EURYTHMICS Touch Tour Rarities LIVE 1983 1984

Eurythmics' masterpiece, "Touch" is one of the greatest albums of all time- and not just said by fans- respected journalists from Rolling Stone, MTV and even mainstream press all agree that as a follow-up to the impeccable "Sweet Dreams" less than one year previous, they could not have done better. They found inspiration everywhere- from a threatening thunderstorm outside a hotel window to the new technology they were using- nothing was off limits. That new tech certainly impacted this album the most: gone were the days of banging stacks of picture frames against a wall, now that success afforded them fancy new drum machines and their own studio to use them in! The programmed rhythms and ice cold keyboard complimented Annie's somewhat robotic (yet still soulful) vocals. The tour promoting the album was no easy feat, however. The endless tours, promotional commitments and recording sessions of the previous years were taking a toll on Annie's voice. She was suffering from nodule growth on her vocal chords, a relatively minor problem but one that required surgery and downtime for recovery. Dave had suffered medical problems in the past, but the potential permanent loss of Annie's voice could prove catastrophic if left unchecked. Knowing the shelf life of a pop star- no matter how talented and prolific- was short at best, Annie decided to continue on and tour the album. Under one condition- she would not use her voice for anything, anywhere except on stage. She would sing- and even banter a bit during the performances, but otherwise, not one word. It made for awkward interviews where Dave would do all the talking, but the journalists really only wanted to talk to Annie. She came across cold and aloof, distant and distracted but all the while I'm sure she would have been her usual normal, intelligent, humorous self. I think it hurt her image (in America, certainly) in ways a damaged voice could never have done. Which brings me to this video- I didn't want to do an entire concert (most of the ones I have in total are already found on YouTube, anyway). I wanted to focus on my personal favorites, and ones that weren't played often on the tour. Set List: The First Cut (Hammersmith Odeon) (why this wasn't a set opener for all of Eurythmics' concerts is beyond me. It has that "you're in for a great time tonight" vibe and the play on words with "cut" meaning a song is a subtle stretch to make.) No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts) (Toronto) (this song was played only a handful of times during the tour, despite being a fan favorite. It was added to the set when it was revamped for the second leg in the USA. Perhaps it was too hard on Annie's voice or maybe they just didn't feel it would hold an audience's attention at first, but it sounds good to me- even on this low quality bootleg. The backing singers took most of the hardest parts, not because Annie couldn't sing them, but the multi-layered vocal arrangement could never be reproduced live by just one person.) I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Los Angeles) In 1985 Eurythmics were working on a new album of cover versions. This song was probably planned to be included on that album, but it was never released. Most of the recordings from those sessions were eventually used, one at a time, as bonus material for the deluxe remastered re-issues of their back catalog albums in the early 2000's. The song had recently been in the charts as part of a campaign promoting the raisin industry in California, with a commercial featuring animated raisins that evolved beyond that original advertisement to virtual pop stars in their own right. An album, a TV series and even a Saturday morning cartoon show was released under the banner of "The California Raisins". The musicians behind several of the album tracks were ANOTHER male / female pop duo known for their electronic based instruments on traditional pop songs, Nu Shooz. For The Love Of Big Brother (Forest Hills) The soundtrack for the motion picture "1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother" was recorded by Eurythmics but the film director decided the music was "unuseable". They released the album anyway, had a huge European hit with "Sexcrime (1984)", and basically let that success be the last word of the often public feud with the director. What a great way to say "I told you so!" Had this song been released, especially in this more uptempo version they played live, it could have matched if not surpassed the success of "Sexcrime". Take Me To Your Heart (Hammersmith Odeon) I chose this song to close this little set because I've always loved it. It's from their debut "In The Garden" album, but it sounds nothing like it did there. I don't know what it is about this song and Dave & Annie's relationship with it, but it seems to be the one that got re-worked the most. This is one of MANY interpretations of it, none sounding anything like the other.