Vintage Eurythmics this weekend – recorded at The Entertainment Centre in Sydney on February 14, 1987.
In case you forgot, Eurythmics videos were almost required viewing during the initial days of MTV. Visually and musically they lent themselves perfectly to the burgeoning scene that would soon envelope America, as Music Videos became synonymous with a band’s releases and were a fertile ground for some groundbreaking filmmaking in the process.
Right place, right time, you could say – just prior to emerging as Eurythmics, founding members Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were in another band that might very well have become an MTV staple; The Tourists. But timing wasn’t right – Punk/New Wave were just getting established in America (where it had been for a while in the UK, but we were slow on the uptake), and MTV was only in select markets at the time. By 1980 all that would change.
By 1987, the year of this concert, Eurythmics had become a household name, sold millions of albums and were recipients of a veritable phalanx of awards and recognitions and were right in the middle of producing hit after hit; gold and platinum album after gold and platinum album. In 1987, Lennox and Stewart released the album Savage. This saw a fairly radical change within the group’s sound, being based mainly around programmed samples and drum loops (Lennox would later say that where Revenge was more of a Stewart album in sound, Savage was more of a Lennox one). Lyrically the songs showed an even darker, more obsessive side to Lennox’s writing. A video album was also made, directed by Sophie Muller, with a video for each song. This was largely a concept piece, following characters portrayed by Lennox, specifically one of a frustrated housewife-turned-vamp (as exemplified in “Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)”, a UK top 30 and Australian No. 13 hit). The brazen, sexually charged rocker “I Need a Man” remains a Eurythmics staple, as does “You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart”. Much less commercial than the two previous albums, Savage was mostly ignored in the US, although rock radio in more progressive markets supported “I Need a Man”. In the duo’s native UK however, the album was a top 10 success and was certified Platinum.
That winning streak went pretty much unchecked until 1990 when, after strenuous years of touring and recording (Eurythmics had released eight studio albums in eight years), a rift had developed between the duo and Eurythmics disbanded, although no formal notice was given. Stewart began writing film soundtracks and had a big international hit in 1990 with the instrumental track “Lily Was Here” (featuring saxophonist Candy Dulfer). The single reached No. 6 in the UK and the Top 20 throughout much of Europe and the US, and top 10 in Australia. A soundtrack of the same name was also released, produced and largely written by Stewart. He formed a band called the Spiritual Cowboys, releasing two albums with this group in the early 1990s. Lennox took time off from her career to have a baby and to consider a life after Eurythmics. Accordingly, the duo had very little communication with each other from 1991 to 1998. In 1991, Eurythmics’ Greatest Hits collection was released, entering the UK album chart at No. 1 and spending a total of 10 weeks at that position, plus 8 weeks in New Zealand and 7 weeks in Australia at No. 1 as well as becoming a massive worldwide seller. New remixes of “Sweet Dreams” and “Love Is a Stranger” were also released as singles at this time. During 1993, a live album entitled Live 1983–1989 featuring recordings from various years throughout Eurythmics’ career was also released.
Much has happened since then, but this weekend it’s a dive back to the 80s for Eurythmics at their pinnacle.
Crank it up and relax – it’s the weekend after all.
