Customer Reviews

Out Of This World

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You'll find yourself singing out loud all of the songs (if you're an 80's rock fan) . They are all incredibly well written, with smart lyrics. Plus, Kee Marcello will blow your mind with some stunning and creative guitar performance (and consider I'm an Yngwie Malmsteen fan). BUY IT NOW!

This is just a plainly underrated record. True, it could have used a little less production (maybe that should take one star from the rating but...), but the songs are, for the most part, amazing. Tempest's voice is at its peak, and Marcello's fretwork is amazing. His blend of melody and shredding in the tasty, finely-honed solos is something not to miss for any guitar fan. I wonder how the record would have sounded, had Nevison (producer) given a rawer edge (and a little bit more space) to Marcello's guitar. The rest of the band sounds pretty tight...although drums are a bit dull at some moments (again, blame it on Nevison!).
Being a long time fan (or "old" Europe and now of their new sound as well), I have to say that OOTW ranks among their best song-collection, if not the best.
For those into 80's melodic hard rock, this is a must. For those not into the '80s sound, check out 2004 Start from the Dark and, soon, 2006 Secret Society.

This is a great album guys, surely the best of this band and one of the best I've ever listened to. Kee Marcello's solos in this one are really addictive especially that in "Superstitious". Buy it and you'll surely give it a 5 star rating.

This album is a must for hard rock fans.joey tempest does a very good job on the vocals while kee marcellos guitar solos work well too especially on Towers callin,superstisious and the speedy ready or not.the album has various tracks to suit your taste ie hard and soft and there is some nice keboard sounds to top it off.Sign of the times and never say die are a favourate.

Out Of This World was a very good follower to the platinum Final Countdown album. However, it lacked enough promotion back in 1988/89. Ron Nevison`s production is without mistake, in places you can tell that it`s overproduced. Such a clear sound is not available on any other hard rock record. The vocals are polished, keyboards, drums and guitars are very distinct, perfectly clear to hear. My favourites: Let The Good Times Rock, Never Say Die, Ready Or Not and of course the ballads. It`s a pity that the Europe management failed to promote this album more...

"Out of this World" is a classic example of how music in the 1980s may be the best of the 20th Century. This pristine collection of hard rock sparkles with the deluxe quality of Swedish guitarist Lee Marcello's excellence. And Joey Tempest's vocals sends this album soaring above the rest. A MUST OWN.

Quick, what's Swedish for "shimmering synths", as termed by my colleague Eric Andrews, and "Would you like a little guitar with your keyboards?" Yes, Ron Nevison produced Europe's followup to The Final Countdown, Out Of This World, and like albums of his other clients, most notably Heart's Bad Animals, the results were a more polished, keyboard heavy-sound that dampened the heavy guitars, but still made a worthy followup album.

The first single, "Superstitious", deserved higher than its Top 40 placing in the singles chart. The mixed keyboards and guitar becomes apparent here, with Joey Tempest's soaring vocals and new guitarist Kee Marcello's piercing guitar solo. And those horn-like synths that made "The Final Countdown" a megahit are here. The protagonist emphasizes reason as opposed to superstition as to why things happen, and affirms a positive life using that belief.

"Let The Good Times Rock", well, the title speaks for itself. The music is the usual melange of keyboard and guitar, which actually overrides the synths in places.

The next three songs are a block of outstanding tracks. Europe resurrects the four-year old "Open Your Heart", originally on their Wings Of Tomorrow album, into a poignant power ballad with sad strings instead of a lightweight rocker. The protagonist has sunken so much that "I've been waiting for the angels to knock on my door." Marcello's snarling solo is then accompanied by the wall of synth. "Maybe that time has its own way of healing/Maybe it dries the tears in your eyes" Tempest sings at one point. Yeah, I hope it does.

Synths and drums dominate on the rocking "More Than Meets The Eye", where a man is trying to cope with someone's who's left him. When love dies, the chorus says, it's "so much more than just a last goodbye/it's a cold and lonely heart/So sad and torn apart."

The string-laden power ballad "Coast To Coast" is a portrait of loneliness with that glimmer of hope in the end. "When time seems so lonely/And your day seems too long/You wonder if you will ever get through/And still be strong." But, as the chorus says, "Coast to coast and land to land/We're together hand in hand," i.e. you're not the only one who's alone.

"Ready Or Not" is the most engaging track. "Rock me like you've never done before/then rock me just a little more" really describes the breakneck tempo done a la Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." And Marcello's guitar echoes Joe Satriani in spots. He really does great justice to this album.

"Sign Of The Times" describes what defines our character: "It's the way that we makes things right/Its' the way that we hold on tight." "Just The Beginning", with its heavy hook-heavy keyboards, is an affirmation that one can face anything: "Come thunder, lightning all over me/I'd still be on my way."

"Never Say Die" is a mellower cousin of The Final Countdown's "Rock The Night". The chugging "Lights And Shadows" details the sudden appearance of an old flame who wants someone to hold.

"Tower's Callin'" about a pilot little knowing that he's going on his last flight. One can imagine what happens, because this song doesn't tell us. The closing teary piano and strings ballad "Tomorrow" asks a partner questions so-often asked. "Will you be there beside me/If the world falls apart/And will all of our moments/remain in your heart/.../And be there to hold me/Whenever I cry." And so on. Indeed, that'd be one of the questions I'd ask: "Will you be there tomorrow?"

Out Of This World is a strong followup to The Final Countdown, but making Joey Tempest the sole writer on all songs except for "Just The Beginning" and "Ready Or Not" has resulted in less potent songs, plus some tracks barely escape filler status by strong and rhythmic synths and guitars.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN was an album with serious lyrics married to a slick musical background. On OUT OF THIS WORLD, the lyrics are just as serious, but the music is rawer, featuring more guitars and fewer keyboards. Ron Nevison produced this one, and his expertise shows in the way the CD sounds and flows. The ballads are harder-edged this time around, as are the rockers. Like its predecessor, as well as its followup, PRISONERS IN PARADISE, OUT OF THIS WORLD proves that Kansas-style prog and Ted Nugent metal can coexist successfully in the right hands.

I don't doubt that at this point in their careers, John Norum was probably a better guitarist than Kee Marcello. But, for some reason, the guitar riffs on Out of This World and Prisoners in Paradise sound, for lack of a better description, less lazy. The positives of this album are the good ballads and guitar riffs.

The bad thing about this album is that every other song seems to start out with Joey Tempest saying, "Hah yeah!" or some variation of that. It really gets annoying if you just listen straight through this CD. If you rip mp3s of these songs and throw them into a random mix with dozens of other Europe or pop metal mp3s, the Hah Yeahs are much more tolerable.

I appreciate this CD more now than I did when I bought the cassette when it first was released. Back then I listened more for the melodies and catchy hooks than anything. When I listen to this record now, I'm more in awe of Kee Marcello than anything else. All of his guitar solos, especially "Superstitious" and "Open Your Heart" are absolutely a fascinating lesson in melody and phrasing and tonality that make it seem like the songs were written around them. It's too bad that the young beginner guitarists will never give this one a listen, (they're too into today's junk) because each solo is a lesson in song writing. Kee Marcello is a master of his instrument and is a true talent that was overlooked during the great guitarists debate during the thriving metal years.