The Europeans (band)
Encyclopedia
The Europeans were a British
group formed in 1981. They released three album
s, none of which achieved much in terms of chart
position. The band are perhaps best known for their lead vocalist and keyboard player, Steve Hogarth
, who went on to greater things as vocalist with Marillion
. They should not be confused with the similarly named Europeans
, a Bristol band that were active 1977-1979, and who released several recordings on Heartbeat Records and Bristol Archive Records.
, who recently moved to London from Doncaster, was chosen. The band rehearsed in Shepperton, changing their name to The Europeans in early 1981.
Their first appearance on record
was as the backing band on John Otway
's All Balls and No Willy in 1982. They signed to A&M Records
in 1982. Three singles were released before the first album Vocabulary
: "The Animal Song", "A.E.I.O.U." and "Recognition". All lead vocals were handled by Harper, except "Kingdom Come" which was sung by Hogarth. Kiki Dee
and Toni Childs were among the backing vocalists. Another single, "American People" was released, and the band toured extensively.
The second album, Live was released in February 1984. The LP reached #100 in the UK Albums Chart
. Later in 1984, the Hogarth-penned "Listen" was released as a single.
A free promo single, "Acid Rain", was released to promote their third album (the second in the studio), Recurring Dreams. Hogarth sang lead vocals on five of the eight tracks. When the Managing Director of A&M left the company a day after the release of the album, promotion took a nosedive. Hogarth and Woore split, forming How We Live
in 1985 and signed to CBS
.
In 2005, Recurring Dreams was re-released by Racket Records, an offshoot of Marillion's cottage industry business model.
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...
group formed in 1981. They released three 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...
s, none of which achieved much in terms of 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....
position. The band are perhaps best known for their lead vocalist and keyboard player, Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
, who went on to greater things as vocalist with Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
. They should not be confused with the similarly named Europeans
Europeans (band)
Europeans were a New Wave band formed in Bristol, England in 1977. The line-up was Jonathan Cole , Jon Klein , Steve Street and James Cole...
, a Bristol band that were active 1977-1979, and who released several recordings on Heartbeat Records and Bristol Archive Records.
Line-up
Studio album personnel since 1981:- Steve HogarthSteve HogarthSteve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
- Keyboards, Programming, Lead vocals (joined in 1981) - Colin Woore - GuitarsElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Ferg Harper - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Lead vocals - Geoff Dugmore - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
History
In 1980, a Scottish band called Motion Pictures (consisting of Harper, Woore, Dugmore) moved to London and advertised for a keyboard player. Steve HogarthSteve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
, who recently moved to London from Doncaster, was chosen. The band rehearsed in Shepperton, changing their name to The Europeans in early 1981.
Their first appearance on record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was as the backing band on John Otway
John Otway
John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
's All Balls and No Willy in 1982. They signed to A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
in 1982. Three singles were released before the first album Vocabulary
Vocabulary (album)
Vocabulary is the debut album of British New Wave group Europeans. It was released on LP in September 1983; no CD version is available yet.-Track listing:All tracks written by Dugmore/Harper/Hogarth/Woore.#"The Animal Song" – 3:50...
: "The Animal Song", "A.E.I.O.U." and "Recognition". All lead vocals were handled by Harper, except "Kingdom Come" which was sung by Hogarth. Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee is an English singer with a career spanning more than 40 years....
and Toni Childs were among the backing vocalists. Another single, "American People" was released, and the band toured extensively.
The second album, Live was released in February 1984. The LP reached #100 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. Later in 1984, the Hogarth-penned "Listen" was released as a single.
A free promo single, "Acid Rain", was released to promote their third album (the second in the studio), Recurring Dreams. Hogarth sang lead vocals on five of the eight tracks. When the Managing Director of A&M left the company a day after the release of the album, promotion took a nosedive. Hogarth and Woore split, forming How We Live
How We Live
How We Live was a project between Steve Hogarth and Colin Woore, respectively the keyboard player and guitarist previously of the New Wave band The Europeans. They released one album, Dry Land, in 1987 with Hogarth on vocals, before Hogarth replaced Fish as Marillion's vocalist in 1989...
in 1985 and signed to CBS
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
In 2005, Recurring Dreams was re-released by Racket Records, an offshoot of Marillion's cottage industry business model.
Singles
- "The Animal Song" (1982)
- "AEIOU" (1983)
- "Recognition" (1983)
- "American People" (1983)
- "Typical" (live) (1984)
- "Listen" (1984)
External links
- Fan site The Rainbow Room