OKEJ was more or less the only music magazine in Sweden during the 1980’s and almost 90% of Swedish youth read it and then talked about in school. Are you interested in the OKEJ magazine phenomena, read more here!
EUROPE
Is doing it on their own
A decisive step. Europe, "the band that won the Swedish Rock Championship", will now have to do it on its own. Without any help. The future looks promising: a new LP in February and an international launch that is yielding results.
Europe is now putting all its energy into knocking out the Swedish audience once again.
This time, the straight hard rock right will be even harder and hit even more precisely.
- We learned an incredible amount from the first album. We won't make the same mistakes again. I can promise that.
Europe's guitarist John Norum is leaning back on a soft sofa in a rest room at Polarstudion in Stockholm.
It is late Saturday afternoon and Europe is laying some foundations for their new LP, which will be out in February.
The band's new single will be on the records before Christmas. The songs on the 45 will be "Lyin' eyes" and "Dreamer".
IT WENT FAST
It went so fast. Almost too fast, some thought: Europe, a hard rock band from the Stockholm suburb of Upplands-Väsby, entered the Swedish Rock Championship. Europe went through round after round in the biggest talent show in Swedish rock history to date.
The day before Lucia 1982, they stood on stage in the final and took their chance.
The victory gave Europe a record deal and they quickly ran into the studio to record their debut LP.
It's not a bad LP if you just look at the song material, says Joey Tempest, singer of Europe. The only thing the album falls short on is the sound. Oh, it sounds so tinny and stuffy.
It's not that strange, adds bassist John Levén. We had too little time and the studio wasn't the best. I remember we almost had to smash things together.
UNIQUE BAND
Although Europe is now partly critical of their debut album, the critics were positive about them. This made Europe a unique band: it was the hard rockers who got good reviews.
I haven't read many negative reviews, says John Norum. What we got criticized for was the sound.
Europe now works under different conditions. It's Polar's A-studio in Stockholm and the producer is Leif Mases. An authority in the field: he has worked with hard rock greats such as Led Zeppelin, Scorpions and Saxon.
Europe produced their first album themselves with some assistance.
Now their studio work is led by an expert and that will of course have a certain impact.
OVERCOMING THE MISTAKES
It's about Leif Mases guiding
Europe past the missteps that made the debut album not a hit.
Leif is unique, says John Norum. He is so incredibly meticulous and focused. It's nice to work with someone who is committed to it in such a way.
When OKEJ visited the studio, Europe had laid out six basics plus the songs for the single. So far, everything has worked well.
Much of the material Europe will use on their second album was written in the studio. Or rather: developed in the studio.
SIMPLE PROCESS
Europe's songwriting process is very simple, and the songs are written by one person: Joey Tempest, the very talented singer.
- I sit at home with my tape recorder and record ideas. Then I present the tapes to the guys and the song is built on.
Have you worked in a different way this time? Are the songs very different from the first LP?
- They are more straightforward, says Joey. On the first LP we messed up the songs too much and made them too long. There was so much we wanted to include. Guitar parts and long solos.
CUTTING OVERLAYS
- Now we work more according to the band's natural conditions, based on the traditional approach we have. We cut a lot of guitar overlays and instead look at the end result.
In addition, we have all become better musicians during this time and it allows us to tackle the material in a different way.
Something that Europe has learned a lot from is live performance; they did 35 gigs this summer and that gives us some routine.
We got an incredibly good response, says Joey Tempest. I was surprised myself by how big hard rock is in Sweden. And how many people knew our songs.
During the summer tour, Europe got to experience what it's like to be confronted with an audience, what it's like to get very direct reactions to the material.
- We were a little worried about how our songs would work live. But we gave it our all and it worked, says John Norum.
THRILLING
Joey Tempest had a really hard time at times. He's not exactly used to touring and straining his voice.
- The first gig went well, the second a little worse. During the third gig I had to do everything I could to get the song done.
- The tour taught me to start taking care of my voice. Now I have had contact with singing teachers and received advice.
Joey Tempest makes Europe a unique band in Sweden: his voice is very good and he has
received a lot of praise.
Because if the truth is told, there are not many Swedish hard rock bands that have a good singer.
LET'S SAY IT FOR CAROLA
Joey Tempest also has a talent as a songwriter, which several other artists are starting to notice.
There is a possibility that he will write a song for Carola’s (popular Swedish artist at the time) new LP. But it is not yet clear. Artists like Elkie Brooks and FR David are also interested in his material.
I write so much that Europe can't use, he says and smiles.
ON OUR OWN FEETS
For Europe, the new album is very much about showing that they can stand on their own two feet.
Now there is no support from the Swedish Rock Championships. They can't settle down and be "the band that won the Swedish Rock Championships".
Europe's continued career depends entirely on how they can develop themselves.
A common concept in the rock industry is that a band gets three albums to show what they can do.
A debut album cannot be judged as harshly as a third or fourth, a second album is an intermediate position while the third album means a decisive one.
OWN STYLE
For Europe, it's about the second album: great expectations have been built up after the debut and they have to live up to them.
Right now, Europe is struggling a lot with creating their own style. They want to be free from influences, they shouldn't be too obvious. Instead, they want to talk about a "European sound".
I have been compared to guitarists like Frank Marino and Gary Moore. At first, people were very flattered, but that quickly passed, says John Norum.
- I want to have my own guitar style, something that is my own. But it is not easy to achieve one.
JAPAN
In February, proof that Europe has taken a few steps forward will come: the album will be released. After that, there will be a spring tour, according to the current plans.
There is also a lot of evidence that Europe will go to Japan to show off.
The Japanese are crazy about Europe. The debut album was released in Japan and is currently in 24th place on the charts there. Some American radio stations are also obsessed with Europe.
BY STEFAN JOHANSSON
Additional:
Photos: LindsjööText to the picture up in the left corner:We have become better musicians, say the guys in EuropeText to the picture in the bottom right corner:Europe in the recording studio