Eurythmics
Savage

Why start with the "worst of the best"...

Listening to Annie Lennox and her solo albums for years without ever delving into her discography with the Eurythmics (except for some hits like "Sweet dreams (Are made of this)" and "Here comes the rain again" which I already knew) always seemed to me like starting to read a book halfway through. So after the period when I fell in love with Lennox-diva, a woman with an almost three-decade career, I convinced myself: I bought "The Ultimate Collection" of the Eurythmics and watched some of their videos on YouTube. Needless to say, a new world opened up to me: I found a Lennox that was beginning to reinvent herself, imposing her androgynous and pseudo-provocative image, still far from the times of maturity and responsibility of "Why" and "No more I love you's". A Lennox guided by the legendary Dave Stewart who, alongside Depeche Mode, somehow inaugurated the '80s by bringing his beloved synth pop to every home, which today, in 2010, some people insist on finding in certain songs of Miss Germanotta (now it's inevitable not to mention her in any review!).

Satisfied with the best of, my musical curiosity makes me understand that this 'Eurythmics summary' is not enough for me! So, by chance, I come across a music video titled "Beethoven (I love to listen to)" (a single not included in the collection), where a repressed housewife on the brink of madness transforms into a provocative vamp reminiscent of a slightly more decadent Marilyn Monroe. The same vamp depicted on the CD from which the single is taken, titled "Savage "from 1987. A curious title in its simplicity. I buy it (and I even find the original 1987 edition!) and head home. Headphones and booklet in hand. My listening starts a bit prejudiced for a couple of reasons: I had read that this album is considered somewhat of a mini flop in the duo's career; moreover, I already know three songs out of twelve. But I try to take it as a whole and not let the criticisms of the album negatively influence me.   

The album begins with "Beethoven (I love to listen to)", the track that accompanies the "mentally unstable" video: an interesting, compelling track, whose excessive repetitiveness and limited presence of sung lyrics seem almost unobtrusive when watching the associated video clip. I'm not sure if it would have had a different effect on me if I hadn't seen the clip first. Nevertheless, it gets the nod of approval. I read the title of the second track as the first one is about to end. Yet another song with ever-present parentheses. "I've Got A Lover (Back In Japan)" intrigued me with its title. But the track itself remains an acceptable synth pop song with a rather interesting take on the theme of a failed love. Let's say it passes. We move to the third, "Do You Want To Break Up": I might be wrong, but this song feels a bit too popsy. I listen to it for fair measure, as it's only 3 minutes and 43 seconds long. The fourth track I know well, it's "You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart", the only one of the three singles that enjoyed some success when the album was released. A beautiful rhythmic ballad, full of bitterness and a desire for revenge towards 'nasty' love. "..I'm gonna leave this love behind..." sings a furious Lennox, while I am already preparing myself for the fifth track. I prepare myself because so far, beyond the two singles I already knew, the rest hasn't exactly thrilled me. Enter "Shame". The song's lyrics are shockingly relevant, this 'SHAME!' that Annie Lennox throws in the face of consumerism of that era would likely go unnoticed today, or at most be labeled as 'pathetic'.

The music is catchy, Lennox's voice blends in the chorus with that of Dave, who is vocally scarce in this album. I like it. I regain confidence and welcome the title track, "Savage". My satisfaction grows with this track full of little details that thrill me: Annie's very low and warm voice, the music gradually becoming more compelling, shifting from an innocuous synth base to a light rock atmosphere (still mixed with synthesizers) that culminates in a finale where an unexpected but perfectly fitting solo rules the roost. And the discourse of this desperate goddess called Violence, with her furs and guns, who invites the listener to play with her, provided they're in the right mood. A stroke of genius, folks, I really enjoyed it. Back to earth and an old friend awaits me, 'I need a man' the seventh rock track where Annie calls for a Man with a capital M, dirty, stinky, and hairy. Although in the lyrics she gives the impression of being a bit aroused, the track is undeniable, energetic and meaningful. Sure, such men today Annie will find very few! The eighth track, 'Put the blame on me' has a Latin rhythm, but it seems like I've heard it somewhere before, I just can't pinpoint the track it might resemble. Still pleasant and sophisticated, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Ninth track, 'Heaven', a UFO. UFOs rarely excite me, unless equipped with a powerful and convincing musical base that can overshadow the sparse lyrics. I make no exception even with this ninth track. Fortunately, it's the shortest on the album. It's "Wide Eyed Girl"'s turn: I seem indifferent to the music, which feels heard before, but the lyrics are interesting, especially for some quotes in Italian ("Prima amore" or "Mona Lisa") and the reference to the city of Rome. Save for these little details, the song seems like an autobiography that doesn't completely convince me. I don't know, maybe it needs to be listened to a bit more. The penultimate track, "I need you", a country ballad that stands out among the other tracks on the album for the unexpected calm it brings with it. A little anecdote, while Lennox sings you hear some background voices and at the beginning of the song, the guitar that will accompany the track to the end is being tuned. Almost as if it were recorded in the studio with the door open and slightly early. Or as if it were a demo taken for good. Original and touching, fair enough! The twelfth track, despite being the last, narrates a new beginning: "Brand new day" (impossible not to think of the "Brand new day" that Sting will record twelve years later) begins with Lennox singing acapella for half the song to then give way to crystalline sounds, reminiscent of a sunrise view (appropriately), accompanied by an increasingly insistent drum.

After the fade-out of the last track, I reassemble my emotions along with the missed emotions, and all in all, the album is an interesting discographic work, probably misunderstood overall due to some tracks that are not very innovative. Perhaps it may not be their best work, I still have to listen to all their albums (I'm awaiting "Touch"), but I've always had the instinct to start with what is considered the "worst of the best" because, in most cases, it's always that album that most reflects the artist (in this case misunderstood) or, at worst, it's a piece of junk that I won't listen to again. But this time I'm convinced that for me, it's the former.