#441 – Suicide, ‘Suicide’

Suicide (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: December, 1977
Label: Red Star
Genre: Synthpop
Producer: Craig Leon, Marty Thau

Good, maybe great. Moody and throbbing as all hell… the songs are all a bit similar but it’s a consistently awesome sound and man, it does make me want to sway in front of them in a darkened, smokey band room hearing them live.

Oh, and “Frankie Teardrop”? Just don’t try and listen to this at night, alone. Or if you’re on mushrooms or something. Jesus christ… It’s good though.

Top tracks: Easily “Cheree” – apparently about a street person and/or the girlfiend of band member Martin Rev, and the only commercially released single. It’s as hypnotic and dark as the others with an off-putting (or is it comforting?) lullaby like tinkle.

#492 – Eurythmics, ‘Touch’

Touch (Eurythmics album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Released: November 26, 1983
Label: RCA Records
Genre: New wave, synthpop, experimental rock, electronica
Producer: David A. Stewart

Listening to Touch is like listening to an era –  and if that era was amalgamated into a single sound it would be the sound of the synthesizer  I guess now we laugh at that quintessential 80s sound, but at the time this album was at the cutting edge of experimenting with new, sexy electronic sounds, and we’re all richer for it.

These are great pop songs, clearly lasting the test of time. But the best part of this album, the most rewarding part for me, is listening to it really loudly so Lennox’s voice fills your head. Annie Lennox surely has one of the best female voices in pop, and listening to her belt out some of these songs is really enriching.

Top track: A collection of mostly fantastic tracks! “Here Comes The Rain Again” is gorgeous and a classic, as is “Who’s That Girl?” (probably the best), but I also really like “The First Cut”.

Anyway, moving on…