Eurythmics Album: “Be Yourself Tonight (Deluxe Edition) [Digipak] [Re”

I think this album is what definitely put Eurythmics in the history books. Their 2 previous albums, Sweet Dreams and Touch, brought them into '80s new wave. But as New Wave began to die down in 1985, instead of fading away like other numerous one-hit wonders of the decade, Lennox and Stewart came back strong. They proved to the music world that they were more than capable of just synthsizers and repititious lyrics. This album went platinum and spawned off 3 Top 40 hits, "Would I Lie To You?", which peaked at #5, becoming the duo's 3rd Top 10 hit in 3 years, "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)", and the I-Am-Woman-Hear-Me-Roar anthem, "Sisters Are Doin' It (For Themselves), a powerful duet with the soul-diva herself, Aretha Franklin. Eurythmics weren't afraid at all to try new sounds, and it showed in Stewart's hard-rock guitar wizardy, and Lennox's engaging voice and video theatrics. An album definitely worth buying if you're doing an '80s revival collection.

It's easy to forget the contributions of the Eurythmics to the pop scene, particularly in the 80s, but listening to "Be Yourself Tonight", arguably one of their best albums, you realize they had a knack for creating great pop hits ("Would I Lie To You?") but they could cross musical boundaries effortlessly -- electronic, synth, pop, soul, rock, and gospel can be heard here, and they come together seamlessly.

This album features some of the Eurythmics finest pop hits including the hard-rocking "Would I Live To You?", the shimmering "There Must Be An Angel...", the feminist anthem "Sisters are Doing It For Themselves", and the infectious "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back") which was not as popular as the previous three songs but stands on its own.

You could say this album has a warmer sound than the previous Eurythmics albums because of the move away from machines to guitars and a live sound, plus the appearances of Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, who appear on the album, which is one of the reasons why the album is often referred to as their "soul/Motown/R&B" record. There are also some great album cuts including "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" and "Adrian".

The remastering on this is excellent and the additional cuts are interesting, but the original album is the real deal.

Over the course of three albums, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart had carved a mighty impressive block of work. But for most, despite the great singles, Eurythmics were hampered by the limitations of a "new wave" sound. So when the MTV World Premiere (remember those?) debut of the video "Would I Lie To You" came on, what a shock to see Annie come out in a leather jacket as Dave coyly whispered in her ear..."just be yourself tonight"...and Annie wailed into Dave's ripping guitar chord with gale force soul.

All of a sudden, everything changed. Eurythmics had crossed the bridge from being a very interesting band to a great band. "Be Yourself Tonight" was their most ambitious album to that date; proving that the duo had more up their sleeves than previously thought. Hints of soul that dotted "Touch" and "Sweet Dreams" burst through on "There Must Be An Angel" (featuring not only Stevie Wonder on harmonica, but most of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers) in a manner that only Culture Club had even come close to. But there was no way Boy George would have ever kept up with Aretha Franklin the way that the empowerment anthem "Sisters are Doing It For Themselves" had Annie cavorting with the Queen herself. Yet at the same time, the lovely "Adrian" found Annie making a soulman out of Elvis Costello.

Even without the star power of the guests, "Be Yourself Tonight" shown bright on its own. Other, lesser heard songs like "Baby's Coming Back" and "Conditioned Soul" found Dave and Annie working the ideas found on the original albums with the addition of organic horns amidst the swirling synths. To bring the album to a rousing close, there was "Better To Have Lost In Love" which was the most human song that Lennox/Stewart had written.

If it isn't obvious that this is my favorite Eurythmics album, let me state it for the record now. One or two of the other albums may have sold better or been a shade more popular, but "Be Yourself Tonight" was the album that still holds a place in my CD collection. To me, it was the pivotal moment when Dave and Annie broke their icey veneer and really did "become themselves."

While I can't fault the original album I have to say that I am a little disappointed in the "Would I Lie To You" remix that is listed. Unless I am mistaken the mix that is listed as "The ET Mix" is not the ET mix at all but just an extended version. If you purchased this cd(As I did) to finally have a cd copy of the stellar ET mix that was only available on vinyl-look somewhere else.

"Be Yourself Tonight" marked a turning point for the Eurythmics. They jumped musical styles, and did it effortlessly. This might be deemed their Motown album as they certainly embraced more of a soul-oriented sound. This album proved that they were here to stay and that Annie and Dave were a force to reckon with. It was such a drastic change in style that when I first heard "Would I Lie To You?" in May of 1985 on the radio I didn't know who it was.

This time, half of the album made to radio with the hits "Would I Lie To You?", "There Must Be An Angel", "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" and "It's Alright". However, the other five tracks "I Love You Like A Ball And Chain", "Conditioned Soul", "Adrian", "Here Comes That Sinking Feeling" and "Better To Have Lost In Love" all hold their own. Another album where not a note was wasted and no excess.

The remastering by Dave Stewart is excellent here. I don't know about anyone else, but in my old Eurythmics cds, this album was the worst sounding--like it had been mastered beneath a pillow or on the other side of a thick wall. Now, it shimmers. The b-sides are better here with "Grown Up Girls", "Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles" and a solid cover of The Doors' "Hello I Love You". The remixes of "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" and "Would I Lie To You?" are a waste of time as they sound nearly identical to the originals. The live version of "Conditioned Soul" is not as good as the album version. Once again Dave added additional photos taken around the time that are amusing. And once again, no lyrics included.

All the extras aside, "Be Yourself Tonight" was another outstanding work by this duo, all of which was about to change with their next release, "Revenge".