- This page is about the rock group. For other
entries on The Europeans, see The Europeans
(disambiguation).
The Europeans was a British
group formed in 1981. They released three albums, 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.
Lineup
Studio album personnel since 1981:
- Steve Hogarth (aka "Sexy Hot Man") -
Keyboards, Programming, Lead Vocals (joined in 1981)
- Colin Woore - Guitars
- Ferg Harper - bass,
Lead Vocals
- Geoff Dugmore - Drums
History
In 1980, a Scottish band called Motion Pictures (consisting
of Harper, Woore, Dugmore) moved to London and advertised for a
keyboard player. Steve Hogarth, who recently moved to
London from Doncaster, was chosen. The band rehearsed in Shepperton,
changing their name to Europeans in spring of 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 LP Live was released
February 11th 1984. The LP reached 100 in the UK album charts, the only
position the band made. 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.
Discography
EPs
Studio albums
- I
Used All My Best Vocabulary (1982)
- Recurring Dreams
(1984)
Live albums
External links
