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EURYTHMICS ‘The Ultimate Collection, Boxed and Reissues ’ SonyBMG (2005)
Re-mastered and re-released in time for Christmas, come all eight of the Eurythmics studio albums featuring bonus and previously unreleased material. They’re available individually or as a collector’s boxed set, cunningly entitled Boxed.
There’s also a new Ultimate Collection CD (SonyBMG 82876737942) updating the previous Greatest Hits CD and including two brand new recordings.
To make room for the post We Too Are One releases, out go Sex Crime (1984), Would I Lie To You from Be Yourself Tonight, and Don’t Ask Me Why and Angel from We Too Are One. In come I Saved the World Today and 17 Again from Peace and two new tracks – Was It Just Another Love Affair and I’ve Got A Life which is released as a single to herald the release of the Ultimate Collection, the re-mastered studio albums and the Boxed collectors set. Both tracks were recorded after The Eurythmics Live 8 appearance.
The Ultimate Collection opens with I’ve Got A Life and then runs chronologically until Was It Just Another Love Affair brings the curtain down.
The absence of Don’t Ask Me Why and Angel strangely leave We Are Too Are One the as only hit yielding album unrepresented. But that aside, its difficult to argue with the track listing. It’s hit after glorious hit, after glorious hit and not one track is a makeweight. In fact if cd’s lasted longer than eighty minutes it could have been even longer with no dimunition of content quality. Even the new tracks – and the sceptical could be forgiven for thinking they were are marketing ploy - are excellent and merit inclusion.
Eurythmics: 'Peace' (1999)
Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox
Photo Credit: © 1999 Anoushka Fisz
So the million dollar question is should you buy the Ultimate Collection – even if you’ve got the 1991 Greatest Hits? I’m afraid the answer has to an unqualified yes. It’s an unparalled body of work and the re-mastering by Dave Stewart of the 6 albums from which these tracks are culled has significantly improved the clarity, depth and separation. So get it on your Christmas list now – no home should be without a copy. *****
If you read the individual album reviews you’ll see it’s an overall thumbs up for these re-releases. In truth the bonus material is pretty patchy, but the re-mastering does make it worth considering replacing cherished originals.
The Ultimate Collection is a ‘must have’ (and it’s the only way of getting the two new tracks, which incidentally are well worth having).
But if you’re a fan, Boxed (SonyBMG 82876741362) is well worth thinking about. It may cost £60, but for eight albums that’s not bad value (even if In The Garden is unlikely to see the inside of a CD player on a regular basis). ****
The remasters:
In The Garden (1981) ***
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)(1983) ****
Touch (1983) ****
Be Yourself Tonight (1985) *****
Revenge (1986) ****
Savage (1988) *****
We Too Are One(1989) ****
Peace (1999) ***
Reviews by Pete Whalley
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