Recalling the studio mastering sessions with legendary engineer Bob Ludwig, Tempest revealed, “He said to me… ‘It’s a bit long, isn’t it?’ So we cut quite a chunk out of it, so this was definitely an album track.”
Despite initial band pushback, Tempest championed the song’s potential. “Even in the studio I was trying to convince everybody, ‘This could be the first single.’ And they were like, ‘No, it should be Rock the Night.’ But they come to me today and say, ‘Nah, it was a good choice to start with that.'”
Reflecting on his early influences, Tempest shared how a school outing shaped his career. “We had a crazy substitute music teacher… He managed to convince the headmaster to take us on the train to see Electric Light Orchestra. You know, the great tour with the laser and the strings. Oh my goodness, it was amazing.”
Tempest also recalled a humbling moment as a teenager meeting Thin Lizzy icon Phil Lynott. “I walked over there and I started with, ‘Hi, Phil… You’re a great singer and I love your band and everything, but have you ever thought about having a lead singer in your band ’cause you’re the bass player?’ I’m like, ‘Did I just say that?’ But he was so kind. He said, ‘Oh, thank you for the compliment, young sir.'”
Turning to the present, Europe have returned with their 12th studio album, Come This Madness, written during lockdown.
“Everything stopped in the world, so I started writing again, acoustic guitar in front of the TV with the news on,” Tempest explained. “I think it’s one of the special ones throughout our career. We managed to grow up lyrically. There’s some layers and depth there, together with being an entertaining rock band.”
The full interview is available now on The Leona Graham Podcast.
