I'd bet that those first few notes of the keyboard intro are instantly recognisable all over the globe, this was after all a No.1 hit in most of Europe, also entering the Top Ten in the US. But nowhere -not even in their native Sweden- do they generate the emotional response they do in Greece. In the summer of 1987, Greece hosted the European Basketball Championship. We hoped our national team would do respectably playing in front of the home crowd, but the end result seemed unavoidable: unless Yugoslavia managed to steal the win, as they had done on three occasions in the past, the championship would go to the sole European athletic superpower: since they had first entered the competition forty years previously, The Soviet Union had almost always returned home with the cup. The Greek team nevertheless performed a miracle by eliminating stronger opponents one by one, finally triumphing over the Soviets at overtime with 103-101. This was an incredible, unbelievable, victory. At the time, Greece was thought of as this poor, backwards corner of Europe. At sports, we had no distinctions whatsoever. Yet for once we stood tall and dared to look the giant in the eye, and bravery won the day. No-one who watched this game -which includes the whole country- will forget the feeling of elation of that day, or the song blasting from the stadium speakers as the referee blew the final whistle: Europe's "The Final Countdown".
Somehow the band didn't capitalize on their popularity in Greece by touring there - had they done so in the late 80's or early 90's, it would have been a huge event; even when I caught the band live (at the Lokerse feesten in Belgium, more than 3 decades after that EuroBasket final) this album's title song stirred something in me. Nowadays, of course, "The Final Countdown" -especially the keyboard part- is considered the ultimate cheese. Even people reviewing the band semi-favorably in forums bypass the title track and name a couple of other songs as their favorites. At the time, though, everyone who bought the album did it for the big hit; by 80's standards, it wasn't cheesy, it was anthemic. The second most popular track off this LP was "Carrie", a typical 80's power ballad that also sounds very much of its time. Truth be told, it's not that different from Aerosmith ballads of the same period, yet Aerosmith retain some credibility while Europe are ridiculed- not so much for their songs, mind you, as for their haircuts. The third big song off the album was "Rock The Night", a nice rocker in the vein of Bon Jovi. The band knew these three songs were their biggest bets for success, and frontloaded the LP by placing them at the beginning of Side 1. This has the unfortunate effect of making the rest seem like filler: nothing else sticks out - but on the bright side, nothing annoys either. The vocals are a matter of taste: the lead singer employs lots of sustained high notes, and frequent oo-oh's and yeah-yeah's. The choruses consist, more often than not, by group harmonies on endless repeat. The keyboards have that dated synthetic 80's feel, but you do get the impression that the keyboardist is more ambitious; a wannabe Jon Lord who got stuck with an overtly commercial producer and crappy sounding equipment. The guitarist is an accomplished soloist, and he's given the chance to shine without dominating the songs, while the rhythm section also do a good job. The production may be a bit too slick for some, but it all adds up to a well crafted AOR album that often sounds like a cross between Asia and The Scorpions. Apart from the starting three, special mention should be given to "Cherokee", a commercial hard rocker about the plight of American Indians, sort of a softer analogue to Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills". Here, as well as on the Side 2 closer "Love Chaser", there's a proggier note akin to Joe Lynn Turner-era Rainbow. "Danger on the Track", "Heart Of Stone", and "Ninja" are decent AOR rockers, while "Time Has Come" is a forgettable power ballad. "On the Loose" kicks off with a heavy riff and features a shredding solo - it's the closest The Final Countdown gets to heavy metal, which really isn't that close at all. So, should you add this album to your collection? Only if you feel nostalgic for 80's FM radio... or if you're a Greek eager to relive a fleeting moment of glory. Decent, but dated - 3,5* really.
**** for The Final Countdown, Rock the Night, Cherokee
*** for Carrie, Danger on the Track, Ninja, Heart of Stone, On the Loose, Love Chaser
** for Time Has Come
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