If you have a Spotify or any other music streaming service that lets you listen to entire albums in one go, I've got some homework for you.
When I returned from a military exchange visit to Germany in 1982, I came back with a new awareness that there was a lot more music to be had than what was ladled into our bowls on North American radio. After having heard artists like Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, OMD, Spandau Ballet, etc., I was hungry for more European music.
I went to my local non-chain record store and made it clear that I would no longer be satisfied with overdoses of Journey and REO Speedwagon. One of the first albums to be held up to my eyes was Sweet Dreams.
The lead track is not the hit song that would be played to death on MTV, but rather a bass thumper named Love is a Stranger. This is the first tease of the voice that is Annie Lennox. The synths are out of this world. I laughed like a zombie. This was just what I was looking for.
In case you're thinking that this album is just going to be carbon copies (20th century reference!) of euro-pop, think again. I've Got an Angel has a subtle Latin feel. Annie is working her entire register here as she hits the highest highs and the lowest lows while adding vocal sound effects.
The we get to Wrap it Up, which I feel is a little indulgent, but it has enough of an energetic vibe to move a few muscles in your body. Is that guitar I detect in there? Yep. Dave Stewart obviously had fun making this song.
I Could Give You (a Mirror) brings the bass back. This song would, in my humble opinion, be a great song to test the accuracy and flat response curve of speakers, to see if the deep bass drowns out the subtle highs or not. There are synth licks that remind me of Yaz.
The Walk is forgettable, which is OK, because it's followed up immediately by the song that changed my musical life in 1983. Everybody's looking for something...... Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). That synth line is hypnotizing! Annie's voice is beautifully double-tracked here and we get to hear her presenting various vocal characters to keep the song interesting. Seriously, am I the only person who hears the ghost of Yaz creeping in? (Remember Yaz, or Yazoo as some of you might remember them?)
My personal favourite song from this album is next, Jennifer. The gentle waves. The driving bass line. Orange hair. Green eyes. Dress of deepest purple. What's not to like? Then the electro-fuzz guitar solo. It's simple, it's sparse, it's perfect. By the way, this album was remastered in 2018, yet another reason I love streaming services like Spotify, because I get access to all the newest versions of classic albums.
This is the House is another Latin vibe number. Nice horn treatment, rather unexpected based on what we've heard so far. Who says you can't have real brass in a synth-pop album? Not Dave Stewart, that's for sure. Lots more guitar in here too, including some slap bass. Funky.
Somebody Told Me never connected with me, but that's OK, because the closing song gives us a glimpse of just how incredible Annie's voice is in This City Never Sleeps, which was used in the movie 9 1/2 Weeks. The soundscape that this song paints is hauntingly beautiful. I guess it's just a feeling.
There are times I have heard these songs scattered across the years and I had totally forgotten that they were all off this sophomore album. 37 years later, it still packs a punch.
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