The Escape Club

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
Members Trevor Steel
John Holliday
Red Broad
Past members Johnnie Christo
Milan Zekavica
Mike Woodsum

The Escape Club is an English pop rock band that was formed in London in 1983. They are perhaps best known for their 1988 number one U.S. 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".[4]

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. 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 while the song's video received major rotation on MTV. However, it is rumored it was banned from being used in their homeland for being extremely sexist.[5]

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. 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 band's official website reported that the song was produced by a member of the Doors. However there is no independent evidence that this is true. A reliable citation is needed to confirm this claim.

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. 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. 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.

Trevor Steel and John Holliday reunited, with new band member Red Broad, in 2009 for a new album and a handful of live shows, and released a new studio album, Celebrity, in February 2012.

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US
[6]		 AUS
[7]
1986 White Fields
  • Released: 1986
  • Label: EMI
 — —
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

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)		 Album
US
[9]		 US Mod
[10]		 US Dan
[11]		 AUS
[12]		 NZ
[13]
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

  1. ↑ Information about "The Bazoomis" (Predecessor band to "The Expressos") Accessed 12-6-2009
  2. ↑ Planning By Numbers - 1: Catch the Beat @Discogs.com Retrieved 2-8-2014.
  3. ↑ Planning by Numbers- Living Neon (single) @Discogs.com
  4. ↑ Escape Club- "Breathing" @Discogs.com Retrieved 2-8-2014.
  5. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 450. CN 5585.
  6. ↑ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  7. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  8. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - October 16, 2010: Escape Club certified albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  9. ↑ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  10. ↑ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "The Escape Club Album & Song Chart History - Dance/Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  14. 1 2 "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - October 16, 2010: Escape Club certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
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