I heard my first Eurythmics album after listening to Annie Lennox’s debut and I guess that distorted my expectations for their later work. I also read a lot about how their later work was “weirder” but, well, it isn’t weird… “weird compared to what?” is a question that occurred to me.
But, I find their second album significantly weirder and artier, at least compared to most of the synthpop being made in 1982,. Synthpop is a pretty safe genre, in my experience, and even little deviations from the form feel like crazy, radical chances when placed in the context of the genre as a whole (to the extent that I am familiar with it).
So the liberties Lennox takes with her voice, the flutes, and the samples create a much more interesting world than a woman singing over top of a bunch of synthesizers does.
It’s a catchy set of songs, which I’m sure is typical of these two. But the difference between this record and the other one of theirs I’ve heard is that on this one I feel like I can feel their personalities more. And that’s more memorable (not just compared to their other record but most synthpop).
7/10
All tracks written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, except “Wrap It Up” by Isaac Hayes and David Porter
- “Love Is a Stranger” 3:43
- “I’ve Got an Angel” 2:45
- “Wrap It Up” 3:33
- “I Could Give You (A Mirror)” 3:51
- “The Walk” 4:40
- “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” 3:36
- “Jennifer” 5:06
- “This Is the House” 4:56
- “Somebody Told Me” 3:29
- “This City Never Sleeps” 6:33
- Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, flute
- David A. Stewart – guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, programming, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Robert Crash – guitar, e-drums, synthesizer, robotic vocals
- Green Gartside – guest vocal duet on “Wrap it Up”
- Dick Cuthell – trumpet
- Adam Williams – bass, synthesizer
- Andy Brown – bass
- Reynard Falconer – synthesizers
- John Turnbull – guitar