As I already owned all of the music on this record and the track choices were less than inspiring, I dodged it when it was released in 1991. However, everyone else in the UK seemed to buy it and it sold in its millions.
For whatever reason I did end up buying the 12" singles of "Love Is A Stranger (Remix)" and "Sweet Dreams '91" which were released as part of the corresponding promotional campaign (the CD singles didn't have remixes and were just EPs full of tracks I already owned). I only acquired the CD of this album in 2014 and bought a copy of the LP in 2019.
I'm not really sure what criteria where applied when selecting the tracks for this compilation but I assume space is reserved for singles that reached the Top 40 in the UK. However, "The King and Queen of America" and "Revival" should have qualified under this rule but aren't included.
The problem with basing a compilation purely on successful singles is that it presents a very myopic view of a band. There's so much more to Eurythmics than these hits. Singles like "Julia" and "Shame" are amongst the bands best songs despite not being commercially successful. There are many inspirational album tracks and sonic experiments that illustrate Dave and Annie's ability that don't get a look in here. But let's face it, this isn't a mixtape. This is a Greatest Hits album and is designed to sell. And sell it did. It's just regrettable that some people's awareness of the band will be restricted to these songs alone. 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment