|
| Walhello -> Knowledge Base -> CDs -> E -> Eurythmics Sweet Dreams |
| Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Classification: Pop Band: Eurythmics Melodic synth heaven! Eurythmics followed up the fragile and ethereal but somewhat inaccessible In The Garden with this album of pure pop genius. The early 1980's saw an explosion of synthesizer-driven sounds and there were other duo's too, like OMD and Yaz(oo), but Eurythmics outlasted them all. Sweet Dreams provided Eurythmics with the commercial breakthrough in its shimmering masterpieces such as Love Is A Stranger and the dreamy title track. The video's of these two are superb too. Not all of these are flowing pop songs though; there's also the ethereal I've Got An Angel and the enervated experimental Wrap It Up, plus the more soulful outings I Could Give You A Mirror and The Walk with its great trumpet solo. Besides the aforementioned hits, my favorites also include the atmospheric Jennifer (reminiscent of Belinda on In The Garden) and the elegant This Is The House with its Spanish spoken intro, its instrumental flourishes and its mood of sadness. It's true that not every single track here remains as memorable as the ones mentioned, but this album certainly deserves Five stars for its melodic and lyrical greatness. Sweet Dreams indeed. Chillingly good! This album, it's follow up "Touch", and the "1984" Soundtrack represent the core of the early Eurythmics sound - a contrast of Annie's empassioned vocals (check out Annie singing her own backup!) and chilly synth pop backdrops. Without Annie's vocals, the arrangements would remain clever, but not as memorable. As with all Eurythmic records, this album allowed her to play with her ample vocal gifts; her style goes from refrained on the lovely "The Walk", to the ecstatic "Wrap It Up" (a Sam & Dave cover). The album features, besides the two familiar singles "Love Is A Stranger" and "Sweet Dreams" what I beleive is perhaps the most effective ballad about urban life - "This City Never Sleeps." (It's also found on the 9 1/2 Weeks soundtrack) "This City Never Sleeps", with it's pulsing bass line, subway rail sounds and hypnotic vocals could have a haunting effect on anyone familiar with city life (and maybe even on those who aren't.) If you tend to like cold, early 80's new-wave, you will Love this album. Not a clunker in the bunch. This remains My Favorite period for the Eurythmics - it's when I beleive they were their most vibrant and individual, and "Sweet Dreams" remains one of My Favorite albums of all time. (I've had it since I was 12.) P.S. If you dig "Sweet Dreams", check out "Touch" (equally excellent) and "1984" also. For a later album, "Savage" was very good as well. More than a song. Being a long time Eurythmics fan has been hard. People sometimes snicker and write off the Eurythmics as just another 80's band. All criticism aside, Annie and Dave left us some really great songs. I, like everyone else in America, first heard them when Sweet Dreams was released back in '83. I was 10 1/2 then and I have all 9 studio cds they released plus Annie's two solo cds and one of four solo cds Dave released. Now, why Sweet Dreams? Okay, sure, Touch, Be Yourself Tonight and Savage were all equally great. However, it is Sweet Dreams that sounds most cohesive. 10 tracks all synth driven and smart. 40 minutes of interesting music. There's not a bad song on here and 17 years later this cd still holds up compared to some of the Eurythmics' other cds. The songs "Love is a Stranger" and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" were the hits. The other 8 tracks are just as intriguing from "I've Got An Angel" to "This City Never Sleeps" this album was a lesson in early Electronic music at its best. The mechanical synthesizers combined with the warmth of Annie's vocals made this album stand out from all the other forgettable synth bands. Not only that, but the Eurythmics evolved which few, if any, synth bands ever did. This is a cd worth the money. Buy Eurythmics Sweet Dreams at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.comJamster - the latest ringtones for your phone! |
