60 albums
1983 - Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

As this series has made quite clear the early 80s had me far removed from pop and the charts, not that pop completely passed me by because there was still Top of The Pops and in my job before I joined the BBC (in 1984) I used to have Radio 1 on pretty much all day. So I knew pop, I just mostly didnt’t really listen to it.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams are Made of This

But I sort of knew Eurythmics for the following reasons

• Annie Lennox was difficult to not look at, such a powerful image.
• Dave Stewart also, but for different reasons.
• The Tourists (their previous band) had had a hit with a cover of “I Only Want to Be With You” that was very memorable, as were their TOTP appearances at the time.

Also, their hits as Eurythmics were also pretty memorable and each side of this LP starts with a big hit. Love is a Stranger (UK No.6) on the A-side and the title track (UK No.2) on the B. I was expecting to recognise other tracks but didn’t really. But the rest of the album certainly isn’t filler. This Is The House would have been a hit too I think, but wasn’t. And the cover of Sam & Dave’s Wrap It Up is pretty great.

I’ve been trying to figure out why I like this album when so much pop at the time turned me off. I think it’s because it feels a lot more experimental than I expected, there’s a lot going on, I particularly like the last track The City Never Sleeps which could easily have gone on for a couple more minutes.

Eurythmics - This City Never Sleeps (Old Grey Whistle Test, 1983) (play on YouTube)

This album is, of course, Hazel’s, and there is more Eurythmics in amongst the Es that clearly deserve a listen.