1999 studio album by Eurythmics

Peace is the eighth and final studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 19 October 1999 by RCA Records. It was the band`s first album of new material in 10 years, following 1989`s We Too Are One.

Background and release

After their first performance together in eight years at a record company party in 1998, Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart began writing and recording together for the first time since 1989. After a benefit concert at the Institute of Contemporary Arts for the family of Ruth Picardie, a journalist who died of breast cancer, the duo convened at The Church Studios to write new music.[1] The band had previously recorded their Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) album in 1984 at the facility, which they had rented and converted into a recording studio two years prior.[2][3] By the time they received news of their upcoming Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, the band had amassed half an album`s worth of songs.[1]

Much of the songwriting took place in the recording studio, where the two songwriters frequently restructured and rearranged their material. Stewart described the process as "creating a collage", where his rough melodic ideas and Lennox`s lyrics would go through multiple iterations until they arrived at the final product.[4] The band used a Marantz CDR640 CD recorder for the project, which Stewart selected because of its audio capabilities. "At the end of the session, I can take away a true representation of what we have done. I can listen to alternative mixes or listen back to a different arrangement in the car or at home and know I`m hearing the same thing that I hear in the studio."[5]

The album`s title was designed to reflect the duo`s ongoing concern with global conflict and world peace. It was promoted with a concert on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior II, where they played a mixture of old and new songs. A world tour, titled the Peacetour, followed soon after, with all profits donated to Amnesty International and Greenpeace.[6] The final show of the tour, on 6 December 1999 at the London Docklands Arena, was filmed and released on VHS and DVD.

Singles

"I Saved the World Today" served as the lead single from the album, reaching number 11 on the UK singles chart—their highest-charting single there since 1986. The second single, "17 Again", was released in January 2000. It reached the UK top 30 and topped the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. In May 2000, "Peace Is Just a Word" was released as a promotional single in the United Kingdom with "Beautiful Child" as its B-side.

2005 re-release

On 14 November 2005, Sony BMG repackaged and released Eurythmics` back catalogue as "Deluxe Edition Reissues". Each of their eight studio albums` original track listings were supplemented with bonus tracks and remixes. For unknown reasons, many songs on the 2005 reissue of Peace are alternate mixes compared to the original 1999 release. The most dramatically different mix is "I`ve Tried Everything", which is more upbeat with additional drums. Other songs with mix differences include "17 Again", "I Saved the World Today", "Forever" and "Power to the Meek" (missing a verse from the original version), and live tracks were substituted for the original studio versions of "I Want It All" and "Peace Is Just a Word".

Critical reception

Critics were generally impressed with the album, although NME commented that it "lacked the power" of their previous releases. Q magazine opined that the release of the album "quietly acknowledged that their solo careers had failed", despite the fact that both of Lennox`s solo albums up to that point had reached number one in the UK and been certified multi-platinum in both the UK and US.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, except "Something In the Air" by Speedy Keen.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Peace.[13]

Eurythmics

• Dave Stewart – guitars
• Annie Lennox – vocals

Additional musicians

• Andy Wright – programming, keyboards, live percussion
• Chucho Merchán – bass (tracks 2, 6)
• Dave Catlin-Birch – bass (tracks 4, 9–11)
• Steve Lewinson – bass (tracks 1, 3, 5, 8)
• Pete Lewinson – drums (tracks 1, 3, 5–8)
• Chris Sharrock – drums (tracks 2, 4, 9–11)
• David Whitaker – strings orchestration (tracks 1, 2, 4–7, 9–11)
• Pro Arte Orchestra of London – orchestra
• Colin Sheen – orchestra coordination

Technical

• Eurythmics – production
• Andy Wright – additional production
• Nick Addison – engineering
• Graham Dominy – engineering assistance
• Ash Howes – mixing at Whitfield Street Studios (London)
• David Russell – mixing assistance
• Gary McGovern – technical supervisor
• Ian Cooper – mastering at Metropolis Mastering (London)
• Stephen McLaughlin – strings engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4–7, 9–11)

Artwork

• Richard Avedon – sleeve photography
• Laurence Stevens – sleeve design, graphics

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Peace