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Touch

 

  • Artist: Eurythmics
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1983 11
  • Total Time: 45:30
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Eurythmics followed their 1982 breakthrough album Sweet Dreams with the superior Touch, which yielded three hit singles and kept the innovative duo at the forefront of the 1980s British new wave explosion and MTV phenomenon. Mixing cold, hard, synthesized riffs with warm, luscious vocals, the duo crafted some of the most unique and trendsetting music the 1980s had to offer. Subsequent albums found the duo leaning heavier toward straightforward rock -- this album found them at the height of their electronic incarnation. The lead single, "Here Comes the Rain Again," is a melodramatic opus, complete with pre-techno beats, sweeping strings, and Annie Lennox' rushing, cool vocals. The soulful "Who's That Girl" is an icy, steamy throwback to the torch songs of yesteryear, with Lennox oozing sensuality from every syllable emitted from her lips. The final hit, "Right by Your Side," finds the duo in a cheerful, Caribbean-inspired mode. Other standouts include the seven-and-a-half-minute disco trance of "Paint a Rumour," the driving "The First Cut," and the icy, spellbinding, and sparse "No Fear No Hate No Pain (No Broken Hearts)." The cool, sophisticated musical experimentalism all over Touch cemented Eurythmics' reputation as one of the most innovative duos of their time; the hit singles solidified their reputation as dependable 1980s hitmakers and MTV mainstays. Touch is a testament to what Eurythmics were at the height of their electronic-techno phase and, without doubt, is a milestone in 1980s pop music. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Here Comes the Rain Again (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:54)
Regrets (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:43)
Right by Your Side (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:05)
Cool Blue (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:48)
Who's That Girl? (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:46)
The First Cut Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:44)
Aqua (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (4:36)
No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (5:24)
Paint a Rumour (Lyrics) Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart Eurythmics (7:30)

Credits

Eurythmics (Main Performer), Michael Kamen (Conductor), Michael Kamen (String Arrangements), Maggie Ryder (Vocals), Maggie Ryder (?), Annie Lennox (Flute), Annie Lennox (Percussion), Annie Lennox (Arranger), Annie Lennox (Keyboards), Annie Lennox (Vocals), Annie Lennox (Vocals (Background)), Pete Ashworth (Photography), Jon Bavin (Engineer), British Philharmonic (Strings), Dick Cuthell (Trumpet), Dick Cuthell (Cornet), Dick Cuthell (Flugelhorn), Dick Cuthell (Horn), Martin Dobson (Horn), Martin Dobson (Saxophone), Martin Dobson (Sax (Baritone)), Dean Garcia (Bass), Dean Garcia (Guitar (Bass)), Victor Martin (Synthesizer), Gill O'Donovan (Vocals), Gill O'Donovan (?), Susie O'List (Vocals), Susie O'List (?), Peter Phipps (Drums), Dave Stewart (Dulcimer), Dave Stewart (Bass), Dave Stewart (Guitar), Dave Stewart (Arranger), Dave Stewart (Drums), Dave Stewart (Keyboards), Dave Stewart (Vocals), Dave Stewart (Vocals (Background)), Dave Stewart (Xylophone), Dave Stewart (Producer), Dave Stewart (Sequencing), Vic Martin (Synthesizer), Laurence Stevens (Art Direction), Laurence Stevens (Design), Laurence Stevens (Cover Design), Brian Aris (Photography), Andrew Christian (Cover Design)
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Wikipedia: Touch (Eurythmics album)
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Touch
Studio album by Eurythmics
Released November 26, 1983
Recorded 1983 @The Church, London
Genre New Wave, Synth Pop, Electronica
Length 45:30
Label RCA Records
Producer David A. Stewart
Professional reviews
Eurythmics chronology
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
(1983)
Touch
(1983)
Touch Dance
(1984)

Touch is the third album by the British new wave duo Eurythmics, released on November 26, 1983. The album was the duo's first UK number-one album, and also reached the top 10 in the US. It has since been certified Platinum in both countries.

By this time, the duo had achieved international success with their hit single "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." The follow-up, Touch, was reputedly recorded and mixed in only about three weeks at Eurythmics' own London studio facility, The Church. In addition, "Touch" was also the first album to be released simultaneously on record and on the then-new CD format in the United States.

The album featured the singles "Who's That Girl?" (#3 UK, #21 US), "Right By Your Side" (#10 UK, #29 US) and "Here Comes the Rain Again" (#8 UK, #4 US). The music video for "Who's That Girl" featured a variety of British stars (including Stewart's future wife, Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama) and also featured Lennox playing both a man and a woman. At the end of the clip the male-Lennox kisses the female-Lennox. Lennox later reprised this image dressed up as Elvis Presley for the 1984 Grammy Awards.

On November 14 2005, SonyBMG repackaged and released Eurythmics' back catalog as "2005 Deluxe Edition Reissues." Each of their eight studio albums' original track listings were supplemented with bonus tracks and remixes.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 500 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Contents

Track listing

all songs by Lennox and Stewart

  1. "Here Comes the Rain Again" – 4:54
  2. "Regrets" – 4:43
  3. "Right By Your Side" – 4:05
  4. "Cool Blue" – 4:48
  5. "Who's That Girl?" – 4:46
  6. "The First Cut" – 4:44
  7. "Aqua" – 4:36
  8. "No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)" – 5:24
  9. "Paint a Rumour" – 7:30

bonus material (2005 reissue)

  1. "You Take Some Lentils And You Take Some Rice" – 3:01 (Taken from "Who's That Girl?" 7-inch single)
  2. "ABC (Freeform)" – 2:36 (Taken from "Who's That Girl?" 12-inch single)
  3. "Plus Something Else" – 5:20 (Taken from "Right By Your Side" 12-inch single)
  4. "Paint a Rumour" (Long Version) – 7:57 (Taken from "Here Comes The Rain Again" 12-inch single)
  5. "Who's That Girl?" (Live) – 3:28 (Taken from "Miracle Of Love" 12-inch single)
  6. "Here Comes the Rain Again" (Live) – 3:07 (Previously Unreleased)
  7. "Fame" – 2:39 (David Bowie cover, previously Unreleased)

Personnel

Eurythmics

Additional personnel

Live band for the accompanying tour included:

Production

  • Producer: Dave Stewart
  • Engineer: Jon Bavin
  • Sequencing: Dave Stewart
  • String arrangements: Michael Kamen
  • Arrangers: Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart
  • Art direction: Laurence Stevens
  • Design: Laurence Stevens
  • Cover design: Andrew Christian, Laurence Stevens
  • Photography: Brian Aris, Pete Ashworth

Chart performance

Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 1
U.S. Billboard 200 7
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums 35
Australia 4
Germany 9
Norway 8
Sweden 9
Switzerland 14


Preceded by
Thriller by Michael Jackson
UK number one album
February 4, 1984February 17, 1984
Succeeded by
Sparkle in the Rain by Simple Minds

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