Kee Marcello
Redux:Europe

Kee Marcello, the rockstar god forgot according to the title of his autobiography is releasing a collection of songs that mainly comes from the band Europe of which he was a part some time ago. There is also one never before heard track on this collection in the opening title track, other than that it is mainly Europe stuff and a touch of Easy Action which was his band before joining Europe in 1986. So basically a cover album one could say, and then the question becomes: why? What is the point of this release?

Before sharing my thoughts on this question lets just quickly look into what this sound like. I assume most have heard Europe and especially their biggest hits like The Final Countdown, Carrie and so on. Imagine those tracks, add a slightly bluesier, rawer sound along with a more coarse vocalist and voila, now you know what this album sounds like. If you have not heard any of these songs then we might say hair metal goes bluesier or something in that fashion. Big choruses and melodic hard rock I guess could be another description of this sixteen track, one hour and five minute long album. I think it is fair to say that most people who reads this webzine probably will recognise a few of the song titles on this album, otherwise it would be a bit strange. The only new track is as I said the title track which is not that different from the other tracks.

One reason for this album might be money, according to one of the worst tabloids in Sweden (Aftonbladet who knows more or less nothing of journalism and pays more attention to gossip than news) Kee is to, or have sued Europe for ten million Swedish kronor which is about a million Euro (or if it is the other way round, I don’t pay much attention what they write in that publication). That led some Europe fans at the official Europe forum to go mental and accuse Kee of lots of things, also stating that they have lost all respect for him. And this without even knowing the whole story and with no word from the band whatsoever they deduce that all Kee said in the interview is fabricated. This of course is of no consequence for me, if Kee owns the right to a fifth of the band as he claims he does according to a signed contract then he will get some money, if not, who cares? It is not like it changes the music or my life in any way.

What might be also pointing in the direction of money is the release of a book with the title that I opened this review, which is an autobiography about all the cocaine, the groupies and the anecdotes as a rockstar that wasn’t forgotten in a haze of booze and drugs. It is of course a book that I am as interested in as I am in smartphones, which means not at all. I will own as many of that book as I own smartphones I might also add, which of course means none as well.

Maybe it is on artistic merit he wants it done, to show his interpretations of the songs? Well tired old songs in original, some good songs but the best one ruined by the worst guitar solo ever put in a song (or the worst placed and performed at least). Sure if he could make such tired old songs actually sound fascinating and good, all the glory to him but if not it would just have been a waste of mine and his time. Unless of course he sells lots of them, then it would only be a waste of my time but as I review it, it would in the end only be a waste of your time.

So what is it then? I hope the answer is money, that he was paid a lot to make this recording because then it would make sense. It might be for closure, to finally close the Europe chapter, that would also make sense. But the pressing fact remains and that is that this album is new tired recordings of songs that were tired in the original recordings. The songs are not that different from the originals which are also better on most parts, mainly thanks to Joey Tempest being a better vocalist. But most of the songs on this album wasn’t good to begin with, why would they be good now? No idea but I would say that the only track worth anything on this album is the opening title track which is rather good and it isn’t a new version of something old, but that hardly merits buying an album, does it? So in the end I would say that it is a waste of your time.