Europa (Holly Johnson album)

Background

As Johnson's first album in 15 years, the last being 1999's Soulstream, Europa was announced in mid-2014, to be released on Johnson's own label Pleasuredome. Over the last few years Johnson had announced plans for an album of new material, particularly when speaking to Absolute Radio at the Q Awards in 2009. Since 2011 Johnson began to perform live at the occasional summer festival, mainly in the UK, and in May 2014 Johnson announced his first UK solo tour in October, named after what Johnson described as "the most upbeat song on the Europa album"; "Dancing with No Fear". The album was to precede the seven date tour, set for release on 15 September, but was later pushed back to 29 September. The tour, which was Johnson's first since the final Frankie Goes to Hollywood shows in 1987, marked the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's debut album Welcome to the Pleasuredome. Speaking of the tour, Johnson revealed: "Since performing at festivals each summer here in the UK, I realised how enjoyable it is to sing the songs that I have written, and look forward to performing material from my new album. I'm really excited to be able to play songs that written throughout my career. Being able to tour as a solo artist in the 21st Century with a back catalogue and new material is a very privileged position to be in."

Composition

The album was described in an official press release as "a euphoric, often-electronic-led return, celebrating love, dance... and chronicling exactly what Holly Johnson has been up to these last fifteen years." Europa initially had the working title of "Do Me a Lemon" - a Cockney rhyming slang for "Do me a favour". The title track, "Europa", had originally been written by Johnson with Vangelis in Paris around 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. During this collaboration Johnson teamed up with the composer in an underground studio, which had been converted from a concrete bunker on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, originally designed for Hitler's occupation. Twenty-four years later and Johnson and Vangelis, along with long-time collaborator Mark Ralph, decided to finish the album, which was done by May 2014, near the home of Vangelis in Paris. Between the occasional live performances, Johnson realised "that I'd forgotten how much physical pleasure I got from singing my own sings. This is my teenage dream come true. I started to think, why did I ever stop?" In 2012, he met the producer Mark Ralph when recording with Raf from The 2 Bears. The pair agreed to work together and set about finessing the songs that would form Johnson's new album. Johnson revealed "I'd pile my vintage synths into the back of the car, head over to Mark's place, and we'd be up half the night making this record." Europa also features contributions from Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera, Vini Reilly of Durutti Column, Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper.

In the official press release "Follow Your Heart" was described as "about that need to give yourself a push, on an album full of positivity – much to the surprise of its writer." Johnson admitted "I really am the archetypal miseryguts. The songs are full of encouragement because really I'm singing to myself, to get rid of that black dog and get me out my shell." Within an interview for The Guardian, Johnson spoke of the song's message, saying: "I'm completely talking to myself! Getting out of bed in the morning takes effort for me. It really does. I'm just one of those slightly... slightly mental people that has a lot of jabbering voices in his head. And you learn to accept it over the years." Describing the album, he said "Europa is kind of retrospective of me as a songwriter. It's the product of a life in pop music. And one thing you learn is that, every time you make a record, it might be the last one. So you'd better make it good, you'd better make it positive, and you'd better enjoy it." In addition, the album was described as being one that "talks about love and loss, and finding a glimmer of hope in the dark where we can dance."

The song "You're in My Dreams Tonight" was inspired by one of Johnson's friends who died of an AIDS-related disease in 1991. In the interview with The Guardian, Johnson revealed "I loved him. We weren't boyfriends in the traditional sense. Maybe for a short period... but he was one of those people that you can love. Sadly, he only lived to the age of 31. And he appeared to me in a dream – he gave me a hug and said: "Everything's going to be all right."

In an interview with The Arts Desk, Johnson was asked about the message of "So Much It Hurts", and Johnson revealed "Who hasn't experienced that in their lives? I drew on memory and midlife crisis. I'm not going to pretend that because I've been in a 30-year relationship I haven't had crushes or fantasies about other people, fairly obsessive ones. It was one of my favourite songs on the album but it causes a bit of controversy when it's played at home. It's called 'that heart on your sleeve record'."

The background behind the title track "Europa" was also revealed in the interview. Johnson said: "It has the bombast in the vocal delivery. It was written originally just subsequent to Frankie and "Blast" when I was summoned by Vangelis via his assistant. I was quite reluctant – spiritually I wasn't very well at the time - I was knackered but they got me over to Paris. He took me to this bunker underground studio in the Bois de Boulogne, where all these synths were laid out and I had an idea what I was going to sing over the music he’d sent to me on Digital Audio Tape. I sang the vocal and Roman Polanski turned up with a young Emmanuelle Seigner and a posse of choreographers. He said he was going to direct the video and she was going to dance in it. After the weekend had come to a close and I had come back to England to record "Dreams That Money Can't Buy", I never heard a peep again about the song from anyone. It was almost like a bit of a dream. I think the location and the Berlin Wall informed the subject matter of the song. I kept hold of the DAT all this time. I was going through my archives and found this song. I always wanted to record it. It took me two years to track him down. When finally I contacted him it was via Cherry Vanilla. Strangely, she had a company called Europa. I spoke to her and said, "Why is it called that?" She said, "Because I heard that demo many years ago – I love that song." I said, "Well actually this is why I'm ringing you." In the end I got him to play on the version I played with Mark Ralph. I actually went to Paris again and booked the studio he’d designated. He had the same sound engineer, Philippe Colonna, that he'd worked with on the original recording. I'm very happy with the resulting new version and the fact I got the maestro to play on it. He used one of his seven Yamaha CS synths..."

Artwork

The artwork for Europa is an original painting from Johnson, with the title "United Kingdom After the Rain". It was part of a series of paintings made in 2001-02. In 2003, the VH-1 program Bands Reunited brought Frankie Goes to Hollywood back together, in the hope of their agreeing to perform impromptu on the show. However, a reunion performance did not transpire. When the host Aamer Haleem interviewed Johnson at his London home, the original painting can be seen.

Initially Johnson was thinking of what he could show at an exhibition at Studio Voltaire called "Ausgang". This was to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of HRH Queen Elizabeth. Following the release of the Soulstream album, Johnson felt in need to "reset or reboot" himself creatively, and so he started to work alongside the MA students at The Royal College of Art Fine Art Printmaking department. After working on a series of Post Pop Punk QEII prints based on the Cecil Beaton photograph, once used both by Andy Warhol and Jamie Reid, Johnson created the painting at home in acrylic paint, and it ended up as a big oil painting, as well as some lithographic prints. The prints were exhibited at The Royal Academy Summer Show and the oil painting at The Mall Galleries.

The title of the painting references "Europe After The Rain" by Max Ernst, which is a post war apocalyptic landscape. Johnson explained "Great Britain, with its constant rain and history of war seemed to be dissolving in a miasma of celebrity culture and reality TV: fading, dripping, national identity washed away with globalisation and European directives. As we had all watched, live by satellite, the Twin Towers crumble, the new century was threatening. Dystopian dreams come true, with no off world escape route as depicted in Ridley Scott's Bladerunner." When talking Typography with designer Philip Marshal, Marshal chose to use details of the painting for the cover of Europa. Johnson added "I mentioned The Vorticist Manifesto BLAST (1914), a title I had used in 1989. We both had Black Sparrow Press reissue in our rooms and decided to ape the print style in homage to Wyndham Lewis and his group of artists. The title track references all these things in an abstract way."

Singles

In July 2014 the album's lead single "Follow Your Heart" was released. On 20 June 2014 it had its world exclusive first play on Ken Bruce's BBC Radio 2 show. At the end of June the Knuckles and Kupper remix of the song was played for the first time on BBC Radio 6 Music by Nemone. It was also given its online exclusive premiere by XLR8R. The single was made available as a download, as a digital EP, and also as a blue-coloured 12" vinyl, limited to 500, and a promotional, radio-only CD single, featuring a press release sticker. The song features one of the final last remix collaborations by Frankie Knuckles, along with Eric Kupper, before his death in March 2014. In addition to this, Johnson offered a limited batch of 50 test pressings of the 12" vinyl single, autographed and hand numbered, on his website.

In early September 2014 the second single "In and Out of Love" was released. It received its world premiere play on Ken Bruce's BBC Radio 2 show on 15 August, played by Michael Ball who was sitting in for Bruce. It was also given its online premiere via Attitude.co.uk. The single's artwork, like the album, features an original painting by Johnson. The song was given a digital release, and also as a promotional, radio-only CD single. One remix of the song is by Phil Harding, who had remixed Johnson's "Americanos" song in 1989. The music video for "In and Out of Love" was shot in mid-July, and was directed by Chris Shepherd, and produced by Alex Bedford.

The third single, "Heaven's Eyes", was released digitally on 18 January 2015. The single featured a "Radio Edit" version of the song, as well as five different remixes. An official lyric video was uploaded onto YouTube on 26 November 2014. It was produced by Simon Lowery with images supplied by the European Organisation for Astronomical Research.

In March 2015, it was announced that a fourth single, "Dancing with No Fear", will be released from the album. The single was released on 22 June 2015.

Release

On 26 June the album's track-listing was announced via Johnson's official website. On 19 September 2014 The Guardian streamed the entire Europa album on their website.

The album was released in various formats, and each edition of the album featured a different variation of the album's artwork. The regular edition CD was issued in a glossy gatefold softpack with a 12-page booklet, while a deluxe version features 2 bonus tracks, presented in a glossy hardcover CD book-pack, including an exclusive 24-page booklet. This version also features a bonus remix CD, and is of limited quantity, autographed by Johnson. The album was also issued on vinyl, and the regular edition is a double album black-vinyl set in a wide spine outer sleeve with printed inner sleeves, and includes the regular edition CD. The deluxe vinyl is presented as a double album set of transparent red and blue coloured vinyl, in a wide-spine outer sleeve with printed inner sleeves, including the deluxe edition CD of the album, as well as the bonus remix CD. Again it was made in limited quantity, signed by Johnson. The album was also available to order with a limited edition (of 250) A2 art poster print, hand-numbered and signed by Johnson.

The two bonus tracks of the deluxe edition of the album are the original mix of "Europa" and the piano mix of "So Much It Hurts". The bonus remix CD consists of eight tracks, featuring four remixes of "Follow Your Heart" and four of "In and Out of Love".

Promotion

On 27 July 2014 Johnson appeared on the BBC Radio 2 show Madeley on Sunday - as Richard Madeley sat in for Terry Wogan. Aside from an interview, Johnson performed a stripped-down version of "Follow Your Heart" and his 1989 hit "Americanos".

Johnson made a special in-store performance at Rough Trade East in London on 1 October.

Following the "Dancing with No Fear" tour in October, Johnson released his first live album in December 2014, titled Unleashed From the Pleasuredome. The album was recorded at the Koko in London on 28 October 2014. Of the nineteen tracks, six are taken from Europa.

In March 2015, Johnson announced a further set of six shows. These consisted of three UK dates in June, and three European dates in August. The shows celebrated the release of the album's fourth single "Dancing with No Fear".

Critical reception

David Jeffries of AllMusic wrote "Fifteen years after the release of his last solo album, singer Holly Johnson made a noble return with Europa, an LP fans will find pleasingly familiar even if it refuses to join the nostalgia circuit. Johnson's voice is still the wonderful combination of big and warm that it's always been, while his songwriting is still a mix of fascinated, strong-willed, and wise. Being right-sized with no filler means the album is a fan-pleasing effort that can still welcome newcomers, making the only complaint about Europa the long wait for its release." In addition, the tracks "Follow Your Heart", "In and Out of Love", "So Much It Hurts", "Europa" and "You're in My Dreams Tonight" were all highlighted as AMG Pick Tracks.

David Quantick of Q magazine favourably wrote "In a world where the '80s never ended and everyone's rewinding like there's no tomorrow, very few artistes have been able to continue with dignity. An exception is Holly Johnson. Thirty years after he introduced the world of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Johnson has returned to pop with an album that reflects the best moments of his solo debut, "Blast", and adds a new-found optimism. Johnson's voice is never overwhelmed, and songs such as the soulful techno of "Heaven's Eyes" and the sunlit defiance of "Dancing with No Fear" deserve to be heard as much as any of his previous work."

Record Collector writer Terry Staunton wrote "Lured back to music part-time for the Frankie back-catalogue reissue campaign, Europa has been two years in the making. And a very fine album it is too, Johnson in tremendous voice on a series of uplifting songs that sparkle with electronica dance rhythms without forgetting to add attractive, engaging melodies. This is pristine, elegant, commercial pop, delivered with great verve. A triumphant return for one of pop’s most charismatic figures, who has lost none of his ability to make us dance and smile."

musicOMH writer Sam Shepherd wrote "According to Johnson, Europa is essentially a retrospective of his songwriting skills, a suggestion which makes sense from the second the album starts. These 11 songs are deeply rooted in a musical past that once sounded new and vibrant but now appears dated and ever so slightly out of touch. In retrospective terms the fact that mid '90s synth pop and cheesy house populate much of the album is an appropriate stylistic choice. But it's hard to not expect a little more from Johnson. His voice has held up well over the years however, and as usual it's a joy to hear him on form. If it weren't for his presence, then many of these songs could easily be written off as half-baked synth pop. Thankfully there are a few moments, like the impassioned You're in My Dreams Tonight that possess real passion, proving, as if proof were needed, that Holly Johnson is still a quite breathtaking vocalist. This album just doesn't provide the musical support that he deserves."

Mojo magazine wrote "Holly Johnson's fourth album's Blast-apeing vein of electro-gliding mirrorball pop comes in optimistic hues."

Personnel

Additional personnel