FINAL COUNTDOWN/VINYLE NOIR AUDIOPHILE 180GR

Description

The huge success of ‘The Final Countdown’ single and album undoubtedly took the world by storm. Who amongst us could have imagined that a hitherto obscure Swedish hard rock band would be given the reach and fortune to so easily elevate their profile to the level of international superstar. It was a turn of events that reinforces the notion that anything is possible, provided the stars are aligned and the songs are undeniable. ‘Europe’ formed in the late 70s, initially under the name ‘Force’, before signing a recording deal with CBS and taking on the ‘Europe’ name. They had, as Europe, recorded two very well received albums in their native Sweden, but were then taken under the wing of CBS in New York, which encouraged the band to pull out all the stops for their third album. This is actually something of a Cinderella story (albeit seven years in the making) and they grasped the opportunity to craft one of the greatest melodic hard rock albums of the 80s. Upon release, the record faced slow progress, but the title track gradually started to gain traction around the world, hitting number one in several territories, selling over three million copies of the album in the US alone. Produced by Kevin Elson (Journey, Mr Big) and released in March 1986, the album contains a selection of concise and extremely well written tracks, including the highly infectious ‘Rock The Night’, ‘Cherokee’, ‘On The Loose’ and the glorious power ballad ‘Carrie’. Of course, it’s the indelible mark left by the title track by which the album will be best remembered. Also don’t miss John Norum’s amazing guitar work.