I, for one, am glad that Arista has decided to remaster and rerelease all of Eurythmics’ albums. Although there are some stinkers in the bunch, the recorded output of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox is some of the best synthpop that the 1980s had to offer.
This collection contains...well, it contains the “ultimate” hits. Songs like “Sweet Dreams” and “Who’s That Girl?” have appeared on many a Eurythmics collection, aside other gems from the same period. My personal favorite, “Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves,” from Be Yourself Tonight, sounds wonderful here: Aretha and Annie’s lead vocals have never sounded better, and the backing band (which contained various and sundry Heartbreakers as well as Stewart) rips the song to shreds. Some of Eurythmics newer tracks, though oft maligned, are actually quite good. You may have heard “17 Again” on the radio and “I Saved The World Today” on an episode of The Sopranos, but they deserve another listen. “I’ve Got a Life,” the new track that begins the album, is good but not great; I had hoped for something that sounded a bit more like Lennox’s solo work and a bit less like the most recent Eurythmics album. Nonetheless, this Ultimate Collection is a great place to start if you’ve never heard Eurythmics before, and it’s a great CD to keep in the car if you need some fantastic music at your fingertips. Highly recommended. |