Airplay (album)

Airplay
Studio album by Airplay
Released	1980
Recorded	1979 – 1980
Genre	AOR pop rock
Label	RCA
Producer	Jay Graydon David Foster

Airplay is the eponymous debut and only studio album by American band Airplay. The project was created by David Foster and Jay Graydon in 1979 after working on many sessions together starting in the mid 1970s.^[1] They started writing songs that would inevitably end up on the album as early as 1978, such as "After the Love Has Gone", which was recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire that same year (the original title for the track was "After the Love Is Gone", which is the title they used on this album).^[2][3]

Background

In a 2005 interview, David Foster recalls: "We started working together. I think it's actually Jay's idea to do an album. Back in the '70s, we were both studio musicians. And Jay figured out before I did that we can be more than just studio musicians. So it was his idea that we should do an album together. And that was even before we had a singer. You were gonna be the only singer in the beginning."^[4]

Graydon added: "There's more than that. We were on a date with Maurine McGovern, I think, at the Dawn Breaker studios. David came up with the start for "Should We Carry On," and as soon as the session was over, we went over to my house. I can't remember if it was 8 tracks or 16 tracks. I don't remember. Anyway, we demoed the song up."

Foster continued: "I can only speak for myself, but I never felt myself as an artist. Even with Airplay, it felt like just 2 musicians making a record. And we had no idea that we would have any impact really. I never really believed that we would be successful as artists. Even when we were shooting the album cover and all that, It felt weird that we were actually trying to be the real artists."

Graydon noted that they were highly influenced in their decision to form the group by Toto, who, as session musicians, had formed a similar group a few years earlier in 1977 (members of Toto also contributed to this album). He notes: "Yeah, it made us jealous. We wanted the same thing they had. They were studio guys, why can't we have that? [But] they had more accessible tunes. We got too musical."

Production

"Stranded"

In the same interview, background vocalist Tom Kelly recalls: "Jay played me the track for "Stranded" when I was at his studio singing background vocals for one of his projects. He explained that he and David had written this power track and asked if I could finish the song by coming up with a melody & lyrics. I remember Jay had one line he wanted in the song..."and I don't know how I'll ever survive.” OK, here's a challenge... I was a budding songwriter at the time, but I had never written a melody and lyrics to a track. I always wrote melodies and chords together. Later with Billy Steinberg, I wrote melodies and chords after he started a lyric, but I had never started with a track. It was such a strong, driving track that I immediately got inspired and wrote the whole thing very quickly. The boys were pleased, and Tommy Funderburk and I sang the vocals soon after. Those were fun, productive times."^[4]

"Nothin' You Can Do About It"

Graydon recalls Jeff Porcaro's drum part on the track: "Absolutely. Nobody could play that groove. Jeff thought he couldn't play a shuffle. I mean it's a funk shuffle, but still a shuffle."

Foster asks about the horns on the track, to which Graydon responds: "We started at midnight and went until 6 am. That was the only time with Jeff. 3 trumpets and 3 trombones. [I programmed an] ARP 2600. I didn't use the click. I'm sure we didn't."

American vocal group The Manhattan Transfer recorded a version of the song on their 1979 album Extensions, produced by Graydon.

In reference to their version, Graydon notes: "You know it's funny, I think I sounded way better than Alan, and he's a singer. I gave the arrangement with Greg and they used synth horns."

Cover art

Graydon talks about the cover art and photoshoot in the same interview: "First of all, here we are making a record. And the pictures was a perfect example. It was 110°F out in middle of the summer. My hair melted. I didn't have a comb or mirror, and I let it slide. l let the picture go on there as weird as it was, because I thought, "Who would give a shit. Whatever." You know? And yeah, I wouldn't fly back then, so how were we going to promote the thing being scared to death about lying. It was a joke."^[4]

They shot the photos at the Hollywood Burbank Airport and used Earth, Wind & Fire's Bicam airplane that was used on their tours.

Track listing

Personnel^[5]

• Jay Graydon – lead vocals (2, 4, 5, 9), guitar (all tracks), guitar solo (1)
• David Foster – keyboards (all tracks), background vocals (9), horn arrangement (5)
• Tommy Funderburk – lead vocals (1, 3, 6-8, 10), background vocals (2, 4)
• Bill Champlin – lead vocals (10), background vocals (9)
• Tom Kelly – background vocals (1, 8)
• Max Gronenthal – background vocals
• Jeff Porcaro – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 8-10)
• Mike Baird – drums (3, 6, 7)
• Steve Lukather – rhythm guitar (6)
• Ray Parker Jr. – rhythm guitar (4), background vocals (4)

• David Hungate – bass (all tracks)
• Steve Porcaro – synthesizer programming
• Pete Robinson – synthesizer programming
• Jerry Hey – trumpet & flugelhorn, horn arrangement (4, 8, 10)
• Gary Grant – trumpet
• Steve Madaio – trumpet
• Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
• Charlie Loper – trombone
• Lew McCreary – trombone

Production^[5]

• Jay Graydon – producer, recording engineer, mixing engineer
• David Foster – producer, engineer
• Bobette Graydon – production manager
• Keith Olsen – engineer
• Humberto Gatica – engineer
• David DeVore – second engineer
• Mark Linett – second engineer
• Bernie Grundman – mastering engineer
• Tim Bryant – art direction, design
• Bob Seidemann – photography
• Marge Meoli – A&R coordination

References