The Escape Club
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010) |
The Escape Club | |
|---|---|
 The Escape Club, 1991 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Years active | 1983–1992, 2009–present |
| Labels | EMI Atlantic Records |
| Website | theescapeclub |
The Escape Club began in 1983 as an English pop rock band based in London. The band was composed of former Mad Shadows members' lead singer/rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel and guitarist John Holliday, along with former Expressos members bassist Johnnie Christo (a.k.a. John Christoforou[1]) and drummer Milan Zekavica. Zekavica had also previously played with Steel and Holliday on an album by the obscure early 80s New Wave outfit, Planning by Numbers.[2]
In 1986, they signed with EMI and recorded the album White Fields, which was released in 1987.
Later in 1987, the group moved to Atlantic Records for their next album, Wild Wild West. The album was released in the summer of 1988. The first single, "Wild, Wild West" climbed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the song's distinctive video received a lot of MTV airplay. However it was banned from being used in their homeland for being allegedly sexist and offensive. [citation needed]
In 1989, they released two more singles from Wild Wild West: "Shake for the Sheik," which climbed to #28, and "Walking Through Walls," which peaked at #81. The Escape Club's cover single of The Doors' "20th Century Fox" appeared on the The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era, which also received airplay on MTV. The band's official website reported that the song was produced by Ray Manzarek.
In 1990, the band returned to the studio to record what would be their final album, Dollars & Sex, which saw a March 1991 release. The first single, "Call It Poison" failed to crack the US Top 40. Atlantic Records then released the song "I'll Be There," which the group said was heavily influenced by the death of a friend's wife. The song has become an anthem among those who have experienced losses of their own. "I'll Be There" reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved gold status in the U.S. The group disbanded in 1992. The Escape Club is the only British band to have a #1 hit in the U.S., but not chart at all in the UK.
Trevor Steel and John Holliday reunited in 2010 for a new album and a handful of live shows, and plan to release a new studio album in early 2012. Their current online presence is the band's Facebook page, where they post updates regularly, and http://theescapeclub.net/.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
AUS [4] | ||||||||
| 1987 | White Fields
|
— | — | ||||||
| 1988 | Wild Wild West
|
27 | 42 | ||||||
| 1991 | Dollars & Sex
|
145 | — | ||||||
| 2009 | Cloud 10
|
— | — | ||||||
| 2012 | Celebrity
|
— | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [6] |
US Mod [7] |
US Dan [8] |
AUS [9] |
NZ [10] | |||||
| 1988 | "Wild, Wild West" | 1 | 3 | 36 | 6 | 12 | Wild Wild West | ||
| "Shake for the Sheik" | 28 | — | — | — | 46 | ||||
| 1989 | "Walking Through Walls" | 81 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1991 | "Call It Poison" | 44 | — | — | — | — | Dollars & Sex | ||
| "I'll Be There" | 8 | — | — | 43 | 42 |
| |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
References
- ^ Information about "The Bazoomis" (Predecessor band to "The Expressos") Accessed 12-6-2009
- ^ Planning by Numbers- Living Neon (single) @Discogs.com
- ^ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - October 16, 2010: Escape Club certified albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Dance/Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ^ a b "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - October 16, 2010: Escape Club certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 October 2010.