Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979, by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson, and drummer Tony Reno. They got a major breakthrough in Sweden in 1982 by winning the televised competition "Rock-SM" (Swedish Rock Championships): it was the first time this competition was held, and Europe became a larger success than the competition itself. Europe rose to international fame in the 1980s with their third album, 1986's The Final Countdown, which has sold over 3 million copies in the United States and 15 million copies worldwide (including album and single).
Links to Peel[]
Europe - The Final Countdown (Official Video)
In 1987 Peel took his son, William, who was a fan of the group's Final Countdown song at that time, to Europe's concert in Birmingham (this would have been 19th February 1987). Peel described his experience in going to the concert on his 23 February 1987 show:
"It was one of those things you go to really expecting to be able to tear it to shreds to be honest with you, actually in a sense there wasn't enough there to dislike. By the end of it I felt quite sympathetic towards them. You'll be appalled to hear that, I don't doubt, some of you, but... a good show, there's no getting away from it. They could actually play quite well and it was quite entertaining. Perhaps I'm mellowing in my old age."
Despite liking the concert, Peel never played any of their songs on his shows, even admitting on his 11 May 1987 programme, that he likes their Final Countdown song after hearing it played so many times by his children.
Shows Played[]
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