Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

July 4, 2016
In this sometimes tedious and tuneless but often melodic memoir, Stewart, who formed the Eurythmics with Annie Lennox, cannily and humorously catalogs his up and downs in music. After a soccer injury sidelined him in his youth, he picked up a Spanish guitar that his brother had given him. Before long, Stewart put his energy into music and began to see himself as a troubadour in the mold of Leonard Cohen, Donovan, and Bob Dylan. After a few years of playing music with friends, he met Annie Lennox and was mesmerized by "her singing, the chords she's playing, her delicate words, and her haunting beauty." Eventually, they form the Eurythmicsâwhose name they take from a method of teaching musicâand record their first album, In the Garden. Stewart catalogs his life in music, going roughly year by year and providing details about albums and his own approach to music. As a producer, he focuses on building music around the human voice because he believes that element is what most people feel most emotionally connected with. Stewart also chronicles his work and friendships with artists such as Mick Jagger, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne. Stewart's candid autobiography offers an intimate glimpse into the incandescent energy that's fueled his music and life.

January 1, 2016

The best of 1980s popular music was an amalgamation of styles from the preceding decades, and the Eurythmics, comprised of vocalist Annie Lennox and multiinstrumentalist Dave Stewart, were no exception. The duo's songs ranged stylistically from electronic synthesizer music to soul and R&B, making them international stars. Here Stewart tells his story starting with his childhood in northern England, and discussing the beginnings of his musical career in the 1970s, his early romantic relationship and later professional collaborations with Lennox, and a wide range of characters and collaborations in his solo work as an artist and producer. Stewart provides vivid commentary on his creative endeavors with many of popular music's seminal figures, including Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Elton John, Bono, and Katy Perry. While occasionally the seemingly nonstop list of celebrity friends feels like name-dropping, the book is a breezy read, and the anecdotes often provide a fascinating take on behind the scenes of the record industry. VERDICT The scope of Stewart's collaborators is genuinely impressive and the anecdotes are sure to interest not only Eurythmics fans and anyone with fond memories of Eighties pop music, but those curious about the wide-ranging creative endeavors of a prolific collaborator and musician.--Teri Shiel, Univ. of Connecticut Health Ctr. Lib., Farmington

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