Europe

Europe band is a Swedish rock group formed in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno. Since its formation, Europe band has released nine studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and nineteen videos. In 1982, Joey Tempest’s girlfriend entered Force in the Swedish rock talent contest. They won the contest thanks to two songs, “In the Future to Come” and “The King Will Return”. The reward was a record deal with Hot Records. Just before the contest, Force changed their name to Europe. The self-titled debut album was released the following year, and sold well both in Sweden and Japan. The album charted at number 8 in the band’s home country and the single “Seven Doors Hotel” became a Top 10 hit in Japan.

 

 

The second album Wings of Tomorrow was released one year later and the single “Open Your Heart” got interest from CBS Records who offered them an international contract in 1985. Keyboardist Mic Michaeli was soon recruited to play in live concerts, and became an official member of the band shortly after. At the same time, Tony Reno was replaced by Ian Haugland. In 1985 Europe recorded the soundtrack for the film On the Loose, which gave them the hit “Rock the Night”.

 

 

Epic Records helped Europe band start the recording of its next album with Journey producer Kevin Elson. The result was The Final Countdown. Album gave the band its international breakthrough, was certified Triple Platinum in the USA and reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. The title track, which was based on a keyboard riff composed by Tempest as early as 1981-82, was released as the first single and became a worldwide success, peaking at number 1 in 25 countries. The power ballad “Carrie”, “Cherokee” and a re-recorded “Rock the Night” were other hits from the album.

 

 

Not satisfied with the album’s keyboard-dominated production nor the band’s commercialized image, John Norum decided to leave Europe in November 1986 to pursue a solo career. Kee Marcello was asked to replace him, and after some consideration, he decided to join the band. The follow-up to The Final Countdown was entitled Out of This World and was released in 1988. The biggest hit from the album was “Superstitious” which peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. “Superstitious” would be the last Europe song to chart in the USA. The album was certified platinum in the States and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 chart.

 

 

In 1991, the album “Prisoners in Paradise” was released, but received limited attention due to the “boom” of the grunge movement. Although the sales were low compared to previous albums, the single “I’ll Cry for You” managed to hit number 28 on the UK charts.On New Year’s Eve 1991, Europe kicked off a new tour with a show at the Tokyo Dome, in which for instance Metallica also performed. The show was called “Final Countdown ’91”.

 

 

Europe decided to take a break at the end of the 1992 tour. In that time, Tempest and Marcello released solo albums whilst the other members participated in several different projects and bands. In return, Europe was dropped from Epic Records. The band members started to discuss the possibility of a Europe reunion in 1998… Source: Wikipedia.org

 

Discography:
1983 Europe Hot Records
1984 Wings of Tomorrow
1986 The Final Countdown
1988 Out of This World
1991 Prisoners in Paradise
2004 Start from the Dark
2006 Secret Society
2009 Last Look at Eden
2012 Bag of Bones

Current members:
Joey Tempest
John Norum
John Levén
Mic Michaeli
Ian Haugland