Customer Reviews

Touch

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

'Touch' is very special for me. For starters, it was the very first album I ever owned. I grew up in the 1980s and was mesmerized by MTV at the time, especially Eurythmics. So on my 6th birthday in 1984, I was given 'Touch,' on vinyl, as a birthday present from a family member. I loved it then and still do to this very day.

Over the years, I've purchased all of their works from 'In the Garden' to 'Peace,' but 'Touch' is probably my favorite of them all. Not only is the home of one of their finest songs, "Here Comes the Rain Again," but upon closer inspection, you can notice the seeds of some of the themes that would blossom later on their 1987 masterpiece, 'Savage.'

You can certainly dance to 'Touch,' but I usually prefer to sit and listen with headphones, especially when I'm feeling unmotivated -- for I've always found it to be a very stimulating (and visual) listening experience. Annie occasionally breaks into vocal chants which flow through the songs, providing a unique pulse and an added dimension. "No Fear..." never fails to leave me stunned, for she sings as though her very existence depended upon it. There's also a staggering slew of emotions conveyed throughout the album, including frustration ("Cool Blue"), isolation ("Aqua'), jealousy ("Who's That Girl"), paranoia ("Paint A Rumour"), rage ("Regrets"), and bliss ("Right By Your Side").

For my money, this is one of the best albums of the 80s. It hasn't dated a bit, and like a fine wine, gets better with age. Annie & Dave have always been artists who pour their hearts into their work, and present something both meaningful and universal. With 'Touch,' they definitely hit the jackpot.

When Touch was released in the United States in 1984, it would be at least another year before Eurythmics would dabble in sounds other than the synth riffs that propelled the U.K. duo's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" to the top of the chart in September 1983. But how we were to know at the time? What we got as a follow-up was a lot more of the computer/synth experimentation that made Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), the album, an '80s new wave masterpiece.

Yet here Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox take the sound to a different level, in many ways allowing Annie to step in front of the music to take even greater control over the image of the band at least aurally. It'd be hard to visually take any more control than Annie had in '83 sporting a black business suit and orange close-cropped hair or appearing as a leather-clad prostitute.

Still, this album gives you a taste of both the music's (i.e. Dave's) shimmer and Lennox's sheen. Of course you have "Here Comes the Rain Again," featuring a beautiful string section and haunting vocals by Lennox. And you have "Who's That Girl," an eerie throwback to classical cabaret style, and "Right By Your Side," the seemingly happy sounding raggae-inspired tune about co-dependency.

But there's more: the true coolness of "Cool Blue," the rattlesnake-like snarl of "Regrets," the liquid consistency of "Aqua," the suffering of "No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)," the eight minutes of Casio-keyboard-like simplicity in "Paint a Rumour" and the drive of "The First Cut." These songs take a completely different turn from the moody, somber, nighttime aura of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and yet incorporate the same synthetic appeal. God bless the '80s.

This album was just a treat. Another great one I owned first on vinyl, then 8-track (yes, 8-track) then tape and then CD. Yes, it's that good. Of course, the hit "Here Comes the Rain Again" makes the CD worth owning alone... but this CD is full of hits that made the singles charts in the UK, but didn't get the radio play they deserved here in the states.

"Right By Yourside" will get you jumping all over your house, singing along and "Regrets" will get you grooving... "Who's That Girl" is an instant first-run classic. Lots of synthesizers, drums and funky beats give these songs an 80s sound, but not cheesy... these were trend-breaking, innovative sounds that just didn't exist before this group came along. Great groovin', rockin' tracks... cool sounds and the penetrating voice of Annie Lennox.

After the Eurythmics found a home in the hearts of millions across the planet with their second album "Sweet Dreams," they were under a lot of pressure to really deliver on their next album. And deliver they did. The lead off single (in America) was the hauntingly beautiful "Here Comes the Rain Again." A new-wave classic, this song can still be heard on radio stations around the world, and along with their international smash "Sweet Dreams," will remain one of their all time classics.

The rest of the album is just as strong, however. Although some of the quirky sounds are a little outdated, most of the album sounds really fresh, and Annie and Dave explore a variety of genres. On the carribean spiced "Right By Your Side," Annie seems to be crooning to a lover, but upon closer inspection, the lyrics are very sarcastic and biting. The horn section on "Regrets" is almost as fantastic as the trumpet on "The Walk," and Dave adds even more funky guitar licks on this album ("Cool Blue," "The First Cut").

The end of the album finds the duo moving deeper into their underlying theme of isolation and bitterness. "Aqua," which is arguably one of the best songs on the album, has a great bassline, subtle acoustic guitar and Annie's voice is icy cold. "No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)" is the duo's contribution to the bottomless pit of drug addiction, and possibly Annie's greatest vocal achievement on the album.

Overall, the 80s duo deliver another masterpiece without any filler. All the songs are strong enough to stand on their own, while the collection of all nine songs together leave the listener with a bitter taste of dark beauty. This is really the last time the Eurythmics would be this dark, and it's almost a shame.

It seems as though the Eurythmics improve with every album they make. This is one of my favorite albums, because Annie's voice has never been in better shape, and Dave seems to learn more about production (?). The jagged edged lyrics, the coolness of Annie's smooth alto voice, and the thumping beats of each song create an album that is more diversified, and materialistic than there debut album. "Here Comes The Rain Again" is a perfect number to open an album with, especially the cool chorus in the song that only consists of Annie (This because her music trademark), "Regrets" shows a more soulful side of Annie that will become more and more evident throughout her career with the Eurythmics, "Right By Your Side" is a cheerful tune that might have you dancing around your house singing, Reggae definitely, how obvious, "Cool Blue" not too much to say about this track, although it is a good number to dance to, "Who's That Girl?" It's pretty obvious that the old sense of paranoia is evident throughout this song, making it one of the most interesting on this album, it almost trades the same suspicion as "Sweet Dreams," it's a also a more slower song with Annie's voice chorus singing in unison, "The First Cut" is a lovely song, and you can almost sense the lady's pain in this song as she sing's "Till I'm buried in the cold ground, cold ground, cold cold ground" chilling, and so eurythmical, "Aqua" although not one of my favorite songs on this album, you have to sit still on this album and let Annie tell you exactly what is happening to her, "No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)" alienation, fear, paranoia, anger, all represents this song's power, a great song, you won't want to dance to this one because you will be absolutely mesmerized by Annie's voice, "Paint A Rumour" disco? It most sure it the heck sounds like it, find time to get groovy to this song, what a great song to end the album with.

"Touch" can be easily said to be a work of art for a group that just started to be a breakthrough. Eurythmics career really started taking off from here, there's no doubt about that.

...but I always knew that I had to have this 'Touch', However it was my absolute obsession with the little known "1984: For the Love of Big Brother" that always kept me from purchasing it. While I am no expert on the Eurythmics catalog I knew enough to know that the afforementioned album was indeed a singularly unique effort whose sound was not going to be replicated on any other Eurythmics album. With that being said, I was afraid that I would hold myself to the standards of that album and thus find myself disappointed, despite the fact that I have always loved their classic "Here comes the rain again".

But in the end I guess I just couldn't help myself. Maybe I would indeed find Annie's haunting voice drowning in a sea of light-weight minimal early 80's fluff instead of the dark brooding menace of "1984..." but the amazon reviews were quite positive, and at least if all else failed I could still have claim to owning the Eurythmics album with the really cool looking cover. SHAME ON ME for ever second guessing the substance and dazzle of a woman whose music I have worshipped all my life.

Indeed I was right about one thing, This is no "1984..." and I was ALMOST disappointed after hearing the happy-go-lucky calypso love song, "Right by your side", which was excessively sweet and over the top for my taste. But the slick electronics and addicting chorus of "Cool Blue" quickly rekindled my hopes. Then the melancholy sadness of "Who's that girl" made me pay closer attention to the superb lyrics { "The language of love slips from my lovers toungue, cooler than ice cream and warmer than the sun..." } and by the time I got to "Aqua" with it's thoughtful cynicism about the numbing pain of drug addiction( though I think there are other pains that could fit the song ) and dark chants of vocals, quite reminiscent to several songs from the beloved album I refuse to compare this to, I knew that I was going to thoroughly like this album. Then came the zinger that only Annie Lennox's voice could do justice to(though I too am trying to belt it out lol), the absolutely stunning "No Fear, No hate, No pain(No broken hearts)" The only thing that comes to mind when listening to it at full blasting volume is "HOLY $@^&*$###!!!!" So THAT'S why she dons that black leather mask and strikes such a powerful domineering pose. Just listen to the jarring "HA!'s" and "AHHHH's" that Annie croaks so naturally in this song as well as in the teasing nature of "Regrets" and see if you can't feel the subtle dark erotic undertones of dominatricism as Annie seductively sings: "I'm an electric wire and I'm stuck inside your head". These songs, as well as the faster "The first cut" all contain an energy that makes me want to sing along and dance seductively like a pole dancer and crack a leather whip( If I owned one ) in sync with every "Ahhhh" that is belted out. "Paint a rumour" is a quaint unassuming electronic disco song that is quite likeable though overwhelmed by all the power and forceful emotions expressed by the other tracks.

So would I consider this Dark? Light? Happy? Sad? Really there is no answer because this album is both all and none all at once. Annie's voice will bring you to tears and enthrall you in the throngs of bliss and yet when it's all said and done you will find yourself not quite sure of what you just listened to but only that it was wonderful. Dated? Heck no! And just wait until the remaster comes out in 11/05, I can't wait!

This is my favourite Eurythmics album. Every song is a winner, even the more experimental ones that have no really catchy "hooks", but are carried effortlessly by Annie Lennox's gorgeous voice and the brilliant production and instrumentation of David Stewart. Just incredible, from start to finish, and an undeniable classic, not only of synth-pop, but of pop music in general. There are not too many cd's out there that are over 20 years old that I can still put in and listen to all the way through. This is one of them.

Touch is another synthpop masterpiece by Eurythmics that has stood the test of time very well. Not quite on the level of Sweet Dreams, it nevertheless contains brilliant songs like the atmospheric Here Comes The Rain Again with its evocative lyric, the compelling Right By Your Side with its riveting reggae beat and the soulful Who's That Girl. The arrangements are innovative throughout and lend merit even to the lesser songs like Regrets with its frisky trumpets. Another favorite of mine is Paint A Rumour with its skittering beat and subtle synth flourishes - it really grows on you. On Touch, Eurythmics consolidated the sound they introduced on Sweet Dreams, before they veered off into new directions with 1985's Be Yourself Tonight and the following year's Revenge. It remains a synth-pop classic.

"Here Comes the Rain Again", in my opinion, is the best song of all time. Can I add that it's also one of the most beautiful songs ever written? I was at Fever in Baltimore and Scott Henry played a house version that brought me to tears. It was the most amazing thing I had ever heard. It blew my mind!

The rest of the album is a masterpiece and it put Eurythmics on the map as one of the best bands of all time. It amazes me that as many times as I've listened to this tape that it still even plays (in fact, I just put it in). It's astonishing how ahead of their time they were by experimenting with different sounds and styles to create a diverse collection of songs that either move or haunt you.

Needless to say this album showcases the incredible vocals of Annie Lennox, the genius of David Stewart as a producer, and the brilliance of the two as song writers.

And to the one writer who discounts this album because of supposed drug use... Who really cares and what the heck does that have to do with the review of "Touch"? You're supposed to be reviewing the album, not what went on behind the scenes. I guess you'll have to go and discredit several great musicians of our time such as The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Etta James (and this isn't even a small chip off the iceberg of who you would have to discredit). The music stands on its own. I can understand why Amazon wouldn't post your review. But I guess you don't know what you're talking about because I've read the review you said they didn't post.

Eurythmics "Touch" album proved that synth-pop didn't have to be cold and monotone. A whole, fleshed out array of instruments (both electronic and electric) surround these gorgeous melodies and intriguing lyrics. This is avante-garde electro-pop created by thinking artistes for the likeminded listeners. Contains "Here Comes the Rain Again", an expressionistic masterpiece of pop songwriting.