Disco de Eurythmics: “Boxed”

This box set is FANTASTIC! I purchased it off Amazon.UK a few weeks back, despite the fact that I already own the entire Eurythmics catalog. The bonus tracks were certainly enticing, but considering the incredible musicianship of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox's heavenly voice I was thrilled to see all the discs being remastered. It was worth every penny. The albums sound so fresh and electric all over again.

There are dozens of bonus tracks between the eight CDs, many are unreleased songs or hard to find rarities. Creem magazine once noted that "Grown Up Girls" was one of the most incredible b-sides ever recorded and they weren't lying. This song can be found on "Be Yourself Tonight". Other bonus highlights include cover versions of "Fame", "Come Together", "Last Night I Dreamnt Sombody Loved Me", and "Satellite of Love", and some cool original tunes like "Baby's Gone Blue" and "4/4 In Leather". There are also plenty of live tracks and remixes as well. In addition to the bonus tracks you get the standard albums all remastered and featuring extensive liner notes and incredible photos.

IN THE GARDEN - Great tracks include "Revenge" and "Caveman Head" as well as the moody "Never Gonna Cry Again". This album was the sign of great things to come and has always been treasured in my record collection.

SWEET DREAMS - Complete bliss from start to finish. "Love is a Stranger" and the title track are the obvious hits, but "The Walk" and "This City Never Sleeps" are phenomenal. Some of Dave & Annie's best stuff!

TOUCH - I love this album! It has a strong Kraftwerk feel that is both nihilistic and soulful at the same time. "No Fear No Hate No Pain No Broken Hearts" shows Annie Lennox's vocals zooming back and forth from heavenly to ferocious in record time!

BE YOURSELF TONIGHT - Contains a very stripped down vibe compared to their first three records. Lots of homage is paid to the Motown sound and Annie's voice is more soulful than ever. This LP showed Eurythmics to be much more than a standard new wave band as they branched out to embrace a heavier rock sound.

REVENGE - Great pop melodies can be heard all over this record. "Thorn in My Side" and "Miracle of Love" are perfect in every way.

SAVAGE - My personal favorite. "Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)" is the greatest music video every made as far as I'm concerned, but even without a video clip, this song is as fierce and in your face as it gets. Annie shows many sides of womanhood on this album, which conveys a deep personal edge throughout. Some songs are fun ("Wide Eyed Girl", "Do You Want to Break Up"), cold ("Savage", "I Need You"), manic ("Beethoven...", "Put the Blame on Me"), and others are downright sexy ("Heaven", "I Need a Man") and all are contrasted beautifully by moving pop tunes like "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" and "Shame". There is also a full length video album of SAVAGE that was released and it is not to be missed (please note that it is not included in this box set). Not only is Annie Lennox an incredible vocalist, but she is one hell of an actress!

WE TOO ARE ONE - The Eurythmics were hardly running out of steam when they recorded their last album of the era in 1989, but this one isn't as much fun as the others. It still boasts some excellent songs like "King & Queen of America", "My Baby's Gonna Cry", and, of course, the immaculate "Don't Ask Me Why". I was surprised to find myself singing right along to every song on the record even though it has been several years since I've listened to this. Great songs just stick in your head forever I guess.

PEACE - Ten years after their last studio album, Dave and Annie reunited to make this somber record that almost plays out like a concept album. Themes of inner peace and world peace dominate the record. It's very mellow and very unlike all of their previous works. "Seventeen Again" is the standout track, but as always, the lyrics of all the songs are undeniably well written and performed.

The Eurythmics transcended being just a "video band" long ago, and this box set proves full well why they were so successful. There is a new compilation package "Ultimate Collection" that compliments this set and features two brand new recordings. Strangely "Sexcrime (1984)" is nowhere to be found on that CD or as a bonus track on any of the CDs in this box set. The Eurythmics recently performed on the American Music Awards (2005) and they out shined every act there as far as I'm concerned. It was great to see some heavy duty talent on TV for a change.

Whether you already own these CDs or not, this box set comes highly recommended and features one great song after another. Hopefully The Eurythmics saga will continue, but whether it does or not, this box set will prove to be a perfect archive of their perfect legacy.

The price for each remastered CD included on this box is now $9.97...there are 8CDs in the box...so the price must be less than $80...but...NO!!! it's $123!!!! Buying them separately you'll save more than $43!!! Nonsense!!!

I give it 4 star for the content, but obviously 0 stars for the price!!!

I find it hard to believe so many reviewers are calling this a complete set. While many have pointed out that 1984 is missing, what's also missing are crucial bonus tracks. Eurythmics were active during the height of the 80s 12" remix--so where are all those 12" versions that have never made it to CD? Not to mention, the "Touch Dance" album, which was basically like a full 12" collection in itself and could easily have been released as part of a 2-disc edition of Touch.

Sweet Dreams CD--why isn't the 12" version of Sweet Dreams included??? If you want it, you have to get the "Greatest Hits" CD, which, for some reason, includes the 12" version.

Touch--The full length version of Here Comes the Rain Again used on the 12" is only a matter of about 20 seconds longer than the album version. It should have been used on here. AND, how could they not, at last, give us the 12" version of Who's That Girl on CD??? Not to mention the mega long 12" version of Right by Your Side (even though I don't like this song).

1984--Well, the soundtrack isn't even included, so there's no way the 12" version of 1984 (Sexcrime) could have been a bonus track, although it could have been a bonus track on one of the other albums since it was one of their pop single releases.

Be Yourself Tonight--Does include a couple of 12" mixes at last. But misses the rare 12" of There Must Be An Angel, and while it has the ET mix of Would I Lie to You, it fails to include the "extended version" that was on the b-side of the original 12".

Revenge--obviously, they knew they could include 12" versions, because here, you get a load of them!

Savage--their perfect return to their synthesized roots misses the 12" mixes of You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart and Beethoven. Bummer.

We Too Are One--Misses the dance mix of Revival and remix of My My Baby's Gonna Cry.

Peace--if they had to 'remaster' this CD so soon after its original release and force us to buy it in this boxed set, then the full Rauhofer and Thunderpuss mixes of 17 Again SHOULD have been on here considering they were never released commercially.

Sorry, but considering it took more than 2 years for this collection to be released, they had PLENTY of time to realize that diehard fans who buy a boxed set expect pretty much EVERYTHING a band has had to offer during the course of their career. That's simply not what you get here.

Here is what you should know in support of a purchase decision:

1. The box set is missing the soundtrack album "1984" because it is on a different label (Virgin vs. SonyBMG).

2. The box is an import and notably more expensive than buying the remastered CDs individually. The only difference is the cardboard box...no extra content. There are 8 remastered titles listed $7.99 each on Amazon individually so use that as your benchmark.

3. The mastering is notably louder (dynamic range compressed) and can be fatiguing. There also seems to be some well done no noising. The original CDs are not nearly as loud and are very common/cheap used (including the made in Japan for US originals) but they don't have the bonus tracks and updated packaging.

4. I believe "Peace" uses different mixes on a few tracks.

5. The bonus tracks are the key reason for purchasing the remastered discs, but note that they are not a complete presentation of the b-side tracks from the 12" vinyl releases but do have some extras. For example: three of the four live tracks on the B-side of the "This is the House" 12" are appended to In the Garden, and the A-side is an extended remix which has never been on CD.

6. The packaging of each title is a three-fold attractive digi-pak.

This has got to be the most comprehensive collection of Eurtyhmics songs to date. The sound quality is astounding. And the songs that I've never heard before. WOW. If you like Eurythmics,this is a MUST HAVE.