Eurythmics - Savage
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Free Music Notes for Savage
Free Music Review: Love Song Psychosis: A Dark Masterpeice
Hit: 5 Stars
Working primarily with synthesizers, Eurythmics was always an edgy band, with dark lyrics and Annie Lennox's rich alto playing off against David Stewart's danceable beats and slick and glittering instrumentals. Although their 1981 IN THE GARDEN was not a success, the 1983 SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS exploded the duo to both critical acclaim and international stardom, and they would remain among the best known and most original musical artists of the 1980s.
For the 1987 SAVAGE, Lennox and Stewart--always experimenters--built their songs from percussion sound loops created by drummer
Olle Romo, and the resulting sound was even edgier than usual. When combined with some of the darkest lyrics and musical attitudes imaginable, SAVAGE proved too extreme for Eurthymics fans and general listeners; it was only mildly successful in England and Europe and even less successful in the United States. It was not Eurythmic's last release, but it did mark a distinct turn in the band's fortunes; Lennox and Stewart would release only one more album before separating for a decade.
In a certain sense, SAVAGE could be called a concept album, for it offers a series of songs that can be read as a portrait of a woman's disintegration in the wake of a sour love affair. Opening with "I Love To Listen To Beethoven," an acid sampling of predatory cocktail conversation, the line up continues with the fantasy-like "I've Got A Lover (Back In Japan)" and then suddenly detonates with "Do You Want to Break Up?" Each of the subsequent songs ravels the thread of frustration, anger, and fury of love and sex gone wrong to the point of insanity.
The most famous song in the collection is "I Need A Man" in which Lennox adopts the persona of man-hungry tease who screams and howls like an animal in heat--and then at the last moment rejects the man she has presumably attracted. But perhaps the most telling song of the set is "I Need You," which (unlike the other cuts) is performed to a simple guitar accompaniment with the sounds of party-chatter in the background: the hunger for love is openly, sharply self-destructive to the point of true psychosis. It is frightening stuff, and although the albums ends with the considerably brighter "Brand New Day," the aura of darkness is never quite overcome.
Many music critics have described SAVAGE as feministic. Well, perhaps; I tend to interpret it as a series of meditations on stereotypes of emotional hysteria--and a supremely effective one at that, poisonous, venomous, desperate, and both hypnotic and hypnotically chilling. SAVAGE is all that the title implies. It will also be as difficult for casual listeners to take today as it was in 1987, for time has not diminished the sense of disquiet it creates. Strongly recommended, but brace yourself for one wild ride.
SAVAGE has recently been released in a remastered edition which includes several bonus cuts: an extended instrumental remix of "Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)," remixes of "Shame" and "I Need A Man," a previously live performance of "I Need You," and a previously unreleased cover of The Beatles' "Come Together." They all have their attractions, and fans will enjoy them, but SAVAGE easily stands on its own, so you shouldn't think of them as part of the package per se.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Free Music Review: Mis-maligned and underrated masterpiece.
Hit: 5 Stars
Unfortunately never really standing out commercially from the glare of their previous releases, I would arguably say that the Eurythmics sixth album entitled "Savage" is a contestant for my favorite album by this splendid duo. I just don't know what it is but this album was and still is one of the most spectacular recording of the 1980s and perhaps my favorite album that Lennox and Stewart ever made together. Our of many of their songs and albums during their ten year run from 1981 until 1991, "Savage" gets my nod as one of my favorites of theirs of all time. Strangely enough, this album also stands out by having few vocals on the songs and even having a near-instrumental track.
Just the opening track "Beethoven (I Love To)" alone is evident of the massive change in style that the Eurythmics went through during their post-Revenge era of their career, returing to the obtuse, experimental nature of their early albums but also having a much more sophisticated and complex sound with both "Beethoven" as well as the eleven (sixteen if you include the bonus tracks) songs afterwards. Beethoven was a very unusual first-single that has a very uncommercial non-mainstream sound.
Free Music Review: "Mesmeric" is great adjective to describe this record
Hit: 4 Stars
In a fashion "Savage" seems like a step backward. After pioneering & perfecting a synth pop sound unlike anything heard during the early 1980's, then moving into the soul & rock pop arena with virtual ease...returning to the synth sound could be seen as a retreat. "Revenge" (a personal favorite) had been met with mixed emotions, most sepcifcally from the "ADD" American audiences.
But upon further listening, "Savage" reveals a more refining element to their synth sound. The theme of the record itself deals with the dissolution & disillusionment of romance in life. Sometimes it could be spoken directly, almost effortlessly as seen on "Do You Want To Break Up?" with a perky phrasing & melody. This attitude is also reflected on "You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart", the title itself needs no explanation, with a pronounced beat from Stewart, heavenly vocal cut from Lennox betray the sense that love is beautiful, but something that never works.
Other tracks which lyrically in a conventional sense may be to frightening or just weird for the listener, musically convey the psychosis of betrayal & pain well. With a winding, almost maddening stomp & synth line (the synth drawn with the beat), "Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)" tells the tale of a housewife that has clearly been fed up with the lifestyle of sitting around doing nothing but looking pretty all day. The idea of strangling herself with a mink is seen as appealing.
"I Need A Man" (dead ringer for "Missionary Man") & "I've Got A Lover (Back In Japan)", while musical opposites, the first a bluesy, "rock-me" fest, the latter a more basic keyboard play (for Stewart anyway), lyrically they show that the wronged party is looking for love elsewhere, and succeeding.
Elsewhere loose funk ("Put the Blame On Me") & synth melancholy ("Shame") abound well. Only toward the end, starting with a fragmented "Heaven" do things seem confused, & not by accident. Both Annie & Dave had seemed to be at a very "dark" place, which is reflected in the music. But for the most part, it makes for great listening. This record almost cracks my triumverante of favorite Eurythmics albums ("Touch", "Be Yourself Tonight", & "Revenge"). Almost.
Free Music Review: Eurythmics: Savage (1987)
Hit: 5 Stars
In 1987, Eurythmics released their sixth album entitled, SAVAGE. This album is, by far, the greatest. Instead of taking up their 80s Synthesized Pop & Rock sound, which seems to modify within the progression of the 80s, Eurythmics decided to take up on the 80s Synthesized Rock sound. Annie Lennox strictly went solo in the writing portion, where she wrote most of the songs on this album.
BEETHOVEN (I LOVE TO LISTEN TO)
The first single from the album. Now, this is a break-up song. That is obvious when you hear the lyrics to the verses, but I do not how that applies to the song's choruses about Annie loving to listen to Beethoven. But the song is incredible. The beat is amazing. Annie's voice is, again, amazing. But the music video needs work and a lot of it.
I'VE GOT A LOVER (BACK IN JAPAN)
The very beginning, where an acoustic guitar is heard, playing just one chord, is the only bad part about this song. Otherwise, the song is amazing.
DO YOU WANT TO BREAK-UP?
Another amazing song, with amazing harmonies and melodies.
YOU HAVE PLACED A CHILL IN MY HEART
The fourth & final single from the album. The beats are amazing on this one, along with Annie's incredible voice.
SHAME
The second single from the album. This song is my favorite off of the album. The harmonies in the chorus are beautifully sung by Annie and David. The song is referring to the shame of the world in what it has become. A song no fan should even think about skipping.
SAVAGE
The album's title track. This is song that should have been released as a single, whether it did well on the charts or not. If it was released as a single and it flopped, it wouldn't have mattered, because the song would have succeeded in my book.
I NEED A MAN
The third single from the album. This song, apparently, was the only hit from the album. Why? I don't know. But this is a classic song all the way, with an incredible music video.
PUT THE BLAME ON ME
A great song.
HEAVEN
Another great song, but it should have had more lyrics.
WIDED EYED GIRL
Great.
I NEED YOU
Not bad.
BRAND NEW DAY
This is the only song that I hate from this album. This song should have been looked upon before including it on the album.
This is one hell of an album for Eurythmics. I don't know about anybody else, but this is my favorite album from the band and it will always be a favorite with me. As you can see, Annie Lennox is in a totally different image. She is wearing preston nails. She is wearing eye-liner and lip-liner. Her hair is longer. For this album, despite it being a Synthesized Rock album, Annie had become completely feminine, instead of taking up her Stylish-looking Tom-Boy style, which is complete with her boyish hair-cut.
Free Music Review: Premonition & Prophecy & Prescience
Hit: 5 Stars
I found myself with the melody of "Beethoven (I Love to Listen to)" going thru my head today and so I thought I'd write about this album. I love this album. In this world of "Desperate Housewives", this album is even MORE relevant today then when it was released. At the time of its release, I think many thought the themes were harsh, dark and edgy...and they are. But I also think this album was a bit ahead of its time. We were in the feel-good-80's, musically. George Michael had "Faith", Whitney Houston was dancing with somebody who loved her (or was looking for that somebody at least), Robbie Nevil's mantra was "C'est la Vie", Belinda Carlisle was telling us "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" and we were all dancing to "La Bamba". Plus, Enya was coming up just around the corner in 1988. So I think the mood this album conveyed was not received well in 1987.
Today, in a world grown just a bit more weary (or "desperate", if you will), the themes of this album hold up and resonate even more so. A bit of prescience on Annie & Dave's part. This album expresses quite eloquently all the darker forces, feelings & emotions we all grapple with...frustration, anger, shame, alienation...all within ambitious musical surroundings both aggresively up-tempo ("I Need A Man" & Beethoven [I Love to Listen to])and brutally downtempo ("Savage"). My favorite cut is "Shame"...never has a song been better constructed....mid-tempo with a built-in component of poignancy you'd never think could be captured so well (just listen to the sample). Another great moment on this album is the break/bridge in "I Need A Man"...a symphony of lashing words just roll from Annie Lennox at a remarkable pace of what she's NOT looking for in a man. Just try to sing along at home! It's one of the best cathartic moments on any album.
This really is a centerpiece in the Eurthymic's catalog of work. It is one I believe has been highly underrated. Progressive in only the way a Eurthymics album uniquely could be. If you can, also try to find the accompanying video album!