Product Description

The program:

1. Sweet Dreams
2. Love Is a Stranger
3. Who's That Girl?
4. Right by Your Side
5. Here Comes the Rain Again
6. Sex Crime (1984)
7. Julia
8. Would I Lie to You?
9. There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)
10. Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves
11. It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)
12. When Tomorrow Comes
13. Thorn in My Side
14. Miracle of Love
15. Missionary Man
16. Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)
17. I Need a Man
18. You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart
19. Don't Ask Me Why
20. The King & Queen of America
21. Angel

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30255 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-09-26
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Best of, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Amazon.com
Now that we're more than two decades into the era in which pop artists' music videos are at least as important as the music itself (if not more so), it's easy to forget just how innovative and interesting the videos turned out by Eurythmics throughout the '80s were--at least until you take this 21-song anthology for a spin. From 1982's "Love Is a Stranger" through 1989's "Angel," Eurythmics Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, working with a variety of producers and directors (sometimes including Stewart himself), turned out a remarkable array of clips. Often enigmatic, usually arty, sometimes rather cold and humorless (if not unamusing), they are never less than thoughtful and provocative, with an extraordinary range of ideas and techniques.

Those same adjectives apply to Lennox, who's not only a sultry, soulful vocalist but a fascinatingly chameleonic visual presence. She assumes dozens of different personas, from red-haired androgyne to Monroe-esque vamp, from mousy homemaker to leather-clad dominatrix and beyond (she and Stewart both play some 15 or more different roles in "The King & Queen of America" alone), and is rarely less than riveting. It also doesn't hurt that the visuals accompany some outstanding songs and performances, like "Sweet Dreams," "Here Comes the Rain," "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (with Aretha Franklin), "Who's That Girl?", "Missionary Man," "Miracle of Love," "Would I Lie to You?", and many more. And while the synth-pop style of the earlier recordings sounds a bit dated these days, the videos have lost none of their appeal. Put simply, Eurythmics: Greatest Hits is a treat. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

"You want me to sing now? WOWWWWWW!!"
An image burns in my mind: Annie Lennox aggressivlely placing a toothbrush into a cup and taking a step back, glaring. There's a brilliance in that moment from "Beethoven" and at a running time of 1 hr 35 mins. this DVD is brimming with those kind of moments and musical genius.

As the sticker on the cover's shrinkwrap says, Eurythmics is "The Definitive New Wave Band" and doesn't break that promise. What more could a fan ask for than a compilation of their conceptual videos? If only it could be updated to include the ones from the album "Peace" it couldn't be more perfect.

Annie Lennox's voice is pure, soulful and instantly recognized. No matter what the hair, she is undeniably the most beautiful woman in rock! Dave Stewart is a gifted musician and filmmaker (he directed many of their videos) and is downright seductive with one close-up of his face looking right at the camera. They prove they have the talent in every aspect of music and visuals.

Those with a keen eye will enjoy the gender-bending appearances (look for singer Marilyn in "Who's That Girl") and special touches (the leather-clad Hell's Angels in "Thorn In My Side"--dig the guy with the rose tattoo!). All of the clips hold up extremely well today, showing that in the 1980s there was a very creative edge that completely puts today's MTV cookie cutter videos to shame. This is particularly notable in the songs "It's Alright" with astounding animation and the cinematic beauty of "Angel." I really appreciated the trilogy of "Beethoven," "I Need A Man," and "You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart," with Annie reprising characters. It's really hard to top the biting satire of "King And Queen Of America"--when I saw Tammy Faye in a McDonald's in Palm Desert I immediately thought of Annie Lennox's wonderful portrayal in that video! Gives me giggles of delight!

Those who appreciate the music of the 80s and Eurythmics will be so pleased with this compilation! We need more collections like this and those younger folk who thing today's "bands" are so great should take a look at this one and they would surely learn a thing or two about what is truly GREAT music and what it takes to make flawless music videos! As the song goes, WOULD I LIE TO YOU........?

Welcome to the way cool time machine!
This DVD kicks butt like only the 80's can. The Eurythmics are still cool after all these years. Some of the videos are still inventive and good eye-candy, Annie Lennox was quite a hottie in her day, and the music is still very cool techno rock with smart lyrics. Even in the videos of just Annie singing, she is always exciting to watch with that spunky attitude of hers. Some of the videos are creative, some are sexy, some are strange, but all them bring back a tear of glory to any child of the 80's. I love this DVD and never get tired of it. From the music to the images to the magic of Annie Lennox (and Dave Stewart) this is a must have for any Eurythmics fan! Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This DVD!

Bad Transfer
A previous review goes into details about the poor transfer and the compression problems with this release. I fully agree. I'd also like to add that I had previously purchased the UK PAL version a couple of months ago and was disappointed that they used the same transfer for this US NTSC version. I was hoping the label would have cleaned it up before another release. So much for the "Rush" excuse.

The two stars I give this is only for the transfer problems. If you're hoping to upgrade your copy from VHS, don't. Believe me, if you buy this DVD you'll hold onto the videotape and feel all-around cheated.

As for the older material on this DVD, some of it is available on the Pioneer "Sweet Dreams" DVD. And while the sound quality on that edition is not the greatest, you won't be distracted by compression as much as "Greatest."

Maybe "Criterion" can rescue this failure.