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The Escape Club

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"Escape Club" redirects here. For the reality television series, see Escape Club (TV series).

The Escape Club
The Escape Club, 1991
The Escape Club, 1991
Background information
OriginLondon, England
GenresPop rock
Years active1983–1992, 2009–present
LabelsEMI, Atlantic Records
MembersTrevor Steel
John Holliday
Johnnie Christo
Red Broad
Past membersMilan Zekavica
Mike Woodsum

The Escape Club are an English pop rock band that was formed in London in 1983. They are best known for their 1988 No. 1 US hit "Wild, Wild West" and for their top-ten 1991 hit "I'll Be There".

History

The band formed in 1983, comprising 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. The seeds for the formation of The Escape Club were sown when Zekavica joined Steel and Holliday in Mad Shadows, who subsequently performed on an album by the obscure early 1980s Stephen Milford-fronted new wave outfit Planning by Numbers.[2][3] Before long, Christo had also joined the lineup, and The Escape Club was born. The fledgling band quickly released the single "Breathing".[2]

In 1985 The Escape Club signed with EMI and recorded the album White Fields, which was released the following year. In 1987, the group moved to Atlantic Records and began recording their next album, Wild Wild West.[2] The album was released in the summer of 1988 and spawned the single "Wild, Wild West", which climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[4] while the song's video received major rotation on MTV. However, it was banned from British Television for unclear reasons, reports and band members speculate it was due to the use of disembodied limbs and lingerie in a way that came off as offensive or sexist.[5][6][7][8] One recent reviewer said of the ban and disembodied limbs, "British censors would’ve been acting in the public interest. [...] It’s [a] pretty easy psychedelic trick-shot, and it’s also pure nightmare fuel. I hate looking at it."[9]

In 1989, they released two more singles from Wild Wild West: "Shake for the Sheik", which climbed to No. 28, and "Walking Through Walls", which peaked at No. 81.[4] The Escape Club's cover single of The Doors' "20th Century Fox" appeared on The Wonder Years: Music From the Emmy Award-Winning Show & Its Era, which also received airplay on MTV. The song was produced by Doors band member Ray Manzarek.

In 1990 the band returned to the studio to record their final album, Dollars and 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.[2] The song has become an anthem among those who have experienced losses of their own. "I'll Be There" reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved gold status in the US.[4] The group disbanded in 1992. The Escape Club is the only British band to have a No. 1 hit in the U.S. while not charting at all in their native UK.

The band self-released a fourth album "Cloud 10" in 2005.

Trevor Steel and John Holliday reunited, with new band member Red Broad, in 2009 and self-released a fifth studio album, Celebrity, in February 2012.

In 2019, Johnnie Christo returned to the line-up and the Escape Club played as a full band for the first time in 25 years during the U.S. tour Lost 80s Live.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[10] 		AUS
[11]
1986 White Fields — —
1988 Wild Wild West 27 42
1991 Dollars & Sex
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: Atlantic Records
 145 —
2005 Cloud 10 — —
2012 Celebrity
  • Released: 7 February 2012
  • Label: self-released
 — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Charting Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold) 		Album
US
[4] 		US Mod
[13] 		US Dan
[14] 		AUS
[11] 		NZ
[15]
1988 "Wild, Wild West" 1 3 36 6 12 Wild Wild West
"Shake for the Sheik" 28 — — 114 46
1989 "Walking Through Walls" 81 — — — —
1991 "Call It Poison" 44 — — 82 — Dollars & Sex
"I'll Be There" 8 — — 43 42
"So Fashionable" — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. ^ Information about "The Bazoomis" (Predecessor band to "The Expressos") Retrieved 12 June 2009
  2. ^ a b c d Demalon, Tom. "The Escape Club". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Trevor Steel". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d "Billboard > Chart History > The Escape Club > Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  5. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 450. CN 5585.
  6. ^ Wilker, Deborah (24 March 1989). "ESCAPE CLUB HAS A WILD BEGINNING". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Interview with Trevor Steel of The Escape Club". Kickin' it Old School via Redisover the 80s. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  8. ^ Jones, Rhys (5 May 2009). "Escape To Club Wild Wild West". Retro Universe. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  9. ^ Breihan, Tom (7 June 2021). "November 12, 1988: The Number Ones: The Escape Club's "Wild, Wild West"". Stereogum. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Billboard > Chart History > The Escape Club > Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  11. ^ a b Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  12. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – October 16, 2010: Escape Club certified albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  13. ^ "Billboard > Chart History > The Escape Club > Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Billboard > Chart History > The Escape Club > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  15. ^ "charts.org.nz > The Escape Club in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  16. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – October 16, 2010: Escape Club certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
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