EURYTHMICS - LOVE IS A STRANGER (various versions 1983 - 2023)

Another oddity this morning is that loads of Flickennabok algorithms conspired to send me several versions of this classic Eurythmics ‘ Love is a Stranger ‘ (1983) 

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2.

Love Is A Stranger - Live On The Peace Tour

so we best have it from YouTube eh?

Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - Love Is a Stranger (Peacetour Live)

Isn’t Annie amazing? What a theatrical chameleon as well as a great beauty she has the voice of Scotland and one of the greatest voices in contemporary music (IMHO)

Love Is A Stranger - Eurythmics 1983 live Synth Britannia

Eurythmics - Love is a stranger | Revival tour in Rome 1989

 Annie Lennox (feat. Brandi Carlile) | Love Is a Stranger (Eurythmics) | 

Hollywood Bowl, October 14, 2023

Weather forecast . . . . . . . its bloody raining!

Il Pleut 

Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - Here Comes The Rain Again (Remastered)

These are the ‘fields' near me in our village where I often go for a walk!

Please note it is NOT a river! although there is a tributary of River Thames nearby these are normally meadows!

Saturday morning musics | NEVER GONNA CRY AGAIN - EURYTHMICS

 

On this day in music history: April 29, 1985 - “Be Yourself Tonight”, the fifth album by Eurythmics is released. Produced by David A. Stewart, it is recorded near Paris, France in Early 1985 (overdubs recorded in Various Studios). Recorded in a makeshift studio outside of Paris (basic tracks recorded in one week), the duos fifth album sees them moving away from the synthesizer based sound of their previous releases toward a more mainstream rock sound. The album includes guest appearances from musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and Aretha Franklin, as well as musical support from Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Stan Lynch of The Heartbreakers. It spins off four singles including “Would I Lie To You?” (#5 Pop, #17 UK) and “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves” (#18 Pop, #9 UK). It is remastered and reissued on CD in 2005 with six additional bonus tracks added, including non album B-sides, 12" mixes and live performances. Out of print on vinyl for nearly thirty years, it is remastered and reissued as a 180 gram LP in 2018. The vinyl reissue also comes with an mp3 download card of the full album. “Be Yourself Tonight” peaks at number three on the UK album chart, number nine on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

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Think we got every single by Eurythmics when they came out and certainly tried but the albums not so much . . . . . . not sure why now (economics?) but who could not appreciate one of the finest voices in pop?

On this day in music history: November 26, 1983 - “Touch”, the third album by Eurythmics is released. Produced by David A. Stewart, it is recorded at The Church in London in the Summer 1983. Flush with success from hitting number one in the US and abroad with single “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” and its accompanying album of the same name, Eurythmics move quickly to begin work on the crucial follow up.  Their next album is recorded and mixed in just three weeks, in a nineteenth century church that the duo has purchased and converted into a recording studio.  Led by the mesmerizing first single “Here Comes The Rain Again” (#8 UK,#4 US Pop), Dave Stewart comes up with the initial idea for the song. It’s melancholy mood and unorthodox song structure are topped by a haunting string arrangement written and conducted by Michael Kamen (Aerosmith, Metallica, Eric Clapton), and performed by members of the British Philharmonic Orchestra. Recording the strings proves to be a difficult task, due to limited space in the studio. They end up having to place them in various parts of the building, then blending the musicians together during the final mix down. Annie Lennox perfectly compliments the track, writing the lyrics and turning in an impassioned and soulful vocal performance. The song is an another immediate hit and paves the way for the rest of the album’s success. It spins off two other singles including “Who’s That Girl?” (#3 UK, #21 US Pop), and “Right By Your Side” (#10 UK, #29 US Pop). The cover artwork features a striking photo of Lennox taken by photographer Peter Ashworth (Soft Cell, Tina Turner, Bananarama), shot in semi profile with the singer raising her arms, hands clasped and wearing a black mask. “Touch” is also one the first to be simultaneously released on both vinyl and on the then new Compact Disc format in the US. It also spins off a remix EP titled “Touch Dance” in the UK released in May 1984 (not issued in the US), featuring 12" remixes of four tracks along with instrumental versions of three of those songs. The album is remastered and reissued on CD in 2005 with seven additional bonus tracks, including non album B-sides and live recordings. Out of print on vinyl since 1989, it is remastered and reissued as a 180 gram LP in 2018. “Touch” spends two weeks at number one on the UK album chart on February 4, 1984, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA. 

thanks to Jeff Harris' blog Behind The Grooves

Sisters . . . . . . . . 

Wonderful little article reviewing the work of legendary Holgar Czukay (yes I came across him through Brian Eno . . . . oh wait actually through Eurythmics! for a guess French Horn solo! check it out!) 5 album retrospective 

Aquarium Drunkard - Holgar Czukay Cinema - retrospective

sorry but how gorgeous is Annie here? Sexist observation of the day she is HOT!

I first saw Eurythmics on the Old Grey Whistle Test and was struck by the band I went straight out and bought 'Belinda' a b side of 'Never Gonna Cry Again' most notable for Holgar Czukay's French Horn solo credited with "French Horn and walking"! 
I had liked the Tourists but this set on the OGWT blew me away . . . . . loved everything since but check 'Belinda' for one the greatest performances by our greatest singer . . . . .. stat!

On this day in music history: September 3, 1983 - “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” by Eurythmics hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, it is the biggest hit for the British/Scottish synthpop duo. The duos’ second album “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” is recorded in a makeshift studio housed above a timber factory on an eight track analog tape machine. Because of the noise generated by saws cutting timber during the day, all vocals for the album have to be recorded at night. After their first release, the 1981 album “In The Garden” fails to make an impact in the US, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” is released fifteen months later in January of 1983. The record gets off to a slow start in the US, languishing until American audiences get their first view of the duo when the music video begins receiving play on MTV. Captivated by Lennox’s strikingly androgynous image and soulful voice, the buzz received from video play spreads to radio and “Sweet Dreams” finally hits the charts. Entering the Hot 100 at #90 on May 14, 1983, it begins its long climb up the charts, reaching the top of the chart sixteen weeks later, dislodging The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” from the top spot after holding at number two for four weeks. The single earns Eurythmics a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1984. The duo turn in a memorable performance of the song on the Grammy telecast. Lennox stuns the audience, dressing in a man’s suit and wearing a black pompadour wig and sideburns, looking like rock & roll icon Elvis Presley. She revives the look on the picture sleeve for their single “Who’s That Girl” later in the year. Regarded as one of the quintessential 80’s songs, “Sweet Dreams” has endured in popularity over the years. It is later covered by Marilyn Manson in 1995, with the songs chorus being interpolated into Nas’ hit “Street Dreams” in 1996. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.