Sweet Dreams [Original recording remastered, Import]

The key to the brilliance of this album is its ability to combine both warmth and cold, which prevents the electronic feel from seeming dated, and in that sense is perhaps Dave and Annie's crowning achievement (all the more incredible given the limited materials and budget with which the album was made - milkbottles for instance were used as percussion on Sweet Dreams). The reissue sleeve contains a number of new photos and an essay which gives some interesting details on the album's making but omits some key detail (it implies that Love Is A Stranger was the first single, whereas in fact both This Is The House and The Walk has been released prior to this). The extra tracks are among the best haul of all the Eurythmics reissues, helped partly the embarrassment of riches of B-sides featured on the album's various singles (a number of B-sides have been omitted, including all of the bonus tracks from The Walk single, some of which are definitely worthy of release). Eurythmics' B-sides tended to be more avant garde and experimental than their album tracks, which might put off the casual listener, but they are never less then interesting. Home Is Where The Heart Is is pleasant, the instrumental Monkey Monkey is catchy if over-long, but it's Baby's Gone Blue which is the real find - a whirl of soundbites, samples and snatches of Annie's emotive singing describing a car crash. Although some purists aren't keen, I like both of the 1991 remixes included, which give a slightly different slant on the album's two big hits, although the excellent Obsession Mix of Love Is A Stranger would have been preferable to the Coldcut Mix included here. Finally, the little-heard cover of Lou Reed's Satellite of Love fits in perfectly with the rest of the album and is one of the best covers included in this series of reissues.

For those looking to go beyond the greatest hits, this album is a perfect place to start and gives a good idea of why Eurythmics were seen as so innovative and slightly dangerous when they first appeared in the boardroom surrouned by cows. The original album was strong enough by itself: this remastered and expanded edition only makes it even more indispensible.

Sweet Dreams provided Eurythmics with the commercial breakthrough in its shimmering masterpieces such as Love Is A Stranger and the dreamy title track. The videos of these two are superb too. Not all of these are flowing pop songs though; there's also the ethereal I've Got An Angel and the enervated experimental Wrap It Up, plus the more soulful outings I Could Give You A Mirror and The Walk with its great trumpet solo.

Besides the aforementioned hits, my favourites also include the atmospheric Jennifer and the elegant This Is The House with its Spanish spoken intro, its instrumental flourishes and its mood of sadness. It's true that not every single track on the original remains as memorable as the ones mentioned, but the album certainly deserves five stars for its melodic and lyrical beauty, especially with the added songs.

Of the bonus tracks, my favourites are the lilting Home Is Where The Heart Is, the Hot Remix of Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), the Coldcut Remix of Love Is A Stranger and this awesome rendition of Lou Reed's Satellite Of Love that in its vocal style reminds one somewhat of great atmospheric tracks like Belinda from the debut album In The Garden. The classic Sweet Dreams album is now even better, revealing more of the greatness of this pioneering synth-pop band