Something of an enigma during their '80s heyday, Eurythmics went through almost as many creative changes as David Bowie a decade earlier. But Dave and Annie combined that with strong commercial appeal (which was frequently beyond Bowie), even at their most experimental. Ultimate Collection covers the duo's entire chart career, from early synth pop noodlings to brand new material recorded especially for this compilation.
Their first hits came on the back of the burgeoning New Romantic scene, so classics like Love Is A Stranger and Who's That Girl? are driven by strong electronic pulses. However, the purity of Lennox's voice coupled with her profound love of gospel music always gave the songs more soul than their plink-plonking rivals. By the mid '80s Stewart was recognised as one of the world's foremost producers and his melting pot of influences eventually saw him reintroduce the guitar to the fore of Eurythmics' sound. That's when America really paid attention, especially for the ballsy Beatles-meets-Motown Would I Lie To You? and the ominous, bluesy Missionary Man. Dave and Annie's on/off relationship inspired many of the beautiful songs and heartfelt lyrics, the achingly gorgeous Miracle Of Love being just one example.
Unusually for reformed groups, the new material on this collection is a lot more successful than the duo's last reunion, 1999's Peace album. I've Got A Life sounds like a precise collaboration of Annie's soulful harmonies and Dave's forward thinking production techniques, Sweet Dreams meets You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart.
