studio release, The Vanishing Race, and while they would frequently change labels from there, released period new material through 2010's Mumbo Jumbo.
Despite my personal opinions, there's no doubt this "sissy rock" group made a major impact over the many decades they were active. They have their ensemble of hits, good ones, nay, great ones, and I appreciate and respect that. Though every song in their massive catalog may not be for me, I'm still glad to own their complete studio run for the 80's. They're a must have on my shelf.
For now, our journey with Air Supply ends.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS May 30, 1981 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS May 30, 1987 |
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