1984 for the Love of Big Brother [Import]

Eurythmics | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 6, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Disky Records
• ASIN: B00005RW1X
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #264,688 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Did It Just the Same

2. Sex Crime (1984)

3. For the Love of Big Brother

4. Winston's Diary

5. Greeting's from a Dead Man

6. Julia

7. Doubleplusgood

8. Ministry of Love

9. Room 101

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lesser known facts, February 21, 2004

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1984 for the Love of Big Brother (Audio CD)

After Eurythmics blew up internationally with the Sweet Dreams and Touch albums, this was quietly released originally back in 1984. The director of the film 1984 is said to have rejected the soundtrack Eurythmics recorded as "too modern sounding" in favor of a mostly orchestral and traditional sounding score, which was written by someone else entirely. Although it wasn't a commercial ( or critical ) sucess, it is probably my favorite Eurythmics cd, along with the first three ( In the Garden, Sweet Dreams, and Touch ). The mix of the synthetic music, which is sometimes cold and mechanical, with the always incredible vocals of Annie Lennox, might seem on the surface like to oil and water - they just wouldn't seem to go together. It is that juxstaposition that I find the most intriguing. I personally never cared for this duo's output when they began flirting with American styled R and B and giving their music a fuller "band" sound, with real drums, sax, etc. I much prefer the clinical, synthetic sounds of their earlier work, and I find 1984 to be the apex of this approach. This disc was SO ahead of it's time. It sounds in places much like the ambient house music and world-beat music which became popular almost ten years after this album's release. The instrumentals are often spare in arrangement, but feature very distintive sounds. It doesn't sound like Dave Stewart hit any factory pre-sets on his syths, in other words, and took the easy way out, as so many synth-based groups of that era did. There are many highlights on this disc, from the stunningly beautiful ballad "Julia" to the menacing "Room 101" to the tribal sounding percussive attack of "Doubleplusgood." There's just so much variety here, which is especially refreshing coming from a duo who could have easily fallen into the cracks of the limitations set upon them from being a so-called "synth pop" act. I got this as a cassette back when it was released originally and was very pleasantly surprised to find it in a used cd store in Seattle, Washington. It was never released in the US on cd and you might have to pay a little more for it as an import, but if you like the first few Eurythmics releases, I highly recommend it. Five stars, absolutely.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars experimental eurythmics, August 8, 2000

By 

Steffan Ziegler "i_hate_emoticons" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1984: For Love of Big Brother (Audio CD)

I bought this cd on a whim, as part of a Gift Certificate from a friend. I was intrigued by the many positive reviews which placed this album with early industrial music rather than the rest of the Eurythmics catalogue of electronica. (Ie: "Isle of Man" era Ministry, Voivoid, etc.) I agree that there are elements of industrial roots here, but I really think that the album is more akin to "Dark Side of the Moon." When I obtained the album, I realized that one track, "Julia" was one I'd been looking for for years, after seeing a video of several looped Annie Lennoxes singing a haunting song in an eerie acapella, on Asian MTV at around three in the morning.

The Eurythmics abandon their normal format to venture into the realm of the concept album. They concentrate on the theme of Orwell's story, deviating only for an instant with "Sexcrime" which was clearly designed to grab airtime. A thread of constant paranoia invades the album, and it stays true to Orwell's claustrophobic portrayal of a society bent upon absolute totalitarian control. I especially felt that "DoublePlusGood" and "Room101" accomplished this very well. In fact, "DoublePlusGood's" rapid fire newscaster distillation of issues to simple "Goods, Bads, PlusGoods," etc, building to an almost orgasmicly cheerful ending of repeated "Good, Good DoublePlusGood," was delivered with the same cheer and artificiality as Seattle's "King 5 News", which made me wonder exactly how deep the connection ran.

I really enjoyed the album, because I felt that the Eurythmics really pushed themselves with this. I think it is tragic that the most innovative work by the band is relegated to relative obscurity. More artists should be given the freedom to innovate, then we wouldn't have so many cookie cutter groups that all sound as if they were pressed in plastic on some sound stage in Burbank.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars buried lapidary, July 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: 1984 for the Love of Big Brother (Audio CD)

I've owned all the Eurythmics' cds at one time or another, but I keep and play this one. Why...you may ask? Because of the sounds of the synth, the sadness, yet beautiful moodiness that the cold intrumentals coupled with Annie's beautiful emoting just equal something I have not caught on much of the Eurythmics other stuff(maybe a little on their 1st 2). I think they were inspired by the ideas and look of the film. I like it when an artist is not tightly restrained in making pop music, and while they are undeniably pop, here the melodies and creepy lonliness get to meander off in such a refreshing way. Listen to this in your car at night, after seeing an old intimate friend, preferebly while it's raining. Not really a weak moment on the whole album. And her voice! Sooooo Beautiful on "Julia"!