Europe’s Best Albums – A Buyers’ Guide
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There’s an old adage in sport: that first is everything, and second is nothing. But for the members of Europe, being the second most famous group that came out of Sweden is a badge of honour; coming runner-up to ABBA is like coming second behind Usain Bolt in the 100 metres.
In a career that now spans 35 years, Europe have sold more than 20 million records. And while that’s small vodka compared to ABBA’s 380 million it’s still a phenomenal achievement for a band that was formed when singer Joey Tempest and guitarist John Norum were just 15 years old and bunking off school in their home town of Upplands Väsby to drink beer and listen to Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen and Thin Lizzy.
Originally named Force, the band was rechristened in tribute to Purple’s live album Made In Europe. Their first two albums – the self-titled debut in 1983, and Wings Of Tomorrow in 1984 – featured the quartet of Tempest, Norum, bassist John Levén and drummer Tony Reno. But in 1985 they found a new drummer, Ian Haughland, and keyboard player Mic Michaeli. The definitive line-up of Europe was established, and the first album they made together would transform them into major stars.
That album’s title track, The Final Countdown, hit number one in 25 countries in 1986. With its parping keyboard riff and fist-in-the-air chorus, it was one of the quintessential 80s rock anthems, and it remains the one song, above all others, that Europe will always be remembered for.
Success came at a price. John Norum exited in late ’86, feeling that the band had sold out. But in the end, it wasn’t fame or the rock’n’roll lifestyle that prompted Europe to split in 1992. It was the onset of grunge – the curse of so many 80s stars.
In the years that followed, Tempest made three solo albums. But in 2003, Europe reunited with Norum in their classic line-up. Since then, they have made six albums and they haven’t put a foot wrong – with 2009’s Last Look At Eden and 2012’s Bag Of Bones restoring their reputation as a classic heavy rock band. The band’s most recent album, 2017’s Walk The Earth, is rock-solid, with shades of latter-day Deep Purple in Wolves and a heavy epic in Turn To Dust.
And for Joey Tempest, the spirit of the band is still the same as it was when he was a kid. As he once said to Classic Rock: “The music we heard as teenagers is what’s coming out of us now.”
…and one to avoid
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