A Fascinating Side Project

At the height of their popularity, the Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart) decided to take a risk with this dark, moody, would-be soundtrack. It's true that very little of the music here was actually used in the movie, but that doesn't mean it's bad music. At the time, it had a very abstract, dissonant quality, especially compared to the Eurythmics first three albums.



For people wanting the melodic synth pop of Touch or Sweet Dreams, there may be some dissapointment. Instead, the album has a mechanical, cold quality to it, which, I believe, is the intent here. Orwell's book expresses a sense of loss: the loss of human emotion and natural evolution. These are replaced by a mechanical world of machines, monotony and melancholy. Annie's amazing voice is full of emotion, but this stands in juxtaposition to the grinding machines produced by Dave. It's almost as if the two worlds (one of beauty, one of emptiness) are being pulled apart.



The first song, "I Did It Just the Same," demonstrates this contrast beautifully. The music has a synthetic, textured beat;

and Annie sings over the groove, expressing so much emotion without ever uttering a single word. Other highlights include the European hit "Sexcrime (1984)," which sounds a little dated now; the beautiful "Julia," which may be the best example of Annie's gift of voice and delivery; and the haunting "For the Love of Big Brother."



The album may not grab most listeners the first couple times around, and some of the effects on the album are certainly trapped in the 80s, but patients listeners will be rewarded with some musical moments that the Eurythmics never visited again.

Additional informations

Look like there is some confusion about this album. From what I remember of when I was a teenager, is that Eurythmics was asked to do a soudntrack for the movie... they did it.. but for a reason I don't remember, something happen and that soundtrack was not taken for the movie.

Hope it will hope clarify things!

A superb soundtrack

This soundtrack is VERY good, and it was originally made for the film Ninteen Eighty-Four. However, the soundtrack's appearance in the movie is minimal, mostly limited to small parts of songs being played. For instance, a piece of "Ministry of Love" serves as background for a large portion of the movie's background. And, of course, Julia plays during the ending credits. It might be a -tad- more accurate to say "Music from and inspired by the movie" or something.



Moving on, the nine assorted tracks of this CD are quite interesting. From the slow and creepy (I Did It Just The Same, Winston's Diary), to the eerie and catchy (Julia, Ministry of Love, Room 101), to the rather upbeat Sexcrime or Doubleplusgood, there's a good variety of stuff on here. My personal favorites are Sexcrime, Julia, Doubleplusgood, Ministry of Love, and Room 101. Overall, a very nice CD. If you liked the movie, or the book, or just like the Eurythmics, I'd recommend buying it.