The Escape Club
Encyclopedia
The Escape Club began in 1983 as an English
pop rock band based in London
. The band was composed of former Mad Shadows members' lead singer/rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel
and guitarist
John Holliday, along with former Expressos members bassist
Johnnie Christo (a.k.a. John Christoforou) and drummer
Milan Zekavica. Zekavica had also previously played with Steel and Holliday on an album by the obscure early 80s
New Wave
outfit, Planning by Numbers.
In 1986, they signed with EMI
and recorded
the album
White Fields
, which was released in 1987.
Later in 1987, the group moved to Atlantic Records
for their next album, Wild Wild West
. The album was released in the summer of 1988. The first single
, "Wild, Wild West" climbed to #1 on the Billboard
Hot 100
chart
and the song's distinctive video
received a lot of MTV
airplay. However it was banned from being used in their homeland for being allegedly sexist and offensive. The day this song went #1 in the US this band was playing Sweet Springs Saloon a bar that boasted to be the biggest, littlest rock club in the U.S. Maximum occupancy, maybe 45 patrons.
In 1989, they released two more singles from Wild Wild West: "Shake for the Sheik
," which climbed to #28, and "Walking Through Walls," which peaked at #81. The Escape Club's cover
single of The Doors
' "20th Century Fox" appeared on the The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era
, which also received airplay on MTV. The band's official website reported that the song
was produced
by Ray Manzarek
.
In 1990, the band
returned to the studio
to record what would be their final album, Dollars & Sex
, which saw a March 1991 release. The first single, "Call It Poison" failed to crack the US
Top 40. Atlantic Records then released the song "I'll Be There," which the group said was heavily influenced by the death of a friend's wife. The song has become an anthem among those who have experienced losses of their own. "I'll Be There" reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved gold
status in the U.S. The group disbanded in 1992. The Escape Club is the only British band to have a #1 hit in the U.S., but not chart at all in the UK
.
Trevor Steel and John Holliday reunited in 2010 for a new album and a handful of live shows, and plan to release a new studio album in early 2012. Their current online presence is the band's Facebook page, where they post updates regularly, and http://theescapeclub.net/.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
pop rock band based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The band was composed of former Mad Shadows members' lead singer/rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel
Trevor Steel
Trevor Steel is the singer in the band, The Escape Club, Songwriter, Record Producer and Record Label owner based in Sydney, Australia.Genre: Pop, rock,Career....
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
John Holliday, along with former Expressos members bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Johnnie Christo (a.k.a. John Christoforou) and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Milan Zekavica. Zekavica had also previously played with Steel and Holliday on an album by the obscure early 80s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
outfit, Planning by Numbers.
In 1986, they signed with EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
White Fields
White Fields
White Fields is the first album by rock band The Escape Club, issued in August 1987.-Track listing:# "The Push"# "Sound of the City"# "Fall"# "Where Angels Cry"# "I Will Be There"# "Blood and Water"# "The Hard Way"# "White Fields"# "Rescue Me"...
, which was released in 1987.
Later in 1987, the group moved to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
for their next album, Wild Wild West
Wild Wild West (album)
Wild Wild West is the second album by rock band The Escape Club, released in 1988. It includes their most well-known song, "Wild, Wild West."-Track listing:# "Wild, Wild West" # "Jealousy" # "Shake for the Sheik"...
. The album was released in the summer of 1988. The first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Wild, Wild West" climbed to #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and the song's distinctive video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
received a lot of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
airplay. However it was banned from being used in their homeland for being allegedly sexist and offensive. The day this song went #1 in the US this band was playing Sweet Springs Saloon a bar that boasted to be the biggest, littlest rock club in the U.S. Maximum occupancy, maybe 45 patrons.
In 1989, they released two more singles from Wild Wild West: "Shake for the Sheik
Shake for the Sheik
"Shake for the Sheik" is a song by English pop-rock band The Escape Club, from their 1988 album Wild Wild West. Written by the band members and produced by Chris Kimsey, the song was released as the album's second single and reached number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in January...
," which climbed to #28, and "Walking Through Walls," which peaked at #81. The Escape Club's cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
single of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' "20th Century Fox" appeared on the The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era
The Wonder Years: Music from the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era
The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era is a soundtrack album to the TV series The Wonder Years. This album, released in 1989, contains seven modern cover songs rather than simply original music from the series, which earned it many unfavorable reviews.-Track...
, which also received airplay on MTV. The band's official website reported that the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek
Raymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
.
In 1990, the band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
returned to the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to record what would be their final album, Dollars & Sex
Dollars & Sex
Dollars And Sex is the third and last album by rock band The Escape Club, released in 1991. It includes the singles, "Call It Poison" and "I'll Be There," the latter of which reached no...
, which saw a March 1991 release. The first single, "Call It Poison" failed to crack the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Top 40. Atlantic Records then released the song "I'll Be There," which the group said was heavily influenced by the death of a friend's wife. The song has become an anthem among those who have experienced losses of their own. "I'll Be There" reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status in the U.S. The group disbanded in 1992. The Escape Club is the only British band to have a #1 hit in the U.S., but not chart at all in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Trevor Steel and John Holliday reunited in 2010 for a new album and a handful of live shows, and plan to release a new studio album in early 2012. Their current online presence is the band's Facebook page, where they post updates regularly, and http://theescapeclub.net/.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
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| 1987 | White Fields White Fields White Fields is the first album by rock band The Escape Club, issued in August 1987.-Track listing:# "The Push"# "Sound of the City"# "Fall"# "Where Angels Cry"# "I Will Be There"# "Blood and Water"# "The Hard Way"# "White Fields"# "Rescue Me"...
|
— | — | ||||||
| 1988 | Wild Wild West Wild Wild West (album) Wild Wild West is the second album by rock band The Escape Club, released in 1988. It includes their most well-known song, "Wild, Wild West."-Track listing:# "Wild, Wild West" # "Jealousy" # "Shake for the Sheik"... Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
27 | 42 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Gold |
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| 1991 | Dollars & Sex Dollars & Sex Dollars And Sex is the third and last album by rock band The Escape Club, released in 1991. It includes the singles, "Call It Poison" and "I'll Be There," the latter of which reached no... |
145 | — | ||||||
| 2009 | Cloud 10
|
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| 2011 | Celebrity
|
— | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Mod |
US Dan |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
NZ |
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| 1988 | "Wild, Wild West" | 1 | 3 | 36 | 6 | 12 |
|
Wild Wild West | |
| "Shake for the Sheik Shake for the Sheik "Shake for the Sheik" is a song by English pop-rock band The Escape Club, from their 1988 album Wild Wild West. Written by the band members and produced by Chris Kimsey, the song was released as the album's second single and reached number 28 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in January... " |
28 | — | — | — | 46 | ||||
| 1989 | "Walking Through Walls" | 81 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1991 | "Call It Poison" | 44 | — | — | — | — | Dollars & Sex | ||
| "I'll Be There" | 8 | — | — | 43 | 42 |
|
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| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||