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The Final Countdown 1986
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The Final Countdown

Europe released *The Final Countdown* in May 1986. It was the first album they recorded in various studios around the world. They began in September 1985 in Zurich, then moved on to Stockholm, Atlanta, and Berkeley. The production was complicated because they had to bring everything together into a single cohesive whole. The producer was Kevin Elson, who had previously worked with bands such as Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Year
1986
Songs
10
Duration
30 min 15 seg

About the album

The Final Countdown, according to DoReSol

The album featured singles that became hits. "The Final Countdown" reached number eight on the Billboard chart. "Carrie" was the biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number three. There were also music videos for each song, and everything was broadcast on MTV. One of the songs, "Love Chaser," was released only in Japan and didn’t make much of an impact.

The band recorded *The Final Countdown* in several studios, and lead singer Joey Tempest had a cold that delayed the process a bit. The vocals for the title track were recorded in Stockholm, and the rest in Atlanta and Berkeley. In the end, guitarist John Norum wasn’t satisfied with how the guitars sounded in the mix. The album was completed in March 1986, in Berkeley.