With Sweet Dreams, The Eurythmics came of age. The album includes the hit singles Love Is A Stranger and Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This). Love Is A Stranger was released prior to the album and remarkably only reached number 54 in the charts. But the follow up Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) reached number 2 here (held off the top spot by Bonnie Tyler) and number 1 in the States. With that, The Eurythmics future was assured, and a re-released Love Is A Stranger climbed to number 6.

The rest of the album was light years removed from its predecessor in terms of song quality and delivery. Every track is focused and beautifully crafted pop. I’ve Got An Angel is dark, powerful and wonderful. Wrap It Up and I Could Give You (A Mirror) typical examples mid 80’s synth pop at its best.

The Walk could easily grace ‘a best of’ collection with it’s gospel inspiration and laying a template for Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves. Somebody Told Me is menacing and This City Never Sleeps wraps up the original track listing in style.

Unfortunately, the bonus material adds very little other than curiosity value. B-sides Home Is Where The Heart Is, Monkey Monkey and Baby’s Gone Blue (sounds like Bjork on a bad day) sound exactly what they are – B –sides and sub-album standard. Even worse are the remixes or Sweet Dreams and Love Is A Stranger, which, if anything only detract from the originals. And to wrap it up we have a previously unreleased version of Lou Reed’s Satellite Of Love. It would have been better left unreleased, adding nothing to the original. But don’t let that detract from an otherwise wonderful first ‘real’ album from The Eurythmics.

***

Review by Pete Whalley

Reissues home page

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly