The Final Countdown (album)

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The Final Countdown
Europe-the final countdown.jpg
Studio album by
Released30 May 1986 [1]
RecordedSeptember 1985 – March 1986
StudioPowerplay Studios, Zürich, Switzerland; Soundtrade Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Mastersound Studios, Atlanta, US; Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California, US
Genre
Length39:49
Label Epic
Producer Kevin Elson
Europe chronology
On the Loose
(1985)
The Final Countdown
(1986)
Out of This World
(1988)
Singles from The Final Countdown
  1. "The Final Countdown"
    Released: February 1986
  2. "Love Chaser"
    Released: August 1986 (Japan only) [5]
  3. "Rock the Night"
    Released: November 1986
  4. "Carrie"
    Released: January 1987
  5. "Cherokee"
    Released: November 1987

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 .

Contents

Five singles were released from the album: "The Final Countdown", "Love Chaser", "Rock the Night", "Carrie", and "Cherokee." The first single was responsible for launching Europe into mainstream popularity.

Composition and recording

"Rock the Night" and "Ninja" were the first songs written for the album, and were premiered on the band's Wings of Tomorrow tour in 1984. [6] "Rock the Night" was released as a single in Sweden in 1985, peaking at number 4 on the chart, [7] and was also featured on the soundtrack EP for the Swedish film On the Loose the same year, together with the songs "On the Loose" and "Broken Dreams." [6] [8] "Rock the Night" and "On the Loose" would be re-recorded for inclusion on The Final Countdown along with "Ninja", all with slightly different lyrics. [6]

Due to the national success of On the Loose and "Rock the Night", Europe went on a new tour around Sweden in 1985, with new songs "Danger on the Track", "Love Chaser" and the power ballad "Carrie" included in the setlist and ready to be recorded for the album. [6] "Carrie" was co-written by Tempest and keyboardist Mic Michaeli during a jam session. [8] The early version of the song consisted of only keyboards and vocals, and was performed that way on the 1985 tour, but the album version would feature the whole band. [6] [8]

The song "The Final Countdown" was based on an old keyboard riff that Tempest had composed as early as 1981–82, [8] on a Korg Polysix keyboard he had borrowed from Michaeli. [6] [9] In 1985 bassist John Levén suggested that Tempest should write a song based on that riff. [8] The lyrics were inspired by David Bowie's song "Space Oddity". [10] The sound of the keyboard riff used in the recording was achieved by using a Yamaha TX-816 rack unit and a Roland JX-8P synthesizer. [11] "I made a brassy sound from the JX-8P and used a factory sound from the Yamaha, and just layered them together", Michaeli said. [11]

"Cherokee" was the last song written for the album, being written only a week before the band went to Switzerland to start recording the album. [8] Tempest said he had been inspired by the history of the Native Americans to write the song. [8]

The recording of the album began in September 1985 at the Powerplay Studios in Zürich, Switzerland. [12] At the suggestion of their record company, Epic Records, the band decided to work with the American producer Kevin Elson, who had worked with bands like Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd. [12] Originally the band had approached Scorpions producer Dieter Dierks and Bon Jovi producer Bruce Fairbairn to produce the album, but in the end they decided to go with Elson. [12] Elson would also produce the band's sixth studio album, Start from the Dark in 2004.

During the recording sessions, vocalist Joey Tempest came down with a bad allergic reaction to bread products, which delayed the recording for a while, and forced Joey to make changes to his diet, so he could complete his work on the album. [13] The vocals for the title track were recorded at the Soundtrade Studios, Stockholm, Sweden, while the rest of the vocals were recorded at the Mastersound Studios, Atlanta and Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California. [6]

The album was mixed in March 1986 at Fantasy Studios. [6] Guitarist John Norum was not pleased with the result, claiming that the keyboards had "buried" the rhythm guitars in the final mix. [12] [10]

Release

The Final Countdown was the band's breakout album and granted Europe international recognition. Upon its release in May 1986, it sold very well in most European countries and peaked at No. 8 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. [14] By 1994, it achieved triple Platinum status in the United States [15] and received sales awards all over Europe.

When it was time to choose the first single from the album, Tempest suggested "The Final Countdown". [12] Originally the band had never planned to release the song as a single, and some members wanted "Rock the Night" to be the first single. [12] [10] "The Final Countdown" was written to be an opening song for concerts, and they never thought it would be a hit. [12] But when their record company Epic Records suggested that it should be the first single, the band decided to release it. [16] It became a worldwide success, peaking at number 1 in 25 countries, [17] including the United Kingdom, [18] France, [19] and West Germany. [20] In the US, it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. [14] The song has been a regular in Europe concerts ever since its live debut on the premiere of the band's Final Countdown Tour on 29 April 1986 in Gävle, Sweden and arguably became the band's most recognizable and popular song. [6] [21] One of the most memorable performances of the song took place in Stockholm, Sweden on 31 December 1999, as part of the Millennium celebrations. [9] [22]

"Love Chaser" was released as a single in Japan only, and was on the soundtrack for the movie Pride One. "Rock the Night" was released as the worldwide follow-up single to "The Final Countdown." It became a Top 10 hit in Germany, Holland, France, [23] Ireland, [24] and Switzerland, [25] and peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [14] and number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. [18] The next single, "Carrie", peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, [14] their highest single on the chart to date. "Cherokee" was released as the last single from the album, peaking at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. [14]

Eight of the ten tracks on the album were featured in the 2007 comedy film Hot Rod . [26]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [27]
The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 6/10 [28]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [29]

The Final Countdown received mixed reviews upon its release. Rolling Stone Magazine writer J. D. Considine wrote that "the words to 'The Final Countdown' make almost no sense whatsoever on paper, but there's genuine drama to the way Tempest's keening vocals surge through the mock-orchestral morass of synths and guitar. Maybe it's trite, maybe it's derivative, but it's also undeniably effective. From the stirring stadium schlock of 'Rock the Night' to the self-indulgent melodrama of 'Love Chaser', the best moments here are insidiously catchy, leaving you humming along against your better judgment". [30] Howard Johnson of Kerrang! was not excited by the album and considered Europe "just bland and boring" and "boasting the most nauseating keyboard sound on a title track of all time". [29]

The contemporary review by Doug Stone of AllMusic was more positive. He finds the title track "bombastically brilliant glorious garbage ... that could only spew from the vacuous '80s", but writes that the rest of the songs combines "heated drive and hot delivery to meld The Final Countdown into a unique portrait of propulsive prog and a worthy addition to any hard rock collection." [27] Canadian Journalist Martin Popoff remarks how the album "sounds very nice, rhythmic, even modern beyond its years, but it's also gutless and shamefully commercial". [28] PopMatters' Ben Varkentine, on the contrary, reviewed badly the album criticizing the production and the composition of "rock songs with half-assed keyboard lines smeared on them", which "aimed at being anthems but succeeded only in being derivative not only of other bands but of themselves." [31]

Tour

The first leg of the Swedish tour started in Gävle on 29 April 1986. [6] [21] The album had not been released yet because the cover art was not complete, but Europe was forced to start the scheduled tour. [12] The album was eventually released on 26 May, the same day that the band played the last concert on the leg, at Solnahallen in Solna. [16] The band did two concerts at Solnahallen, on 25 and 26 May. [12] These concerts were filmed for a TV broadcast, which would later be released on VHS and DVD, entitled The Final Countdown Tour 1986 . A 20th anniversary edition of the DVD was released in 2006. The promotional music video for "The Final Countdown" was shot partly during the soundchecks for those concerts and partly during the actual concerts. [12]

Europe went on a Japanese tour in September 1986, [21] playing four concerts in Tokyo and one concert each in Nagoya and Osaka. [6] During that tour, guitarist and band co-founder John Norum told the other band members that he wanted to leave the band, [6] [8] due to musical differences and other disagreements with the band's manager, Thomas Erdtman. [12] [10] Norum agreed to stay in the band for the second leg of the Swedish tour, which started in Örebro on 26 September 1986, as well as a promotion tour around Europe including TV appearances and interviews. [6] He made his last appearance with the band for a Sky Channel broadcast at the club Escape in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 31 October 1986. [6] [16]

Norum was then replaced by Kee Marcello, who had just left another Swedish rock band, Easy Action. [8] At first Marcello had been hesitant to join Europe, because he had put a lot of work into Easy Action's upcoming album That Makes One. [32] After some consideration he changed his mind and decided to join the band. [32] He appeared in the music videos for "Rock the Night", "Cherokee" and "Carrie," [6] before making his first TV appearance with the band at Peters Popshow in Dortmund, West Germany on 12 December 1986. [6]

The European leg of the tour started in Bergen, Norway on 24 January 1987 and ended in Genoa, Italy on 3 March 1987. [21] A concert done at Hammersmith Odeon, London on 23 February, was filmed and released on video, entitled The Final Countdown World Tour. [21]

On 15 April 1987 the band started their first U.S. tour at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. [21] The tour ended in Philadelphia on 17 May 1987, as the band had been playing in 23 cities and traveling 14,565 km. [6] A Swedish TV crew followed the band on the tour, producing the documentary Europe in America, which would be shown on TV and released on video.

Europe ended the Final Countdown Tour at the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark on 4 July 1987. [33]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Joey Tempest, except "Carrie" by Tempest and Mic Michaeli

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Final Countdown"5:11
2."Rock the Night"4:03
3."Carrie"4:30
4."Danger on the Track"3:45
5."Ninja"3:46
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Cherokee"4:13
7."Time Has Come"4:00
8."Heart of Stone"3:46
9."On the Loose"3:08
10."Love Chaser"3:27
Total length:39:49

Outtakes and bonus tracks

Another Tempest-written song that was recorded during the sessions, "On Broken Wings", was used as a B-side on the "Final Countdown" single.

Instrumental "Where Men Won't Dare", co-written by Tempest and John Levén, was an unfinished outtake which was included as a bonus feature on The Final Countdown Tour 1986: Live in Sweden – 20th Anniversary Edition DVD. [12]

In 2001, Sony released a remastered version of the album with expanded liner notes and three bonus tracks, live takes of "The Final Countdown", "Danger on the Track" and "Carrie", taken from the Final Countdown World Tour home video that was taped at Hammersmith Odeon in London 1987.

In 2019, Rock Candy Records released a remastered version with another three bonus tracks and expanded liner notes, a 1986 version of "Seven Doors Hotel", b-side remix of "Rock the Night" and "On Broken Wings"

Personnel

Europe

Production

Charts

Chart (1986-1987)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [34] 3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [35] 5
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [36] 6
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [37] 3
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) [38] 1
French Albums (SNEP) [39] 10
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [40] 6
Italian Albums ( Musica e Dischi ) [41] 2
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [42] 26
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [43] 3
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [44] 4
Spain (Spanish Albums Chart) [45] 1
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [46] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [47] 1
UK Albums (OCC) [48] 9
US Billboard 200 [49] 8
Chart (2009)Peak
position
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [50] 69

Certifications

Sales certifications for The Final Countdown
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [51] 2× Platinum140,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [52] 2× Platinum200,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [53] Platinum71,707 [53]
France (SNEP) [54] 2× Gold200,000*
Germany (BVMI) [55] Gold250,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece) [56] Gold50,000^
Italy (FIMI) [57]
sales since 2009
Gold25,000
Japan307,500 [58]
Netherlands (NVPI) [59] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [60] Gold7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway) [56] Platinum100,000 [56]
Portugal (AFP) [56] Gold20,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [61] 4× Platinum400,000^
Sweden (GLF) [62] Platinum100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [56] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [63] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [64] 3× Platinum3,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
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>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>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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie (Europe song)</span> 1987 single by Europe

"Carrie" is a power ballad by the Swedish rock band Europe released in 1987. It was the third single released internationally from the album The Final Countdown, and it is their highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart—peaking at #3 during the fall of 1987. It also reached #36 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The track on the B-side of the 7" single was "Love Chaser".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock the Night (song)</span> 1985 single by Europe

"Rock the Night" is a song by Swedish rock band Europe, released as a single in 1986. The song was written by vocalist Joey Tempest in 1984 and premiered on the band's Wings of Tomorrow tour the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee (Europe song)</span> 1987 single by Europe

"Cherokee" is a single by the Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1987. It was the fourth single released internationally from their third studio album The Final Countdown, and reached number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Chaser</span> 1986 single by Europe

"Love Chaser" is a single by the Swedish rock band Europe, released in 1986. It was taken from the album The Final Countdown, and was released only in Japan in the soundtrack album of the Japanese movie Pride One. The track on the B-side of the single was "Carrie". Next year the single was reissued in Japan and was entitled "Carrie" with "Carrie" on the A-side. The reissue had the same catalogue number (VIPX-1849) as the first release.

<i>The Final Countdown Tour 1986</i> 1986 film

The Final Countdown Tour 1986 is a concert video released by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It features footage from a concert filmed at Solnahallen in Solna, Sweden on May 26, 1986. It was first released on VHS in Japan in 1986, and was released on DVD and CD in 2004.

<i>The Final Countdown Tour 1986: Live in Sweden – 20th Anniversary Edition</i> 2006 film

The Final Countdown Tour 1986: Live in Sweden – 20th Anniversary Edition is a DVD by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It was released on October 4, 2006. The main feature is a concert filmed at Solnahallen in Solna, Sweden on May 26, 1986.

<i>The Final Countdown Tour 1986</i> (album) 2004 live album by Europe

The Final Countdown Tour 1986 is a live album by the Swedish hard rock band Europe. It was released on 20 December 2004.

<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.

<i>Bag of Bones</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Europe

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 and on April 25 in Sweden by Gain Music Entertainment. 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.

<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.

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