Bag of Bones (album)

Last updated
Bag of Bones
Europe Bag of Bones album.jpg
Studio album by
Europe
Released18 April 2012 (2012-04-18)
RecordedOctober 2011 – February 2012 at Atlantis Grammofon AB, Stockholm
Genre Hard rock, blues rock [1]
Length40:55
Label Gain (Scandinavia)
earMUSIC/Edel (Europe)
Victor(Japan)
Producer Kevin Shirley
Europe chronology
Last Look at Eden
(2009)		Bag of Bones
(2012)		 War of Kings
(2015)
Singles from Bag of Bones
  1. "Not Supposed to Sing the Blues"
    Released: 9 March 2012 [2]
  2. "Firebox"
    Released: August 2012

Bag of Bones is the ninth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 18 April 2012 in Japan by Victor Entertainment [3] and on April 25 in Sweden by Gain Music Entertainment. [4] Bag of Bones is the first Europe album to chart in UK Top 100 Albums since Prisoners in Paradise in 1991 and also entered in UK Top 40 Rock Albums at number 3. [5]

Contents

Background and recording

The band decided to work with Kevin Shirley after appreciating his production on Joe Bonamassa's song "Ballad of John Henry". Before they met him, they had prepared about 12–13 songs. [6]

Recording of the album began on 3 October 2011, and by the next day they band had recorded the first song for it, "Doghouse". By the end of the first week, they recorded two more songs. Between October 24 and October 27 they recorded overdubs and guitar solos; they officially wrapped up the album recordings on 27 October 2011. On 7 November 2011, Anton Fig came into the recording studio to record percussion on several songs on the album, while Joe Bonamassa recorded slide guitar on song "Bag of Bones". Band members were absent from the studio at this time. On November 13, Shirley finished the rough mixes of some of the songs on the album. Later on, the band decided to go in studio in early December to do some additional recordings, so that the album could be ready for Shirley to mix it in early January 2012. [7]

Tempest plays rhythm guitar on "Not Supposed to Sing the Blues" and in the intro and breakdown on "Doghouse". He also plays twelve-string guitar on "Bag of Bones". During the recording session, the band recorded four or five takes of each song. Later, Shirley listened to all of the recorded takes and pointed out the best one to the band. After a particular take was chosen, he overdubbed a rhythm guitar from another take to obtain an acoustic impression that there are two rhythm guitars playing simultaneously. The band used old analog recording equipment from the Sixties and the Seventies, but also recorded on a computer using Pro Tools. In January, Shirley started to mix the album in his home studio and finished the mixing by February 2012. [8]

Composition and lyrics

"Riches to Rags" originates from a riff composed by John Levén. He sent the riff to Joey Tempest and the latter finished the song in a music rehearsal space he rented in Shepherd's Bush, by adding a chorus of his own and writing lyrics are about forgetting the past, moving on and re-emerging. Tempest explained: "We’re not doing that anymore, this is what we are. We are expressing ourselves exactly the way we want. This is it. We’ve moved on, we’ve crossed the line and we’ve lost our minds, this is it, take it or leave it, like it or not”, you know, that's the attitude of the song. So that's ‘Riches To Rags'".

"Requiem" is an instrumental track composed by Mic Michaeli. Michaeli placed this piece of music while the band was recording in the studio and Shirley thought it would be a good idea to record the piece as an intro. Originally, the band had titled the track "Requiem for the 80's" and planned to use it as the intro to "Riches to Rags", but in the end they decided to use it as the intro to "My Woman, My Friend" instead.

"Not Supposed to Sing the Blues" was recorded in just one take. It was written as a tribute to the Sixties and all the musician who came from small places and turned the whole world upside down. It features references to Tempest's birth year, Jimmy Page, Malcolm Young, Angus Young and Elvis Presley. Like "Riches to Rags," it was written by Tempest in the music rehearsal space in Shepherds Bush.

"Firebox" was written late during the writing process for the album. It originated from a riff composed by Michaeli. He sent the riff to Tempest, who composed the verse, chorus and solo parts and wrote lyrics later on. Michaeli plays keyboards on this song, using samples from a real sitar.

"Bag of Bones" is another song Tempest wrote in the music rehearsal space he rented in Shepherd's Bush. He wrote it on his Fender Stratocaster guitar connected to a rented Marshall amplifier. He originally came up with a nursery rhyme structure in the beginning of the song and built it from there. The lyrics are about Tempest's exhaustion, which he felt after two and a half-year of touring, and also about the 2011 England riots which started in London. Those riots are referred to in the line "My city lies in ruins". The song also features Joe Bonamassa on slide guitar.

"My Woman My Friend" originates from a bass guitar riff composed by Léven. He sent the riff to Tempest, who originally had no idea on what to do with it. Then he decided to combine the riff with an old piece of music from his archives which included a chorus and little bridge. He later wrote lyrics for it, most of which were drafted during the recording sessions. The song is about spiritual love and trials and tribulations of relationships and staying together with the same person for a long time. The song also mentions how wonderful spiritual love can be, how miraculous it can be and how disastrous it can be. On the album, Levén's riff is being played in the intro and the outro of the song by Michaeli on piano.

"Demon Head" is a Deep Purple-influenced song.

"Doghouse" is the first song written for the album.

"Drink And a Smile" is the last song written for the album, after most of it was finished. Tempest came up with a melody, Michaeli played mandolin and they came up with a stomp progression. Later, the rest of the band joined in.

"Mercy You, Mercy Me" originates from a riff composed by John Norum. He played this riff to Tempest at a rehearsal and Tempest liked it. Shirley also said it would be a great idea to build the song around that riff, but at the time the band did not have a chorus for the song, so Shirley went outside for a fifteen-minute walk. By the time he came back, Tempest and Norum had composed wrote a chorus for the song and Shirley came up with a lyric: "I heard you sing something like 'rise up'" and suggested them to use that one, but Tempest had no time to finish it. He wrote lyrics later in the rehearsal space in Shepherds Bush, which were inspired by walking on the London streets and thinking about the reasons why people are either fortunate or sad.

"Bring It All Home" originates from a jam session between Tempest and Michaeli in San Francisco in 1990; New Love in Town also originated from the same session. Tempest got the inspiration for the lyrics while watching the film The Last Waltz (1978), the idea for this song being it would be the last song on the setlist that would be performed on the last Europe show. Lyrically, it is about saying "Thank You" to all the fans and people that supported them over their career. [8]

Release history

RegionDate
JapanApril 18, 2012 [3]
SwedenApril 25, 2012 [4]
United KingdomApril 30, 2012 [9]

Album information

On 12 July 2011, Europe confirmed that Kevin Shirley would produce the album. [10] "I've been a big fan of Europe's work for many years," said Shirley, "The band is influential and highly underrated. I can't wait to make the upcoming album their most explosive to date." [10] The recording sessions started on 3 October 2011. [10]

The album title was announced on 24 January 2012. [11] Drummer Ian Haugland said, "It's not [called 'Bag of Bones'] because we all have lost tons of weight or found a new interest in archeology or dogs... It's just because it sounds fuckin' cool!" [11]

Vocalist Joey Tempest stated, "With Bag of Bones we've made a hardcore classic rock record with the blues knocking on the door," and added, "This almost feels like a 'prequel' to our very first album, with a 2012 punch." [12]

In addition to being released as a CD and digital download, the album was also released as an LP. Tempest said, "With the new 'Bag Of Bones' cover, there is so much detail on it. It became a bit boring there for a while; everybody was thinking, 'CDs are small, so let's just make something simple.' But we have computers, so we can blow up the cover to use for posters and vinyl, so it's still worth going that extra mile to make great covers. And we're really happy we did that." [13]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]

James Christopher Monger from AllMusic gave the album 3 stars out of 5 stating that "Bag of Bones offers up some gems in the blistering Euro debt crisis opener "Riches to Rags," the neo-prog-pop of "Firebox," and the Bad Company-meets-Cinderella balladry of the moody title cut." [14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Riches to Rags" Joey Tempest, John Levén 3:05
2."Not Supposed to Sing the Blues"Tempest5:13
3."Firebox"Tempest, Mic Michaeli 3:46
4."Bag of Bones"Tempest5:31
5."Requiem" (Instrumental)Michaeli0:28
6."My Woman My Friend"Tempest, Levén4:25
7."Demon Head"Tempest, Levén, John Norum 3:58
8."Drink and a Smile"Tempest, Michaeli2:21
9."Doghouse"Tempest3:58
10."Mercy You Mercy Me"Tempest, Norum4:31
11."Bring It All Home"Tempest, Michaeli3:39
Japanese Bonus Track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Beautiful Disaster"Tempest3:57


Personnel

Europe
Additional personnel
Production
Cover art

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Sweden (GLF) [32] Gold20,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europe (band)</span> Swedish rock band

Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979, by lead vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson, and drummer Tony Reno. They obtained a major breakthrough in Sweden in 1982 by winning the televised competition "Rock-SM" ; it was the first time this competition was held, and Europe became a larger success than the competition itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Tempest</span> Swedish singer (born 1963)

Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson, known professionally as Joey Tempest, is a Swedish singer based in the UK. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Europe. He has written most of the band's biggest hit songs, including "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night", "Cherokee" and "Carrie".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mic Michaeli</span> Swedish keyboardist

Gunnar Mathias "Mic" Michaeli is a Swedish musician best known as the keyboardist for the rock band Europe. Like many of the other Europe members he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby. He joined the band for their Wings of Tomorrow tour in 1984, taking vocalist Joey Tempest's place behind the keyboards.

<i>The Final Countdown</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Europe

The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 30 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high positions in charts worldwide. It was recorded at Powerplay Studios in Zürich, Soundtrade Studios in Stockholm, Mastersound Studios in Atlanta and Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The Final Countdown is the first album to feature keyboardist Mic Michaeli and drummer Ian Haugland and the last to feature guitarist John Norum until 2004's Start from the Dark.

<i>Out of This World</i> (Europe album) 1988 studio album by Europe

Out of This World is the fourth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 5 August 1988 through Epic Records, the album was a commercial success selling over 3 million units worldwide, peaking at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 chart and reaching high positions in charts worldwide. It was recorded at Olympic Studios and Townhouse Studios, London, England. Out of This World is the first Europe album to feature former Easy Action and Noice guitarist Kee Marcello.

<i>Prisoners in Paradise</i> 1991 studio album by Europe

Prisoners in Paradise is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 23 September 1991 by Epic Records and spawned hits such as the title track, "Prisoners in Paradise" and "I'll Cry for You". The album did not chart in the US, which is unusual for a major label follow-up to two recent (multi)platinum albums. Prisoners in Paradise is the last album to feature guitarist Kee Marcello.

<i>Start from the Dark</i> 2004 studio album by Europe

Start from the Dark is the sixth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 22 September 2004 by Sanctuary Records. It was the band's first release since reforming in 2003, the first original album of all-new material since 1991's Prisoners in Paradise, and the first album to feature the band's original guitarist John Norum since 1986's The Final Countdown.

<i>1982–1992</i> (Europe album) 1983 compilation album by Europe

1982–1992 is a compilation album by the Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1993 by Epic Records. Vocalist Joey Tempest chose the songs for this album. The album reached the top 10 in France compilation charts in April 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Final Countdown (song)</span> 1986 single by Europe

"The Final Countdown" is a song by Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1986. Written by lead singer Joey Tempest, it was based on a keyboard riff he made in the early 1980s, with lyrics inspired by David Bowie's "Space Oddity". Originally made to just be a concert opener, it is the first single and title track from the band's third studio album. The music video by Nick Morris, made to promote the single, has received 1 billion views on YouTube. The video features footage from the band's two concerts at Solnahallen in Solna, as well as extra footage of the sound checks and footage from Stockholm. The song "Pictures", from the 2017 album Walk the Earth, is a sequel to "The Final Countdown".

<i>Secret Society</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Europe

Secret Society is the seventh studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 25 October 2006 by Sanctuary Records. "We think it's one of the strongest albums that Europe has ever done," vocalist Joey Tempest said, "There is definitely some more melodic stuff on this one. Start from the Dark was very raw and made a statement, which is cool but for us it felt like a debut album in a way, so we wanted to branch out a bit on this one and take it to new levels."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Got to Have Faith</span> 2004 single by Europe

"Got to Have Faith" is a 2004 single released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released on September 15, 2004, and was the first single from the album Start from the Dark.

<i>Almost Unplugged</i> 2009 film

Almost Unplugged is a live album by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It was released on CD on 17 September 2008 and on DVD on 19 August 2009.

<i>Last Look at Eden</i> 2009 studio album by Europe

Last Look at Eden is the eighth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 9 September 2009 in Sweden by Universal and on 14 September 2009 in the UK by Edel Music's international rock music label earMUSIC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bonamassa discography</span>

The discography of Joe Bonamassa, an American blues rock musician, consists of 16 studio albums, 20 live albums, three collaboration albums, 30 singles, 15 video albums, 13 music videos and 54 other appearances. After growing up in Utica, New York, Bonamassa began his career as a member of the band Bloodline, before beginning his solo career in 2000 with the release of A New Day Yesterday. The album reached number 9 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart. The guitarist continued to see success in the blues genre, topping the chart with 2002's So, It's Like That and 2006's You & Me, before making his debut on the Billboard 200 in 2007 with Sloe Gin, which reached number 184. Bonamassa's albums have continued to increase in chart success over the years, with The Ballad of John Henry reaching number 103 on the Billboard 200, Black Rock, Dust Bowl and Driving Towards the Daylight reaching the Top 40, and Different Shades of Blue and Blues of Desperation reaching the Top 20. Several of the musician's video albums have also topped the Billboard Music Video Sales chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Supposed to Sing the Blues</span> 2012 single by Europe

"Not Supposed to Sing the Blues" is the first single released from the Swedish rock band Europe's ninth studio album, Bag of Bones. It was released as a digital download on March 9, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firebox (song)</span> 2012 single by Europe

"Firebox" is the second single to be released from the Swedish rock band Europe's ninth studio album, Bag of Bones. It was released as a digital download on August 18, 2012.

<i>War of Kings</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Europe

War of Kings is the tenth studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 2 March 2015 by UDR Records.

<i>Live at Sweden Rock – 30th Anniversary Show</i> 2013 video by Europe

Live at Sweden Rock – 30th Anniversary Show is a live album by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It was recorded on 7 June 2013 at Sweden Rock Festival and released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray on 16 October 2013. It is the longest live concert done by the band, featuring over two hours and containing 28 songs from all albums.

<i>Walk the Earth</i> 2017 studio album by Europe

Walk the Earth is the eleventh studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. It was released on 20 October 2017. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

<i>Live at Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening</i> 2017 live album by Joe Bonamassa

Live at Carnegie Hall: An Acoustic Evening is the fifteenth live album and video by American blues-rock musician Joe Bonamassa. Produced by Kevin Shirley, it was released on June 23, 2017 by J&R Adventures. The album documents Bonamassa's two performances at the Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 21 and 22, 2016. It is the guitarist and vocalist's second all-acoustic live collection, following 2013's An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House.

References

  1. ↑ "Bag of Bones – Overview". allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "Europe – Not Supposed To Sing The Blues". noblepr.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 "VICTOR ROCKS". jvcmusic.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Europe släpper ny skiva 25 april". ymlp.com (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "UK TOP 40 ROCK ALBUMS". bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Rock Gig Reviews: Exclusive interview with Joey Tempest of Europe". rockgig.blogspot.hr. April 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "JOHN NORUM OFFICIAL WEBSITE". johnnorum.se. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Rocktopia – Fireworks Magazine Online 51 – Interview with Joey Tempest of EUROPE". rocktopia.co.uk. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Europe – Bag of Bones". noblepr.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 "Europe Taps Producer Kevin Shirley For New Album". roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  11. 1 2 "EUROPE: New Album Title Revealed". roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  12. ↑ "earMUSIC – Biography". ear-music.net. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "EUROPE Frontman Talks 'Bag Of Bones' In New Audio Interview". roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  14. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher. "Europe: Bag of Bones Review". Allmusic . Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Lawson, Dom (25 April 2012). "Classic Rock Magazine Review". Classic Rock . Louder Sound . Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Europe – Bag of Bones" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Europe – Bag of Bones" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Europe – Bag of Bones" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Europe – Bag of Bones" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Europe – Bag of Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Europe – Bag of Bones" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Europe – Bag of Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Europe – Bag of Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Europe – Bag of Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Europe – Bag of Bones". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  30. ↑ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Årslista Album – År 2012" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  32. ↑ "Veckolista Album, vecka 29, 2012 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan.
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