Customer Reviews

Sweet Dreams

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

Eurythmics, a group that consisted of both Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart were very obscure, that is until the release of this album that brought a new meaning to the synthesizer. With Annie's soaring vocals, and David's production, this album remains a favorite of many people and album collectors alike. Dressed up as a sadomasochist prostitute on the front cover, perfectly depicts how truly dark this album is, and yet very unique. My favorite songs on this album are "Love Is A Stranger" with the pounding beat in the backround, with Annie Lennox's vocals sailing above it smoothing the whole thing out it to the point where it will become a favorite of many, the Hayes/Porter Cover of "Wrap It Up" which should be sung by a guy, but Annie gives a whole new meaning to it with an infectious drum beating away and the soulfulness of her voice, "The Walk" a song about a prostitute with a not so nice ending, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" a number 1 hit for the group, the synthesizer is magnificent and wait till you hear Annie's vocals, "Jennifer" a ballad about a girl who resorts to suicide, "This Is The House" a latin influenced dance number about a murder, my guess, and "This City Never Sleeps" a ballad about life in the urban city. If you buy this album, there is no doubt in my mind that you will become a fan. So enjoy!

Everything after this album couldn't capture the heights of this one. Annie's lyrics are beautifully minimalist ice sculptures: "I've Got An Angel" suggests there's more to this story than Annie's letting on with her three lines of lyric. In the meantime, "I Could Give You A Mirror" is a frenetic desire to break the ice and only finding more. The production is fabulous-- lots of bass, lots of texture. Sad, lush epics like "Jennifer" are enhanced by Dave's moody guitar solo at the end; "This City Never Sleeps" creates a soporific soundscape of metropolitan lethargy and of course, the title track says the basic message of it all: "Some of them want to use you, some of them want to get used by you." All in all, a hard act to follow.

After a rocky start in the late 70s and early 80s, the Eurythmics focused all of their talent and experience to produce the defining moment of their career. The most memorable point in this moment was the video for "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." During the baby stages for MTV, most of the videos were cheesey and embarrassing. A few artists were so cool, though, that they stood out among the rest. The Eurythmics were one of those; they truly raised the standards for making videos.

Beyond the videos, the music on this album is what's really important. With "Sweet Dreams" and "Love Is A Stranger," Annie's bitterness about love is surrounded by Dave's pulsating synthetic beats and soft, dissonant laser chimes. By just listening to these two songs, one would think that the Eurythmics had become a full-fledged New Wave synth band; and there are certainly other songs on here to appease that taste ("I've Got an Angel," "I Could Give You A Mirror"). But, the band refuses to be categorized. Several songs are textured by Dave's sleek guitar licks, adding some blues ("Wrap It Up") and even a tinge of latin ("This Is the House").

From beginning to end, "Sweet Dreams" flexes its muscles and relaxes, then flexes again and finally sighs with the brilliant "This City Never Sleeps." In fact, there is not a dull moment on this recording. While most of the albums from the eighties New Wave craze have dated and fallen into novelty, "Sweet Dreams" will remain one of the definitive albums of the genre and decade. Truly a one-of-a-kind Masterpiece!

The CD is worth getting just for the "Sweet Dreams" single, but it's far more than just a single with other tracks. "Love is a Stranger" is an excellent first track for this CD and will really get you into the rest of the songs. "Jennifer" is haunting and full of melodic whines from Annie. This is a well-rounded, yet somehow still eclectic mix of great Eurythmics songs.

A fantastic album! Wonderful songs like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" are briliant, and just play through your head long after you've heard them. Masters of their form, their music bombines 80's rock with entrancing dance music melodies, to really great effect. Anyone who loves real music would love this classic album. Fice stars, all the way!

This album is the Eurythmics at their most hypnotic and mesmerizing. I bought this album back when it first came out on vinyl, and I played it so much I'm suprised I never wore it out. I just love the synth beats and the way Annie's voice echo's, soars and the depth...the layering...it's just wonderful. I could listen to this album any time and all the time, and never get sick of it. There always seems to be something new to discover in it. A must-have for any Eurythmics or Annie Lennox fan.

There is no doubt that the Eurythmics are one of the most memorable and sophisticated synth bands of the 80's, this album proves it. With Dave's production, and Annie's beautiful voice "Sweet Dreams," their breakthrough album, will not be a disappointment to anyone. The album opens beautifully like a story book with "Love Is A Stranger" a pop song, that tells you the danger of love, and no matter how bad it is, you'll keep on coming back for more, to the prosperous ballad "This City Never Sleeps" which tells about city life, and how crowded it is. Anyone who craves 80's synth albums, this is a must!

Seventeen years after it's initial release, Sweet Dreams is a phenomenal project that still holds up to the test of time! It was a combination of some of the most sophisticated and intelligent electro-funk and new wave pop ever written and performed by a gifted musical duo. Many have criticized the 80's for producing the most heavily synthesized and commercialized music around of any decade in the last millennium.Yet, they should not forget that amongst the rest of the pack the Eurythmics always had substance and style. Annie Lennox is still producing and singing material which showcases her gorgeous and soulful voice. Dave Stewart (while not currently in the public eye as much as Lennox) has been creating his own solo projects and working with other artists which include saxophonist Candy Dulfer.

The real substance of Sweet Dreams album is how some of the lyrical content of the songs were simple yet deep in meaning (whether ambiguous or direct). Also, the different musical styles added so much warmth, texture and color to an otherwise cold,harsh electronic musical medium ; from the thumping percussive kick-drum synthesized title track to the Latin/Spanish influenced This Is The House. There is also a haunting ballad called Jennifer which will leave the listener mesmerized and wondering if the simple lyrics indicate what they are saying.The real infectious and melodic groove of Love Is A Stranger is one of their most unforgettable trademark sounds from the 80's.

For any collector of new wave, pop, or "experimental" music, Sweet Dreams is the hot ticket. Do not expect any hard driving guitars or pop-rock, alternative sounds as found in their much later albums. Still, you will not be disappointed !