2012 Reissue wish list / Day 1 / Eurythmics: Savage

Welcome to our ‘Twelve days of Christmas’ reissue wish list for 2012.

Each day for the next 12 days we will be looking at an album that – for one reason or another – deserves to be reissued in the next 12 months. Today Savage by Eurythmics…

When Eurythmics launched the Savage album in October 1987 with the experimental single, Beethoven (I Love to Listen To), it was clear that this was going to be quite different from the commercial rock of 1986’s Revenge. All the music was performed by Dave and Annie, although much of it was programmed electronics, with heavy use made of the Synclavier sampling keyboard (programmed by drummer Olle Romo). There was still quite a bit of fantastic guitar playing from Dave (notably on I Need A Man and I Need You). Intensely personal songs of alienation, jealousy, and loneliness, Savage came to life visually through a ground-breaking “video album” directed (mostly) by Sophie Mueller.

That is the primary reason this album desperately needs to be reissued. This superb career-high for Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox is truly outstanding, but the video album is an essential visual companion to the original listening experience, and needs to be seen to be believed (videos were made for all 12 tracks on the album). Sophie Mueller worked with the band and directed 10 of the 12 promos (Shame and I’ve Got A Lover (Back In Japan) are the exceptions), and they are everything videos should be. Beautiful to look at, bursting with creativity and bringing the very best out of the music. The visuals really do add an extra dimension to the album, with the semi-narrative of the distressed, hallucinatory housewife, transforming into the androgynous / transsexual figure in search of love, lust and an alternate reality.

The Savage video album saw an initial release on VHS in 1988 but has scandalously never been reissued on DVD, and has therefore effectively been out-of-print for over 20 years. The 2005 reissue of Savage added a few extra tracks, but ignored the videos. Therefore, a 2CD+DVD 25th anniversary reissue of Savage, to include the video album – preferably with the 5.1 surround sound audio option – is high on our wish list for 2012. A second CD should be adequate to mop-up all relevant remixes and live tracks.

The album isn’t technically 25 years old until November, so that’s enough time to undertake such a project. ‘Like’ this post and/or leave a comment if you agree!

ALBUM: Savage by Eurythmics
ANNIVERSARY: 25th
WHY REISSUE?: Complete video album out-of-print and unreleased on DVD

Tomorrow / Day 2 / Paul McCartney: Tug of War