One thing about most hair metal bands of the '80s -- they were not necessarily known to be "proficient" at their respective instruments.
But one such group from the genre that certainly had the chops to back up their pretty boy looks was Europe, which prove this theory once again on their 2008 live CD, Almost Unplugged (which was issued as a DVD a year later).
Recorded at a venue in Stockholm (called Nalen) on January 26, 2008, Almost Unplugged sees the group joined by a string quartet as they balance originals with a few classic rock nuggets, including Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," Thin Lizzy's "Suicide," and UFO's "Love to Love," among others, as well as a still-bombastic rendition of "The Final Countdown." Surprisingly, there is no rendition of their power ballad, "Carrie," included here, which you'd think would have fit in well with all the other stripped-down tunes here -- especially when overbearing cheese such as the song "Hero" is included (although admittedly, the song's meaning is heartfelt -- it's a tribute to the late, great Phil Lynott).
The histrionics may be toned down a tad here, but Almost Unplugged serves as further proof that Europe remain arena rock kings throughout...Europe.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Got to Have FaithNorum, Tempest | Europe | Play | 04:15 | 0 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | Forever TravellingMichaeli, Tempest | Europe | Play | 04:22 | 0 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | Devil Sings the BluesMichaeli, Tempest | Europe | Play | 06:26 | 0 MB | 46 MB |
| 4 | Wish You Were HereDavid Gilmour, Roger Waters | Europe | Play | 04:36 | 0 MB | 28 MB |
| 5 | DreamerTempest | Europe | Play | 04:23 | 0 MB | 29 MB |
| 6 | Love to LoveMogg, Schenker | Europe | Play | 07:31 | 0 MB | 51 MB |
| 7 | Yesterdays NewsHaughland, Leven, Marcello, Michaeli, Tempest | Europe | Play | 06:30 | 0 MB | 45 MB |
| 8 | Since I've Been Lovin' YouJohn Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | Europe | Play | 07:24 | 0 MB | 51 MB |
| 9 | HeroTempest | Europe | Play | 04:26 | 0 MB | 29 MB |
| 10 | SuicidePhil Lynott | Europe | Play | 05:42 | 0 MB | 41 MB |
| 11 | MemoriesTempest | Europe | Play | 05:51 | 0 MB | 41 MB |
| 12 | SuperstitiousTempest | Europe | Play | 04:39 | 0 MB | 34 MB |
| 13 | Rock the NightTempest | Europe | Play | 05:51 | 0 MB | 42 MB |
| 14 | The Final Countdown | Europe | Play | 05:46 | 0 MB | 39 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 77 mins | 541 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andreas Bauman | Mixing |
| 2 | Anna Landberg Dager | Cello |
| 3 | Europe | Primary Artist |
| 4 | David Gilmour | Composer |
| 5 | Haughland | Composer |
| 6 | Ian Haugland | Drum, Drums, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | John Paul Jones | Composer |
| 8 | Henrik Jonsson | Mastering |
| 9 | Leven | Composer |
| 10 | John Leven | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Bass), Member of Attributed Artist |
| 11 | Phil Lynott | Composer |
| 12 | Marcello | Composer |
| 13 | Fredrik Martinsson | Engineer |
| 14 | Michaeli | Composer |
| 15 | Mic Michaeli | Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 16 | Mogg | Composer |
| 17 | Norum | Composer |
| 18 | John Norum | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Member of Attributed Artist |
| 19 | Jimmy Page | Composer |
| 20 | Robert Plant | Composer |
| 21 | Schenker | Composer |
| 22 | Tempest | Composer |
| 23 | Joey Tempest | Guitar (Acoustic), Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 24 | Roger Waters | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |