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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lesser known facts, February 21, 2004
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.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
buried lapidary, July 25, 2002
By A Customer
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"!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fascinating Side Project, October 19, 2004
At the height of their popularity, the Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart) decided to take a risk with this dark, moody, would-be soundtrack. It's true that very little of the music here was actually used in the movie, but that doesn't mean it's bad music. At the time, it had a very abstract, dissonant quality, especially compared to the Eurythmics first three albums.
For people wanting the melodic synth pop of Touch or Sweet Dreams, there may be some dissapointment. Instead, the album has a mechanical, cold quality to it, which, I believe, is the intent here. Orwell's book expresses a sense of loss: the loss of human emotion and natural evolution. These are replaced by a mechanical world of machines, monotony and melancholy. Annie's amazing voice is full of emotion, but this stands in juxtaposition to the grinding machines produced by Dave. It's almost as if the two worlds (one of beauty, one of emptiness) are being pulled apart.
The first song, "I Did It Just the Same," demonstrates this contrast beautifully. The music has a synthetic, textured beat;
and Annie sings over the groove, expressing so much emotion without ever uttering a single word. Other highlights include the European hit "Sexcrime (1984)," which sounds a little dated now; the beautiful "Julia," which may be the best example of Annie's gift of voice and delivery; and the haunting "For the Love of Big Brother."
The album may not grab most listeners the first couple times around, and some of the effects on the album are certainly trapped in the 80s, but patients listeners will be rewarded with some musical moments that the Eurythmics never visited again.
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