Europe (band)
Europe | |
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Europe live in Stockholm, Sweden (2016) |
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General information | |
Genre (s) | Hard rock , glam metal |
founding | 1979 as Force , 2004 |
resolution | 1992 |
Website | www.europetheband.com |
Founding members | |
Joey Tempest | |
John Norum | |
Tony Reno (until 1984) | |
Peter Olsson (until 1981) | |
Current occupation | |
Vocals, rhythm guitar |
Joey Tempest (1979–1992, since 2003) |
Lead guitar |
John Norum (1979–1986, since 2003) |
bass |
John Levén (1981–1992, since 2003) |
Mic Michaeli (1984–1992, since 2003) | |
Drums |
Ian Haugland (1984–1992, since 2003) |
former members | |
bass |
Marcel Jacob (1981) |
Lead guitar |
Kee Marcello (1986-1992) |
Drums |
Tony Reno (1979-1984) |
bass |
Peter Olsson (1979-1981) |
Europe is a Founded in 1979, Swedish hard rock - band . The group achieved their greatest success in 1986 with the song The Final Countdown and the accompanying album. After the dissolution in 1992, Europe came together again in 2004.
history
Europe was founded in 1979 and was initially called "Force". In contrast to many other Swedish hard'n-heavy groups, the lyrics of the band were not written in Swedish , but in English . From the very beginning, Joey Tempest was almost entirely responsible for the songwriting . On the occasion of participation in a talent competition, the group renamed itself in 1982 to "Europe". As the winner of this competition, Europe received a recording contract with the Swedish record label Hot Records. This released the debut album Europe in 1983 , which reached number 8 in the Swedish album charts and achieved a respectable success. This was followed by a tour of Scandinavia and Japan, as well as the single release Seven Doors Hotel .
A year after the release of the debut album, the second album Wings of Tomorrow was released . In addition, the band appeared on a nationwide educational film for schools called On the Loose, represented by their singer Joey Tempest . For the film, Europe wrote the song Rock the Night in addition to the theme song , which is included again in a rearranged version on the third album. As part of the Swedish Metal Aid , the musicians appeared for charitable purposes. The album helped Europe break through in Japan. Founding member and drummer Tony Reno is said to have not been up to the success and was replaced in 1984 by Ian Haugland. In the same year Mic Michaeli became a permanent keyboarder member of Europe.
In late 1985 the band signed a contract with Epic Records . The third album The Final Countdown was developed by Kevin Elson produced , the so far with bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd , Journey and Night Ranger had worked. The pre-single The Final Countdown was released in February 1986, with which Europe achieved the worldwide commercial breakthrough. The single reached number 1 on the charts in 26 countries and sold around 7.8 million times in the first two years. The album of the same name followed in the summer, was also a commercial success and sold around seven million times worldwide.
Guitarist John Norum left the band during the first part of the European tour through Scandinavia. It was officially declared that, from his point of view, the musical demands did not correspond to such commercial marketing. It later became known that Joey Tempest's supremacy within the band is said to have caused Norum to leave. He has been replaced by Kee Marcello (from Easy Action). In the winter and spring months of 1987/1988 Europe wrote the follow-up album Out of this World , produced by Ron Nevison (including Heart , Survivor , UFO ). Released in 1988, the album only sold around two million times, which was considered a failure given the high expectations. This is attributed to the lack of an anthem like The Final Countdown . The subsequent European tour for the album took place in half empty halls, and the singles Superstitious , Let the Good Times Rock and Open Your Heart only sold moderately. With Def Leppard , Europe also went on tour in the United States . The highlight was a concert in front of 60,000 fans at the Bombay football stadium .
After test concerts under the pseudonym "Le Baron Boys", the next album, produced by Beau Hill and named Prisoners in Paradise , was released in 1991. This album also flopped, and the accompanying tour was just as badly attended as the one on the previous album. Europe played in Hamburg in front of only 1,500 fans. This failure is attributed to the fact that Europe did not manage to write a second super hit like The Final Countdown and to the image change that Europe had carried out in the mid to late 1980s. From the image of hard rockers, the band had developed into a pop rock band, the singer Joey Tempest was stylized as a swarm of girls, the band was reported less in music magazines and more in teen magazines like Bravo . This led the hard rock base to turn away from Europe. In 1992 the band broke up.
The band members devoted themselves to their solo careers in the following years. Joey Tempest released his first solo album in 1995, which John Norum was also involved in. Ian Haugland formed the band Trilogy, Kee Marcello Red Fun. In addition, John Levén, Ian Haugland and Mic Michaeli worked on two albums by Glenn Hughes and Brazen Abbot . Surprisingly, Europe performed at a New Year's concert in 1999/2000 in Stockholm harbor and played the band's biggest hits in front of a television audience. Both guitarists - John Norum and Kee Marcello - were on stage. At the same time, a new version of The Final Countdown appeared, which was placed in the European charts for the first time. Another three years later a double DVD was released.
With founding member John Norum on guitar, Europe announced the re-establishment in 2004, followed by the comeback album Start from the Dark . Despite positive reviews, it could not record any chart success outside of Sweden. The seventh album, Secret Society, followed in 2006 and, three years later, the eighth album Last Look at Eden , which entered the album charts for the first time since Prisoners in Paradise . During the 28th Vienna Danube Island Festival , Europe performed in front of over 80,000 concert-goers. In April 2012, the ninth studio album Bag of Bones was released .
Europe headlined the Sweden Rock Festival 2013 in Sölvesborg on June 7th and used the gig to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Scott Gorham played as a guest musician on the Thin Lizzy song Jailbreak with the group, while Michael Schenker supported them on the UFO title Lights Out . The concert was released on October 18, 2013 under the title Live at Sweden Rock - 30th Anniversary Show on double CD, DVD and Blu-ray Disc . In 2017 the band performed at the Wacken Open Air .
Discography
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | SE | |||
1983 | Europe | - | - | - | - | - |
SE8 (8 weeks) SE |
First published: March 1983
|
1984 | Wings of Tomorrow | - | - | - | - | - |
SE20 (6 weeks) SE |
First published: February 1984
|
1986 | The final countdown |
DE6th
gold
(39 weeks)DE |
AT5 (36 weeks) AT |
CH1 (37 weeks) CH |
UK9
gold
(37 weeks)UK |
US8th × 3
(78 weeks)US |
SE1 (18 weeks) SE |
First published: May 1986
|
1988 | Out of This World |
DE10 (15 weeks) DE |
AT16 (4 weeks) AT |
CH3
gold
(14 weeks)CH |
UK12 (5 weeks) UK |
US19th
platinum
(25 weeks)US |
SE1
platinum
(12 weeks)SE |
First published: August 1988
|
1991 | Prisoners in Paradise |
DE38 (8 weeks) DE |
AT32 (2 weeks) AT |
CH17 (9 weeks) CH |
UK61 (1 week) UK |
- |
SE9
platinum
(6 weeks)SE |
First published: September 1991
|
1993 | Europe 1982-1992 |
DE82 (7 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - | - |
First published: March 1993
|
1999 | Greatest Hits 1982-2000 | - | - | - | - | - |
SE47
gold
(2 weeks)SE |
First published: August 1999
|
2004 | Rock the Night - The Very Best of | - | - | - | - | - |
SE2
gold
(20 weeks)SE |
First published: February 2004
|
Start from the dark | - | - |
CH91 (1 week) CH |
- | - |
SE2 (7 weeks) SE |
First published: September 2004
|
|
2006 | Secret Society | - | - |
CH93 (1 week) CH |
- | - |
SE4 (4 weeks) SE |
First published: October 2006
|
2008 | Almost Unplugged | - | - | - | - | - |
SE23 (5 weeks) SE |
First published: November 2008
|
2009 | Last look at Eden |
DE31 (1 week) DE |
- |
CH29 (2 weeks) CH |
- | - |
SE1
gold
(22 weeks)SE |
First published: September 2009
|
2011 | Live! At Shepherd's Bush, London |
DE61 (1 week) DE |
- | - | - | - | - |
First published: June 2011
|
2012 | Bag of Bones |
DE26 (1 week) DE |
AT30 (2 weeks) AT |
CH18 (4 weeks) CH |
UK56 (1 week) UK |
- |
SE2
gold
(17 weeks)SE |
First published: April 2012
|
2013 | Live at Sweden Rock - 30th Anniversary Show |
DE66 (1 week) DE |
- | - | - | - |
SE18 (1 week) SE |
First published: October 2013
|
2015 | War of Kings |
DE23 (2 weeks) DE |
AT27 (1 week) AT |
CH6 (3 weeks) CH |
UK50 (1 week) UK |
- |
SE2 (5 weeks) SE |
First published: March 2015
|
2017 | Walk the Earth |
DE40 (1 week) DE |
AT28 (1 week) AT |
CH20 (3 weeks) CH |
UK69 (1 week) UK |
- |
SE2 (3 weeks) SE |
First published: October 2017
|
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | SE | |||
1985 | Rock the Night The Final Countdown |
DE17 (13 weeks) DE |
AT11 (16 weeks) AT |
CH6 (11 weeks) CH |
UK12 (9 weeks) UK |
US30 (13 weeks) US |
SE4 (6 weeks) SE |
First published: April 1985
|
1986 |
The Final Countdown The Final Countdown |
DE1 (21 weeks) DE |
AT1 (22 weeks) AT |
CH1 (19 weeks) CH |
UK1
gold
(16 weeks)UK |
US8 (18 weeks) US |
SE1 (8 weeks) SE |
First published: February 1986
|
Carrie The Final Countdown |
DE22 (11 weeks) DE |
AT15 (12 weeks) AT |
CH10 (6 weeks) CH |
UK22 (8 weeks) UK |
US3 (19 weeks) US |
- |
First published: August 1986
|
|
Cherokee The Final Countdown |
- | - | - | - |
US72 (10 weeks) US |
- |
First published: December 1986
|
|
1988 | Superstitious Out of This World |
DE21 (12 weeks) DE |
- |
CH9 (10 weeks) CH |
UK34 (5 weeks) UK |
US31 (13 weeks) US |
SE1 (5 weeks) SE |
First published: July 1988
|
Open Your Heart Out of This World |
- | - | - |
UK86 (3 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: October 1988
|
|
Let the Good Times Rock Out of This World |
- | - | - |
UK85 (2 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: December 1988
|
|
1991 | Prisoners in Paradise Prisoners in Paradise |
- | - | - | - | - |
SE8 (7 weeks) SE |
First published: September 1991
|
I'll Cry For You Prisoners in Paradise |
- | - | - |
UK28 (5 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: December 1991
|
|
1992 | Halfway to Heaven Prisoners in Paradise |
- | - | - |
UK42 (4 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: February 1992
|
1999 | The Final Countdown 2000 |
DE35 (6 weeks) DE |
- |
CH33 (6 weeks) CH |
UK36 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
SE6th
gold
(10 weeks)SE |
First published: December 1999
|
2004 | Got to Have Faith Start from the Dark |
- | - | - | - | - |
SE21 (6 weeks) SE |
First published: September 2004
|
2006 | Always the Pretenders Secret Society |
- | - | - | - | - |
SE2 (4 weeks) SE |
First published: October 2006
|
2009 | Last Look at Eden Last Look at Eden |
- | - | - | - | - |
SE50 (2 weeks) SE |
First published: June 2009
|
New Love in Town Last Look at Eden |
- | - | - | - | - |
SE15 (19 weeks) SE |
First published: September 2009
|
More singles
- 1983: Seven Doors Hotel
- 1984: Lyin 'Eyes
- 1984: Dreamer
- 1984: Open Your Heart
- 1984: Stormwind
- 1986: Love Chaser
- 1989: More than Meets the Eye
- 1989: Tomorrow
- 1993: Sweet Love Child
- 2004: Hero
Video albums
- 2013: Live at Sweden Rock: 30th Anniversary Show (SE:gold)
Awards for music sales
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Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
Country / Region | silver | gold | platinum | Sales | swell |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
|||||
Denmark (IFPI) | - | gold1 | - | 45,000 | ifpi.dk |
Germany (BVMI) | - | gold1 | - | 250,000 | musikindustrie.de |
Finland (IFPI) | - | - | platinum1 | 71,707 | ifpi.fi |
France (SNEP) | silver1 | 4 × gold4th | platinum1 | 1,650,000 | infodisc.fr snepmusique.com |
Italy (FIMI) | - | gold1 | - | 15,000 | fimi.it |
Canada (MC) | - | 2 × gold2 | 2 × platinum2 | 300,000 | musiccanada.com |
Netherlands (NVPI) | - | gold1 | platinum1 | 150,000 | nvpi.nl |
Norway (IFPI) | - | gold1 | - | 20,000 | ifpi.no ( Memento from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) |
Sweden (IFPI) | - | 6 × gold6th | 2 × platinum2 | 330,000 | sverigetopplistan.se |
Switzerland (IFPI) | - | gold1 | - | 25,000 | hitparade.ch |
Spain (Promusicae) | - | gold1 | 4 × platinum4th | 450,000 | mediafire.com |
United States (RIAA) | - | - | 4 × platinum4th | 4,000,000 | riaa.com |
United Kingdom (BPI) | - | 2 × gold2 | - | 600,000 | bpi.co.uk |
All in all | silver1 | 21 × gold21st | 15 × platinum15th |
literature
- Stratmann, Holger (Ed.): RockHard Enzyklopädie. 700 of the most interesting rock bands from the last 30 years . Rock Hard Verlag, Dortmund 1998, ISBN 3-9805171-0-1 , p. 110 f .
swell
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↑ a b Sources chart placements:
- Europe in the German charts at OfficialCharts.de
- Europe in the Austrian hit parade on AustrianCharts.at
- Europe in the Swiss charts on Hitparade.ch
- Europe in the Official UK Charts (English)
- Europe in the Swedish charts on SwedishCharts.com
- Europe in the US singles and album charts of Billboard Magazine
- The Billboard Albums by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
Web links
- Official website
- Europe at Allmusic (English)
- Europe at laut.de
- Europe at 45cat.com (English)
- Europe in Rate Your Music (English)
- Europe on Chartsurfer.de